Which country is the best?

Have you ever had such a conversation with friends or acquaintances? I have. And my experience is that we Norwegians we may not say it in plain text, but it is quite clear if you read between the lines. The Spaniards, on the other hand, say it outright.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway's prime minister for several years, said that it is "typically Norwegian to be good". It was a bit clumsy and stingy, and maybe it was meant as such an anti-jantelov thing she would contribute with to imprint in the soul of quiet and shy compatriots?

(The "jantelov" is an unwritten law (rather "curse") that says you should by all means not think that you are someone, or better than others. Just stay as you are).

In any case, quite a few Norwegians probably agreed with the UN when they a few years ago named Norway the best country in the world. Maybe because we are highest on the on the ranking of number of medals in the Winter Olympics? Maybe because we won the lottery with oil and gas out at sea, now are so rich and can just sit back and take it easy in life (unlike the other poor bastards out there ...)?

Barcode in Oslo (image fromTripadvisor)

Many Spaniards I have met take such nominations as the one by the UN with a smirk on their faces. And climate, food and social out in the streets (not the out--in-the-woods kind of out ...) are then often highlighted with pride. How on Earth could it be that Spain is a place where pensioners and tourists come in hordss, if it had not been an attractive country to live in? they say.

Las cuatro Torres in Madrid

And so we could keepp on for hours. People like what they have become accustomed to, and cheer on the team they grew up with. That's how it is. And everyone knows that mum's meatballs, they are the best !! Fortunately, not all countries are the same, and the world is therefore an exciting place. Where a lot of vaiety awaits the one who wants to discover it. And the more we get to know, and the more we understand, the less likely we are to compare - at least not for the purpose of naming a winner!

Remark: For those who do not know Spain and the Spaniards in particular beyond las playas, cerveza, sangria and paella. Although the Spaniards love their own culture, no wonder, there is no one who - I do not want to say it is an inferiority complex, but few are so quick to criticize their own authorities and way of doing things in comparison with other countries, as the "man in the street" in Spain.