once upon a time there was a poor country

norway was a poor country 50 years ago. "second only to andora", a friend said.
then the americans came, looking for oil and, wow, did they find it alright.
the norwegians learned the job pretty quickly, and after a few years showed the americans the door, and are enjoying their oil to this day.
that, pretty much, sums of the story of modern norway, a cold and breathtakingly beautiful country up there in the north.