By Merete Aanes (Staff Writer)
Merete Aanes, Political Science student
I moved in January from Bergen, Norway, to Dover because my husband is now stationed at the Dover Air Force Base.
There are a lot of differences between the two places – some of which I like and others I don’t.
I like the location of Dover and its weather, where the summers are warm, and the winters are cold.
However, I don’t like the lack of public transportation, the lack of forests and parks, and being forced to drive everywhere.
I also don’t like many parts of downtown Dover.
Dover is a lot different than standard European cities that are more compact. It seems a lot bigger than it actually is.
I don’t think I’ve met anyone that loves living in Dover, or Delaware for that matter, other than people who have grown up here.
Being the state capital, the city has a lot of work to do when it comes to presentability.
Certain areas of downtown Dover come close to being the scariest places I have been. Just walking one street over from the Wesley campus brings me to an area where I don’t feel comfortable by myself.
I also wish there were more shops and attractions here, such as a Starbucks drive-thru, a Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstore, more sidewalks, an Ikea, passenger train connections, and better transportation.
A bigger mall would be nice; so would hills or mountains.
They would improve the scenery a great deal.
Coming from a Norwegian city surrounded by seven mountains, it doesn’t feel right to see nothing but flat land. Despite costing me more gas money, I wouldn’t mind walking and driving up hills or mountains.
I miss being able to walk or ride my bike around instead of driving. It’s common in Norway to ride your bike to work or school, no matter you profession.
It’s a great workout, and it saves many families from having to own a car. Owning a car in Europe is much more expensive than it is in the United States.
I think Dover needs more areas where people can do outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and walking. In Norway, I used to be able to walk out of my front door and be at the foot of a hiking trail in about five minutes- even thought I lived in the suburbs of a city with 250,000 people.
If I want to do these activities in Delaware, I have to drive 40 minutes to White Clay Creek State Park in Newark.
Although I don’t mind living in Dover for now, it is not somewhere I imagine myself living.
But there is at least one good think about the location.
Dover is only a couple of hours away from major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
Another great thing about being here is taking advantage of the nearby beaches during the summer. There aren’t many large beaches in Norway.
A 40-minute drive takes me down to the beach. Even though the water may not be warm enough to swim in until the end of summer, the ocean breeze is nice in the hot, humid weather.
Dover has what is necessary – but definitely nothing more.
