Norway and Vegas hook up for the common good.

Superficially, it would seem that Sin City and one of the crown jewels of Scandinavia don't make for a good fit.

But Norway's Consul General was acting diplomatic and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was playing the gracious host at a meeting of seemingly incongruous, desirable destinations.

"It's probably easier to find things that are different than things that are similar," says Sten Arne Rosnes, Consul General of Norway. "But I think we have one thing in common and that is attractiveness. The American lifestyle is very attractive to Norwegians. We try to learn from that in how we promote interests and Norwegian business."

Both officials agreed there was much to be gained from such an alliance.

"I'm sure we can learn from an economy that only has three percent unemployment right now," adds Mayor Goodman. "In Las Vegas we have 13 percent and we're suffering as a result of it."

While most foreign visitors head straight for the Strip, the Consul General from green-leaning Norway went straight in the opposite direction.

"We went out to the solar panels at Nellis. I felt that Norway is important, not because we have sun - we don't have 300 days a year of sun - but we have been introducing some of the products that are necessary for solar panels."

Norway is about the size of California. With just under five million people, it ranks near the top in quality of life surveys.