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SWEDEN.
The first thing you notice is that the Swedish are very efficient, which is immediately seen from the airport, transport, immigration (come right on in) and I found the people to be the best mannered, polite and friendly, but also laid back like us Auzzies.
And with my blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin, I fit right in and was often being mistaken for a local Swede. In fact I strangely understood most of what was being said to me by people thinking I was Swedish, just not able to respond so well, so I held my watch to the persons face when asked the time and when being asked directions I just pointed in the direction they were headed and gave them a big 'thumbs up'. Actually, I leant more of the language from spending time with 3 year Theo, watching tv, and hanging out in the supermarket and shops than I did with any phrase book, and when that failed I said 'Ja' to anything that sounded reasonable .... and a good majority spoke English very well when they sussed out I wasn't actually a native.
Anyway, I started my adventure in Sweden with
My Hostel
'Af Champan' - the hostel was half on the boat and half on the building on land - highly recommenda few days in Uppsala, a university town where my brother-in-law's family came from. I was staying with Zilia and Par and brought my trip to Sweden forward to attend the biggest day in Uppsala 'Walpurgis Eve', which is essentially a huge student tradition that involves a lot of alcohol and street festivals and activities and pretty much the entire town takes the day off and has a party. So my first full day I explored the cities sights and monuments, but I was surrounded by thousands attending the festivities which made for a fantastic atmosphere. I was joined later in the arvo by Zilia where we attended the 'waving of the white hat' tradition of the festival, and proceeded to watch the students get wasted. We were much more civilised and had our own bbq at home!
The following few days the town slowed right down with 1st of May public holiday, and it was a nice chance to catch up with family, play with the kids and meet their friends, and zoom around town on the old trusty bicycles which is the preferred method of transport. Hardly anyone drove cars, but yes the cops drove Volvo's, and
Stockholm
I just love the different colours the buildings have most people's homes were furnished by IKEA, much like most of the western world these days. The weather was still pretty chilly since Sweden had come out of a very long and icy winter but I survived (mind you a picked up a head cold which was less than ideal - but soldiered on).
After a few days I travelled onwards to the capital Stockholm, and checked into my recommended hostel 'Af Chapman' which is half on a boat and half on the island. What I hadn't realised was the Stockholm was built on a series of about 14 islands, and was dominated by water. I used the extended sunshine hours (light until at least 10pm) to wander the main area of Norrmalm, my island Skeppsholmen and a bit of the old town.
The next day I decided to get an all day travel pass and after some exploring on foot of the funky Sodermalm or south island area and the food halls of Ostermalmstorg, I learnt how to use the subway system and then decided to play 'the random bus game', which because I had an unlimited travel ticket I just hopped on and ended up in
Ostermalmstorg
Some great food halls and shops different places, all of which I wanted to see so I'll play that game again in future - it was adventurous and fun!
One area I loved was the Gamla Stan or ''old town' area - it was so cute on the small island with all its little lane ways and eateries. Getting lost by the ever lasting day light I forgot about dinner and unable to decide ended up in an Irish pub for a local version of 'bangers and mash' (interesting), and continued my current theme of getting drinks bought for me at Irish pubs. But one was enough with a head cold and it was soon time to get ready for me next destination.
Impression:
I really liked Sweden and felt very much at home there, even if it became ridiculous how much I kept getting mistaken for a Swede. I loved how everyone rides bikes and the emphasis on being outdoors even when its cold, I love the food emphasis on salad, bread and fish as the main option, but feel sorry that they have to import wine. The people are very friendly and helpful, they do so well with design, colour and slickness
Spring has sprung
But it was still freezing after Sweden's longest winter in ages (bigger is not better), and the country is so family friendly with more often than not seeing Dad’s in the playground on being house husbands due to their excellent paternity scheme. The cities have beautiful architecture and the country side is gorgeous (as seen from the train from Stockholm to Copenhagen). It is very easy to get around, transport system good and geared for cycling, and as I found out try not to walk in a bicycle lane or get run over by a cyclist on the road - but if you do the word ‘argh’ appears to be universal. So, I could live here (although I didn''t experience the harsh winter) and will definately be coming back in the future.
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