10 things you didn’t know about Sweden
Although I lived here as a child and teenager, there is much I had forgotten. Here are some of the more remarkable things about this country.
In the summer it gets light at 2 in the morning
In the winter it gets dark at 2 in the afternoon
Most people in the countryside will say ‘hej’ to you; but you can’t be sure whether they mean hello or goodbye
If you sit in a car in Stockholm and watch 40 people go by as Julia did yesterday, half of them will be blond
Everyone drives with their headlights on all the time
The countryside is empty and stunningly beautiful
When you go into a Swedish home you take your shoes off
They are opening an ABBA museum in Stockholm in June 2009
Beer comes in three strengths; low, medium and high alcohol content
Almost everyone has a Swedish flag in their garden (which Leo thinks means there is a branch of IKEA there)
Talking of IKEA, I have discovered that there is one in Abu Dhabi. After four days in Sweden I don’t think I can ever face another meatball as long as I live, but it will be nice to know it is there in case I start missing Sweden.
Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2008
15 Jul 2008 helena
Beautiful scenery, HElena!
Blond, but from a bottle… except for the kids!
They drive with their headlights on all the time because it is the law. It is the law in Italy as well but only about 30% do it, as most Italians don’t really agree. There is a big difference between a population that thinks they should decide for themselves and one that obeys.