Ten Things We Learned About Sweden!

Over the Labor Day Weekend, we ventured north to Sweden.  This was actually a rebooking of a previous trip.  You may remember that we were registered to run the Stockholm Marathon in May, but due to B's knee surgery date being the week before, he was obviously out of contention and unable to even travel if I had decided to run.  So we postponed the trip and decided to go another time.  We also decided that we would not go to Stockholm and instead rent a car and explore rural Sweden.  We settled on the Southeastern side of Sweden and enjoyed a long weekend exploring this not-so-touristy area.  Here are ten things we learned along the way:

Welcome to Sweden!

1. Not all Swedes have blonde hair and blue eyes....but they do all drive Volvos.
We went into the weekend thinking that everyone would look like that famous American Girl Doll Kirsten Larsen, but we were surprised to find that Sweden has a very large immigrant population.  Not sure if this has to do with their generous social benefits, but our dark complexions did not make us stand out at all. (Update!  The rising number of non-native Swedes has to do with the fact that Sweden does not require visas for residents of EU countries.  Many people from the "new" EU countries have found their way north because of this.)  There were many different ethnicities represented in the area where we were.  Although we did not experience this stereotype, we did notice that almost all Swedes drive a Volvo!  There were Volvos everywhere.

Volvos for everyone!

2. Swedes speak English.
Although the predominant language was Swedish, most Swedes spoke very good English.  They also seemed excited to use English.  Although we were mistaken for Germans on more than one occasion, we enjoyed their frequent use of English and their friendliness when using it. Our only issue came one night when ordering pizza.  The special was a pizza called Batsman, which we learned meant boatman/sailor.  We tried saying it like the superhero and the man could not understand at all what we were saying.  Apparently, it's pronounced like Botsman.

They spoke English, but nobody could tell me what Rhode Island dressing was.

3. Sweden is much similar to the US than Europe when it comes to alcohol.
Unlike the rest of Europe where the drinking age is low and alcohol is inexpensive, Sweden is much similar to the US.  Drinks are pricey and the legal drinking age is 20.  You can only buy beer (not wine or liquor) in a grocery store and the beer has a very low alcohol content (as mandated by the government).  Also, Sweden does not joke around about drinking and driving.  On Sunday morning at 9 am as we set out for the day, we were stopped at a mandatory checkpoint and B had to take a Breathalyzer to pass through.  Very interesting.

4. Sweden looks a lot like New England.
It's no surprise that Swedish immigrants settled in Maine, Canada and Minnesota.  Southern Sweden looks almost exactly like the woods of North America.  There are lots of lakes and birch trees.  I actually forgot that I was in Europe for most of the trip.

New Hampshire....or Sweden?

5. There must be a high population of Swedes with Celiac Disease.
Swedes take gluten-free food to a new level.  Almost every store and restaurant we went to had GF food and even fast-food places served a tallrik option.  A tallrik- the Swedish word for plate- was a platter of food instead of something with bread (a Hamburger tallrik was served on a plate sans bread).  Speaking of cuisine- the Swedes eat a lot like we do and they LOVE doner kebabs.

Swedish cuisine!

6. Sweden is moose country.
Much like New England, there were several signs for moose crossings.  We even enjoyed ourselves on a moose safari where we go up close and personal with these creatures.  Side note: in Sweden, moose are called "European Elk".

Moose Safari!

7. Everyone has a red house.
In Southern Sweden, many of the homes are painted the same shade of red.  We late discovered that this paint is made from the high iron concentration in the land and that the paint serves as a protectant for their wood homes.  Even we had a nice red cottage!

Our awesome cottage

8. Swedish summer ends in August.

We ventured out to the island of Oland (a large island in the Baltic) on a beautiful day only to find that most attractions were closed!  When August ends, so does the summer.  The place was deserted even though it was a beautiful September day.  Side note: Oland is the Swedish equivalent to Martha's Vineyard.

A beautiful day on Oland, but where is everyone?

9. Sweden is the birthplace of Pippi Longstocking.
Who knew?  The author of this series- Astrid Lindgren- was born in Vimmerby, which we decided to visit.  Nearby, they have recreated a Pippi Longstocking amusement park complete with a real-life Pippi!  Sadly, we decided to skip this.

In Vimmerby with Astrid Lindgren

10. Americans are a real rarity in Southern Sweden.
We made our base for the weekend in the lovely coastal town of Vastervik and everywhere we went, people were surprised to find that we were Americans.  Are you German?  British?  Australian?  We heard it all.  Everyone was surprised to find us in that area, but it felt about as close to home as anywhere we've been in Europe.