In the early 19th century there was a variety of large turnip called Swedish Turnip which gave rise to the Swedish phrase which translates to; Land Swede-basher meaning a country bumpkin or rustic person.
From snowy, wild Laplands to urbane Stockholm & picturesque small town islands dotting it's beautiful coastline Sweden has a bit of everything all while being the most affordable of the Scandinavian countries.
@ a glance essentials:
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Language:
Swedish
-
Most Locals can speak English.
Swedish Krona (kr)
Water safety
Safe to Drink
Currency:
SEK
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
.................................................. Comic book fans may be familiar with the expression Vid Odens Skägg ! = By Odin’s Beard ! But did you know Swede's also swear by Odin's glans, (ollon), his son Balder's balls; Balders Balle ! the devils d**k;
Satfläsk ! and the more generalized Kukens Vrede ! (Wrath of the D**k !)
Creative Local Curses -
Inhabited since 12,000 BC, later Germanic peoples migrating to [future] southern Sweden developed into the Geats (Götar or Goths) and Swedes (Svear), both tribes of the sea-faring peoples known as Norsemen. Much of Sweden’s history from the 8c on is shaped by these Vikings who raided as far south as Baghdad & Constantinople. (The Byzantine Emperor Theophilos was so impressed by the Norseman warriors he used them as his personal Body Guard.)
Although Swedes have ruled the general territory of Sweden since at least 98 AD (when they are recorded in Tacitus,) feudalism never truly developed in the region, like it did in the rest of Europe, and the Swedish state🔍 proper, which included much of present day Finland, wasn't established until the 10c AD.
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
...................Swedish Vikings were called Rus or Ruotsi (Finnic), from the Old Norse rōþer = relating to rowing. Over the centuries many of the Rus settled outside of Sweden along the river routes they had traveled while going 'a viking' and the people evolved into, and gave their name to, Russia and Belarus.
FUN FACT:
Starting in 1397, Sweden was united with Norway & Denmark in the Kalmar Union, with Sweden ruled by the Norwegian king, until it separated itself in 1521 and began expanding it’s territory as a Swedish Empire. In 1809 it lost what would become Finland to Russia, but was rejoined with Norway after the Napoleonic wars (1814) until in 1905 a peaceful separation of the two was negotiated creating the modern day state.
Sweden was one of the first countries I traveled to when I began to travel full time, and lived there longer than any other country in continental Europe because I enjoyed it so much. Both the people and environments are inviting and beautiful and I would gladly return anytime the opportunity arises.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Swedish Meatballs w/ Lingonberry Jam ∞ Pickled Herring ∞ Västerbottenpaj (Cheese Pie)
Rårakor (Swedish hash-brown) ∞ Pea Soup & Pancakes (Thursday tradition in schools, & the military)
Knäckebröd — (original Swedish crispbread) ∞ Lutfisk (gelatinous fish pickled in lye)
Glögg (mulled wine & spirits) ∞ Smörgåstårta (salmon/ seafood sandwich the size of a cake)
Kaffeost - coffee ☕ brewed with cheese for a rich, creamy texture
➿➰➿
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Surprising Finds:
📍 Prästens Badkar (The Priests Bathtub) | Vik, Simrishamn - world's only above water sand volcano†; folklore claims
was once the bathtub of a priest
📍 Unusual architecture of Gothenburg like the Feskekôrka (Fish 🐟 Church); a Gothic-inspired fish market AND
Tomtehuset (Gnome House); 19th-century home, built for publisher, embellished with gnome murals
📍 Nasoteket (The Nose 👃 Academy) | Lund Un. Museum - home to 200 plaster casts of proboscises (noses)
(Lund Botanical Gardens also boasts a descendant of the famous apple 🌳 tree linked to Isaac Newton & his theory of gravity)
📍 Arnold's Cannibal Museum | Skåne - former hen house turned curiosity cabinet with weapons used by cannibals,
a shrunken human head, etc from 150+ countries
📍 Among winding cobblestones of Stockholm's Gamla Stan (Old Town, founded 1252) are the
Källargränd Urinoar 📸 - a 130-year-old urinal, the oldest of Stockholm and the
Uppland Runic Inscription 53 📸 - a Viking runestone hidden in plain view
📍 The city of Malmö's Trash Cans congratulate you for throwing out you trash 📸
📍 Pippi Longstocking's House; Villa Villekulla | Kneippen - original house used for many
Pippi TV shows & films, now a museum to SE beloved fictional little girl
📍 Odd Hotels of Västerås - Utter Inn; a floating underwater 1 rm cabin, with windows
looking into Lake Malaren & Hotell Hackspett (Woodpecker Hotel); a single-person
treetop hotel in central park (no longer open to guests)
† The result of an artesian aquifer (water trapped between impenetrable layers of soil, like clay, that puts pressure on the source breaking through &
becoming a spring) that unusually also forced out a large amount of sand creating a cone structure, which then collapsed & fossilized into rock
My Favorite Spots:
📍 Small, picturesque islands, like Brännö, 📸 just a ferry ride from Gothenburg,
popular peaceful summer get aways, where no cars are allowed
📍 Lund Cathedral 🔍 - 12c Romanesque, one of the oldest stone buildings in SE,
& it's most visited church, with elaborate 14c astronomical clock & Giant Finn &
family, said to have turned to stone mid-rampage in the crypt
📍 Drottningholm - 17c Palace where the Royal Court Theatre 📸 still uses 18c stage mechanics
📍 Unique Cemeteries🔍 like Skogskyrkogården - Woodland Cemetery, resting place of Greta Garbo 📸 OR
Gamla Kyrkogården - in Malmö's city center. 📸
📍 Tunnelbana (subway) 📸 | Stockholm - world’s longest art gallery (110 km,); 90% of stations are adorned with
art installations, sculptures, mosaics & paintings.
(Kungsträdgården, the deepest, also contains an entire unique self-sufficient ecosystem)
📍 Täby Kyrka, a 13c medieval church with rare 16c ceiling murals like one of a man playing chess against Death &
text where Death says "Jak spelar tik matt" ("I checkmate thee")
📍 University town of Uppsala, with historic churches, ancient Norse Temple & Viking rune stones
Most Known For:
♦️ Stockholm 📸 - with Riddarholmskyrkan 📸 & Storkyrkan 📸, (both 13c churches)
and tons of fascinating museums including The Vasa 📸; 1628 sunken ship
🔸 Arctic🔍 Lapland with the 🔎Northern Lights, Jukkasjärvi; the world's 1st Ice Hotel,
Dogsledding 🛷, the Sámi people, 🦌 Reindeer, and Abisko National Park
♦️ Saunas & Swedish Massage - which, funnily enough, is not Swedish at all!
🔸 Prehistoric Rock Carvings | Tanum - 600+ sites, some of the most complex, skilled Bronze Age carvings in
the world; warriors, animals, ships etc. some dating back to ~1800 BC including "Askum 67:1" geometric men
around a chariot and one figure that inspired the "Oh Yeah Woo Yeah" meme that looks like it's about to bust-a-move 😆
♦️ Mines - particularly the 15c Sala Silver Mine (Sala Silvergruva) & Falun Copper Mine (Falu Gruva); a 9c copper mine
that once provided two thirds of the world's copper supply. †† Both are now open to tours with museums
In addition to copper, the Falun mine provided material for the red paint, Falu Rödfärg, traditionally used on
famous Dalarna Horses & the Red Painted Wood Cabins 📸 that dot the hills of pastural small towns
🔸 Visby, reconstruction of a historic Viking village on the Island of Gotland
♦️ Coastal town of Malmö 📸 - with SE's oldest castle/ fortress & 14c Sankt Petri Church 📸 it's oldest building
🔸 Liseberg | Gothenburg - the biggest amusement park in Scandinavia
† Sweden was the 1st country in the world to establish a national parks system
†† Allegedly found after a goat came home with red material on its fur, collapsed in 1687
👀 NOTABLE SWEDISH:
🎭 Greta Garbo | Actress ✏️ August Strindberg | Writer 🎬 Ingmar Bergman | Film Director
🎶 ABBA 🧨 Alfred Nobel | Inventor 🎭 Ingrid Bergman | Actress 👧 Pippi Longstocking†
🌡️ Anders Celsius | Astronomer/ Physist ⚔️ Ragnar Lothbrock
& sons; Bjorn Ironside & Ivan the Boneless | Vikings
📱 PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg)
† ✏️ Astrid Lindgren | Author
👣
🌀 Midsommar - 📸 longest day of the year. (Midsummer Eve is always a Friday between June 19th & 25th)
People often begin the day picking flowers to make wreaths for headpieces and the maypole.
Some popular places to celebrate are...
Dalarna county - a beautiful countryside region and birth place of the famous wooden folk craft Dala Horses
Sigtuna - one of Sweden's oldest town, and the former 'capitol' of Viking Sweden
Uppsala - college town filled with Viking history & runestones
🌀 Valborg - a festival celebrating the arrival of spring with bonfires & revelry
🌀 Lucia Day (December 13th) - festival of light w/ a procession by 'Saint Lucia,' represented by a young girl
dressed in white w/ a crown of candles, leading children w/ candles through the town
🌀 Swedish Lapland celebrates an Ice Festival & the 410-year-old indigenous Sámi market in Jokkmokk
🌀 The Noble Prize Ceremony - held in Stockholm every December
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
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