Sweden(...), is a Nordic
country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern
Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway and
Finland, and is connected to Denmark by the Oresund
Bridge. It has been a member of the European Union
since January 1, 1995. Its capital and largest city
is Stockholm, with a population of 802,611 and 2
million in metropolitan area.
Source:
Wikipedia
Major cities
* Stockholm - The capital, spread out over a number
of islands.
* Gothenburg - On the west coast.
* Malmö - Down south, not far from the Danish
capital Copenhagen.
Other cities
* Uppsala - lively pretty old university city.
Fourth largest city in Sweden.
* Västerås - Located 100 km west of Stockholm -
Sweden's sixth largest city.
* Borås - Old textile center, east of Gothenburg.
* Helsingborg - North of Malmö and close to Denmark.
* Halmstad - Just between Malmö and Gothenburg and a
popular city to visit during the summer.
* Karlstad - University city, a good halfway between
Stockholm and Oslo.
* Karlskrona - Once the naval capital of Sweden it
is located in Blekinge.
* Linköping - A county capital with a large
university.
* Luleå - Industrial city in northern Norrland, with
a technical university.
* Lund - Old university city, just north of Malmö
* Örebro - Old shoe manufacturing center, halfway
between Stockholm and Oslo.
* Umeå - University city in Norrland.
* Kiruna - a mining town in Lappland, and the
northernmost city in Sweden.
* Falun - city with a millennia-old World Heritage
copper mine.
Source:
Wikitravel (more to follow below)
* Though narcotics are
not unheard of, most Swedes, old as young, are
strongly opposed to them, and the criminal penalties
are hard by Swedish standards. This also applies to
cannabis and other "soft drugs".
* When it comes to alcohol, Swedes are as
double-natured as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Before
work or driving, one beer is one too many, and drunk
driving is a crime genuinely despised in Sweden.
However, drunkenness can be a regular part of many
Swedish traditions (e.g. Midsommar, Valborg, etc.) -
keep this in mind if you abstain from alcohol. Some
Swedes frown on people being sober at a party and
reject excuses other than driving or pregnancy -
though no formal policy exists that would force one
to drink against their own will.
* Swedish people value equal opportunities for women
and sexual minorities, as well as foreign cultures,
religions and races. Don't tell jokes or derogatory
opinions about these groups. (Sweden is the only
country in the world where hate speech against
homosexuals is illegal). Any male visitor believing
the myth that Swedish women are up for grabs will
soon learn otherwise - quite possibly the hard way.
Also, buying sex from prostitutes is illegal, and
pornography is considered shameful.
* Corporal punishment or violence against children
is illegal under all circumstances, and condemned by
most Swedes. Observe this if you bring your children
to Sweden.
* Many Swedish people keep conversation to a
minimum. With these people, long periods of silence
are more probably a sign of courtesy than rudeness.
In the same manner, salespeople, waiters and other
service employees are usually less attentive than
their colleagues in other countries, to respect
customers' privacy, except a short "hej" to entering
customers. Customers are supposed to call for
attention.
* Swedish people try to abridge differences between
social classes. Modesty is a virtue - bragging, or
showing off wealth, is considered rude. Economic
matters are private - don't ask Swedes questions
like how much they earn, or what their car costs. As
in Britain and the rest of the Nordic countries,
weather is a good conversation topic.
* Be careful about talking to people spontaneously
in public places. The Swedish society is very
private, and many people might find it offensive
when a stranger just sits down next to them and
starts talking. (But they usually won’t complain
aloud.) Be nice, and never intrusive. Don't ask
personal questions to people you don't know, and
many Swedish women feel offended by men who stare,
whistle, or come and speak to them intrusively in
public. Always talk about non-personal things before
you ask someone out etc.
* Show respect to elders, who can be quite formal.
* Swedes are Scandinavian, but they aren't
Norwegians or Danes, so don't offend people by
lumping them together or confusing them with these
other nationalities. Do not confuse Sweden with
Switzerland!
* Always remove your shoes when entering a Swedish
home. Most Swedish homes have wood flooring -
wall-to-wall carpets are uncommon. Should you be
dressed up (or if you do not like to take off your
shoes when indoors), bring a pair of clean indoor
shoes. Your effort will be appreciated.
* The Swedes say "you" in the sense of one person
i.e. "thou". Not as in France, where you would say
Vous (you as in many) instead of tu when you are
being polite. In the "old" Sweden, Swedes said "you"
(in the plural form) when talking to a person of
lower class and therefore it was impolite. However,
if you stick to English there won't be a problem.
* Most Swedes usually call each other, and introduce
themselves, by first name only, when meeting live.
Full name is preferred on the phone and in written
word.
* When Swedish people pay at a restaurant, they
often split the bill by the penny, according to
individual orders. Others prefer to split the bill
evenly regardless of who had the most expensive
meal. Be prepared for both alternatives; it depends
on your dining company.
* Though rumors of the "Swedish sin", Swedish people
have an ambiguous, not always clear, relation to
public nudity. Don't go skinny-dipping in public
beaches, if you are more than four years old. Public
toplessness is legal for both sexes, but uncommon
except breastfeeding (for women), and on the beach
and in the countryside (only for men). Female
toplessness in public bathhouses used to be against
house rules, but this is (as of 2008) highly debated
and about to change. Bare arms and legs are usually
tolerated when visiting Swedish churches as a
tourist. However, when entering a place of worship,
remove any headwear and switch off your mobile
phone.
* Greetings between men and women who know each
other (e.g. are good friends, relatives, etc.) is
often in the form of a hug. It is rare to see a peck
on the cheek as a form of greeting, and it might be
taken as way too personal.
* When interacting with Swedes do not be offended if
they do not use the word "please" very often. There
is no exact Swedish correspondence to the word
please and Swedes use the tone of their voice to
express gratitude. The word tack (=thank you,
pronounced taahck) may be used instead of "please".
* Do not jump queues. Queue jumpers are frowned upon
and, depending on the situation, will be sent to the
end of the line if caught. Many stores and service
offices have a machine providing queue number notes
- be sure to grab one as you enter. The only
exception from this is in supermarkets, where a
customer with very few items can pass before one
with a full cart, if asking politely before.
* Show up on the minute for meetings and meals,
preferably five minutes before set time. There is no
"fashionably late" in Sweden. Although at some of
the universities (Linköping, Uppsala, KTH and Lund)
there is a tradition called the academic quarter. If
a lecture is to start at 10, it actually means it
will start at 10:15. However this does not apply to
parties, and especially "pre-parties". When a Swede
says that you will meet at half ten it means halfway
to ten i.e 09:30. Not as in Britain where half ten
means half past ten i.e 10:30. Being over an hour
late, is not a great way to leave an impression on
someone. The 24-hour clock is standard, even in
everyday speech, e.g. nitton och trettio (meaning
19.30, or 7.30 p.m.)
* If you prefer not to eat or drink something,
saying "no, thank you" is OK in Sweden, unlike in
many other countries. Allergy is the most acceptable
excuse to reject food.
* In contrast to other countries, there are no
really sensitive topics in politics - Sweden has not
been at war since 1814, had hardly any colonial
history and there are no notorious traditions like
Spanish bullfighting or Norwegian whaling. However,
Swedes may have strong opinions about the European
Union.
But in recent years discussions about immigration
politics have become sensitive. In general the
Swedes are not against immigration but that is
because any criticism is regarded as racism by some,
unless you have some arguments. That doesn't mean
that the majority of the Swedes are racists, they
are still very friendly to foreigners. But be
careful when raising that issue, the discussions are
probably not going to end friendly.
* If travelling with undergroudn/metro in Stockholm,
don't talk with a loud voice or scream. Especially
in the mornings 7-9 and around 15-18 when people are
heading home after work there are many tired people
in the metro sitting and enjoying the silence. Even
if there are people screaming it doesn't mean that
you have to do it. If the streets are places where
people talk with a high voice tone, the metro can be
a place where people relax from the stress.
Source:
Wikitravel |
