Fountain of Knowledge

Okay, I'll give you as much as I can think of. Sweden: I've got a small town on offer in what is called Middle Sweden, between Karlstadt and Örebro, there's Karlskoga. I'm guessing at 15000 people. There's a historical town center, some streets are even cobblestone if I remember correctly. It's hard to describe what's so typical about Scandinavian architecture. I want to say they are baroque, but it's a very toned down version of baroque, no frills, just the proportions fit. The buildings are whitewashed, churches may be older and made from red bricks reminiscent of Hanse architecture.

Anyway, the place to buy groceries might be a Konsum, a Swedish supermarket chain. The logo is a blue, horizontal 8. Groceries are extremely expensive, alcohol and tobacco are heavily taxed. The national dish is köttsbullar med patates and lyngansylt (there's a little circle above the a in the latter I think), which is meatballs with potatoes and cranberry jam (well it's a European version of cranberries). Cranberry jam is omnipresent in Sweden, I've seen it sold in three pound containers. After I saw my young cousins, I knew why: They eat it with their cereals in the mornings, with any dish at midday (even cabbage, and I can tell you that's not a good match), and on a sandwich in the evenings. There are of course lots of fish specialties, and you'll find several versions of pickled herring in glasses. Don't forget crispbread, which also exists in many varieties.

Even though the price of alcohol makes your eyes blur, drinking is a favorite pastime. Of course it's a very social affair. Beer is the most common drink, accompanied by shots. The shots (aquavit for example) are consumed in groups, often with a toast, sung together. I had one translated to me: The steamship goes phht, phht, phht; the submarine goes - everybody upends the drink, then gargles... before swallowing. There's only one discotheque in Karlskoga, and it's hosted by the Hilton Hotel. But the Saturday night I remember was very lively. I should mention that in summer, it's dark only for very few hours. We didn't come home that late, about half past two, and the sun was already rising (beginning of July). Summer is sweet, but short.

The landscape is hilly and foresty, with coniferous trees dominating. At every corner, you'll find a lake, and boats are a natural thing to own. The forests are rich with mushrooms, like chanterelles or ceps, and people collect them in late summer and fall. I've seen beavers, fishing's a great sport, and don't forget the moose. It's no problem to encounter one at 4 am on a motor highway. The highways are great, good conditions everywhere. One detail about driving: You've got to keep the lights on all day.

All over the country you'll find small red-painted block houses - the summer houses. The land is cheap, and many families own one, even if it's only a few kilometers from their home.

Okay, I'll post now. I'll continue with Denmark and simply reply to my own post. This is going to be more intensive than I thought.