Upon our return from Stockholm...months ago...Daniel had the foresight to jot down a few notables about the Scandinavian destination. Good thing he did since I am just now sitting down to write it up.
Public Transportation: In a word, fantastic. Buying a pass granted you access to the metro trains, the commuter trains and a few ferries (or so I am told on the ferry part, we didn't try that out.)
Fika: A coffee break, as I experienced it. But not American style where you grab a cup of whatever your poison is and scurry back to your cube. This was sitting in a lounge for 10-15 minutes with your colleagues, chatting and eating goodies that people brought in.
Lots of English Speakers: Everyone we encountered spoke English and was very accommodating to the tourist that didn't speak a lick of the native tongue. Even when we were addressed in Swedish, the speaker slipped into English quickly after getting the old 'deer in headlights' look from us.
Vasa Museum: Even when viewed under completely jet-lagged conditions, this museum is cool. It is a building surrounding a recovered wooden gunship from the 1700s that was perfectly preserved in the cold harbor mud for the centuries after sinking immediately after launch. A stop that was recommended to us repeatedly, and we will definitely pass along the recommendation.
[Vasa gunship]
Scandinavian Design: All I needed to go on a huge shopping spree was a whole lotta money and a ship to courier my purchases back to the states. Not for everyone, but I saw lots of fantastic furniture and accessories that made me drool just a bit.
Everyone is in a hurry: We aren't sure if this is unique to Stockholm, or we weren't in Kansas anymore, but people clearly had places to go and people to see.
Seating at a movie: You choose assigned seats using the same self-service terminal used to purchase your tickets. Depending on which side of the coin you find yourself on, it eliminates the tension of seat saving.
Restaurants are expensive: Lunches are subsidized by the government, making them somewhat affordable - although still on the pricey side by American standards. Fast forward to supper and the bill adds up quickly (starting at $20 per person but more commonly hitting $30 per person.)
Soda and sugary cereals are virtually non-existent: Can you believe they don't have a full aisle dedicated to each of these beloved sugar-chocked treats?
Maternity leave: Maternity leave in Sweden is insane by U.S. standards. Swedish paternity leave is actually better than most U.S. companies' maternity leave. Don't quote me on the specifics, but maternity leave is something along the lines of 15 months to split between your first two children. Paternity is 3 months. Lots of rules and regs that I am leaving out, but with U.S. maternity leave often times being 6-12 weeks, they still have the upper hand.
Taxes: Someone has to pay for all the maternity leave time, so the downside of all the benefit is the taxation. Sales tax was 25% for just about everything we purchased. The real stickler for Swedes is the income tax - with the highest bracket being over 50%. Ouch. Having kids is starting to look pretty good, huh?
Postage: It cost the same amount to mail something to the United States as it does within Sweden (at least a postcard).
Coin op laundry: Doesn't exist. As previously mentioned, we were caught in Sweden for a few extra days and our clean clothing options were dwindling (the first time overpacking has actually paid off). Fortunately, one of my co-workers reserved a time slot in her apartment building to do laundry, otherwise I guess we would have continued to clean our clothes in the hotel tub.
Public Transportation: In a word, fantastic. Buying a pass granted you access to the metro trains, the commuter trains and a few ferries (or so I am told on the ferry part, we didn't try that out.)
Fika: A coffee break, as I experienced it. But not American style where you grab a cup of whatever your poison is and scurry back to your cube. This was sitting in a lounge for 10-15 minutes with your colleagues, chatting and eating goodies that people brought in.
Lots of English Speakers: Everyone we encountered spoke English and was very accommodating to the tourist that didn't speak a lick of the native tongue. Even when we were addressed in Swedish, the speaker slipped into English quickly after getting the old 'deer in headlights' look from us.
Vasa Museum: Even when viewed under completely jet-lagged conditions, this museum is cool. It is a building surrounding a recovered wooden gunship from the 1700s that was perfectly preserved in the cold harbor mud for the centuries after sinking immediately after launch. A stop that was recommended to us repeatedly, and we will definitely pass along the recommendation.
Scandinavian Design: All I needed to go on a huge shopping spree was a whole lotta money and a ship to courier my purchases back to the states. Not for everyone, but I saw lots of fantastic furniture and accessories that made me drool just a bit.
Everyone is in a hurry: We aren't sure if this is unique to Stockholm, or we weren't in Kansas anymore, but people clearly had places to go and people to see.
Seating at a movie: You choose assigned seats using the same self-service terminal used to purchase your tickets. Depending on which side of the coin you find yourself on, it eliminates the tension of seat saving.
Restaurants are expensive: Lunches are subsidized by the government, making them somewhat affordable - although still on the pricey side by American standards. Fast forward to supper and the bill adds up quickly (starting at $20 per person but more commonly hitting $30 per person.)
Soda and sugary cereals are virtually non-existent: Can you believe they don't have a full aisle dedicated to each of these beloved sugar-chocked treats?
Maternity leave: Maternity leave in Sweden is insane by U.S. standards. Swedish paternity leave is actually better than most U.S. companies' maternity leave. Don't quote me on the specifics, but maternity leave is something along the lines of 15 months to split between your first two children. Paternity is 3 months. Lots of rules and regs that I am leaving out, but with U.S. maternity leave often times being 6-12 weeks, they still have the upper hand.
Taxes: Someone has to pay for all the maternity leave time, so the downside of all the benefit is the taxation. Sales tax was 25% for just about everything we purchased. The real stickler for Swedes is the income tax - with the highest bracket being over 50%. Ouch. Having kids is starting to look pretty good, huh?
Postage: It cost the same amount to mail something to the United States as it does within Sweden (at least a postcard).
Coin op laundry: Doesn't exist. As previously mentioned, we were caught in Sweden for a few extra days and our clean clothing options were dwindling (the first time overpacking has actually paid off). Fortunately, one of my co-workers reserved a time slot in her apartment building to do laundry, otherwise I guess we would have continued to clean our clothes in the hotel tub.
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