I have always viewed Scandinavia with a certain amount of awe. Cannot really pinpoint the reason for it but its probably driven by the fact that this part of the world is so far from us and so much up north that it just seems very far drawn from even mainland Europe. And the Scandinavian spirit is probably best imbibed in the land of Sweden.
I have been to Sweden on a couple of occasions both in the summers and the early winters, but just for a couple of days each time on business visits mainly to attend meetings. Even though this type of visit does not provide a person with the opportunity to see the country and places in such detail as one going as a tourist would, but I will try to provide you with whatever information and thoughts I could gather during these trips. But please do not be too disappointed if this review does not contain too many details on the culture and civilization etc.
*The Journey
The capital city of Sweden is Stockholm. SAS used to earlier have direct flights from the Indian metros to Stockholm, but after they withdrew their services from India, there are no direct flights to this place now. From Mumbai Austrian Airlines seems like the best option right now. They are a part of the Star Alliance and run a very efficient setup. I found their checking in, in flight service and other facilities pretty good. But the best part of the flight is the fact that these flights are not running to full capacity and one can easily get the seats of their choice. So more often than not you will find no one sitting on your adjacent seat. I personally found several rows of 4 seats totally empty, making for very good sleeping at night. Another big benefit of such a flight is that the toilets are vacant when you need them the most and much cleaner than other airlines. And you can never underestimate the importance of a toilet when you need it after your early morning tea! All the Austrian Airs’ flights are routed through Vienna, and the onward flight has to be taken from there.
The Scandinavian countries are all part of the European Union and the Shengen visa is valid here also. So if you are carrying a Shengen Visa no separate one is required for Sweden.
*The Country
I landed in Stockholm airport after changing the flight at Vienna at about 11AM. It was a pleasant but cold day. For us who are not used to the cold weather of Europe, a jacket and cap would be a worthwhile carry even in the summers. Sweden has a beautiful mountainous countryside. Since I had to go Vest eras, which is about an hour from Stockholm, I boarded the bus. One can enquire about the route numbers of the buses and their times of departure along with their bus stop number at the airport itself. There are printed broushers of this information and it would be best to take one and keep handy during your entire trip. The ticket to the buses are to be procured from the driver himself while boarding, and those of the train are available at counters outside and also in the train from the roaming TT. The currency of Sweden is the Coroner and as usual it is best to get the desired amount changed from the airport itself. But even if you are unable to do so there are several currency exchange counters in the city also. Do avoid changing the currency at the hotel, as you will loose a large amount on the exchange rate difference. Euros are also widely accepted. The train station is also at the Airport itself and generally speaking the train journey to anyplace would take lesser time. However having gone by the train on an earlier instance, I preferred the bus due to the scenery that one can enjoy on the way. The landscape between Stockholm and Vestaras is a mix of mountains and plains. The mountains are dotted with pine and fur trees and look beautiful. The air is clean and no pollution whatsoever is felt, as is the case all over Europe. A lovely countryside is how best I can describe it the views. At places where the road passes through forest areas, there is a fencing provided alongside the same. I heard that sometimes deer and antelopes cross over the roads and as such there are warning signs at many places for the same.
Vestraus is a small city, but has sufficient hotel and other facilities. The market places are good for shopping and eating. All kinds of restaurants are available here. Fast food to specialty cuisine. The best I liked was their buffet meals where one can choose from 35-40 dishes and the total meal cost would be around USD 16-18. Many small restaurants offer this type of meals in the market place.
The lake end is a good place to spend the evening either doing boating or just lazing around on the benches and enjoying a drink.
Form Vestaras I had to go to Ludvika, which is another small town in Sweden and a manufacturing base for several giant sized industries. Its population is just about 20, 000 persons and the rest is a floating population who come to the manufacturing facilities there for their jobs in the morning and return in the evening. We undertook this journey in a hired car. A Swedish college of mine who drove the car accompanied me.
Though all basic facilities are available in these small cities, for any major sight seeing and shopping one would have to stay in Stockholm.
The Climate and Temperature
The hotel that I stayed in did not have a gym so I used to go for walks in the morning. One would need winter track suites, as it is still cold early in the mornings. The usual daytime temperatures vary between 10-14 degrees. The sun sets only at about 10PM during the summers and rises at about 4AM. The days are very long and if you don’t happen to look at your watch you would completely loose track of time.
The Economy and Culture
The economy in Sweden is very advanced and strong. I was surprised to hear that about 95% of their electricity needs are fulfilled through nuclear and hydal power plants. Only a couple of coal based thermal plants supply the peak loads, totally in reverse of what happens in India. The youngsters do not think it essential to marry or get into any long-term commitment even if they are planning to have children. There is so much security available there. In fact one of my colleagues told me that during certain phases it becomes a little fashionable to get married and so some more people get married, otherwise there is no real purpose or need of getting married there.