Midsommer in Scandinavia

Hej! Continuing rendezvous'ing with old friends soon not-to-be-living in Europe any longer, we traveled to Sweden last week to meet college friend Sven (guess whether that's his real name) before his ex-pat contract terminates and he returns to the good ol' U.S. of A. on July 31. Last Wednesday evening during the critical Sweden v. Russia EM match, Steph and I flew from Zürich to Copenhagen (Denmark, but the closest airport to Sven) with the flight's captain announcing Sweden's 2-0 loss and elimination just as we landed. So much for victory partying with the Swedes. Sven met us, smoothly manipulated the train ticket machine (always tricky in a new country with a line of impatient locals behind you) and we crossed the impressive Oresund Bridge--Europe's longest bridge and the world's longest border crossing--to the Swedish city of Malmö and subsequent short drive (yes, he has a car like normal people) to his house in nearby tiny suburban town Staffanstorp.

Steph and I were excited for our first ever exploration of Scandinavia; furthermore an opportunity to over-analyze a new culture always interests me in particular. For example, who knew that Northern Europeans differentiate Scandinavian (Norway, Sweden, Denmark) as a subset of Nordic (also including Finland, Iceland)? From ex-pat war stories previously exchanged with Sven--living with his wife and young daughter in Sweden for 16 months--life for uninstructed Americans in Sweden and Switzerland appeared to share interesting similarities, e.g., astronomical prices, despite the wide latitudinal difference. Fodder for much discussion during the weekend, we eventually chalked up our similar adjustment experiences to the European lifestyle in general and, more specifically, small wealthy trade-protected neutral proud rugged stoic countries intelligently yet reluctantly adapting ever-so-gradually to the realities of the EU and shrinking globe (EU member Sweden, despite retaining its own currency, is changing more quickly).

In an important, "Ahh, so we're not crazy" moment, we agreed that particularly difficult to assimilate given our Midwest U.S. puppy-dog personalities (recognized in Europe as among the unabashedly friendliest people in the world) is these countries' fierce independence manifesting itself not nationally but individually. As Sven recounted, if an elderly lady's groceries topple to the ground, or the closing train doors threaten to crush a pregnant woman wrestling on board a 40-lb stroller including baby, or a man is drowning, a Swede won't help unless specifically asked; to provide aid unasked compromises the struggling person's assumed strength and autonomy. Sven called it their "Viking roots". The Swiss often (not always) behave similarly, and it requires a huge mental adjustment for us not to perceive such behavior as rude or insensitive or unchivalrous. Take Sven's example of being tentatively approached late at night in a near-empty, frozen train station parking lot by a man ultimately needing a battery jump; after inquiring something in Swedish and Sven requesting English, the man said, "Oh, good, you're American, that means you'll help me!"

Where the countries differ dramatically (other than tax rates) is countryside landscape--Switzerland is hilly or mountainous virtually everywhere, while Sweden is the spitting image of Wisconsin. I mean you'd swear that you were driving through Wisconsin or Minnesota or Michigan. Wide open spaces, flat Midwest farm fields, sky everywhere. No wonder so many Swedes, Danes and Norwegians settled there, it must've felt exactly like home. Sweden's climate is trying: constantly windy with sun/rain combinations even more schizophrenic than Switzerland's, i.e., if you don't like the weather (or do), just wait an hour, coupled with seasonal extremes of dark and light--a mere six hours of wintertime daylight and hardly ever dark in summer. A streak of generally crummy weather over their 16 month stay, plus new house construction finishing early (surprise?!), sent Sven's wife and daughter back to the U.S. several months early while he finishes his work contract.

All right, enough cultural notes already. Amazingly enough, our visit coincided with none other than the summer solstice itself, June 21, longest day of the year, day of the Midnight Sun, heralding the infamous debaucherous Sweden Midsommer celebration. But I'll describe that crazy event and our exploration of Sweden's Skåne county (the best part about traveling is using new alphabet symbols) and Copenhagen, Denmark in the next blog entry. For now, suffice it to say that although we drove for hours all up and down Skåne (highlighted blue), it actually isn't much in the grand geographical scope. Quick, which is bigger, Sweden or Texas?