Sweden Archives

August 26, 2024August 26, 2024

We need to talk about “Swedish Fika”

“Swedish Fika” is the biggest tourist trap a visitor to our country can walk into. Why? Because it’s nothing but a four-letter-word and fancy marketing. Don’t be fooled by it. Certainly don’t let yourself be lured into paying extra for nothing special.

Jaw-dropping email

As a tour guide, you see everything. A couple of days ago my WhatsApp went crazy with a request from a faraway travel agent trying to book their guests currently in Gothenburg to arrange for a “tour” dubbed “Swedish Fika”. The idea? A guide takes you to a café to have a typical Swedish Fika. Cost? Yeah, plenty given that the company in question takes up to ten people on its tours…

What is a Swedish Fika, really?

The Swedish Board of Tourism claims that it is this unique Swedish tradition (it’s not!) to meet with friends in a café or at the workplace to have coffee/tea with something sweet. As a European immigrant to Sweden, I can vouch that other cultures meet up for tea (England for one) or coffee (Vienna, anyone?) with sweets as well. I mean let’s face it who doesn’t? Leaves us with the word “fika”, and that’s probably it. Right? I know of no other language (I’ve studied twelve) that has a word for “hot beverage with sweets” except Sweden.

From a fancy word to a tourist trap

If you walk into a souvenir shop in Sweden you’ll see a gazillion trinkets with the word “fika” on it, from spoons to mugs, cups, and platters, in the colors of the Swedish flag (cringe!) to the rainbow flag (not that I understand the connection there.) But when something is on every other item in a store, seriously threatening Sweden’s all-time favorite, the Dalecarlia Horse.

Would you buy a pen that says “five o’clock tea” or “high tea” on it? I have to hand it to our tourist board. They’ve really managed to hype this word into something it’s never been, a phenomenon, and even when you read their full shpiel it’s not factually false, but it’s not that big a deal either. We are not the only people eating cake with our coffee at a café. What else is there do to there?

Here’s an idea instead…

Now, before you pay €80 a pop to go to a café with a nanny, why don’t you spend that money on yourself? You don’t really need a guide to tell you to choose between a latte or an espresso or which cake to choose from. Instead, with the money left from your fika with your family or friends, go buy a great souvenir to remember Sweden by. If you’re here in Gothenburg, we are obviously famous for our streetcars which are available as fridge magnets or key chain accessories, but if you really want a typical West Coast souvenir, try to find a place where you can buy art from a local artist, e.g. a small painting or why not something made from wreckage goods. It’s a personal favorite of mine and typical for our region. It’ll beat a plastic fika plate any day with your loved ones. Here’s a local artist who excels at this, John Sanderson.

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Sweden and cash: valuable tips for our guests

Cash is King! Elsewhere…

Our current 50 SEK bill, depicting local singer-songwriter Evert Taube. He was born and raised in the Gothenburg archipelago. — Our current 50 SEK bill depicts local singer-songwriter Evert Taube. He was born and raised in the Gothenburg archipelago.

Sweden last introduced new bills and coins in 2015 and 2016. And to be honest, I don’t really know who’s on which bill (I had to google.) I do know they’re all artists but we use cash so rarely that it’s become a political topic in these troubled times.

What happens if online doesn’t work? It keeps our national bankers and the finance minister awake at night.

Alas, that is Sweden for you, and if you come and visit us, you better be prepared for it because most shops, cafés and restaurants no longer accept cash!

We pay with our phones and watches, mostly, or we tap

I was at our local airport the other day and there was a huge billboard from a currency exchange firm telling us that globally, half of all payments are still made with cash. Good advice for Swedes. Because we don’t. At all. The fact of the matter is that in most places you cannot pay with cash anymore! That is crucial to know, as it includes e.g. public transport!

Modern payment terminal accepting "taps"

I would advise you not to exchange your euros, dollars, or whatnot into Swedish Kronor (SEK) not just because you’ll never get your money back, as ours is a weak currency, but also because you’ll be stuck with it.

Our most common methods of payment are: Credit Cards (either physical or more and more using our smartphones and watches, i.e. Apple or Google Pay.) It’s so convenient and the pandemic virtually killed cash. Sweden has its own “Venmo”, called Swish, and we use that domestically to send money to one another and pay for services, too. Sadly there is still no interoperability with other countries.

How do I tip?

This is currently a hot and contentious topic. Tipping has no real history in Sweden, at least not in the sense you see it in the United States where servers rely on tips to make a living. Here, our collective agreements between unions and employers guarantee a certain percentage as part of someone’s salary. So it’s not really needed.

Traditionally, we simply rounded up for excellent service, say from SEK 82 to 100. With the disappearance of cash and modern electronic payment options, it’s become more complicated. Most of the service providers have US backgrounds and our new payment terminals automatically include a screen where you can choose to add a tip (or not), whether it is for a cabby or a server.

What about pre-paid services? Say a bellboy or a tour guide, where you’ve already paid for the service to the employer in advance, or to someone else? That’s where cash is still an option. You can either use an ATM (available at stations or e.g. malls) to withdraw some money, or you can simply tip using a major currency. While my guests are not expected to tip me, I’ve had very happy clients leave me everything from Swedish Kronor to Swiss Francs, Euros, or US Dollars. As a frequent traveler to these countries myself, they’re highly appreciated and an acknowledgment of great service. As for the amount, follow your heart and what you feel comfortable with.

Why cash ain’t king in Sweden

Part of this has to do with our legislation around taxes. If I show up at a bank with a wad of cash (or even just a couple of bills) there will be questions asked about their provenance. That’s Basel III for you and the fight against money laundering. But also, if you accept cash tips you’re legally supposed to declare that and pay taxes which nobody ever did (except for the part they get through their salaries.) That in turn pays for our common services and our future pension. The government wants to make sure that all income is properly taxed and therefore encourages the transition to electronic payments. It provides for better control. On the other hand, it’s challenging for some of our older generations as they’re not used to all the tapping of cards or the use of smartphones.

April 27, 2023November 12, 2024

You haven’t seen Gothenburg… until you’ve been to the Archipelago!

Stora Rös on Styrsö, the highest point in the entire archipelago. — Styrsö, the highest point of the Archipelago. From here you can see the entire river delta of Gothenburg.

Paris has the Eiffel Tower, New York the Statue of Liberty, and Gothenburg has its archipelago.

The archipelago is a string of pearls of islands off the coast to the north and south of the Göta River delta. The smaller islands to the south are part of the city of Gothenburg. You easily reach them by public transport. Simply take a bus or streetcar to Saltholmen and hop on a ferry taking you out.

The archipelago is a must-see for any Gothenburg visitor

Styrsö Halsvik was once home to sea captains living in the archipelago. — Styrsö Halsvik, one of the stops of the tour

We have designed an archipelago tour with our visitors in mind. A smörgåsbord of things that make our archipelago unique.

The focus lies on the island of Styrsö, the largest one in the southern archipelago. The walking tour will take you on a journey almost 13,000 years back in time. Back then, the island was still wholly submerged in the sea but began to emerge as part of the land rise. You will walk through our forest, and four (or maybe five depending on who you ask) distinct settlements, and also enjoy beaches and coastline.

When in the archipelago, you need to eat well. Swedish cuisine with a modern international touch. — Just an example of a dish you might be served at Öbergska, a shrimp and smoked salmon sallad.

Here are a few keywords to give you an idea of the tour: ice age, stone age, bronze age, Vikings, unique nature, stunning views, and delicious food. Combined into a coherent story by Gothenburg’s favorite VIP tour guide. He has lived here for more than twenty-five years and consequently knows the island and its long history intimately. He speaks several languages, has a great sense of humor and his storytelling is legendary!

Midsummer: Sweden’s most important holiday #Sweden #Gothenburg #tourism #GothenburgTours

Midsummer is only rivaled by Christmas, but summer. It’s summer!

I’m sure you’ve seen pictures from Sweden, people dancing around a colorfully dressed maypole. Unlike its counterparts from Germany and elsewhere, our maypoles are dressed with birch twigs and flowers. The songs we dance to aren’t traditional folk songs, but children’s songs including clever lyrics such as “ooh-ack-ack-a” in the evergreen “small frogs” (don’t ask…)

Midsummer marks…

Midsummer Sunset — This is what midsummer looks like in Gothenburg. 10:15 pm approximately.

Midsummer in Sweden marks not primarily the middle of summer, but the longest day, midsummer solstice, this year taking place the day after solstice, always on a Friday.

It’s really the beginning of summer, but even here in Gothenburg, this week and for another week or two, the sun doesn’t set until after 10 pm, and rises just after 4 am. Now imagine further up north. In a small town, I know well, Gávtjávvrie in Sápmi, way up north, but still short of the arctic circle, the sun sets for only one hour. Once you cross the arctic circle, the sun never sets during the weeks around midsummer.

It is our most important holiday, bigger than Christmas. Why? Is it the sunlight? The fact that is is as much an adult holiday as it is for kids? Is it the promise of a long vacation that awaits most Swedes around the corner in July? We’ll never know for sure, but midsummer is “da shit” around here…

Eat, drink, dance, sing, repeat

Our maypole here on the island. A big and traditional celebration.

Long days, sunshine, and flowers are key ingredients in our midsummer celebrations, along with the season’s first potatoes, small, sweet, delicious, herring in sauce, a Swedish delicacy, and strawberries, also the season’s first. And I’m sure you know we consume those with copious amounts of beer and different types of vodka, flavored schnapps etc.

Traditionally, you’d put seven kinds of flowers under your pillow, jump over seven fences and dream of your future partner. These days, you swipe seven times and start over. Sweden is a modern country. LOL

Where to celebrate

There are many places to celebrate Midsummer in Sweden, and if you happen to be here in Gothenburg, I can recommend the celebration at our amusement park. Always lots of people, professional song, and a great maypole.

Here in Gothenburg, there are celebrations, big and small, all across the city. One of the more famous ones takes place just a few hundred feet from our house, on our island, Styrsö. We have a large meadow where they put up the maypole. You can help decorate the pole in the morning and at four pm, the entire island and a ton of guests gather to sing, dance and have fun together, before we return to our homes for a barbeque dinner. There are several restaurants on the island, so you won’t have to starve, even if you’re just visiting…

But there are other places you can visit, all around our city. Check out this list from our tourist office.

The weather? Midsummer usually means moving indoors and outdoors because often enough the weather will be typical for the summer: sunshine and rain, changing constantly. For now, the forecast (the most serious topic we discuss these days) seems okay. Trust me, I checked with four (sic!) weather sites. As I said, the weather forecast for midsummer is not to be taken lightly.

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018

Gothenburg Tours: Spring is in the air, or is it?

Today is spring equinox, but the weather outside, as sunny as it is, feels more like winter

Spring is in the air, and the sun is shining. Photo: Private

Weather and climate change, right? Every time the experts talk about climate change, some wise ass mentions the freaky weather outside. Well, they are connected of course, but… It’s complicated, like most relationships. Spring is definitely in the air, even if the weather is currently out of whack over much of Europe due to something strange called Arctic oscillation and which has been disturbed recently, allowing ice cold air to reach places it usually doesn’t (all the while the Arctics were inundated with very warm air.)

Weather ain’t climate

Here in Gothenburg, we’re enjoying super sunny days right now, but the temperatures are still below average for the season. Spring is late, it usually arrives here in the second half of February, and we’re now in the second half of March. Yet just today, the Swedish Met office (SMHI) and our nation NPR (SVT) published data that shows that the country has warmed by 1 C in the past century, on average. That’s quite a lot. And it will only get worse and that has an effect on cities like Gothenburg, with severe consequences.

How climate change might affect Gothenburg

It’s hard to imagine catastrophic scenarios on a sunny day like today. But city planners are working on contingency plans. Gothenburg is built on sea level, and most quays are about a meter (three feet) above the average water line. During a strong fall storm with western winds, the storm surges already surpass that line and low-lying parts of the city flood easily.

Spring is in the air, but in secluded bays, the ice still covers the sea. Photo: Private

Even the island, where I live, sees the nice lawn near the boat jetty flooded every now and then. It will get worse in the future. As Gothenburg has Sweden’s largest river running through its midst, that adds to the complexity. And while London is protected by giant flood barriers to keep storm surges to push river water back into the city, Gothenburg doesn’t really have that option. Our geography just doesn’t allow for such a barrier, or it would have to be placed too close to our harbor and would seriously impact the city.

Today, storm surges push upstream and with water pushing from two sides, the city easily floods. With rising sea levels, even if only ten or twenty centimeters, that is enough to cause severe flooding in more and more areas of the city within just a few decades, all the while the city is expanding and growing near the water (where else?)

Gothenburg isn’t alone

Flooding of Gothenburg, worst case scenario. Image: Göteborgs-Posten

Gothenburg isn’t the only city threatened by climate change. In many cases, we are lucky, as warmer weather also means a more temperate climate. More days to spend outside in the evening with a glass of wine. More rain means we will have less risk of draught (a problem in many other areas of the planet.)

But that is no reason not to act, to leave things as they are because we are all on the same speck of dust traveling through the universe. And as for now, it’s the only one we have at our disposal. We’re literally pissing on ourselves. Not smart.

Sweden is a hotspot for environmental technology

If you’re interested in the environment, climate and what we can do to stop pissing on ourselves, there is plenty to see and do here in this town, from car maker Volvo who pledges to only produce electrified vehicles from next year to our universities and many other companies who are at the forefront of ecological innovation.

Welcome to Gothenburg, rain or shine, spring, summer, winter or fall!