SWEDEN!

From our trip through Norway we made plans to drive through Sweden (to Stockholm precisely), and catch a ferry over to Tallinn. With the fish sauce inexorably separated from the mattress and being announced 'Sauce-Free', we put in another epic drive from Lillehammer to Stockholm. The weather at this point was quite hot, with top temperatures of around 30 degrees, which for that part of the world is quite hot.

Sweden turned out to be quite a nice 'break' from Norway, with prices automatically dropping by around 1/3. Green and rolling (but admittedly flat) agricultural land gave way to southern-coastal Stockholm, which is a city spread out on 14 islands, all of which are accessible by a quality public transport system.

With its easy 'outdoors' orientation (granted, it was summer) and its not-too-ancient architectural elements, we found Sweden to be very in keeping with Australia. Not surprising I suppose, given the strongly similar levels of Government intervention and input into their and our societies, and the high levels of social welfare resultant from this.

Key activities on the trip...

• Spending time in Stockholm, taking in the sights of the city
• Pedal boating in the Stockholm bays (around the city's 14 islands)
• Drying the fish sauce on the mattress
• Mainly a 'stopover' on the way to Tallinn, Estonia (a 15 hour boat trip)

The people…

A lot more relaxed than the Norwegians, the Swedes seem to have a much more open and laissez-faire attitude to their lives, safe in the knowledge that the warm, safe arms of their high-taxing welfare government will help them out of any potential future tight spots. They are quick with a smile, and their English is mostly impeccable.

And the perception of all Swedish women being tall, blonde and leggy? Sad to say that it's not all rainbows and chocolates my dear reader. This quiet observer was not blown away…

Highlights…

• Dining and drinking outdoors and soaking up some beautiful Scandinavian sunshine.
• The change in speed limits from Norway to Sweden - magic. I could get the Blue Bolt to 120km/h very legally, rendering this leg of our journey virtually road rage-free.
• Taking a pedal-boat out on the river and inlet system of Stockholm, which was magic on a hot day.

Lowlights…

• Upon entering the campsite we (I) mistakenly placed our tent within an uncomfortable proximity to a large ants' nest. The ants weren't large, but the nest was. And they took a liking to Nicola's feet. It was made quite clear that the feelings were not mutual.

In summary…

Although we weren't in Sweden for long, we found it to be a really enjoyable little sojourn. Sunny weather, friendly and accommodating people and less expensive than Norway. For mine, it felt like the Scandinavia that I had in my mind before visiting the area at all.

And the boat trip to Estonia? Turned out not to be a ferry but more of a cruise ship, complete with casinos, piano bars and old people in striped suits. There were people wearing cocktail dresses and stuff. Wearing my shorts, bright yellow jumper and wearing flip flops, I felt a tad underdressed…

I would liken it to…

Australia (well, Melbourne anyway) - I try to avoid whenever possible comparing everywhere we visit to home, but it was a place that just jumped out as being similar.