‘Scandinavia: a portrait of the people by two foreigners driving through briefly who have no idea what they’re talking about’​

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Trondheim - Sundsvall

 

Today was relatively uneventful, it was a driving day.  We had camped the night before so we were up early, but as always with a convoy you’re only as fast as your slowest vehicle, so we got a bit of a late start.  We rolled in Trondheim to see the oldest medieval cathedral in Scandinavia and while beautiful we are simply not church people.  At this point we left the others as they were proceeding north toward the Arctic Circle and we were heading east into Sweden and still had nearly another 500 km to go (it’s worth noting Milo cannot go faster than 60miles/100km an hour and needs breaks every 90-120 minutes, we are not fast moving).

So we drove East back into poor Sweden, who’s having a rough go of it thus far.  We first saw Sweden paling in comparison to the fabulous time we had in Copenhagen, and now it’s stuck reappearing a day after an epically gorgeous day in Norway. While I’m sure it would be breathtaking normally, we simply can’t get excited about all the pines trees, blue lakes and clear skies after yesterday’s scenery.  Maybe tomorrow Sweden.
Anyways we drove, for a long time, and we camped, that was the day. So now I have a few interesting quirks I’ve noticed so far in Scandinavia.

-Americana is everywhere.  I had been told to expect this, but I’m surprised to the extent.  Old classic fords and buicks cluster the roads, immaculately maintained and gartering a classic car acknowledgment from us.  But it’s also in the clothes, particularly the guys.  They’re sporting American sports team hats, jerseys and t-shirts, how random. 

-They are extremely outdoorsy.  Obviously this was expected as well, but they bend over backwards to make things fit the correct color scheme, and not a single one seems out of breathe and we’re gasping for air after yet another climb to yet another ridiculously beautiful outlook (apparently the law of diminishing returns does not apply to their love of nature)

-They like to ski.  Aside from the numerous ski resorts we’ve passed, we’ve also noticed the proliferation of summer cross country skiing.  I have a thought about that.  Basically they strap wheels to long pieces of wood and carry about as if there’s snow.

-They are not chatty, in fact I don’t think we’ve really spoken to any, the only person who has approached us to chat was a Thai woman.

-They’re honest people.  Everyone seems to operate on the honor system from toll booths, to newspapers, to parking fees and even coffee.  On one of the ferries across a fjord I wanted a coffee, walked down stairs and there was coffee and muffins and candy bars with a sign for prices and bowl for money, good for them.

- Facial piercing on women.  I first noticed all the tattoos and sleeves on women and pointed that out to Jonathan, and then I realized they were taking it a bit further as loads of women have facial piercing and not just noses or tongues. 

-They’re tall.

-They drive to the speed limit.

- There aren’t many chain shops (zero Starbucks)

-We’ve received word down the line that Finland consumes more coffee than any other national per capitia in the world, something we look forward to.

-They like hotdogs and mustard, a lot.

I’m sure there will be more to come but these are our (my) initial observations.