Part I Introduction to Sweden
While sifting through some old photographs backed up on a CD I came across a photograph taken at the Bandaranaike International Airport during my first foreign trip! And it dawned on me that I’m yet to do a write up about my visit to Stockholm, Sweden. Re-kindling memories of my sojourn in Sweden.
I, along with two work colleagues, travelled to Stockholm on a work assignment. But, we arrived in Stockholm three days prior to our initial meeting with the client, so that we would have an opportunity to do some sightseeing. As it was my first time ever in a foreign country, I made sure to make the best use of the opportunity!
For someone who has never been on an air craft, the first experience is stupefying. Despite what it looks like in the movies, air travel has a whole lot of protocols and procedures that need to be followed. When you finally get on to the aircraft, everything calms down, and you feel excited! Then as the air craft begins to taxi along the tarmac you begin to hear the different ‘aircraft sounds’ this in turn causes the NatGeo documentaries on Air Crash Investigations to flash across your mind tainting the initial excitement with a touch of fear.
At the top of the tarmac the jet engines kick in and you’re pushed back into your seat as the air craft quickly gathers speed and lifts off into the air. My flying experiences over the years have been quite smooth. But, there was this one time that I had a ‘heart in my mouth’ scenario. We took off from Arlanda Airport and as the air craft banked to the right we hit some heavy turbulence! The aircraft shook rapidly and an overhead baggage compartment flew open amidst the gasps of the other passengers! It was nothing compared to my horrific White Water Rafting experience, but five seconds of pure fear nevertheless!
The best part of air travel, apart from the pretty stewardesses, lovely food, and in flight entertainment, is the scenery. Looking at the cities down below as you fly over them at night is breathtaking! Especially when travelling over the Middle Eastern region you can see how the cities are distributed across the country connected via highways. Next best are the sunrises and sunsets! Sunrises and sunsets are completely different when you look at them from the air; May be it’s because the air is cleaner at such a high altitude.
Finally we landed at the Stockholm Arlana Air Port. Situated near the town of Märsta, which is about 37 kilometers north of Stockholm and roughly 40 kilometers south-east of Uppsala, Arlanda Airport is the largest airport in Sweden and the 3rd largest airport in the Nordic region.
There are many options to get from Arlanda to Stockholm. The most popular mode of travel is to take the Arlanda Express. The Arlanda Express is a train running on the airport rail link that connects Stockholm Central Station with the Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. The trip takes 20 minutes and runs four to six times per hour using seven X3 electric multiple units. The next best option would be to take the Airport bus. There are 3 main competitors in this market, Flygbussarna, Swebus Express and Storstockholms Lokaltrafik commonly known as SL.
Officially known as the Kingdom of Sweden; Sweden is a Scandinavian country located in Northern Europe. Bordering Norway to the west and north and Finland to the east, it is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund. The capital of Sweden is Stockholm.
From 8,000 BC to 6,000 BC Sweden was populated by hunter gatherers and fishermen who went about their day to day lives with simple stone tools. Over the years many artifacts dating back to the Stone Age and the Bronze Age have been discovered. Agriculture became the base of economy and society during the early Iron Age. A significant expansion occurred during the Viking Age from 800 AD to 1050 AD where many Viking expeditions set sail from Sweden along the Baltic coast and rivers that penetrate deep into the present-day Russia. It is said that the Vikings pillaged and traded on their travels that took them as far as the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. They were able to develop trade links with the Byzantine Empire and the Arab kingdoms.
The Swedes love to talk about the weather. I can vouch for that because most of the calls I make to Swedish clients start with, “Hey, how’s the weather in Colombo? It’s cold here in Stockholm!” Though many of us immediately think that Sweden has cold snowy weather, it’s not true! Yes, they have a cold winter where the land is covered in beautiful white snow. But, spring, summer and autumn weather are also experienced due to the warm Gulf Stream!
Sweden is a massive country with an area of roughly 450,000 square kilometers and home to a population just over 10 million.
The country can be divided into 3 main regions, Götaland in the south, Svealand in the middle and Norrland in the north. The winters are shorter and milder in Götaland. The daytime temperature during summer time ranges between 15 to 25 degrees C. Cities like Gothenburg and Malmö are found in this region where snow is quite rare even during the winter season. The climate in Svealand is a few degrees cooler than Götaland. Temperatures reach just below zero during the month of January. Snow is more common in this region. There are a number of popular ski resorts located towards the northwest of Svealand. Long, cold and dry winters with sub-zero temperatures spanning several months are the norm in Norrland. There is a lot more snow in this area which is sparsely populated.
Did you know that Sweden is the first country in the world with its own phone number? Yes, in 1766, Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce a constitutional law to eliminate censorship. To commemorate the 250th year anniversary, in 2016 Sweden introduced its own phone number! Anyone from anywhere could call the number and get connected with a random Swede and talk about anything!! Don’t believe me? Visit the www.theswedishnumber.com to get all the statistics on the calls that were made during the 79 days that the number was active.
