What ho,
Just thought I'd give a quick update on things: I've started my lectures (had an intro to my course on Friday), and I've joined a Nation, which is a bit like an Oxbridge College, except the nations are named after certain areas in Sweden. The nation I've joined is called Kalmar, which is one of the regions in the south-east, below Stockholm. I also have a University Library Card, what larks.
Was also at a Club Night at Varmlands Nation last night, and can safely say that when the Swedes party, they go absolutely bananas. I was almost deafened by the sound of party hooters and shouts of "Skal!" (pronounced Skoal), which means "Cheers!" Needless to say, I had a lie-in today, but I've still been busy: cycled up to Gamla Uppsala today and took a few photos which I'll be putting up on the group shortly. Also saw some Swedes playing football, and can confirm that women's football is not all bad (though why the teams were dressed as Watford and Charlton I have no idea. Watford scored two goals whilst I was watching). Finally, Lidl is ridiculously cheap, especially when you consider the cost of living in Sweden... the taxes are pretty high, as the Government provides free education and healthcare.
Finally, as you may have already guessed, I have internet in my room, which is definitely a time-saver. If only I could get rid of the builders working on the floor above... they will insist on waking me at exactly 8:00 in the morning!
Take care,
Chris S
P.S. Not sure why, but John McCain has picked a 44 year-old Governor of Alaska as his running mate. After saying that 47 year-old Barack Obama doesn't have enough experience. Hmm...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Week 11: Touchdown!
Hallå allesammans! So, as you may have guessed, I've arrived in Sweden after what I found to be quite a long journey... getting up at 6 in the morning in order to arrive at 6 in the evening would be found by many as somewhat tiring. In fact, getting up at 6 in the morning by itself would be considered madness by most!
Heathrow Airport, by the way, isn't that bad. Maybe it's because I was in the brand new Terminal 5, with all the glass windows and stuff, but I was actually quite impressed. Checking-in took under a minute, as did dropping off my hold luggage, and security wasn't a pain in the neck for once! The lounge even had computers (though you did have to pay, so I didn't use them).
As for the flight... well, it wasn't perfect (being at the back of the airplane was a nuisance when it came to getting off), but it could have been worse. At least the sandwiches were good (and I don't often say that about airplane food!), and the flight wasn't too long; two and a bit hours or so.
My first impression of Sweden was the airport. It was a bit on the small side, but then again, judging from the amount of building work going on, they're planning big things here. The bus arrived on time (though why it was bright yellow I have no idea) and I got into Uppsala on time, so on the whole my journey turned out okay, but by the time my Swedish "buddy", Dan Wallin, and I had made it to my room at Kantorsgatan, I was about ready to curl up and snooze.
So, what's Sweden like? Well, to me, it's a bit like a condensed version of Munich. Big blocks, all the roads are straight, lots of cycle paths (and therefore bikes), lots of friendly people who speak fantastic English... on the whole, really nice, and I've settled in well here. I've picked up a bike (for about £65) and met lots of British people (as well as Yanks, Germans, Finns, Frenchies and Aussies), including one person who lives a mile from my house and used to go to my 6th form... scary bananas!
But yeah, all going well on the Scandinavian post, and I should be starting my courses some time next week. So until then, this has been...
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid To Ask)
Chris Stanley
Heathrow Airport, by the way, isn't that bad. Maybe it's because I was in the brand new Terminal 5, with all the glass windows and stuff, but I was actually quite impressed. Checking-in took under a minute, as did dropping off my hold luggage, and security wasn't a pain in the neck for once! The lounge even had computers (though you did have to pay, so I didn't use them).
As for the flight... well, it wasn't perfect (being at the back of the airplane was a nuisance when it came to getting off), but it could have been worse. At least the sandwiches were good (and I don't often say that about airplane food!), and the flight wasn't too long; two and a bit hours or so.
My first impression of Sweden was the airport. It was a bit on the small side, but then again, judging from the amount of building work going on, they're planning big things here. The bus arrived on time (though why it was bright yellow I have no idea) and I got into Uppsala on time, so on the whole my journey turned out okay, but by the time my Swedish "buddy", Dan Wallin, and I had made it to my room at Kantorsgatan, I was about ready to curl up and snooze.
So, what's Sweden like? Well, to me, it's a bit like a condensed version of Munich. Big blocks, all the roads are straight, lots of cycle paths (and therefore bikes), lots of friendly people who speak fantastic English... on the whole, really nice, and I've settled in well here. I've picked up a bike (for about £65) and met lots of British people (as well as Yanks, Germans, Finns, Frenchies and Aussies), including one person who lives a mile from my house and used to go to my 6th form... scary bananas!
But yeah, all going well on the Scandinavian post, and I should be starting my courses some time next week. So until then, this has been...
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid To Ask)
Chris Stanley
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Week 10: The Final Countdown
Hallå allesammans! Now, don’t panic, this blog post is most certainly NOT dedicated to that song by Europe, that’s just a handy title. Anyway, with all my stuff being packed, I leave the UK tomorrow, and I will be arriving in Uppsala within 24 hours: and of course, I won’t be seeing any of you for at least four months, probably five.
So, with this in mind, it’s probably a good idea to make this a “goodbye and tributes” blog. Naturally, I start with saying goodbye to relatives. My family have been an eternal source of support and inspiration: Rose, Al and Mum the language-speaking and country-trekking pioneers who actually got me interested in studying abroad, Dad usually there with his trademark “Good luck; we’re all counting on you!” and of course, the Stevester, with his own unique brand of manic optimism. The self-confessed Crazy Gang are to be thanked for their untiring efforts in making me as mad as the rest of them, and seeing as I’m now going off to a foreign country on my own for several months, it appears they’ve well and truly succeeded! A special mention should also be made to my Uncle Denis and my late grandfather, Ross Grey, whose recollections of their times abroad have done nothing to put me off going on this epic journey, and everything to make me consider the benefits of travelling to new destinations.
Moving onwards, there are several groups of people or individuals that have generally been very supportive at crucial points. Sam White, trumpeting legend and cricketer extraordinaire, is well worth a mention; Sam accompanied me on my last two ventures abroad and studied French and German with me at A-Level, and it has to be said that having a mate with you when you’re in a foreign country, or having difficulty learning gobble-de-gook, is something that I’m undoubtedly going to miss in Sweden. Indeed, it will feel a bit odd going to a foreign country without him lauding various culinary masterpieces! I should probably mention Tom Murphy, Julia Townend and Ali Glossop (i.e. the French Exchange Gang) as well, as they made staying in a country suffering from violent riots bizarrely enjoyable.
In terms of making this last year so enjoyable that I’m going to miss them all ridiculously, I would never be able to forgive myself without mentioning the joyous people of FECCLES! Abi Brady, Sue Curtis, Alice Drury, Kate Hagan, Edd Insley, Ellie Osborne, Joe Perring, Elliott Sutcliffe, James Watts, Rob Young and of course Dan Scholes (the new President of FECCLES), take a bow. I’m obviously a tad miffed with myself that I’ll be missing all your mad antics next semester, but on the evidence of what we’ve done so far I’m confident that the society will be consistently “all right” on the night. Oh, and a note to Joe if you’re reading this, change that damn answer phone message: for those not in the know, Joe Perring currently has the longest answer phone message on record, at “Why-on-earth-hasn’t-it-beeped-yet?” minutes and “Gah!” seconds. The “History Massive” also deserves a creditable mention, as does everyone at Falmouth CU, Emmanuel Baptist Church, everyone who had to put up with me as a flatmate in Block O Flat 7, all the people from Exeter Orchestra/Music Week, people I’ve met whilst I’ve been up on the Streatham Campus, and last but not least, all my friends at Tremough Campus and Glasney Parc who I haven’t already mentioned: my sincere thanks for what has been an absolutely mad, insane and above all fantastic year.
A brief mention should also go to the STRS gang, who have had to endure my company longer than most, and who have done their best to keep in touch over the past three years: Pigott, Pazzer, Davies, Towers, the Hartleys, Ed, Hards, Ben, Simon, Middy and of course, the Göttingen “crew”, who accompanied me on my first proper trip abroad. I suppose I should also quickly mention Jon Chappell, who not only went to STRS, but is also doing History at Exeter/Cornwall through sheer coincidence!
Anyhoo, tomorrow I’ll be taking the coach down to Heathrow, catching a flight to Arlanda Airport (near Stockholm) just after lunch, then taking the bus to Uppsala, arriving some time in the evening : I’ll let you know when I’ve arrived and stuff via Facebook. But now, to the unquestionable joy that is packing: and for the last time for a while on British soil, this has been...
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Chris Stanley
So, with this in mind, it’s probably a good idea to make this a “goodbye and tributes” blog. Naturally, I start with saying goodbye to relatives. My family have been an eternal source of support and inspiration: Rose, Al and Mum the language-speaking and country-trekking pioneers who actually got me interested in studying abroad, Dad usually there with his trademark “Good luck; we’re all counting on you!” and of course, the Stevester, with his own unique brand of manic optimism. The self-confessed Crazy Gang are to be thanked for their untiring efforts in making me as mad as the rest of them, and seeing as I’m now going off to a foreign country on my own for several months, it appears they’ve well and truly succeeded! A special mention should also be made to my Uncle Denis and my late grandfather, Ross Grey, whose recollections of their times abroad have done nothing to put me off going on this epic journey, and everything to make me consider the benefits of travelling to new destinations.
Moving onwards, there are several groups of people or individuals that have generally been very supportive at crucial points. Sam White, trumpeting legend and cricketer extraordinaire, is well worth a mention; Sam accompanied me on my last two ventures abroad and studied French and German with me at A-Level, and it has to be said that having a mate with you when you’re in a foreign country, or having difficulty learning gobble-de-gook, is something that I’m undoubtedly going to miss in Sweden. Indeed, it will feel a bit odd going to a foreign country without him lauding various culinary masterpieces! I should probably mention Tom Murphy, Julia Townend and Ali Glossop (i.e. the French Exchange Gang) as well, as they made staying in a country suffering from violent riots bizarrely enjoyable.
In terms of making this last year so enjoyable that I’m going to miss them all ridiculously, I would never be able to forgive myself without mentioning the joyous people of FECCLES! Abi Brady, Sue Curtis, Alice Drury, Kate Hagan, Edd Insley, Ellie Osborne, Joe Perring, Elliott Sutcliffe, James Watts, Rob Young and of course Dan Scholes (the new President of FECCLES), take a bow. I’m obviously a tad miffed with myself that I’ll be missing all your mad antics next semester, but on the evidence of what we’ve done so far I’m confident that the society will be consistently “all right” on the night. Oh, and a note to Joe if you’re reading this, change that damn answer phone message: for those not in the know, Joe Perring currently has the longest answer phone message on record, at “Why-on-earth-hasn’t-it-beeped-yet?” minutes and “Gah!” seconds. The “History Massive” also deserves a creditable mention, as does everyone at Falmouth CU, Emmanuel Baptist Church, everyone who had to put up with me as a flatmate in Block O Flat 7, all the people from Exeter Orchestra/Music Week, people I’ve met whilst I’ve been up on the Streatham Campus, and last but not least, all my friends at Tremough Campus and Glasney Parc who I haven’t already mentioned: my sincere thanks for what has been an absolutely mad, insane and above all fantastic year.
A brief mention should also go to the STRS gang, who have had to endure my company longer than most, and who have done their best to keep in touch over the past three years: Pigott, Pazzer, Davies, Towers, the Hartleys, Ed, Hards, Ben, Simon, Middy and of course, the Göttingen “crew”, who accompanied me on my first proper trip abroad. I suppose I should also quickly mention Jon Chappell, who not only went to STRS, but is also doing History at Exeter/Cornwall through sheer coincidence!
Anyhoo, tomorrow I’ll be taking the coach down to Heathrow, catching a flight to Arlanda Airport (near Stockholm) just after lunch, then taking the bus to Uppsala, arriving some time in the evening : I’ll let you know when I’ve arrived and stuff via Facebook. But now, to the unquestionable joy that is packing: and for the last time for a while on British soil, this has been...
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Chris Stanley
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Week 9: Second (to last) thoughts?
Hallå allesammans! In the penultimate blog before I go galloping off to Uppsala, I tackle that second-to-last minute problem: doubt. Silly I know, but there’s been quite a few times from about November or so onwards when I’ve asked myself: am I doing the right thing? Do I really want to spend both my birthday and (unless I can easily afford another trip back home) Christmas away from all my friends and family? Wouldn’t it just be easier if I did what all but two of my history colleagues are doing and stay put in Cornwall? How easy will it be for me to settle in? Will I get homesick? Will I be able to find a Church when I’m out there when I can only speak a few simple phrases in Swedish? What if the course is too difficult?
These are all perfectly logical concerns, to be sure. But then again, what do I gain from worrying about the future? If you can cast your minds back as far as 2000, then you’ll remember that many people were predicting the dreaded arrival of the “Millennium Bug”, and a great deal of hype and panic was stoked up over something that in the end caused only a few minor problems here and there. A major crisis might have ensued, but the computer industry took steps to ensure that there wasn’t, and ultimately passed the test.
So what’s my point? My point is that just because something appears as if it’s going to be a major problem or obstacle, doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in solving that problem or getting past that obstacle. And those valiant geeks did not solve the problem by simply avoiding it, or running away bawling “It’s too difficult and scary and I don’t want to do it!” They got on with the job, and did their best, and that is what I have to do, whether I have doubts about the future or not.
Am I doing the right thing? Well, I like to think that this will benefit me in several ways: I will have studied abroad for the first time; I will meet new people and make new friends; I will study different topics; I will visit different places; in short, I will enjoy myself whilst doing my CV a great deal of good. Do I really want to spend both my birthday and Christmas away from all my friends and family? Well, admittedly it will be a bit pants not having any of you lot with me to celebrate my 20th birthday, and I would like to be home for Christmas if at all possible, but if it turns out I am stuck in Sweden for both then I might as well make the most of it: besides, celebrating Christmas Swedish-style could well be a good experience.
It almost certainly would be easier just to stay put in Cornwall, but as I’ve said before, I enjoy a challenge: besides, the problem of settling in, or being homesick, is one I’ve dealt with before and will undoubtedly have to deal with again. The difficulty of finding a Church, vaulting the language barrier and the course itself do worry me a little, I’ll admit. But I’ll take it one day at a time and go from there. After all, as Marcus Aurelius (i.e. that old Emperor bloke in Gladiator played by Richard Harris) once said, “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” And as Albus Dumbledore (also played by Richard Harris) almost said, “To the well-organised mind, Sweden is but the next great adventure.” Then again, best not to misquote people too much, or I’ll get in trouble, for what I type in blogs, echoes in eternity.
So, in just over a week, I’ll be off, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a bit nervous. But at the risk of being a bit harsh, you’d have to be a robot not to get nervous over this sort of experience. But to use one final quotation from that most awesome of Psalms, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” And with words of reassurance like that, it’s easy to see why I’m taking my Bible with me to Sweden.
Next week, I’ll be saying a few final goodbyes and paying a few tributes to some of you fantastic bunch: it’s the least I can do considering I’m all abandoning you all for five months! I’ll also be describing how I’ll be getting from A to B, as it were. So tune in next week for the last British installment of…
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Chris Stanley
These are all perfectly logical concerns, to be sure. But then again, what do I gain from worrying about the future? If you can cast your minds back as far as 2000, then you’ll remember that many people were predicting the dreaded arrival of the “Millennium Bug”, and a great deal of hype and panic was stoked up over something that in the end caused only a few minor problems here and there. A major crisis might have ensued, but the computer industry took steps to ensure that there wasn’t, and ultimately passed the test.
So what’s my point? My point is that just because something appears as if it’s going to be a major problem or obstacle, doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in solving that problem or getting past that obstacle. And those valiant geeks did not solve the problem by simply avoiding it, or running away bawling “It’s too difficult and scary and I don’t want to do it!” They got on with the job, and did their best, and that is what I have to do, whether I have doubts about the future or not.
Am I doing the right thing? Well, I like to think that this will benefit me in several ways: I will have studied abroad for the first time; I will meet new people and make new friends; I will study different topics; I will visit different places; in short, I will enjoy myself whilst doing my CV a great deal of good. Do I really want to spend both my birthday and Christmas away from all my friends and family? Well, admittedly it will be a bit pants not having any of you lot with me to celebrate my 20th birthday, and I would like to be home for Christmas if at all possible, but if it turns out I am stuck in Sweden for both then I might as well make the most of it: besides, celebrating Christmas Swedish-style could well be a good experience.
It almost certainly would be easier just to stay put in Cornwall, but as I’ve said before, I enjoy a challenge: besides, the problem of settling in, or being homesick, is one I’ve dealt with before and will undoubtedly have to deal with again. The difficulty of finding a Church, vaulting the language barrier and the course itself do worry me a little, I’ll admit. But I’ll take it one day at a time and go from there. After all, as Marcus Aurelius (i.e. that old Emperor bloke in Gladiator played by Richard Harris) once said, “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” And as Albus Dumbledore (also played by Richard Harris) almost said, “To the well-organised mind, Sweden is but the next great adventure.” Then again, best not to misquote people too much, or I’ll get in trouble, for what I type in blogs, echoes in eternity.
So, in just over a week, I’ll be off, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a bit nervous. But at the risk of being a bit harsh, you’d have to be a robot not to get nervous over this sort of experience. But to use one final quotation from that most awesome of Psalms, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” And with words of reassurance like that, it’s easy to see why I’m taking my Bible with me to Sweden.
Next week, I’ll be saying a few final goodbyes and paying a few tributes to some of you fantastic bunch: it’s the least I can do considering I’m all abandoning you all for five months! I’ll also be describing how I’ll be getting from A to B, as it were. So tune in next week for the last British installment of…
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Chris Stanley
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Week 8: A Question of (Swedish) Sport
Hallå allesammans! With barely a fortnight or so before I jet off to Uppsala, we turn to that most frustrating yet exhilarating of activities, sport. The question that some of you may be asking, and the one that first popped into my head when I considered Swedish sport, was this: what are the most popular sports?
Well, bizarrely, the top five sports are football, golf, gymnastics and athletics: not exactly what I was expecting, especially as none of those are winter sports. Still, ice hockey usually hauls in the crowds, and other sports are still very popular, such as skiing and swimming, but it’s interesting to see that other sports not generally thought of as being very Swedish are the most popular. I was particularly surprised by the popularity of golf, especially as I despise golf with a passion: not because I can’t play it, but because I believe that trying to whack a ball out of a sand bunker is not the best use of one’s time and resources. If you enjoy clobbering a ball with a piece of wood, why on earth don’t you take up either hockey or cricket? At least in those sports you’re not compelled to wear silly jackets – mind you, golf does give you the excuse to drive around like a loon in those little buggy things. But I digress.
Football, as most of you know, is one of my many passions, and the Swedes are also rather keen. Sweden’s footballing heyday was during the early 1990’s, where they hosted the 1992 European Championships and reached the Semi-Finals – beating England on the way, damn them – and then finished third in the 1994 World Cup, losing to the eventual winners Brazil in the semi-finals. However, they then failed to qualify for both Euro ’96 and France ’98 and were awful in Euro 2000. Since then, Sweden have ranged from good to average: qualifying for every tournament, but usually going out in the first knockout round, with their elimination in the group stages by Russia at Euro 2008 the one exception. They’re currently 30th according to FIFA rankings, which is a bit poor when you consider that England are 9th, Scotland are 17th and the US are 21st. But then, that may just be FIFA rankings being complete rubbish: England 9th in the World and better than Holland, Portugal and Croatia? Who are they kidding?
Still, despite the national team suffering from being a bit mediocre, many Swedes participate in football, and the chances of me not being able to find footballing facilities in Uppsala are pretty slim, even if the local football team is even worse than Forest Green Rovers. In order to go and watch a proper football game, my best bet is probably in nearby Stockholm, where there are three teams in the top flight: AIK, Hammarby and Djurgården. The rivalries are fierce, so I probably won’t go to a derby game, and if all else fails, there’s always watching a game at the pub.
It’s also worth noting that there are a couple of Swedes currently plying their trade, or who have plied their trade, in English football: Henrik Larsson played briefly for Manchester United, Freddy Ljungberg is familiar to both Arsenal and West Ham United fans, whilst Olof Mellberg has just left Aston Villa after seven years. Possibly the most famous/notorious Swede with regards to football in England is Sven-Goran Eriksson, former manager of England and Manchester City. Believe it or not, he’s now the manager of Mexico!
One of the main problems with regards to sport may be the fact that a sport that is widely accessible in Britain, such as cricket or rugby, may not be as accessible in Sweden. Another is the climate: the Swedish weather is so harsh, that the football season ends in November, and doesn’t start again until March, so if I do take up a sport for five months, it will probably need to be either an indoors sport or a winter sport. I’m thinking table tennis or snooker myself!
Still, despite the limitations on football, Sweden still has a lot to offer the sports nut, from the interestingly-named bandy, a cross between ice-hockey and football, to orienteering, which is basically cross-country running with checkpoints: I may well try my hand at the latter, having done a few orienteering courses in England. But, as the sands of time shift in the hourglass of destiny, and England’s inability to beat Sweden at football since 1968 continues, I see we’ve run out of time. Tune in next week for another enthralling instalment of…
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Chris Stanley
Well, bizarrely, the top five sports are football, golf, gymnastics and athletics: not exactly what I was expecting, especially as none of those are winter sports. Still, ice hockey usually hauls in the crowds, and other sports are still very popular, such as skiing and swimming, but it’s interesting to see that other sports not generally thought of as being very Swedish are the most popular. I was particularly surprised by the popularity of golf, especially as I despise golf with a passion: not because I can’t play it, but because I believe that trying to whack a ball out of a sand bunker is not the best use of one’s time and resources. If you enjoy clobbering a ball with a piece of wood, why on earth don’t you take up either hockey or cricket? At least in those sports you’re not compelled to wear silly jackets – mind you, golf does give you the excuse to drive around like a loon in those little buggy things. But I digress.Football, as most of you know, is one of my many passions, and the Swedes are also rather keen. Sweden’s footballing heyday was during the early 1990’s, where they hosted the 1992 European Championships and reached the Semi-Finals – beating England on the way, damn them – and then finished third in the 1994 World Cup, losing to the eventual winners Brazil in the semi-finals. However, they then failed to qualify for both Euro ’96 and France ’98 and were awful in Euro 2000. Since then, Sweden have ranged from good to average: qualifying for every tournament, but usually going out in the first knockout round, with their elimination in the group stages by Russia at Euro 2008 the one exception. They’re currently 30th according to FIFA rankings, which is a bit poor when you consider that England are 9th, Scotland are 17th and the US are 21st. But then, that may just be FIFA rankings being complete rubbish: England 9th in the World and better than Holland, Portugal and Croatia? Who are they kidding?Still, despite the national team suffering from being a bit mediocre, many Swedes participate in football, and the chances of me not being able to find footballing facilities in Uppsala are pretty slim, even if the local football team is even worse than Forest Green Rovers. In order to go and watch a proper football game, my best bet is probably in nearby Stockholm, where there are three teams in the top flight: AIK, Hammarby and Djurgården. The rivalries are fierce, so I probably won’t go to a derby game, and if all else fails, there’s always watching a game at the pub.It’s also worth noting that there are a couple of Swedes currently plying their trade, or who have plied their trade, in English football: Henrik Larsson played briefly for Manchester United, Freddy Ljungberg is familiar to both Arsenal and West Ham United fans, whilst Olof Mellberg has just left Aston Villa after seven years. Possibly the most famous/notorious Swede with regards to football in England is Sven-Goran Eriksson, former manager of England and Manchester City. Believe it or not, he’s now the manager of Mexico!One of the main problems with regards to sport may be the fact that a sport that is widely accessible in Britain, such as cricket or rugby, may not be as accessible in Sweden. Another is the climate: the Swedish weather is so harsh, that the football season ends in November, and doesn’t start again until March, so if I do take up a sport for five months, it will probably need to be either an indoors sport or a winter sport. I’m thinking table tennis or snooker myself!Still, despite the limitations on football, Sweden still has a lot to offer the sports nut, from the interestingly-named bandy, a cross between ice-hockey and football, to orienteering, which is basically cross-country running with checkpoints: I may well try my hand at the latter, having done a few orienteering courses in England. But, as the sands of time shift in the hourglass of destiny, and England’s inability to beat Sweden at football since 1968 continues, I see we’ve run out of time. Tune in next week for another enthralling instalment of…Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)Chris Stanley
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