Brit Reacts to 5 Things You Must Do in Sweden - Just a Brit Abroad
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- Are these 5 things I should be doing in Sweden? Let me know in the comments section below.
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if you have a sommarstuga close to home you can travel there more or less every weekend in the summer. And Im glad the pandemic is over so we swedes can go back to 5 meter distanse instead of 2 meter
LOL! 5 meter distancing instead of two that's so funny
😂😂😂 hilarious yes finally we can have 5 meters distance again
My sommarstuga is actually over 70 (Swedish) miles away or over 700km 😂
Haha 😂🤣 Håller med dig
@@Nils_Martin Att spendera en hel dag i bilen är ändå värt det antar jag.
We are just respecting everyone's privacy by not interacting all the time 😂 and that includes not starring in to someone's home if the don't have the blinders down when we walk by for the same reason but that doesn't mean that we don't ever talk to strangers, we do 😊
I just think that sounds polite lol! It really suits me, I'd rather that environment then one where people are too familiar. lol!
Well, it's true, but also quite a generalisation. It of course varies from place to place and between city, town, village or countryside/wilderness...
@@SteamboatW And from building to building! 😂 I live in a apartment area with 4 houses, in the 2 southern houses we are pretty friendly, know our neighbors and almost everybody at least says hi in passing. In the other 2 houses, there's no interaction whatsoever. For some reason, this has been the way for the last 40 yrs. I think new people are being fostered into this culture of interacting and in turn fostering new people to interact with each other. It is quite funny what a difference it is, in the same neighborhood.
I am from Sweden.
No, absolutely NOT everyone got a second home. For example a sommarstuga.
Far, far, far from everyone. 😄
Yes, "bad" language is not taken seriously very much. We use it all the time, and it is just a part of how we speak.
When it comes to keeping a big distance to other people, that is not quite accurate.
While for example standing in a queue we stand close to each other.
But for example in a bus stop we "can" stand a bit further from each other if we don't have to stand close.
When it comes to knowing our neighbors he is quite correct actually.
I for example have NEVER got to know ANY of my neighbors ever.
And, yes, it is unfortunately true that one quite often do not open the door until it is "clear" to go out your staircase so that you do not bump in to another person.
But that does not mean that all people are like that.
Some people of course know at least some of their neighbors.
Smiling, or saying hello, to someone you meet in (for example) the park can change a lot depending on different things.
If you for example see the same person a lot, then you might smile and say hello.
Or if you for example "see" or "feel" that the other person is good with taking a smile or a hello, you will of course do that.
But Yes, it does NOT mean that someone is rude to you if they do not smile or say hello to you.
Ignoring neighbors and random people in the street is a "big city"-thing in Sweden. So yes, most Swedes live in big cities and the culture there is to ignore everyone around you. But you know you've crossed into the country side when every driver starts waving at you. Even in the smaller cities people will start greeting strangers. The city I live in has roughly 10k people in the inner city and is an interesting case study in that people will say "hello" at the outskirts of town, while leaving others be in the inner city. Traveling to bigger cities is always a culture shock, it's so weird walking through a street full of people doing their best to ignore everything around them.
Not all have a sommarstuga, but it is common. Mostly used to get away from the city and get closer to nature. The swedish personal space zone is quite large. But it shrinks the more familiar you become. There are also some social events that "allows" us to be closer. Not knowing your neighbour is the standard, keep to your selfe and dont make a fuss.
It sounds totally healthy to have one, we have a culture of going away to the country. But we tend to rent a space rather than own one. Unless you're very well to do then you might own one but it's not common in the UK
Yes I agree. My cousins on my mothers side has a summer lake house at lake viken about 45 minuts from where whey usually live but if you don't we tend to have a sailing boat like my parents or a mobile home and drive around in nature.
Yes, We Swedes are in our own 'Zone', but when we become friends, it's for life! And if somebody ask some information, we will usually be nice and try to help you.
Turns out mil is only used in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
And swedes often show respect by keeping distance and not geting in your business unless asked to. (But if someone do greet you or starts talking to you, it isn't usually out of disrespect.)
In general I would say you'd get a smile or a friendly nod if you start of by giving one to strangers that you meet. Swedes tend to not want to initiate any kind of social interactions unless they need help with something, but if someone else engages them in some way or asks them for help they will definitely help you out.
The social distance is a thing that is being upheld for the sake of courtesy, we don't want to disturb your day unless it's necessary and expect the same level of courtesy in kind.
About the Swedish "mil" for those who may be interested.
Before 1649 a mile in Sweden differed between about 4.7 to over 14 km depending in what region you where. In the 1600th the crown was building out the road net in Sweden and as distance markers they used milestones. Though it was very inconvenient to have different measures in different parts of the country so in 1649 the crown decided to standardise the "mil" for the whole country and introduce the "enhetsmil" (unit mile) which was about 10.7 km.
Years later, around 1875 Sweden decided to implement the metric system and as a consequence of that the "enhetsmil" was rounded off to an even 10 km and was called "nymil" (new mile) and that has been sticking around to these days.
I thought mils is that every country who use metric use
I guess you mean "the crown" whn you write "the king" right ? Because in 1649 there were no king in Sweden.
@@matswinberg5045 it was not or was it that time we had that queen that run away to rom
@@matswinberg5045
Well Christina was queen then so sure, the crown.
The thing with the Systembolag is manly because of our history. The actually from the beginning of 19 century until the middle of 19 century hade something called "Motbok". It was a book that regulated the consummation of alcohol because Swedes drank to much. The Systembolag is a way to regulate the consummation.
Glad to see more people that know the reason why the goverment keeps tight reins on the hard alcohol in our country. Not sure if Sweden would have existed today if they didn't put their foot down. Ofc "motboken" (againstbook?) was a bit much and very much sided to the wealthy than the commoners. But it was a good stepping stone for sure. Good thing we had Algoth Niska that could send illegal spirits from Finland haha.
@@Kehman86i learn it when i studied to nationala provet in so
The Bratt System ("motboken") was used in the early 20th century, not in the 19th. I'm sure that Mikael is aware of that, but got lost a little bit in translation.
Having a summer cottage outside the city can mean a lot to it, the people who work around the clock with noise, exhaust fumes etc. Getting out into the countryside makes a big difference between noise to total silence, peace and quiet without stress and people running around you. Summer cottage means freedom to do exact, nothing, but as pure vacation, sun, bath even if you have the city around the corner.
It's a great idea that I wish us as Brits could copy. We have beautiful countryside here. But I feel we take it for granted and rather spend our money in other countries on holiday. Like Spain and Greece.
There is also a big difference between bigger and smaller cities or towns ! also different in different parts of sweden with the volontary "social distance" thingy
When it comes to the social distancing there's one aspect that I think is very important but that unfortunately often gets overlooked; and that is the fact that we can afford to be picky. Because of the general equality and social welfare we're less dependent on our family and neighbours than people from other countries. We can choose our own community if you will, and not necessarily because of ancestry or geographical proximity
but rather out of interest and shared values, for example. I love that about Sweden.
That is true, I haven't really thought of that before and that people from other countries might not be as "free" to choose their own community
Well, I do have a summer home. It's about 10 minutes from my house, it's a small cottage by a lake. It has beautiful views but not many amenities. Wouldn't have bought it myself but I inherited it from my mother. I think alot of people get these cottages through inheritance.
So it's an old tradition that has stayed alive through being passed down from generation to generation. That's so cool and such unique part of Swedish culture. I wish we had that in the UK.
The thing with "Sommarstuga" is mostly something people that lives in the citys have... but most of us that are already loving outside the citys dont need one. :)
11:55, In Sweden it is rude to pretend to know a person that you do not. That is why we(swedes) do not interact with just everyone we see, it would just seem strange and rude. We take our and our friends personal space serious. But then again, not being friendly to a stranger, in Sweden that is just considered to be sinister...
We are reserved and tend to keep to ourselves, but if someone ask us something or make some other comment we of course answer. So it's not like we are quiet when being talked to. It's just that most people here don't take the first step when interacting with a stranger. There is an exception and it's if you have a dog haha. You talk a little more with strangers then. Either with other dog owners and the dogs want to say hello or if someone is just curious about the dog.
That is so true, multiple times have I asked a complete stranger if I could say hi to their dog
The social thing about not talking to strangers is pretty true. BUT, if you are going with a friend to a house party or a dinner you must greet and shake hands with everybody there if you want people to like you. Otherwise they will think you are rude. Depending of the people you could even go in for a hug when you greet them to show you are a warm person, but in this case you need to be good at reading the room to know what kind of people you are dealing with.☺️
To be honest it sounds similar to British etiquette. We are wary of strangers unless it’s a social setting. Then we are the life of the party 😂🎉
To an extent that is true, maybe younger people disagrees, but in general you don't shake hands with everybody if the crowd is large, you just say Hi All, and later perhaps start conversations.
Shaking hands with everyone at an event with 10 people would seem very, very weird.
And hugging is not a thing, neither kissing the cheeks. You have to be extremely comfortable with the person to get away with that.
Now, that's a view from the larger cities, mostly, Stockholm, Uppsala, Västerås, Linköping, Göteborg, Malmö etc
@@matshjalmarsson3008 Jag är från Linköping. Och som jag skrev så får man läsa av rummet och folket innan man går in för en kram. Typ alla jag umgås med är kramare, särskilt med lite alkohol i kroppen.😄 Men några kyssar på kinden har jag inte ens nämt, det är ju mer en sed i sydliga europa. Och kommer man till en fest på 10 pers tycker jag inte alls det är för mycket begärt att skaka hand med alla, du gör ju ett väldigt mycket bättre intryck om du gör det än om du bara går in o säger hej alla. Folket på festen kommer ju vara mycket mer villiga att socialisera med dig om du visat intresse för dom andra genom att skaka hand. Att gå in o bara säga hej kan tolkas som att du är ointresserad av att va social med dom andra eller att du är socialt akward. (pallade inte att skriva på engelska igen)🤪😄
@@matshjalmarsson3008 Ah yea. DONT do the kiss on cheek thing to a Swede XD
Not everyone has a sommarstuga. I feel like it was more common for our parents or even grandparents to get one. And then it’s usually passed down from generation to generation. My grandparents had one, what then was out in the countryside but nowadays it’s been built so many houses in that area that it doesn’t feel like the countryside anymore.
Also, my grandparents used to otherwise live in a small apartment so their sommarstuga was a place for them to “stretch their legs”😉😄👍🏻
The stuga was 70 km away.
It’s a bit of truth of what he says about not knowing your neighbours, but I’d say that varies over the country. If you live in a large/largish city it might be true but if you lived in a suburb, smaller city or in the countryside people are usually more familiar with each other. Another factor is whether you live in a house or a flat in a large apartment building. I live in a suburb (10 km) from the second largest city in Sweden in an apartment building and I know several neighbours but not all of them. Mostly (unfortunately) due to cultural and language barriers. But I try to get to know them. 😀👍🏻
1: Yes, we share 4 cottages among 8 families. They are in Stockholm county, and we live in Stockholm county, but most of us live on the south side of Stockholm municipality or south of, in urban environments, and the cottages are a good bit north of the city, on the countryside/in the archipelago. It takes about an hour to drive. 2: Growing up upper middle class, I was actually met with shock and surprise when I automatically put in swearwords into my English when I went to Uni in the UK, and also in the US. Granted, most kids in both countries that attend uni are middle class and up. 3: Correct, the government-run liquor store closes at 7 pm on weekdays. Therefore, almost all people I know (regardless of class) have liquor cabinets at home, called "barskåp". They usually come with a key to keep the kiddies out. I inherited mine from my grandmother and I still have an unopened bottle of her favourite whiskey in it, 20 years after her death. Might open it when I turn 40... The reason why we have these stores are because we do in fact have a culture of drinking. That's why the stores were put in place, because of excessive drinking. We even used to get at least part of our wages in vodka/brännvin. 4: Yeah, a lot of my foreign friends do a double-take when I tell them I walk about 1,5-2 Swedish mil with my dogs every day and I then tell them that's about 9-12 miles. 5: Yes, Swedes have huge personal bubbles, even towards people we know. The better we know someone, the smaller the personal bubble. I live in an apartment building with 52 flats in it, I know who 3 other tenants are. And one of those is an American. The other two have dogs.
Thanks for the reaction! I really have fun when you upload.
My family has a house that’s been in the family for like 150 years at least, we used it as a summer house. It was very old and didn’t even have indoor plumbing. It’s out in the country, 5 minute bike ride from a lake and 3/4 surrounded by woods. We recently renovated the place and since last summer we’ve moved in permanently as it’s a rather big place to be called a sommarstuga.
This is usually not the norm but many people I know rent cabins or camp in caravans a lot as we seem to be drawn out to our beautiful nature.
I think that's amazing and I wish that was in British Culture too because we have gorgeous lakes and country as well. It makes total sense.
@@dwaynesview A problem in the UK is that you don't have allemansrätten - the right to roam. You should probably do a rection to some video on that.
I sometimes smile at strangers and so on, but last time I did, the lady told her kids to stay away from me, like to my face, and they rushed away. So I’ve lived abroad for several years and it doesn’t occur to me that being civil can be taken for being a criminal or whatever they’re thinking.
Sure sounds like that lady has some issues of her own. Most people do not mind a smile. Quite the opposite, actually.
The SCB (statistics) says there are about 607 000 summerhouses (vacation homes) in Sweden. Some summerhouses has been in the family for generations. To buy a summerhouse today is very expensive.
I have followed Greg myself for some time. I really like him and he's usually spot on.
I can warmly recommend his video on Surströmming. He's the first youtuber I know that actually lost his Surströmming virginity in the correct way.
Really? His categorical nonstop way of talking without pausing makes me lose my breath... feels like radio or muzak that you can't turn off.
"Pretend that you don't know them at all" -usually a sign that you don't KNOW the person xD
♡♡♡
Yes I have a recreational house, insulated for both summer and winter. Alot of us have it although the majority probably dont even though they probably know someone who does and can visit when they like.
A fun fact about the swedish alcohol monopoly, the company Systembolaget is actually one of the worlds biggest, if not the biggest, buyers of alcoholic beverages. Since they effectivly have milions of regular customers they are one customer you´d really like to cater to. Their service is excellent giving you the option to order almost anything from anywhere in the world if they dont have it in stock.
Those who live in rental appartments usually dont have reason to interact with eachother, and swedes dont interact unless it´s needed.
Since many Swedes have moved to bigger cities, it is rather common that inherited houses in the countryside are used as 'summer' houses, for vacation. When i was a kid, living in Stockholm city, my parents bought a small cottage 30 min by car outside of Stockholm - by a lake, very rural. Now this has become a villa suburb, and no longer really the 'countryside'. By the time I inherited the house, I had already settled down in a flat, in the same suburb, just 5 min by car (30 min walk) away from the cottage. So yes, I have a 'summerhouse', but I use it all year round, and I have the last 8 years also used it as my office, working from home, very useful during the pandemic.
If you walk in a street in a city or small village in Sweden, and meet a stranger you may look into her/his eyes for a part of a second at the most. Nothing more. In the same situation in a forest or in the true countryside you smile and say hallo! Don't ask me why! Maybe because urbanisation took place here quite recently - to a large extent during the last 60 years.
Speaking to neibours differ from place to place.
I miss this guy. He were one of my favorite reactors of Swedish coulture long ago but left youtube to focus on other things if I don't remember wrong...
Anyways, here is my take for you as a Swede myself.
1. Sommarstuga: Not all have them but more enought to think this. My family had one but sold it because they had enought work with their own home so they didn't want another one to take care of. My older brother does have one though and many at my work have them. I do however think that this is more based on where you live. If you look around the older people in Stockholm I bet there will be more people in appartments that have a Sommarstuga than the people living outside in the "rural" areas who have one.. because they basically already live in the nature close to them. My parents Sommarstuga were in the woods close to a lake and it took us about 1-1,5 hours to drive up to it but my brothers house is about 19 hours drive from their home...
2. Curse words: Yeah, sure we do curse alot but as he say -we don't take them as harsh as many others.. but this is more a generational thing. We don't curse around many elders.
3. Alcohol: True 100%. Systembolaget is also closed on the holydays that comes on other days than saturday or sundays.. most often they also close at 15 the day before the holyday. However, our goverment just granted permission for local breweries of beer and wine to be able to open shop at their location (but have not signed on when this order will take place). Basically Systembolaget were a way of lowering the heavy drinking culture that we had in Sweden at one point (they also had a law that said that heavy spirits were only allowed at bars and restaurants if you bought something to eat to it... now clever alcoholics as the old Swedes were they bought one piece of herring and could then order 50cl spirit to that one piece of fish large as a thumb...). I would rather see Sweden open up to sell beer at local stores and add wine in the deli-section of them but could come together half way and do it through id-check as they do anyways at Systembolaget.
3,5. Planning: Now this is really cultural and close to my personality. I'm more of a introvert in the way that I want order and structure in my life. I want to plan things and if you are impulsive it somehow makes me think that I can't count on you when I need you. If we've made plans and you don't show up I can't count on you.. and if you always do things out of the blue it also shows that I can't count on you to be there if I need you. If you have a reason and say "I couldn't make it due to I had to step in and help my friend move because his other friend went ill" -for an example it shows me that sure you didn't come to me but you did it for a good cause and I can respect it. If you however say "sorry I were on the beach and saw another friend and we decided to go out to this party and lost track of time" ...then it's a little different..
4. Miles: Yes, we use the metric system for length and celcius system for heat. It would be better to look at the countries that doesn't than at those who do at this point. 1mil is about 6.2 miles.. hope you have some good hiking shoes because 5 miles is about 0,8mil while 5mil is about 31 miles.. now thats a nice stroll in the forrest. :)
5. Distance: Sure. We can also add the fact that we also don't talk as much.. Many people are as you wake up, go to work, come home and then just want to relax. This does vary based on where you live. Where I'm located I know 3 other names in our 6 household building. It's a cultural thing that I guess goes back to Jantelagen.. you are not better than anyone else and you don't want to be of trouble for anyone else.. this is the reason that you don't start talking to random people, make too much eye contact or knock on peoples doors unless you really need something: and if you do you often start with "I'm so sorry for disturbing you..."
But you can rest assured that once you get inside the bubble of a Swedish person we are just as friendly as you... but yes, many of us just listen more to what you're saying instead of talking with or over you. It's all based on our definition of respect -and once again Jantelagen.
Disclaimer: And then of cause there are Swedish people that TOTALLY don't follow any of the traditional personality traits.. but this were my take on the points. :)
När/Om förslaget om gårdsförsäljning går igenom kommer vi att bli av med EU-undantaget kring monopolet då vi släpper det. Alkohollobbyn i Bryssel kommer att kräva att andra aktörer också ska få komma in och sälja via livsmedelkedjor mm. Det blir förmodligen sämre utbud och högre priser... I de största städerna kommer nog några specialbutiker att dyka upp men för den stora delen av sverige blir det bara sämre. Vilken lanthandel eller bensinstation kommer att ha något mer i nsortimentet än de som ger mest vinst? Värna systembolaget!
I've lived in Sweden my whole life, and about the neighbors and distancing, I'd say it's partly true. I do actually know the names of a few of my neighbors. But out in the public, it's totally true.
If I'd for example take the bus, and there are no available "double seats", I'd rather stand. It would feel both awkward and intrusive to sit beside someone I don't know, mostly because I'd feel that they are too close to my personal space. Also if someone sits beside me I usually feel super uncomfortable. And I don't know who that other person is, and that's unsafe.
I´m Swedish and our summerhouse(sommarstuga) is only 50 meters from our main house, and it is two separated properties. But i think our example is a bit extreme... especially due to the location, by a lake(less then 20m on both properties), no neighbors looking in(nearest one 1,5km away). amazing view.
and somehow this is not uncommon for low income households in Sweden.
There is many swedes that does not have a sommarstuga, like "new swedes" or immigrants like some need to call them. I think that every family in Sweden should have a sommarstuga, especially those who come from the pain of having to run from their home and flee to another country, they need a place where they can relax, feel nice, be themself and be safe, because that is what sommarstuga is; A heaven.
It's true we don't really start conversations randomly with our neighbors if we live in apartments. But i dont agree that we shut the door if we hear a neighbor in the hallway and wait for them to leave before we go. Or some people might, but in my experience we usually say hej or at least do that awkward smile thing where you press your lips together awkwardly and nod your head slightly haha😅
But yeah, I think our stand off-ishness can be read as rude to some foreigners, but it's more of a respect thing here. We like our personal space and we respect each others personal space. 😅
if you get closer to Gothenburg, people are more friendly towards other people and that it can be difficult to know where to go and if you need to ask for directions, we are happy to help
1. Yes, I have a summer house (though I go there all year). And yeah, it's about an hour away (by car) but by the coast. ✅
2. ✅
3. Yes, an alcohol shop that has all the monopoly. I don't mind it apart from the prices.😆 But on the other hand it's of good quality. I go to Germany for the cheap stuff and stock up.
5. It's the joke meme to explain that Swedes are very reserved and don't like to talk to strangers so we keep the distance. Another example often used is that we peep through the keyhole before going out so we can avoid talking to our next door neighbour. I can't deny it holds some truth although a bit exaggerated. *LOL*
What people from other counties do not understand, is that we keep our distance because we are raised to respect each others personal space. So if you need help or want to talk you have to ask for it - we don`t assume it. But if you ask, you will see that swedes are happy to help. We are raised to do stuff ourselves so we don`t rush in to give unwanted advise, we wait until people tell us they want our advise or help. And we are a bit shy. So when in Sweden take people ignoring you as them respecting your independens and giving you space, not as being rude.
Systembolaget (alcohol shop in Sweden) do a really good job. Cheap (exept for the high taxes) and a really good assortment. A strong beer, 7,5% at the systembolaget cost just a little more, about 10% more than a beer 3,5% at the supermarket.
... and wines of exeptionally good quality and fairly good price due to being a popular customer of the southern European wine yards...
I do not have a summer house on my own, but my family has one in the archipelago off the west coast of Sweden, then my dad also owns a summer house in the countryside. These are both within an hour of driving from Gothenburg.
And also, most of us swedes will definitely stick to ourselves a lot, but if you still want to get to learn to know us, come see us when we're out partying or something, or introduce yourself as if we're having a business meeting or something. :P Honesty and genuinity are the best ways to start a conversation. And you will quickly notice that we are indeed friendlier than what the eyes meet. :P
I actually really like people that are slow burners and aren’t really forthcoming when meeting initially. I’d much rather win over someone than they be too In my face and intense lol 😂
Yes the liqur is sold in a specific store you can get light bear and drink at max 3.5 and under
1. Not everyone has a sommarstuga 😅 It's expensive! But I know people that actually have their sommarstuga in the same town, but closer to the ocean, where they live during summer.
2. Swedes drink alot actually! We plan and buy alot during the week so we have all weekend.
3. And about neighbours, it is true.
Everyone I know have a summer house, it’s not expensive at all. Not if you turn of the water and electricity when you’re not there, that’s what we do, it cost about 2000kr a year for electricity and water/insurance.
@@melinaljung8105 Well, it's not for free, you have to buy one first.
@@Dubbelbekasin yes of course but up in the north it’s not expensive at all, it’s another thing in the south, the prices are ridiculous down there.
@@melinaljung8105 So how much is a stuga up north?
@@Dubbelbekasin that depends on where you want it, if you want it by the water, near a town etc. My moms stuga was my grandfathers childhood home and his fathers home, so that one have been in our generation for over 100 years or so, so I have no idea what that one was. We own a lot of Forrest/land with that property to, we sold some forrest this last winter, and they helped us plant new trees. I personally love this place cause it’s close to the water and I feel close to my grandfather when I’m there.
My bonus dad purchased his stuga for about 100 000 Swedish kronor, his stuga was just by the water and in a little stugby, so nice. My dad purchased a stuga by the water and little bit of land for about 30 000 Swedish kronor, which in my opinion was a steal, he will have to renovate a little bit but that price was just insane. In the south you would be lucky to get a stuga for 1 million, it’s almost just the same as an apartment or a house. 😑 So in my opinion this isn’t expensive, things may have gotten more expensive since covid/the war etc, but still worth it. 😊
There is some difference though... 0:48
I live in a collective house, where we clean, cook and take care of the patio together. We greet everyone and respect each other. The elderly in the house +70 years have a summer cottage, which has been inherited for generations. While younger people would rather go abroad on holiday, or get a motorhome to be more flexible.
Canada also has ONE state owned for buying alcohol. Yes, "slut" means "end/finish" so don't be alarmed when you read "slutstation" on the train 😂 (end station).
Yeah we have a 'summer house'. It's nothing fancy... just a cabin by a lake.. But as we have at least 4 weeks off every summer - It's nice to go there and just get away.. boating..fishing.. and also yeah.. it's only a 20 minute drive away.
I don't have a summer house, but I know people who do, and their apartements (they've split up but still owns the summerhouse together) is almost within walking distance from it.
I don't know any of my current neighbours, but me and my brother grew up in a house and our parents knew all the other parents on the block and we knew their children.
The only time I have seen lines outside Systembolaget was during covid was when there was a limitation for how many could be in the store.
Yes. I was at systembolaget a few hours ago. Very few customers. And btw, it closes 20:00.
Some close 19.00 on weekdays (usually when there is another closing 20.00 in the same area).
But 15.00 on Saturdays and closed on Sundays/Holidays goes for all of them (as far as I know).
I ment in food store you can get max 3.5 at the specific store the drink is higher😊
The thing about Systembolaget is that it is not that hard to manage it. If you know you like to be spontanious and have a drink every now and then, you just buy a couple of extra bottles at the time and have a good stock at home 🤷🏼♀️ Then you have what you need when you want it.
And then you have all the bars/pubs/restaurants that sell alcohol as well (even if you can’t take that alcohol with you). So you can easily get a drink before going out. It is well worth mentioning that Systembolaget have a high quality standard as well, so we can order REALLY good quality alcohol beverages from almost anywhere in the world and the staff is well educated in what they do, so you can always get really good recomendations. 👍🏻👍🏻
I would not say "Everyone" has a Sommarstuga, but many familys that can afford 2 cars and a house for living can usualy afford a sommarstuga as well, and the reason they sometimes are so close is mostly because the sommarstuga might be next to a small lake or something that is not to far away, but still far enough to be annoying to walk or bike to.
When it comes to personal space he's spot on, when you get on a bus in sweden, and have 2 seats on the right next to each other, and 2 seats to the left next to each other, you can be certain there is 1 person for every 2 seats, people rather stand than sit next to a stranger usualy.
There are three types of people in Sweden: Those who always travel abroad, those who have a caravan, and those who have a summer house. The distance to the summer house may vary. I know people who have theirs just 90min away and others who drive for up to 4h.
The things he says about the System bolaget are true. But it's very common for Swedes to go on bus trips to Germany to bulk up on alcohol. Also, they only have a monopoly on strong liquor. You can still get a hold of beer and alcoholic cider at the grocery store.
A lot of swedes have a caravan instead of a sommarstuga. Caravans are very popular and swedes go camping all year around with their caravans.
I have a caravan and it's so nice to have a summer cottage on wheels 😊
Most of the people that have a summerhouse fairly close, usually lives in an apartment. In that case, the summerhouse provides access to the "outside" in a controllable manner. Such as a garden such things. Or more space for multiple families/groups of people to meet up and socialize over a period of days.
If people have an actual house already with a large garden, my understanding is the summerhouse tends to provides access to other things, such as fishing, hunting, mountain trails or such in the area, and as such might be less likely to be nearby.
Sea or lake access can probably be enough to motivate both a close and a far away summer house as well.
Think a lot of this about distance between people has to do with the long winters. We go in to quiet survival mood for 4 month.. When the sun gets back... we get social again.... we are social but a bit shy!!
I don’t have a sommarstuga, probably because we already live in a place like a sommarstuga which is amazing all year around, we got lucky and live close to hospitals and shops as well :D
The thing about not smiling is true. We never say Hello or anything to strangers we meat when we are outside.
Haha... the "mil" things always get me giggle. Specially when he said just 5 miles...
I remember first time I talked about distance with my Trevor (when he still lived in UK) I was so impressed when he said he walked 4-5 miles everyday... til the day we both understood we meant complete different distance! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nowadays I always ask, if he mean a Swedish mil or an English mile.
Not everyone have their own Summer place. But many have or share in same family. And you can always rent this type of cottages too. Some prefer have it closer to home (easier to hold an eye on the place) plus is you grew your own veggies you don't have to travel far. While others prefer other parts of country.
The Nordic countries have an alcohol culture which generally means that we often drink quite a lot when we do drink, not like southern Europe which drinks a glass of wine often. It's therefore very good that we can't buy more booze whenever we want, because we can't handle it. In Swedish grocery stores, you can buy beer and cider with a maximum of 3.5% alcohol. Finland changed its regulations in 2018, so now you can buy products with 5.5% alcohol in Finnish grocery stores. It has already been shown to have negative consequences.
So now you know that if you visit Sweden, you have to plan ahead if you want to buy alcohol.
Having a Sommer Cottage and having access to one is not quite the same thing, and they are mxied up in this video.
Summar cotages is not an "everyone have them" kind of deal, but most people have some sort of access to one, and they can be rented, either by the owner or they are run in a cluster by a camping company.
Speaking of which, a lot of people who don't have a sommer cottage have a trailer or whatever it is called when they drive around to various camping spots around the country.
In fact, some of them are basically permanent fixture and some camping spots and are only moved when the camping owner pisses their regular clientele of and they move out.
Also regarding the "sommar Cottage just out of town" thing, remember that most apartments does not have a garden, and just being able to quickly on the weekends or after work go to a secondary home, crack a bear open and fish or work the herb garden can definitely be needed change of scenery.
I always say hi to strangers when im out walking if its not a very crowded area. I feel like its the polite way as a young man to show that you are not a threat. Especially towards people walking alone.
Yeah that's absolutely the polite thing to do. I just think that's just the way humans should interact with each other in general. No need to be over familiar but at the same time there's no need to be rude as well.
Yes, i have a sommarstuga. My parent bought it 1980. And around 2000 i took over. But its not close by.
Summerhouse - no, not everybody has one, but it is very common. In my street 50% of the families have a summerhouse. Quite close, most of them. From spring to autumn they spend their weekends there. They can fish and bathe, enjoy the silence and really relax.
Distance between people - no, we don´t like to be close to strangers. At the bus stop everybody keeps the distance and nobody is talking. In the cities people don´t know their neighbours, but in the countryside it´s a bit different. In small villages you know everyone, so ofcourse you know your neighbours.
The sommarstuga can really be a stuga (like “hut”), i.e., it is tiny, no water toilet, no proper isolation. They were therefor (and some are) quite cheap.
Nowadays more people want more convenience so and have the money to renovate their summer houses to be more house than hut, but the huts are still prevalent though water toilets are almost “mandatory” now, especially if you want guests
When walking in urban areas, people generally don't say much. But! If you go hiking, it is severely frowned upon to NOT greet those you meet with a smile and a hi.
We are weird ;)
We have a Sommarstuga on an island in a lake about 40 minutes drive from our appartment!
Maybe I’ve taking it to another level. I live full time in my RV, spend as much time as I possibly can in nature, just to avoid meeting other people….just kidding, it’s all for the sense of feeling free. Oh, and I don’t drink alcohol at all. Let’s just say I have a very peaceful life with my dog.
But when I lived in an apartment I always made sure no neighbors were out. 😊
The funny part about keeping to oneself and not interact with all is that when you go out in to the forest to walk the dog or what ever you say Hi to people you have never met before. I dont know why we do this but kinda funny!
Distance between people is not just for my sake, it's also showing the other person my respect. You know (Dirty Dancing quote) This is my space, this is your space. If we start to talk (bus is late or whatever) the space will be smaller between us. Not sure how, why or when, but we just know. /Swede and also from Stockholm (And too be fair, it works just the same in London)
A common joke was that we wanted covid restrictions to quit so we could get back to being 3o or 4 meters apart again. 2 meters are to close.
Swedes was actually drinking ourselves to death, people was starving and out of that came "Systembolaget". It has pro and cons, but I think it is good. This miles and mil thing... 😂
We have a sommarstuga on my dad’s side, which is just under 70km from where I live and about 15 minutes car ride from my dad’s hometown. My grandpa built it in 1966 and it’s without indoor plumbing and electricity. We pump water from the lake up to the attic which we than get in the kitchen faucet and we use liquid gas for kitchen appliances and solar power for electricity. As for the bus stop and such, we have quite a large personal space and if someone is getting close to it we move. When I came home from living in Australia for 6 months I had completely forgotten about this and was so chocked when I came to a bus stop and noticed after a minute or so that the other woman there had moved to the other side of the bus shelter
It is not uncommon that people has a second house (sommarstuga) that is pretty close to the city they normaly live in - and also it is not uncommon that they basicly move out there in the begining of summer and still drive to work and drive out there after work gain so they be living there during the warm summer time. Then there are people that has vacatrion houses far away aswell (both for summer use, and people that has a vacation house to go skiing
About swearing... yes, we do swear. But we have "nicer" swear words too.
And I can for sure say people from UK can swear lots more than us! lol
My Trevor do swear a lot (from north west) and sometimes he regret that... cause I have learnt a lot new ones from him! 😂😂😂😂
Having a "sommarstuga" just outside of the city where you live Is not strange at all. Imagine if you live in an appartment in a big block. Just to get out of the city and into nature is a great upgrade. Also OF COURSE not all swedes have a "sommarstuga" but many have it. and there are all kinds from a "Kollonilott" to a luxury Villa.😎And now about the distance thing. I think its more a matter of cities vs countryside and small towns. I live in a small town and here we say hello to most people we meet I speak with all my neighbours and I know them a little. When I lived in Stockholm I met thousands of people every day and they didnt even notice me. 😎
Oh the neighbor thing is so true. So many swedes, me included, won't open my front door if i hear someone else in the hallway and wait till they are gone before i exit my apartment.
mil (originally 6 000 Swedish fathoms or 10.688 km) was selected for being roughly 1/4 of what an army could effectively travel in one day before trains... that is an army train of soldiers, cooks, supply wagons... on winding muddy roads. yes some parts could be faster but would be without supplies...
The Summerhouse thing is also a thing in Eastern Europe surprisingly enough. Probably elsewhere too.
There are alot of us that try to change the ’distancing thing’ in the swedish culture. (There are reasons for it historically). But it is changing, slowly. Not all of us is unsocial and frowning all of the time. So take a chanse and talk to people. When you start talking to us most of us are both friendly, welcoming, helpfull and some of us are social monsters 😄 and true friends for life. Most of us just don’t want to ’intrude’ on your space, so if you take the first step you will be surpriced about the big hearts hiding under most of the focused frown 🥰
Where I'm from (Gothenburg), most people who have a "sommarstuga" has it on the west coast country side. Which is usually 45 min-2 hour drive away from the city.
Why? Because the swedish west coast is just stunning
All of it is true. Except, not literally everybody owns a summer cottage, but it is pretty common.
In urban setting alot of people don’t know their neighbors, but out in the countryside it’s a different thing.
And about the summer house it’s basically people with a bit more money, or that have inherited it from a family member that have them. And it is a dream for a LOT of swedes to have a summer house, but not nearly as many as he make it sound like, actually have one.
Not knowing the neighbours is a half truth. I'd say it's true for city apartments but not outside the cities. And in between there's a lot of apartment housing cooperatives too and those often makes you get to know your neighbors to some extent through cleaning days and other joint efforts.
I'm not from a family who had money, I've lived at the bare minimum to survive since I was a child pretty much. My family never had a summerplace but most of my friends did, and yes, most have their places nearby as it makes it easier to maintain for an average person without a huge income. We're a very practical people.
On that note, I've followed your videos for a couple of days since you've been popping up in my recommended with pretty interesting subjects, which made me eventually subscribe. Long story short, good luck with the future of the channel and I hope you come visit our beautiful country :) Thank you for your content and keep the good work up :)
That makes total sense, cutting out the travel costs so you can spend more on the upkeep of the summersplace.
Thank you so much for subscribing, it means a lot. I'm looking forward to where this channel can go. I'm going to need suggestions of more video ideas as I explore more of Swedish culture. I'll ask you all in the next video :)
My sommarstuga is 4h away from were i live. I already live on the country side in a house, but it's nice to get away from home every once in a while. It's a place I go to to get away from everyday stress.
Yess it’s actually quite common to have a summer house close. ( sommarstuga)
We do have it like 30 minutes away wit car. And we have it in a forest really close to a lake. And it’s only like 5 houses around the lake and 4 of them ar owned by me and my family and relatives. So we usually use this house in the summer as a party house and we live here when the weather is nice and hot go for the bath in the lake.
And since it’s close to the town it’s still possible to live at the summer house and still be working dayli. This way you get a feeling of longer vacations.
So yes that about summer houses he said is true.
About systembolaget it’s actually really good stir and the staff working there are really nice and good and know lots about the drinks. So you could always get good tips on what type of beer or wine is good to what kind of food.
And I still think we drink often in Sweden but we usually drink a lot when it’s big holidays like Christmas new year and att mid summer ( midsommar ) it’s a really big day in Sweden.
I think every thing he did say in this video is good and correctly observed.
Have a great day and keep doing your nice videos.
Many families have a summercottage, often an old familyhouse. They are often quite primitive, sometime without water and electricity. We kind of like to go back to a simpler way of life, close to nature.
Systembolaget was founded early 1900 when great drinking was a uge problem. Finland and Norway have the same system. The upside is that "systemet" gets got prices as they buy so much, and it doesn't take any profit (just taxes), which makes it possible to buy high quality products for a reasonable price.
Swedes is a bit shy, not really got at chitchatting. I beleive it is beacause we used to live so far away from each other, not yet really urbanised. In smaller cities people talk more to each other than in the big cities.
The distance thing, it varies a bit from place to place in Sweden, in some cities it is more than it is in others, but it is very much what you would find in many many parts of Sweden!
Me and my family have a summerhouse around 1 hour from where we live.
We go there in the weekends and during summer to relax . Many people i know has an summerhouse.
When I was a child, we had four summer houses. And I'm not upper class.
Though, one was my parents, two were my grandmoms, and one my uncles. But yeah, we have summer houses en masse, I have one, my son's got one, I think all my ex GFs have one.
Not sure about Denmark and Iceland, but I'm pretty sure it's the same in Finland and Norway.
The alcohol situation creates some problems, some people buy too much to make sure they have enough, and then drinks too much because it's readily available.
As for the neighbor thing, there's a fun TV show called Welcome to Sweden, I believe the episode about that is available on youtube
I had a summerhouse, (fully equipped with hot and cold water and water toilet) one hour from my home. I sold it to a german couple, they loved it.
My sommarstuga is an 11 hours drive from me, way up in the north of Sweden. I like have two different environments to enjoy.
I was shocked when I realized people in the UK know their neighbors😂
If you live in a smaller city(that is to say maybe less than 40000 people) I usually smile at people who seem friendly, and even more so in evven smaller cities but in the ones that are larger than that you usually just keep to yourself
When it comes to not knowing your neigbors I feel its a big difference if you live in a city or a small town and if you are living in an appartment building or a house. If you live in a house you most likely know your neighbors and if you live in an apartment you might talk a bit to your neighbors if you meet them if you live in a smaller town but not in the city. Also talking to strangers are more common in small towns, while its not a thing in cities. In smaller towns you pretty much always says hi to someone you walk past outside, that does not happen in a city, you just ignore one another like they are not there.
my "stuga" is like 2h 30min away form my house and is in the mountains but we dont ski there, we do fish a lot even in the winter but then we make holse in the ice, and we also drive snowmobile and it's sooo fun! i recomend to come to the north of sweden!😁
It is mixed in Sweden how far you have your summer cottage. My one Big sister and her husband have their summer cottage only 25 minutes from their house and where they have their summer cottage by a lake and are the only cottage there. So they are comfortable and cozy in their cabin. My other sister and her husband have a 3 hour drive to their summer cottage and because it is further down than our city Kiruna, which is at the top of Sweden, spring and summer come sooner when they have their cottage than where the others live . You have a summer cottage and some use it all year round when they are free and it is to get out into the peace and where you are not stressed. Many have a summer cottage where they go and fish.
We live in a flat in a small town and we have a sommarstuga ( all year around stuga) 30 minutes away. It was my mothers childhood home and then my uncle took over and then my father built a cottage on the same plot which is mine now, it`s not A big cottage but its nice to be in the countryside in the summers or weekend when you live in a flat. I would not have the energy to have a stuga if I lived in a house in the city, one garden is enough 😅
the thing about not smiling to others, for me it depends on the age of the person i meet, if it is an older person (65+) i smile to them, if it is a kid, i might smile if they are smiling to me, otherwise i prefer to just be in my own zone/bubble
I don’t have a summer cottage, and no one in my family has one either. Swearing is just normal here, even on kids television. ( above 6 years) 😂
Yes, we have a ”sommarstuga ”😂 But it’s like the guy saying, it’s not a “posh thing”.. The second thing, I have about one hour drive to the house, it’s by the sea, so to go there from the city is like breading
Tne idea came from the 50s 60s and 70s whn small farmers had to sell their land but kept their houses so they could go back on their hollidays and weekends to be back and do their things that they used to do by theris houses and yards. A slowish change to industrial life. of course the children enherrited the houses and continued the small farmers life in the summers after.
Not everybody got a summer house. Mostly it's middle class people living in the city. Some have their summer house in the mountains (winter house) or in the achipialago, but many have them in the near by countryside where they live. If it is far away you can only go there in your hollyday. If close by, you can go there every weekend during summer, even when working. So to get most of your summer house you should have it within commute distance from your work.
We Swedes usually travel to Denmark or Germany and “do a squirrel”, bundle up with alcohol instead of nuts 😸🐿️
Make a lil storage of beer and booze
I think we Swedes often come off as very reserved and might seem rude... I have many contacts with people in Ireland through my job and I've heard that plenty of times that they've wondered if we don't like other people and so on. But all agree that once you get to know a Swedish person, there is something completely different behind that initial big personal spacebubblethingy. But just trying to, like, start a conversation with a Swede you don't know on the bus will probably not get you very far most of the time. That apartment thing is so true, I had no clue about any of my neighbours while I still lived in the city... Now I live in the countryside and it's quite different. I know the closest neighbours, we ask each other for help when we need it, they can show up randomly in the garden to chat, or even knock on the door without prior notice. Would have considered that totally mad in the city.
We had a culture of drinking a lot, and I mean a lot, and that's the reason the government stepped in to control sales in the first place.
About the summer houses, often they're very spartan. No electricity in some cases, no indoor plumming in a lot of cases, so they're usually not all that expensive. But yeah, they can be located quite near the city. Our cities arn't all that large, even a 30 minutes drive on the highway from the center of Stockholm would get you out to rural areas (Discounting trafic). In Stockholm there's also 7 "green wedges" (kind of like the green belts that's often found outside UK cities, but in wedge form going in towards the urban area rather than around it) by design. It's to ensure everyones proximity to nature, those areas does contain a lot of small cottages close to the city.
And yes, other humans are horrible and should be avoided at all time.