The Other Country People Think of when they hear Scandianavia

Although there are actually 4 or more countries (depending on how you look at it) in Scandinavia, I think it's fair to say that people usually think of Norway and Sweden when they hear the word.  Now I've seen a little of both

So long, Rutabagas

            Did you know that the English call Rutabagas “Swedes”?  It’s because back in the day, when many Swedes were very poor, they ate rutabagas all the time.  I may have my facts off just a tiny bit, but trust me, it’s based on a true story.

            If my whirlwind tour may be likened to a tornado, I touched down briefly in Sweden, but thankfully I did no damage.  My fellow hostel-goers managed to damage my sleep quite effectively, however.  I think I finally figured out why they used to call them “youth hostels, “ because I am definitely getting too old for this nonsense.

            Stockholm is certainly an impressive city.  It is a fine example of a capitol city whose countrymen can be proud of it.  But it’s no Oslo.  Oslo is lovely, large (ish), beautiful, friendly, laid back, and, in many ways, it feels unspoiled.  Stockholm is “fine”, but not lovely.  It’s definitely large, but only arguably beautiful.  It’s beautiful compared to your average American city, and it looks suitably European and impressive, but it also feels like it has as much concrete as an American city.  It’s certainly not friendly (I tried several times to strike up conversations with people sitting near me at cafés: in Oslo, they would have been delighted to chat and would have been genuinely interested in why I was in Norway; in Stockholm, they barely acknowledged my greeting and promptly resumed ignoring me).  Stockholm also has a more uppity feel to it, and I just got the impression that the city was full of itself.  If one were to point out a flaw with Oslo, the locals there would probably apologize and say that they’re working on it.  In Stockholm, I get the impression, they would refuse to admit that there was anything wrong with how they do things.

            Of course, this could all be in my head.  Maybe I’m the one with the problem.  I mean, I did only spend a day and a half in Stockholm.  Regardless, I’m very happy to have compared the two most Scandinavian of the Scandinavian countries and to have gotten a bit of a feeling for both.  I still miss Norway, but I will never miss Sweden.  Sorry, Rutabagas.

The Stockholm look.  See? European but not amazing.

Grand, yes.  Quaint?

Stockholm does have a rather lovely harbor.  Especially because it's a city built on islands :)

I do love a nice lively sidewalk restaurant / cafe

          

All Different Shapes and Sizes

            People come in all different shapes and sizes, they say.  Colors, too, I suppose (colorful aside: this reminds me of one of my favorite things ever said by a 7-year-old boy: referring to his Caucasian race, he said, “Why do they call us white?  We’re more pinkish, really . . .” !!).  So back to my fascination with sociology, physical anthropology and human body architecture, here are a few differences between Swedes and Norwegians.  Warning, I do enjoy geeking out on this stuff, so you can skip it and not miss much :)

            For starters, Swedes have much more prominent facial bones.  Their faces are generally wider, and their cheekbones are truly unmatched in their prominence.  The jaws are also squarer, looking a little more German-esque.  I saw a little more dark hair than in Norway, but at the same time the blonds were blonder.  The eyes were similarly blue, but seemed smaller and less round (many of the Norwegians I saw had big round eyes, almost like in a Disney cartoon, which made their blue eyes really jump out at you, like even from across the street). In sum, the Norwegians have more classically beautiful faces (yes I have studied this stuff, I’m not just making it up) but the Swedes’ bone structure gives them a more striking appearance, which is beautiful in its own way. 

            Unlike the Norwegians I’ve seen, there actually were quite a few folks of slight build walking around in Stockholm, and folks seemed ever so slightly shorter than the Norwegians.  They dressed about the same, but a greater proportion of men wore neckties.  Finally, those in Stockholm looked fitter than in Oslo, and they packed around fewer extra pounds.  I don’t know how much of the last two points can be attributed to Stockholm’s larger size and greater “urban” feel, but I’d certainly be curious to find out.  My inbox is open if you have anything to add :)