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@ Stone Bridge, Kinnekulle
Rubens begins his tour of "Sweden". Wrap up warm!
Stone Bridge, Kinnekulle
Kinnekulle is a flat-topped mountain in the county of Västergötland, Sweden. This beautiful bridge is probably limestone excavated from the Kinnekulle Grand Quarry. The lower levels of limestone date back 400 million years.

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@ Swedish Port, Bohuslän
"You know, Edgar called me a heathen the other week because I said I didn't like Dickens," remarked Rubens. "I'm going to inform him that 'heathen' comes from the Old Norse heiðinn, meaning 'one who inhabits the heath or open country'."
Maggie Moo grinned. "He'll probably just call you a Philistine instead, Rubens!" she said.
Swedish Port, Bohuslän
Bohuslän is a province in Götaland, Sweden. A rocky coastline ranked as one of the world's last great wilderness areas, with 3,000 islands and 5,000 islets.

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@ Antique Window
"Guess how many moose there are in Sweden, Kaycee!" said Rubens.
"Oh! Well, a good few thousand, I would think!" responded Kaycee.
"It's actually between 300,000 and 400,000 moose!"

Antique Window
It was not until the 19th century that large panes of glass were made so all windows prior to that time were smaller panes of glass with lead joining the panes. The first glass blocks were patented in 1886. This beautiful blue glass window appears to be made of glass blocks.

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@ Swedish Lapland, Sweden
"Listen to this, Molly. 'Sweden has the world’s largest scale model of the solar system. Starting at the Ericsson Dome in Stockholm, the model ends 590 miles (950km) away in Kiruna where the end of the solar system is marked."
"Gosh! What scale is the model, Rubens?"
"The scale is 1:20 million and each object is marked with a model or statue. Mercury is a mere 1.86 miles (3km) from the centre while Earth is 4.72 miles (7.6km) away and Neptune is 142¼ miles (229km) away."

Swedish Lapland, Sweden
Lapland is a province in northern Sweden. The northernmost parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia, also known as Sápmi, is the land of the indigenous population, the Sami people, who have lived here for thousands of years. A truly stunning landscape.

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@ Full Moon
"They certainly like quirky marketing here, Blueberry! 'The Call a Swede phoneline provided a single telephone number that anyone around the world could call and talk to a Swedish person picked at random from a group of volunteers. The scheme ran for three months and took calls from all around the world.'"
"That sounds like a fun thing to do, Rubens!"
Full Moon
Bundle up the pets and go for a scenic drive along the misty roads. It looks clear enough that you should see some stars.

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@ Drottningholm Palace, Sweden
"'Sweden has the highest number of patents per capita in Europe'," read out Rubens from the brochure.
"So what are some famous Swedish inventions?" asked Grizz.
"Tetra Pak, the pacemaker, ultrasound, dynamite and the spherical ball bearing!" responded Rubens.

Drottningholm Palace, Sweden
Permanent residence of the Swedish Royal Family. This, the most well-preserved royal castle in Sweden was built in the 1600s. The castle is built on an island, Lovön which is close to Stockholm.

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@ Frozen Lake, Sweden
"'Swedes consume 20 million Semlor per year'," read out Rubens from the brochure. "'Semlor buns, a traditional pre-Lent treat, are cream buns made from an enriched bread dough, flavoured with ground cardamom and filled with almond paste and chantilly cream. Versions of the bun are eaten across Nordic countries on Shrove Tuesday, but they are probably best known and loved in Sweden and Finland.'"
"They sound wonderful!" enthused Geoffrey.
"They do indeed, Geoffrey, but it warns you here—a Swedish king in the 18th century died after eating too many of them!"

Frozen Lake, Sweden
Wintertime changes the landscape considerably. Bodies of water can freeze over, trees are covered in snow, darkness falls earlier and light comes later. Taking a walk through a winter forest is refreshing but do be careful where you put your feet.

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@ Apladalen, Värnamo, Sweden
"Gosh! Apparently Sweden is the fifth largest country in Europe in terms of land area, but despite that, it has one of the lowest populations per square kilometre in all of Europe and under ten and a half million people in total," remarked Rubens.
"Goodness! They would all easily fit into Paris!" responded Choose a name.
Apladalen, Värnamo, Sweden
A natural history park is the main attraction in Värnamo, featuring traditional houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. There are goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry that you can pet.

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@ Sweden Icy Country Road
Choose a name lowered her copy of Swedish Without Strain. "You know, they don't have a way to say 'please' in Swedish."
"Wow!" responded Rubens. "So...I don't understand, how do you get by without it?"
"Well, it seems you just have to sound polite and use Tack, which means 'thank you'."

Sweden Icy Country Road
Grab your runner sled and get ready for some fun in the winter sun! The ice packed road is perfect for waxed runners and sledding fun!

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@ Sweden Street Art
"You know, Edgar called me a heathen the other week because I said I didn't like Dickens," remarked Rubens. "I'm going to inform him that 'heathen' comes from the Old Norse heiðinn, meaning 'one who inhabits the heath or open country'."
Smokey grinned. "He'll probably just call you a Philistine instead, Rubens!" he said.
Sweden Street Art
People's Park, Malmö showcases the beauty of nature and the creativity of the people's art.

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@ Swedish Main Train Domain
"Ah! We know Sweden has land borders with Finland and Norway but did you know it's also connected to Denmark—by a bridge?" said Rubens.
"A bridge that's a border? Sounds great!" said Roy.

Swedish Main Train Domain
Pulling out of Stockholm Railway Station we see the "Orange Carriages", not to be mistaken for the spooky Silverpilen train, or Silver Arrow, that we met in one Scary Fayre episode! These trains may be ridden in perfect safety!

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@ Crown Pharmacy
"'Swedes consume 20 million Semlor per year'," read out Rubens from the brochure. "'Semlor buns, a traditional pre-Lent treat, are cream buns made from an enriched bread dough, flavoured with ground cardamom and filled with almond paste and chantilly cream. Versions of the bun are eaten across Nordic countries on Shrove Tuesday, but they are probably best known and loved in Sweden and Finland.'"
"They sound wonderful!" enthused Frisky.
"They do indeed, Frisky, but it warns you here—a Swedish king in the 18th century died after eating too many of them!"

Crown Pharmacy
This splendid red and gold sign is at the Skansen Open Air Museum in Stockholm. The Crown Pharmacy (Apoteket Kronan) has a sign outside in the form of a royal crown to accord with the pharmacy’s name. Enter the pharmacy to go back to a time when the pharmacist made up medicines and tinctures from a recipe. The shop fittings are mostly from the palace pharmacy at Drottningholm outside Stockholm as well as from a pharmacy in Köping that was run by the noted chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

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@ Mariefred Railway Station
"They certainly like quirky marketing here, Gordon! 'The Call a Swede phoneline provided a single telephone number that anyone around the world could call and talk to a Swedish person picked at random from a group of volunteers. The scheme ran for three months and took calls from all around the world.'"
"That sounds like a fun thing to do, Rubens!"
Mariefred Railway Station
The Mariefred Rail Station is located in Sodermanland, Sweden. The station operates a steam locomotive on the narrowest track, called a narrow-gauge track, ever used for public train services runs from Mariefred to Läggesta and Taxinge Näsby, between May and Sept.

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@ Sweden Värmland
"Listen to this, Little Grey. 'Sweden has the world’s largest scale model of the solar system. Starting at the Ericsson Dome in Stockholm, the model ends 590 miles (950km) away in Kiruna where the end of the solar system is marked."
"Gosh! What scale is the model, Rubens?"
"The scale is 1:20 million and each object is marked with a model or statue. Mercury is a mere 1.86 miles (3km) from the centre while Earth is 4.72 miles (7.6km) away and Neptune is 142¼ miles (229km) away."

Sweden Värmland
Standing on the peak of one of many throughout the travelled road, it's incredible to look over the green valley below, is that a cloud shadow?

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@ Sweden Limhamn, Malmö
Oh look ... you won a pet!
Sweden Limhamn, Malmö
Walking along the coast of Malmo, the sunny sea grasses call travelers to keep strolling

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@ Sweden Cornflowers
"Hey, Choose a name, did you know there's quite a few examples of Swedish loanwords in English? There's moped, gauntlet, ombudsman, orienteering and tungsten."
"That's great to know, Rubens! I'll remember that when I'm next wearing gauntlets, orienteering on my moped to see the ombudsman about tungsten!"
Sweden Cornflowers
Waving gently in the summer breezes, the bright blue flowers are the inspiration to so many art pieces, pottery, china and eyes of blue!

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@ Örebro Castle, Sweden
"Ah! We know Sweden has land borders with Finland and Norway but did you know it's also connected to Denmark—by a bridge?" said Rubens.
"A bridge that's a border? Sounds great!" said Mittens.

Örebro Castle, Sweden
The oldest part of the castle, a defence tower, was built in the late 13th century. In the 1890s the castle underwent extensive remodelling and the round towers you see today were created.

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@ Sweden Ostkustleden
"'Swedes consume 20 million Semlor per year'," read out Rubens from the brochure. "'Semlor buns, a traditional pre-Lent treat, are cream buns made from an enriched bread dough, flavoured with ground cardamom and filled with almond paste and chantilly cream. Versions of the bun are eaten across Nordic countries on Shrove Tuesday, but they are probably best known and loved in Sweden and Finland.'"
"They sound wonderful!" enthused Innes.
"They do indeed, Innes, but it warns you here—a Swedish king in the 18th century died after eating too many of them!"

Sweden Ostkustleden
A wonderful place to rent a cabin and relax on the shores, the traveler who enjoys sunrises and sunsets will not be disappointed.

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@ Sweden Snow Fence
"'Sweden has a famous hotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi made entirely out of ice. The hotel has to be re-crafted every year using large blocks of ice taken from the Tome River'," read out Rubens from the brochure.
"Sounds very stylish, Rubens, if a little chilly, possibly!" remarked tails.

Sweden Snow Fence
Covered in a fresh layer of snow, covering the world in white for all the eye can see, strap on your snowshoes and enjoy a crisp walk!

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@ Downtown Crown
Rubens turned to Danzi and asked, "Do you recycle?"
Danzi responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."
Rubens nodded in agreement, "In Sweden, they recycle so much that they only have one percent waste to take to the landfills, fifty percent of waste is recycled or composted and forty-nine percent is incinerated for energy."
Danzi gave a big smile at this news, "We need to do more, we need to be like Sweden, when we get home I am going to talk to my friends about starting a compost and learning more about how we can be more efficient in our waste management."
Downtown Crown
King Carl XVI Gustaf has been the monarch of Sweden since 1973. He is the 74th King of Sweden. Sweden's tradition of monarchy goes back over a thousand years. This crown, representing Sweden's monarchy, is a famous landmark on the Skeppsholm Bridge in Stockholm's "Gamla Stan", which means its historic "Old Town" quarter.

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@ Øresund Bridge
"'Sweden has the highest number of patents per capita in Europe'," read out Rubens from the brochure.
"So what are some famous Swedish inventions?" asked BRUNO.
"Tetra Pak, the pacemaker, ultrasound, dynamite and the spherical ball bearing!" responded Rubens.

Øresund Bridge
The Øresund Bridge is a toll bridge that links Denmark and Sweden. Spanning 16 km (9.94 mi.) A very dramatic photograph showing not only the impressive bridge but a wonderfully moody sky.

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@ Twilight Sky, Stockholm
Rubens turned to Rosemary and asked, "Do you recycle?"
Rosemary responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."
Rubens nodded in agreement, "In Sweden, they recycle so much that they only have one percent waste to take to the landfills, fifty percent of waste is recycled or composted and forty-nine percent is incinerated for energy."
Rosemary gave a big smile at this news, "We need to do more, we need to be like Sweden, when we get home I am going to talk to my friends about starting a compost and learning more about how we can be more efficient in our waste management."
Twilight Sky, Stockholm
It does not matter where you live or visit, everyone loves to sit for a while and gaze out at the setting sun. It may be just a gentle darkening of the sky with a bit of red or orange, or it may be a full-on display of colours. Relax and enjoy as nature says goodnight.

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@ Sweden Winding Mountain Road
"'Whilst the official language of Sweden is Swedish (or Svenska), you'll hear many different tongues on a trip. These are official minority languages and include Finnish, Sami, Yiddish, Romani and Meänkieli'," read out Rubens from the brochure.
Hester nervously clutched her copy of Swedish Made Simple.
"I hope the pets we come across speak Swedish—or English, of course!"
Sweden Winding Mountain Road
Sit down, strap in and hang on! The adventure on these winding roads is about to get real! When life hands you a curve, remember, lean into it!

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@ Northern Lights, Sweden

"Come with me, we are going to the underground Metro."

"The underground for a trip?" Sheba asked.
Rubens shook their head, "Not quite, you will see when we get there, just another block."

When they arrived in the underground station Sheba looked around with their mouth open. "Look at all this art, just look at it all. Paintings, sculptures, and that over there is a mosaic."
Rubens smiled, "Are you surprised? In Sweden, ninety percent of the metro stations have been decorated with many different art forms. It is one huge gallery when you put them all together."
Northern Lights, Sweden
The Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights can be seen in more northern countries and they never fail to instill a sense of wonder. Green is the most often seen colour with red being the rarest. Dancing, rippling, swaying colours are created when charged particles collide with gasses in the earth’s upper atmosphere.

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@ Bring The Oars, Sweden
As Rubens's tour of "Sweden" comes to an end, he receives a seasonally appropriate gift!
Barren Winter Hills
Hills and mountains layered over a background add depth. These wintery feeling hills are just waiting for you to add whatever you like. Maybe you want a whole forest where pets can play hide and seek. Perhaps you prefer to cover the hills with snow and create a place to make snow people or snowpets. Maybe there is one lone tree bare of leaves or an ocean below the hills. Ah! My pets are clamouring for me to make them a place where they can go sledding.
Bring The Oars, Sweden
Sweden has more pleasure crafts, per capita than almost any other country. The people of Sweden have a great affinity with water. This looks like a fine little boat and the waterway has some lovely scenery. Time for a leisurely drift down the river.
Rubens has completed his tour of "Sweden"! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also tour Scandinavia!