Image 1/25

@ Tiny Abode, Sweden
Blancheflor begins her tour of "Sweden". Wrap up warm!
Tiny Abode, Sweden
This very cute little dwelling is most likely a beach hut or bathing box. Beach huts are used to store items for use at the beach, for changing into beach attire and some even have provision for light cooking.

Image 2/25

@ Barn, Sweden
"They certainly like quirky marketing here, Starburst! '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, Blancheflor!"
Barn, Sweden
A small door/window in what appears to be an older barn. Barns can have many small windows to let natural light in. Many older barns in Sweden are gaining new life by being renovated into modern homes.

Image 3/25

@ Cityscape, Stockholm
"'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 Blancheflor from the brochure.
"Sounds very stylish, Blancheflor, if a little chilly, possibly!" remarked shotzee.

Cityscape, Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and is built on 14 islands with 57 bridges connecting those islands. There are 53 museums in Stockholm including the world’s first open-air museum. A very beautiful and vibrant city.

Image 4/25

@ Gamla Stan, Sweden
"Hey, smokey, 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, Blancheflor! I'll remember that when I'm next wearing gauntlets, orienteering on my moped to see the ombudsman about tungsten!"
Gamla Stan, Sweden
Gamla Stan is Stockholm’s original city centre. The Old Town dates from the 13th century. The Royal Palace and the Nobel Prize museum are to be found in Gamla Stan.

Image 5/25

@ Dragonfly
"They certainly like quirky marketing here, Panda! '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, Blancheflor!"
Dragonfly
In 2005 dragonflies seemed to just disappear from Sweden. Prior to that year of the world’s 5,000 species, 61 were to be found in Sweden. In 2010 it was discovered that many species that were thought to be extinct, had survived and were classified as endangered.

Image 6/25

@ Fairy Fable Stepped Gable
"The hotel manager taught us two untranslatable Swedish words today, to help understand Swedish culture," remarked Blancheflor.
"What are they?" asked Fflam.
"Well, the first is fika, which means to have a cup of coffee with a treat at a café while talking with a friend. A small word for a universal custom that everyone in Sweden enjoys! The second describes a core Swedish value. Lagom means 'not too little, not too much … but just right.'"

Fairy Fable Stepped Gable
The ornate gable of the house in the centre is like a decoration out of a fairytale! It used to be an extremely common architectural style in northern countries in Continental Europe, particularly in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Image 7/25

@ Summer Flowers, Sweden
"Did you know Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that gives everypet the freedom to roam in nature?" said Blancheflor.
"Which other countries have the Right to Roam?" queried Morri.
"Norway, Estonia and Scotland," responded Blancheflor.

Summer Flowers, Sweden
Bright yellow flowers like little suns beckon you to lay down and relax.

Image 8/25

@ Sweden Foggy Dawn
Pu[ lowered his copy of Swedish Without Strain. "You know, they don't have a way to say 'please' in Swedish."
"Wow!" responded Blancheflor. "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'."
[::104038]
Sweden Foggy Dawn
Crisp morning air greets the farmer in the countryside as the morning sun slowly climbs into the sky, ready for another day of work and beauty.

Image 9/25

@ Fishermen's Huts, Gotland
"It says here that two-thirds of Sweden’s land area is covered by forest," remarked Blancheflor.
"Wow! A tree-lover's paradise!" responded Népomucène Bibliophilus.

Fishermen's Huts, Gotland
Gotland is Sweden’s largest island. Along with lovely little fishing villages, there is the medieval walled capital, Visby, which was founded by Vikings.

Image 10/25

@ The "Turning Torso" Skyscraper
Sweden’s northernmost point is called Treriksröset, meaning "three national cairns". This is the point where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet, so you can literally stand in three countries at once at this point in Sweden.
The "Turning Torso" Skyscraper
A neo-futuristic residential skyscraper is also the tallest building in Scandinavia. The skyscraper is located in Malmö, Sweden. The bottom levels are office space and the remaining levels are apartments.

Image 11/25

@ Blue Terraced Houses, Sweden
"Today's fun fact about Sweden! They are the third largest exporter of music in the world, after the United States and the UK."
"Well, we all love a bit of Abba, Blancheflor!" remarked Granville very long name indeed indeed.
"Ah, but it's not just Abba! Ace of Base, Roxette and the Cardigans also hail from Sweden."

Blue Terraced Houses, Sweden
Terraced houses are more economical to build and are more energy-efficient. In these particular homes, each car garage is located directly under the houses.

Image 12/25

@ Baltic Sea Boat Ride

Blancheflor turned to Frankie and asked, "Do you recycle?"

Frankie responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."

Blancheflor 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."
Frankie 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."
Baltic Sea Boat Ride
The blue and yellow Swedish flag flutters proudly in the wake of this motorboat cruising through the Baltic Sea on a hot summer's day. Is that the Island of Visby in the background?

Image 13/25

@ Stockholm, Sweden
"Hey, Sweetie, 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, Blancheflor! I'll remember that when I'm next wearing gauntlets, orienteering on my moped to see the ombudsman about tungsten!"
Stockholm, Sweden
One of the most fashionable cities in the world. There is no shortage of clothing shops featuring Swedish designer clothing, music venues, clubs, and museums.

Image 14/25

@ Sweden Windmill in Oland
"The hotel manager taught us two untranslatable Swedish words today, to help understand Swedish culture," remarked Blancheflor.
"What are they?" asked Chica.
"Well, the first is fika, which means to have a cup of coffee with a treat at a café while talking with a friend. A small word for a universal custom that everyone in Sweden enjoys! The second describes a core Swedish value. Lagom means 'not too little, not too much … but just right.'"

Sweden Windmill in Oland
One of old windmills still stands, Oland housed over 2,000 at the turn of the century and about 350 survive today. Largely replaced by modern mills, these old giants spark a romantic hearts whimsy for a good story!

Image 15/25

@ Open-Air Museum, Skansen, Sweden
Oh look ... you won a pet!
Open-Air Museum, Skansen, Sweden
Step back in time and see how the Swedish people lived in the past by visiting Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum. Traditional houses, farms, kitchen gardens, and crafts. Take part in festivals, concerts, and dancing according to the season.

Image 16/25

@ Houses On River Svartån, Örebro
"'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 Blancheflor from the brochure.
Angel nervously clutched her copy of Swedish Made Simple.
"I hope the pets we come across speak Swedish—or English, of course!"
Houses On River Svartån, Örebro
Such a beautiful place to call home. Örebro is one of Sweden's oldest towns and it is well known for the making of shoes and biscuits. Happy feet and happy tummy, this sounds like the perfect place to visit. The River Svartånn is a very popular place to go white river rafting.

Image 17/25

@ Sweden Stockholm
"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 Blancheflor.
"Goodness! They would all easily fit into Paris!" responded Kitty.
Sweden Stockholm
Cobbled streets wind through the old section of Stockholm, harkening back to a time before you and the busy world, but the old buildings talk of people gone by, and stories they left if you stop to listen.

Image 18/25

@ Swedish Crown
"Listen to this, Majestic. '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, Blancheflor?"
"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 Crown
This image of the Swedish Crown is to be found in Stockholm. Sweden has a constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is King Carl XVI Gustaf. This ornamental crown and arch reflect the gold and blue colours of the Swedish flag.

Image 19/25

@ Mist Over Water, Sweden.
"Hey, Molly, 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, Blancheflor! I'll remember that when I'm next wearing gauntlets, orienteering on my moped to see the ombudsman about tungsten!"
Mist Over Water, Sweden.
Sweden has numerous waterways and canals. The Göta Canal is 190 km (120 mi) long and part of a waterway that connects many lakes and rivers, linking Göteborg on the west with Söderköping on the Baltic Sea. The idea for the canal to cross southern Sweden was put forward in 1516 but was not constructed until the start of the 19th century.

Image 20/25

@ Lakeside Stockholm
"'Swedes consume 20 million Semlor per year'," read out Blancheflor 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 Ailfric.
"They do indeed, Ailfric, but it warns you here—a Swedish king in the 18th century died after eating too many of them!"

Lakeside Stockholm
Fourteen islands comprise the city of Stockholm, which is situated where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. This beautiful sepia-toned night-time image shows central Stockholm brooding in the moonlight, with its major buildings reflected in the water.

Image 21/25

@ Horse In The Mist, Sweden
"It says here that two-thirds of Sweden’s land area is covered by forest," remarked Blancheflor.
"Wow! A tree-lover's paradise!" responded Inga.

Horse In The Mist, Sweden
Riding is one of the main sports in Sweden, and it is available to everyone, and in 2016 there were 355,500 horses. You may have heard of the Dala Horse, a carved wooden horse, commonly painted red, that originated in the province of Dalarna and it is the unofficial symbol of Sweden.

Image 22/25

@ Waterfall, Sweden
Sweden’s northernmost point is called Treriksröset, meaning "three national cairns". This is the point where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet, so you can literally stand in three countries at once at this point in Sweden.
Waterfall, Sweden
Everypet and every human loves a waterfall. The Swedish for waterfall is vattenfall. Be it small or grand a waterfall can be soothing to sit beside. Just be very careful if you decide to travel over any rocks or go above a waterfall, the spray makes any rocks very slippery.

Image 23/25

@ Tram, Gothenburg
"The hotel manager taught us two untranslatable Swedish words today, to help understand Swedish culture," remarked Blancheflor.
"What are they?" asked Snowilicious.
"Well, the first is fika, which means to have a cup of coffee with a treat at a café while talking with a friend. A small word for a universal custom that everyone in Sweden enjoys! The second describes a core Swedish value. Lagom means 'not too little, not too much … but just right.'"

Tram, Gothenburg
A misty winter morning in Gothenburg, as you wait for one of the 263 trams that serve 12 routes to take you to work or an early breakfast.

Image 24/25

@ Dancing Light, Sweden

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

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

When they arrived in the underground station Pickles 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."
Blancheflor 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."
Dancing Light, Sweden
Grab a blanket and some of your favourite hot beverages and maybe some of your pet's snacks and go lay down and watch the light show in the sky.

Image 25/25

@ Stinsen Arena, Sweden
As Blancheflor's tour of "Sweden" comes to an end, she receives a seasonally appropriate gift!
Winter's Decorations
Beautiful winter blooms gladden the heart and add richness to the landscape. Flowers are most welcome at any time of year but they may be appreciated much more when winter arrives and our days become shorter.
Stinsen Arena, Sweden
Located in Nässjö, Sweden, this arena is used to play bandy. Bandy is a winter sport played on ice using sticks and a ball. The sport differs from hockey in many aspects. The teams number 11 per side and the game is played in two forty-five-minute sections.
Blancheflor has completed her tour of "Sweden"! Your Scandinavian tour is now over, but PnF will hold a new event again soon!