Stockholm Specifics

Some pure Swedish platina that didn't make the cut for my Stockholm Report.

The Hello

Hello in Swedish is "Hej," which is pronounced "Hey." Most Swedes actually say hello, by saying "Hej, Hej," which I really got into, by saying to everyone I met "Hey! Hey!"

According to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) it's pronounced /ˈɦɛj/, which I must admit do not find all that useful.

The Views

Stockholm is the prototypical beautiful European cities with numerous spots for taking beautiful panoramic photos:

Katarinahissen (Katarina's elevator)

Mariebergets Utsiktsplats  (Marieberget's viewpoint)

The Currency

Sweden much like Norway and Denmark does not use the euro, instead it uses the Swedish krona (as opposed to the Norwegian krone or the Danish krone ). Unlike the Danish krone, it is NOT pegged to the euro and at time of publishing $1 = 9.43 SEK, which made it a little easier to convert krona to dollars.

During my seven day stay in Copenhagen I used only my Capital One Venture X credit card and did not exchange any currency.

The Adapter

Electrical adapters can be a tricky subject and you are going to need one. So instead of explaining all the details, just know that I used a Type C (which is the simplest and most flexible) via the Miami Carry On International Travel Adapter with Two USB Ports¹ and everything worked out just fine.

The Posti

In 2009, Posten AB (the Swedish post office) merged with Post Denmark to form the new holding company PostNord AB, owned by the Swedish (60%) and Danish (40%) governments. I only mention this because the idea of two countries allowing their post offices to be merged is so unamerican as to be unimaginable. At the time of the merger they must have closed a number of post offices as they're hard to come by, requiring my stamps to be purchased at a grocery store.

I was charged $4.50 to mail a postcard back to the states to a few Subscribers selected at random. I only mention this to show how much I appreciate your readership.

The Fika

As mentioned in my Stockholm Report, fika is a Swedish custom, a break from activity during which people drink coffee and have a light snack. It’s a moment to pause, connect and recharge – often more about the company and conversation than the coffee itself. As our hotel came with Breakfast Included we did not fika as much as we normally would, though we did enjoy some . . .

On our last day, Drop Coffee, a dagens brygg ("today's brew") and a jordnotsvärta ("peanut black?") followed by the above rainy day views of Stockholm from Mariebergets Utsiktsplats (see above). A pleasant way to say goodbye to the Venice of Scandinavia.

Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that, while vaguely interesting, did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to enjoy.

¹ The Official Electrical Adapter of the AfterActionReport.info.