NIGHTS that are nothing but an ethereal transition from evening twilight to the first rosy glow of morning. Those are the “White Nights” of Sweden—that enchanting country in the north, where, for six weeks round midsummer, you can see the luminous disc of the Midnight Sun travelling along the endless line of mountain ranges. That is, if you go to Lapland, the most northern province of Sweden, stretching for miles and miles beyond the Arctic Circle.
But what do you really know about Sweden? You must have heard about the City Hall of Stockholm, one of the most famous examples of modern architecture, and a brilliant expression of the Swedish artistic genius of to-day. You didn’t know, however, that the Central Provinces, and even more so, Scania, the most southern province of Sweden, are dotted with magnificent castles and manor-houses dating back to the Middle Ages, or to the Thirty Years War, when Sweden was one of the greatest nations in Europe. It might also interest you to know that Sweden is actually the oldest existing kingdom in Europe and that her civilisation and standard of living are on a very high level.
You know, of course, that the rate of exchange is especially favourable to English travellers these days. When, in addition, I tell you that the cost of living is cheaper than in England, that Swedish hotels and boarding-houses are very clean and well managed, that Sweden is famous for its food—and there is no stinting, either—you will have no hesitation in paying us a visit. It only takes thirty-five hours to get there, or—if you go by air—six hours.
If you want to learn still more about Sweden, I advise you to get in touch with the Swedish Travel Bureau, 21, Coventry Street (corner of Piccadilly Circus), London, W.1, or any other travel bureau, which will be pleased to give you detailed information, and send you brochures and other useful literature on the subject. They will also work out for you plans for holiday parties, quoting special reductions, and give you information about the
Different Holiday Tours (varying in time from 6 to 22 days) arranged for this season. These tours start from London or Newcastle, and are run by boat, train and/or train ferry, and/or air.
May-October are the best months for a summer visit to Sweden; June 15th to September 1st marks the Swedish seaside season. Midsummer to September 1st is the best time to see Lapland.
December-April are the winter sports months. In January and February you can be almost certain of getting good conditions for all kinds of winter sports in and around Stockholm and also in the more southern parts of Sweden. You can depend upon it, however, in the sports centres in the North. I can especially recommend the spring season in those parts. In one place, Riksgränsens tourist station, you can even go ski-ing in bathing dress—as late as midsummer.
Sweden is famous for its climate—dry and exhilarating on the whole, especially in the North. The length of Sweden from the most northern tourist centre to Malmö on the Sound is the same as the distance from Edinburgh to Marseilles, and this accounts for the difference in climatic conditions in different parts. In the South we find practically the same climate as in England all the year round. In Central Sweden the summer is very similar to an English summer, while the winters, though colder, are nice and dry and generally very sunny. In the North the summers are quite warm, while the winters are cold, sometimes intensely so. My own experience, however, is that you feel the cold far more in England than you do in Sweden. Besides, there is central heating everywhere, even in hotels right up in the wilds of Lapland. The early autumn climate in the west coast of Sweden, and also on the large islands of Gotland and Öland in the Baltic, famous tourist centres, is delightful, with warm nights and crystal clear, bracing days.
Summer visitors are advised to take the same outfit as for England. In winter you will need a fur coat or a warm ulster. Exceedingly smart and practical ski-ing outfits can be had at very moderate prices in Sweden.
Full evening dress is only needed on very special occasions. You can go in ordinary clothes to any restaurant in Stockholm (except the Grand, Royal, Cecil, Operakällaren and Strand on dance nights), and also to any theatre, even the Royal Opera. Yet Swedish people dress very well, as you will see if you go to any smart private or official function. Even at the best seaside hotels a gentleman can dine in an ordinary lounge suit, while ladies generally wear semi-evening dress.
In the street a gentleman takes off his hat to a lady and she acknowledges the greeting. He always walks on the lady’s left. In the matter of visits it is the newcomer who pays the first call. Ladies leave their coats in the hall. Gentlemen leave their coats in the hall only when paying business calls. At the theatre people always leave their coats with the attendant.
At luncheon or dinner the male guest of honour is placed on the left of the hostess. Towards the end of the meal he is expected to say a few words of thanks on his own behalf, as well as on behalf of his fellow guests. “Skåla” is another Swedish custom. You raise your glass and say “Skål” to your fellow guests. But while the host and hostess have to say “Skål” to each of their guests in turn, a guest must not take the initiative in this. When the party has adjourned to the drawing-room the guest walks up to the host and hostess and says “Tack för maten” (Thank you for the meal). Next time you meet them you say “Tack för sist” (Thank you for last time).
British subjects must have a passport endorsed for Sweden. A visa is not required.
1 krona (plural kronor) = 100 öre = about one shilling. £1 = about 19.40 kr. Copper coins, 1, 2 and 5 öre. Silver coins, 10, 25 and 50 öre, 1 and 2 kr. Banknotes, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 1,000 kr. Money can be changed at the Swedish Travel Bureau, at any other tourist agency, and also on board the Swedish Lloyd steamers, on the Sassnitz-Trälleborg train ferries, at any travel bureau or bank in Sweden, or at the large hotels and restaurants in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and the chief provincial towns.
The customary tip in restaurants is 10 per cent. of the bill, in hotels 15 per cent. A taxi driver only expects 10 per cent. on the fare, though at night you generally give more. Railway porters have fixed charges. You tip the hotel porter, who takes your luggage to the station, an amount equivalent to the charge made by railway porters.
Free allowance: On Swedish Lloyd steamers 100 lbs.; on Continental through tickets and the Swedish railways, 56 lbs.; on aeroplanes, 33 lbs.
Registration: Luggage may be registered through in London to the chief Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish stations.
Luggage placed in the guard’s van is registered in Sweden even for short journeys.
Ten cigars or fifteen cheroots or fifty cigarettes without mouthpiece or 100 cigarettes with mouthpiece or fifty grammes of tobacco may be imported free of duty. A small quantity of alcoholic drinks for personal consumption may be taken into Sweden on payment of duty.
Traffic in Sweden is left-handed, the same as in England.
Sweden uses the Decimal System.
1 kilogram (kg.) = 10 hectogram (hg.) = 1,000 grammes = (approx.) 2 lbs.
1 litre = 10 decilitres (dcl.) = 100 centilitres = (approx.) 1¾ pints.
1 metre = 10 decimetres (dcm.) = 100 centimetres (cm.) = slightly more than a yard.
1 mil = 10 kilometres (km.) = (approx.) 6 miles.
1 hectare (har.) = (approx.) 2½ acres.
The cost of living in Sweden is cheaper than in England. Hotels and boarding-houses, as well as rail fares, especially for long distances, are considerably cheaper.
Banks 10-3, Saturdays 10-2 (July-August, 10-1); shops 9-6, including Saturdays, except in the case of large stores during July and August (9-3).
Spirits are usually served only with meals. At restaurants no spirits are served after midnight, except on extension nights. No restrictions as regards wines and beers.
The Centigrade thermometer is used everywhere. Freezing point (32 Fahr.) = o° Celsius.
Sweden has no Summer Time. During English Summer Time Swedish and English clocks synchronise. During the rest of the year Swedish time is one hour ahead of English time.
You can get to Sweden from England by the following routes:
The continental route by rail (from Channel ports) via Hamburg or Berlin (through carriages and sleeping cars from Hamburg and Berlin to Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm). The train-ferry Sassnitz-Trälleborg obviates the necessity of changing for the crossing of the Baltic.
London - Malmö, four services, and from July 1st five services daily, via Amsterdam-Hamburg-Copenhagen, 6 hours. On the Scandinavian Air Express Route between Amsterdam and Malmö four-engined Fokker planes with accommodation for twenty-two passengers and restaurant.
London-Gothenburg, one service daily via Amsterdam-(Hamburg)-Copenhagen, 6½ hours.
London-Stockholm, from July 1st, one service daily and one service every week-day via Amsterdam-Copenhagen-Malmö, 8 hours.
Liverpool-Malmö, from 1st July, one service daily via Doncaster-Amsterdam-Copenhagen, 9 hours.
Liverpool-Stockholm, from July 1st, one service daily via Doncaster-Amsterdam-Copenhagen-Malmö, Sundays excepted, 9½ hours.
London/Tilbury-Gothenburg, sailing from Tilbury on Wednesdays and Saturdays; from Gothenburg on Tuesdays and Saturdays (in summer three to four times a week in both directions), time 35 hours. Passengers are conveyed by special D trains right down to the quay. The s/s. Suecia and Britannia are beautifully appointed, and famous for their cuisine (included in the fare). They have only first and third class, but their third class is quite comfortable. The s/s. Patricia has first, second and third class and somewhat cheaper fares.
Children from four to twelve years of age travel at half fare.
Harwich - Esbjerg - Copenhagen - Malmö, sailing from Harwich and Esbjerg every week-day, crossing 25 hours. Esbjerg-Copenhagen 4¾ hours. Copenhagen-Malmö by train ferry 1½ hours.
Newcastle-Gothenburg, every Friday or Saturday in both directions. Time 42-52 hours.
London-Malmö, via Amsterdam or Rotterdam (return Malmö-London direct), sailing from London every Wednesday, voyage of about five days (including a two days’ stay in Amsterdam or Rotterdam); from Malmö every Saturday. Time 62-65 hours. Cargo steamers, with first class passenger accommodation.
London-Stockholm (return Malmö-Hull direct), sailing from London every other Wednesday. Time four days; from Malmö to Hull every other Thursday, 2½-3 days. Cargo steamers with first class passenger accommodation.
The Swedish Travel Bureau, 21, Coventry Street (corner of Piccadilly Circus), London, W.1, will give you all information concerning special reductions for Christmas and other holiday trips, for parties, cheap circular trips in summer and winter, etc. A party of four travelling on a Swedish Lloyd liner are allowed to bring a motor-car free of charge, while a 50 per cent. reduction is allowed if the party consist of three passengers.
Accommodation in Sweden is decidedly cheaper than in England. The hotels are well run, the food is excellent, the service good, and you are never made to feel that people are out for tips. Wherever you go you will meet with a friendly welcome, for Swedish people have a great admiration for their British kinsmen, a feeling that has been steadily growing ever since Princess Margaret of Connaught set foot on Swedish soil as the wife of the Crown Prince of Sweden.
Seaside and country hotels, with the type of clientele that you would only find in the most expensive hotels in England, only charge from somewhere about 3 guineas per week inclusive, and reduced terms between seasons. The leading hotels in Stockholm and other towns charge more, but you can get quite a nice room at more modest hotels from about 5 shillings.
In practically every hotel and boarding-house—even the cheaper ones—you will find running hot and cold water in every bedroom, also a writing-desk and a telephone. They are all centrally heated, and in most of them, even in the remote country places, baths and private bathrooms are available.
Meals and meal times differ somewhat from those in England:
Breakfast is from 8 (or earlier) till 10.30 a.m.
Luncheon, 12 noon to 2 p.m.
Dinner, 6 to 7.30 p.m. (or later).
Afternoon tea is not included in the regular meal times, but at some boarding-houses tea is served at 9 p.m. You get milk to drink with your breakfast or luncheon free of charge at most hotels and boarding-houses.
You can take a furnished room and have your meals at some nearby private hotel or boarding-house, making arrangements for inclusive weekly or monthly terms.
If you make a longer stay at hotels or boarding-houses, it will pay you to arrange for monthly terms.
Families or parties wishing to spend a long summer holiday in Sweden, especially on the West coast or in the Stockholm Archipelago, may rent a bungalow or cottage quite cheaply and have their meals at some boarding-house or restaurant in the neighbourhood.
People in Sweden very rarely travel first class on ordinary trains, as second class is just as good. There are first class compartments, however, on the main lines. Most Swedish people travel third class, taking advantage of the many reductions granted by the railway companies for holiday and sports trips, parties, etc., which make travelling in Sweden relatively cheap and in the case of long distances very cheap.
The saloon cars on the main line trains will enable you to enjoy the scenery as comfortably as though you were lounging in your most comfortable easy chair at home, without paying extra for the pleasure.
A considerable part of the state railways, some 1,500 miles, is electrified, and electrification is proceeding on most of the remaining lines.
There are excellent restaurant and buffet cars, available also to third class passengers. The food is good. I may tell you that when the King of Sweden travels by train he takes his meals, whenever possible, in the restaurant car.
There are first, second and third class sleeping cars, but here, too, I want to put in a good word for the third class cars. Each compartment has separate toilet arrangements and takes three passengers, who are supplied not only with blankets but also with sheets and a pillow-case. Everything is spotlessly clean, all bedclothes being disinfected and given a thorough beating after each journey. It might amuse you to hear that when King Leopold of Belgium came to Stockholm at the time of his engagement to the late Queen Astrid, he shared a third class sleeper with two ordinary passengers.
There are no end of interesting trips and tours that you can make in Sweden. You are advised to get in touch with the nearest Travel Information Bureau, where they will be pleased to give you all the help you may require. Here is a list of some of them:
STOCKHOLM.
Statens Järnvägars Resebyrå, Centralstationen.
A. B. Nordisk Resebyrå, Operahuset.
Nyman & Schultz, Arsenalsgatan 9.
Thomas Cook & Son, Gustaf Adolfs torg 16.
Svenska Turistföreningen, Stureplan 6.
Kungl. Automobil Klubben (Royal Automobile Club of Sweden), Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6.
Aerotransports Flygpaviljong (Information Bureau), Nybroplan.
GÖTEBORG (Gothenburg).
Statens Järnvägars Resebyrå, Centralstationen.
A. B. Nordisk Resebyrå, Södra Hamngaten 43.
Kungl. Automobil Klubben (Royal Automobile Club of Sweden), Valand (information for motorists).
MALMÖ.
A. B. Nordisk Resebyrå, Stortorget 9.
Kungl. Automobil Klubben (Royal Automobile Club of Sweden), Stortorget 17 (information for motorists).
HÄLSINGBORG.
Hälsingborgs Resebyrå, Järnvägsgatan 25.
Hälsingborgs Turisttrafikförenings Turistbyrå, Hamntorget 3 (information for motorists).
NORRKÖPING.
Norrköpings Resebyrå, Drottningatan 7.
It is a well known fact that people who have once seen Sweden want to come back again. Their first visit—a sightseeing place-to-place peregrination in the stereotyped tourist manner—is generally followed by a proper Swedish holiday the following year at one of those delightful seaside places along the west coast, or in the Baltic Archipelago, where you need not bother about dress or the other paraphernalia pertaining to ordinary seaside life. Here you lead a most unconventional existence, bathing, yachting, fishing, filling your lungs with air fragrant with pine or brine from the sea. There are also numerous summer resorts inland, beautifully situated on the shore of some lake or river, of which there are many in Sweden.
If, on the other hand, you propose spending a winter holiday in Sweden, I have several suggestions to make. One is to spend Christmas at some cosy hotel in the country, where they observe the quaint old traditions of the season, so jolly and so different from anything you have experienced. In the daytime there is ski-ing or other winter sports and at night dancing, unless you prefer to play bridge. Alternatively, you may join a torchlight sleigh party, driving through snow-laden forest, the silence broken only by the tinkling of bells as the horses trot along.
Another suggestion is for you to spend a ski-ing holiday in the North of Sweden, where you will find plenty of snow as late as April.
There is only one “drawback”—you will not be able to spend as much money as you might have to do in other recognised winter sports countries, for there are very few extras even at the most fashionable hotels, while guides and instructors charge quite small fees for their trouble.
Here are a few suggestions for tours that I can recommend from my own experience:
(1) Skåne, the “château country” of Sweden. Here is Lund, the University town, which has a fine eleventh century cathedral and a most interesting museum.
(2) A tour along the eastern shore of Lake Vättern, with beautiful scenery and some interesting stopping places.
(3) The province of Värmland, with its poetical associations, Karlstad being the best starting-point.
(4) Dalecarlia, a province famous for its old traditions and quaint customs.
These tours can also be recommended to motorists and motor cyclists.
(5) Then there is a delightful stretch on the Dalsland Canal, starting from Köpmannabro and ending at Bengtsfors.
(6) Also a beautiful combined boat and motor-coach trip can be made along the River Indalsälven, starting from the town of Sundsvall on the Baltic.
(7) And another, even more beautiful boat trip can be made up the River Ångermanälven from Härnösand to Sollefteå.
(8) A tour to the winter sport centres and fishing places in Jämtland or Härjedalen.
(9) Right in the wilds of Lapland you can make a grand trip up the Lule Träsk, a long narrow lake, which will take you to a tourist centre called Saltoluokta, by motorboat and road. The centrally-heated tourist station with its electric light and hot and cold water, which is miles within the Arctic Circle, provides a case in point of the mingling of the primitive with the up to date that is so characteristic of Sweden.
Even the most northern parts of Sweden are traversed by numerous comfortable trains, while mail motor-coaches will take you to any out-of-the-way spot not connected by train. The hiker can walk by a really grand road from Kvickjokk to Abisko, with halting places in between.
A well-known Englishman once said to me “A grand part of the world, that country of yours—it seems to hold attractions for every taste.” He was right. Only look at the scenery. The South of Sweden is a happy blending of fertile fields and wooded hills. There are large shady beech woods down in Scania, relieved by other varieties—ash, elm, oak, etc.—with pine and fir predominating more and more as you go further north.
There are stately manor-houses, approached by long avenues of venerable linden trees or ash, and little red cottages peeping out from among groves of smiling silver birch. Meadows aglow with flowers, and wherever you go, water. Lake Vänern is the second largest lake in Europe, and Lake Vättern, too, is of considerable size, while Lake Mälaren, another large lake, close to Stockholm, has 1,100 islands.
The whole country is criss-crossed by streams and rivers that grow more imposing the further north you go, culminating in turbulent rapids and waterfalls which provide electric power, the “White Coals of Sweden.”
In the North there are pine forests from which millions of logs are floated down the rivers and rapids to the saw mills on the coast. And still further north there are the long snow-capped mountain ranges of Lapland, a province spreading far beyond the Arctic Circle, yet boasting a flora of tropical hues, due to the violet rays of the sun in those parts, the strength of which renders the climate even more vitalising than that of Switzerland.
Then there is the coast of Sweden, extending for the best part of a thousand miles. Thousands of islands and “skerries” are characteristic of the archipelagos of Gothenburg and Stockholm.
This is Swedish nature in a nutshell, so to speak, but let us now turn to the map and take a more detailed interest in the country.
Gothenburg is Sweden’s chief gateway to the West, the leading commercial port of the country, and its second largest city, with a famous shipbuilding industry. Gothenburg is, however, by no means only a commercial and industrial town. Its social and cultural institutions are well worth seeing, and the whole place abounds with parks and gardens. When you have finished your tour of this beautiful town you will enjoy a good dinner at a verandah restaurant like Liseberg or Trädgårdsföreningen (The Garden Society), a delightful restaurant with palm gardens that are among the largest in Europe. From Gothenburg you may take a trip to the grim old fortress of Bohus or to Marstrand, an island resort with a good restaurant. In spite of the rather primitive conditions in this place, it is a favourite holiday resort of the “smart set.” The main attraction, to my mind, are those jolly parties you can join for a few hours cruising in a sturdy coaster among the “skerries,” landing on some island, and bathing from the rocks, with a most welcome picnic meal to follow.
If you travel south from Gothenburg, you come to Särö, another little seaside place, which is quite exclusive and honoured by his presence for a short stay every summer by the King of Sweden, who is often to be seen on the tennis courts.
Tylösand, a popular seaside resort, though quite different in character, is only about an hour’s journey further south. Here you find six miles of the finest sand, backed by sheltering dunes, that rise against a background of pine and heather. There are large hotel-restaurants with music, while there are also a number of small bungalows that you can rent quite cheaply if you want to bring your family.
Båstad, on the West coast of Scania, has delightful scenery and can boast of a most picturesque hotel, though you will find other good hotels besides. Båstad also has one of the most beautiful golf courses imaginable. The Båstad Tennis Tournament is one of the events of the season, patronised by the King of Sweden, who himself takes part.
Mölle, with scenery reminding you of Capri, has only one drawback—its pebble beach. However, a short bus ride will take you to some good sands.
Falsterbo, further south, is a fashionable watering place with excellent seaside golf links and opportunities for all sorts of amusements and recreations.
Ystad, on the southern shore of Scania, has a magnificent sandy beach, and the town itself, with its old half-timbered houses, is most picturesque. For the Exhibition to be held here this summer, see “Calendar of Events.”
While you are down that way I suggest making a tour of Scania, where you will see many a venerable castle and magnificent manor. Sofiero, the summer residence of the Crown Prince of Sweden, is situated on the West Coast, not far from Hälsingborg, a town from where a ferry will take you over to Hälsingborg, in Denmark in fifteen minutes.
You have heard of Orrefors glass, haven’t you? The factories of Orrefors and Kosta are well worth a visit, and it is not difficult to get there from Scania. Being in that part of the world you simply cannot miss Kalmar, a town which, as I know from experience, most strongly appeals to Englishmen.
But let us return to Gothenburg, and from there proceed to Stockholm by the Göta Canal route. The Göta Canal, with about sixty-five locks, runs like a blue ribbon through Sweden, but only fifty-six of the total of 240 miles is artificial, the greater part of the canal being formed by natural waters—the lakes and rivers of Central Sweden. The canal itself is just wide enough to hold the little steamer which carries you into a world of poetic beauty. On the way to Stockholm you will pass
Trollhättan, a large power station which, together with other power plants, supplies electric current to Central and Southern Sweden, as well as to parts of Denmark. Farther on you pass through two of the largest lakes in Europe—Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern. On a promontory in the former stands a large and historically famous castle, Läckö. The surrounding country is extremely rich in historical associations dating back to the Bronze, or even the Stone Age. Soon you will come to Vadstena, where St. Bridget founded a convent in the middle of the fourteenth century. The Vadstena Castle was deserted long ago, but the building is an interesting survival of the early Vasa architectural style, a fine example of Renaissance in Sweden. While the steamer is being sluiced down several successive locks at Berg, you have ample time to see the old convent, Vreta kloster, and the ruins. Through the fjord of Slätbaken the canal steamer enters the Baltic Sea, but soon turns inland again.
At Södertälje, a nice summer and health resort, the boat enters Lake. Mälaren through another canal and before long arrives at Stockholm.
The capital of Sweden is a city of islands and bridges. In the heart of the Swedish capital stands the foremost architectural achievement of the century: the Stockholm Town Hall. This brilliant example of modern Swedish artistic genius was completed in the year 1923, and is the work of Ragnar Östberg, who spent half a lifetime planning and executing it. No description of mine could do justice to this architectural wonder. It must be seen to be believed, seen not only by itself, but against the background of Stockholm, known as one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
I don’t know when I like Stockholm best, on a night in late May or in June, one of those clear, translucent nights that seem to cast a spell over you, lifting your spirit to the Empyrean heights of the unattainable, or on a day in early autumn—crisp and exhilarating like champagne, with a sky of the deepest blue mirrored in the many waters of this unique city. Then the imposing palace in the late Italian Renaissance style looks down on the “City between the Bridges,” the old Stockholm that was founded about the year 1250 by a powerful earl, Birger Jarl. Those narrow streets could tell many a tale of the times when Gustavus I Vasa (contemporary with Henry VIII) liberated Sweden from Danish oppression, of the proud days of the Thirty Years’ War, when King Gustavus Adolphus brought fame and glory to his country, of the sad days when Queen Christina, his daughter, renounced the throne and the Protestant faith, for which her father had fought so splendidly, or of the beginning of the eighteenth century, when Charles XII fought his wars against half Europe, bringing Sweden to the verge of ruin.
I will not attempt to describe Stockholm to you, for you will be sure to join a sightseeing party, and your guide will tell you all about everything. He will take you to the museums and to the Riddarholm Church, the Swedish Pantheon, and to Skansen, an open-air museum on the heights overlooking the city. Skansen, in conjunction with the Nordiska Museum, will give you the cultural history of Sweden in a nutshell, so to speak. Old buildings from every part of Sweden have been re-erected here in a most beautiful setting, and you can watch quaint folk-dancing accompanied by old tunes played by peasant fiddlers. Look out for the Garden Pavilion, once the property of the philosopher Swedenborg, where he was wont to converse with angels and other members of the spiritual world. There is a good restaurant at Skansen, if you want dinner, or you can have waffles or other light refreshments out in the park.
You must see some of the modern buildings of Stockholm—the Engelbrekt Church, most inspiringly beautiful at the crown of a succession of ascending terraces. A good contrast is afforded by the strictly classical lines of the Concert Hall, the interior of which I ask you to inspect, in order to make you realise that good music deserves a good setting—and is getting it in this country of music-lovers.
You will take a stroll to the heights of Söder, a most picturesque part of Stockholm, affording a view that no words could adequately describe. Islands connected by stately bridges, little white steamers and ferries running to and fro in an endless succession, the turbulent waters of the Norr Stream which connects Lake Mälaren with the Baltic and, in the distance, the heights of Skansen, already mentioned. At night the view from here is wonderful. The thousands of lights reflected in the waters produce an atmosphere of romance that makes Stockholm an ideal place for honeymoon couples.
On the hilly southern mainland where we now stand there is a nice little restaurant, the Blå Kristallen (Blue Crystal), decorated by the famous scenic painter Grünewald. He is also responsible for the decoration of the Rosenbad restaurant, where you get excellent food, as you do at the Anglais or at the Strand Hotel in another part of the city, places well known to the Swedish gourmets.
The Royal, a most beautiful winter-garden restaurant, reminiscent of an old Moorish castle, is unfortunately closed in the summer, but there is no need to despair, for you will find several other good places to choose from. There is the Grand Hotel Verandah and the Operakällaren, both overlooking the Norr Stream and the Royal Palace, with beautiful views over the water. There is music in both. Hasselbacken, in the Djurgården, a lovely park bounding the city on one side, has a good restaurant, or you can have a drink or light refreshments in the gardens and listen to the band. A quaint restaurant is the Gyldene Freden in the City between the Bridges. This restaurant dates from the days of Gustavus III, the king who brought lighthearted frivolity from the Court of Louis XIV to the sombre life of Sweden. The Gyldene Freden has a very good cuisine and is a favourite haunt of the artistic set, besides being much frequented by foreign visitors. There are many other quaint restaurants that you will find for yourself when in Stockholm.
In the early summer months the opera and the theatres are closed, but the opera reopens in the first days of August and the theatres shortly afterwards. However, there are good cinemas (performances are not continuous, but all seats are bookable in advance). There are also one or two good revues. If you want an evening’s outing I suggest that you take a train or a boat to Saltsjöbaden, half-an-hour’s journey from Stockholm. Here you will find a first-class hotel with magnificent views over the archipelago, where you can dance, play golf or tennis or have a bathe at the Swimming Stadium.
In the winter Stockholm can offer you many attractions. The season lasts from January (opening of the Riksdag) until the beginning of June (when the schools break up). The “little season” is from September to Christmas. The Royal Opera is rightly renowned, yet very inexpensive. The Dramatic Theatre, which like the opera is subsidised by the Government, often has typically Swedish plays on its programme. In the Concert Hall there are excellent concerts, with names of international fame often heading the bill.
The leading restaurants have dance nights every week, and there are many official balls and other parties to which you may obtain an invitation with the aid of an introduction.
The Swedish Court is, in a way, far more exclusive than the Court of St. James’s. Swedish royal functions could rival the Courts or Levées at Buckingham Palace for sheer splendour. Yet the Swedish Royal Family is the most democratic, and also the most artistic Royal Family in Europe. A brother of the King’s, the “painter prince” Eugen, ranks high among Swedish artists, and the Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus is a scholar and expert on Chinese archaeology. He took an active part in the organisation of the recent Chinese Exhibition at Burlington House, London.
If you happen to be interested in any particular subject and would like to get in touch with people sharing your interest, or with any special institution, I advise you to call on the Anglo-Swedish Society, 10, Staple Inn, High Holborn, London, where you can obtain all information and, wherever possible, useful introductions. The society organise most interesting and instructive conducted holiday tours to Sweden every summer.
Svensk-Engelska Föreningen, Humlegårdsgatan 22, Stockholm, will also be pleased to advise you.
You can make many interesting sightseeing trips all round Stockholm. There is the Drottningholm Palace, a country residence of the Swedish Royal Family suggestive of Versailles, designed by the famous seventeenth-century architect Nicodemus Tessin. The trip to Drottningholm through Lake Mälaren, and the beautiful château itself with its lovely distinctively northern avenues and grounds, will make the trip well worth your while. A real gem is the theatre museum in the pure rococo style theatre of Gustavus III adjoining the palace.
The most magnificent castle in the Lake Mälar Valley is Gripsholm, parts of which date from the fourteenth century. Its portrait gallery holds nearly 2,000 historical portraits. Skokloster, on the upper shore of Lake Mälaren, is the most splendid private castle in Sweden, containing the largest private collection of arms in the world, besides some superb Belgian tapestries. The castle was for centuries in the hands of the first family in the country, the Brahes, which recently became extinct in the male line. It might interest you to know that quite a number of families in the Swedish “Debrett” are of Scottish origin, and most of them still use their old names, with the titles added—count, baron, or honourable—while others have slightly modified their names. Sigtuna, a former capital of Sweden, situated not far from Skokloster, is a lovely little place, with some interesting ruins. The “Sigtuna Foundation,” devoted to religious and humanistic studies, is recommended to those who are interested in the subject.
On the Baltic side of the capital lie numerous places of considerable charm. If you feel dull, just board at the quay one of those little white steamers that ply between the thousands of small islands, and run over to some neighbouring seaside resort.
Gotland is a large island in the middle of the Baltic with so many interesting aspects that your programme would not be complete if you omitted to visit at least Visby, the old Hanseatic town situated on the west coast of the island. You can get there easily by boat on an overnight trip, unless you prefer to go by air—a wonderful seventy minutes’ flight across the Baltic archipelago. Visby is to my mind the most interesting place in Sweden. There is a touch of “Sleeping Beauty” romance attached to this spectre of a past glory ensconced within its medieval towered walls. By way of contrast there is, near by, the modern seaside resort of Snäckgärdsbaden.
Once upon a time Visby was a city of fabulous wealth, boasting no fewer than seventeen magnificent cathedrals. Then one day in the year 1361 a Danish king, Valdemar Atterdag, coveting its wealth, came with his ships, took the city by stealth, sacked her and sailed away.
Visby is a lovely city. With her magnificent cathedral ruins, overgrown with red ramblers, she would form an ideal subject for a painter’s canvas. Historical pageants held every summer in this perfect setting, tell the romantic legend of Visby, once the Queen of the Baltic, now only just a “Town of Ruins and Roses.” See “Calendar of Events.”
Not only Visby, but the whole of Gotland has something to offer to those interested in history and archaeology. Excavations which have been going on for many years have brought to light some Stone Age burial sites, jewellery, coins, etc., as well as some exquisite agalmatolite objects and other Roman and Byzantine finds that testify to the existence in Gotland of a high civilisation and to widespread early connections with the outer world.
Uppsala, leading university town and archiepiscopal see of Sweden, is one hour’s journey north from Stockholm and should preferably be visited in May, a gay month with the undergraduates. The famous University Library contains, among other treasures, the exceedingly valuable meso-Gothic Bible fragments, Codex Argenteus. The three Royal Mounds at Old Uppsala are believed to be burial-places of three sixth-century Regents—Adils, Aun, and Egil. Old Uppsala is one of the most interesting old landmarks in the whole of Sweden. I advise you also to visit Hammarby, the home of Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist. The surrounding province abounds in rune stones, their inscriptions, which date back to at least the fourth century, forming a scattered, unrelated chronicle of events not recorded elsewhere.
Dalecarlia, a province situated in the heart of Sweden, is notable for its remarkably high peasant civilisation, which is revealed in architecture, art and folk-lore. The people have, more than in any other province in Sweden, retained their old customs and costumes, and there is a staunch, rather obstinate trait in their character, reflected in their fine features. Gustavus Vasa, the young Swedish nobleman, in the year 1521, after many thrilling adventures, gathered the people of Dalecarlia under his banner, and with their help liberated Sweden from the tyranny of King Christian of Denmark. Dalecarlia was the home of Zorn, the realistic etcher, painter and sculptor, and of Karlfeldt, famous poet.
Falun, famous mining town, can boast the oldest Limited Company in the world, the Stora Kopparbergs Bergslag. The oldest royal charter that is preserved dates back to the year 1347, but the Company is mentioned in a deed of purchase dating back to 1288 which is kept in its museum. Rättvik and Leksand, two villages on the shores of Lake Siljan, are famous tourist centres. A Sunday morning at the latter place, with the people, dressed in their different costumes, arriving for church across the lake, presents a most picturesque scene, the bright red and green and orange of aprons, neckerchiefs and head-dress adding a gay splash of colour to the picture. Midsummer in these parts, with dancing round the Maypole and other jollifications, is one of the most interesting features of country life in Sweden. And so is Christmas, with sleigh-drives to early Mass on Christmas morn, and no end of quaint forms of celebration.
Värmland. Midsummer and Christmas are great times also in the land of Gösta Berling and the home of its author, Selma Lagerlöf, of Nobel Prize fame. This is perhaps the most beautiful province in Sweden, and figures in many a poem by Fröding, a poetic genius who, like Strindberg, knew how to express in words that crude, honest simplicity mingled with a certain rather coarse wit that is characteristic of the Swedish mental make-up.
Härjedalen, a province still further north, has beautiful scenery, besides providing you with excellent fishing.
Jämtland has several famous tourist centres, Storlien, Are, Hålland, etc., forming excellent pieds-à-terres for hiking expeditions in the summer or for ski-ing in the winter.
Lapland you have already heard about, so I will just mention Porjus, a fine power-station situated within the Arctic Circle, and built about 150 feet below the river bed. Up here I have seen tomatoes growing in the summer, the long days, and the strong ultra-violet rays of the sun having a wonderfully stimulating effect not only on human beings, but also on the flora. The north of Sweden has a very fine flora, with many rare plants.
Kiruna, also far within the Arctic Circle, is a famous mining centre, where the iron ore is quarried from the mountain sides. The estimated potential wealth of the Kirunavaara and the Luossavaara mountains is a billion tons.
Abisko and Riksgränsen, the most northern tourist centres in Sweden, have beautiful scenery. Up here you will come across Lapps and reindeer, both “tourist ones” and the “real article.” You might also come across Johan Tuuri, the Lapp gentleman who created a written Lapp language. One of his books, dealing with his own people, has been translated into English. By the way, a Lapp will feel insulted if you call him by that name. “Sahme” is the name they favour. At Abisko you might also meet a certain Mr. Tirén, who has collected most of the existing Lapp tunes, numbering several thousands. For the Sahme are a musical race. But if you want to learn more about these extraordinary people of the North, you had better book your passage to Sweden.
How expensive it is to be ill—or convalescent—in London! In Sweden you get the best medical attention, the best nursing, and excellent convalescent treatment at a very low cost. Medicine in Sweden is of a very high standard, and doctors like Forssell, the great radium specialist, Key, the surgeon, Báràny, the Nobel Prize winning nose and throat specialist attached to Uppsala University, and Olivecrona, the great brain specialist, are famous all over the world. These, and many other leading surgeons, charge most moderate fees for their operations. There are also excellent hospitals and nursing homes. The Röda Korset (Red Cross) Hospital makes you think of a beautifully furnished private house, yet you get the best nursing and attention at a charge that you would pay at an ordinary private hotel in London.
The famous cancer hospital in Stockholm is a model hospital. The day is not far distant when people in search of the best possible attention in health matters will be coming to Sweden.
Now a word about the Swedish convalescent hotels. I will mention a few outstanding names: Tyringe (Scania), Mösseberg and Ulricehamn (Västergötland), Tranås (Småland), Saltsjöbaden (near Stockholm) and Fjällnäs (Härjedalen) Sanatoria. Please don’t let the word “Sanatorium” frighten you; it has nothing to do with the dreaded “T.B.,” in fact, such cases are not admitted. We in Sweden shy at the English word “Hospital,” which in our country means “Asylum.” But to return to the Sanatoria, they are beautifully situated convalescent hotels where you get the best medical treatment, the best food, special attention being paid to diet, at an inclusive charge of from three guineas per week. You have to live according to the special regime mapped out for you by the resident physician after your first overhaul, but apart from a few restrictions you are free to lead your own life. You will meet nice people of good social standing at these hotels, which count royalty among their clientele. Baths and massage are charged extra, but in Sweden your massage by experts is very cheap.
There are also some very good spas and other health resorts in Sweden, complete with every kind of recognised treatment for heart, liver, kidney and nervous complaints, as well as anaemia, diabetes, arthritis and bronchial and asthmatic troubles, etc. There are also real sanatoria for T.B. cases that are as well equipped and run as similar establishments in Switzerland. Bearing in mind the adage that the best cure for all ailments is to take your thoughts off them, these places also cater for the lighter side of life by means of recreations of every kind, including music, dancing and the less strenuous games and sports for those who feel up to it. Beautiful surroundings with lovely walks and dry, revitalising air are characteristic of the Swedish health resorts.
Svenska Kurortsföreningen, Vasagatan 14, Stockholm, will supply all information on request.
Are you a golfer, or are you keen on any other kind of sport? You will be able to indulge in almost any hobby in Sweden. Please do not think that Swedish Drill and gymnastic stunts are the only form of sport enjoyed by the youth of Sweden to-day. True, there is no rugger or hunting, but, on the other hand, there are some quite exciting sports that you will not get in your own country.
GOLF. Close to Stockholm there are four good links: at Lidingö, Kevinge (Stocksund), Djursholm and Saltsjöbaden. The Bastad links, on the West Coast, are beautifully situated, and the seaside links at Falsterbo and at Ystad on the South Coast can also be recommended. Gothenburg, Hälsingborg and Kristianstad have good courses. For the Båstad Golf Week, see “Calendar of Events.”
TENNIS. You will get tennis practically anywhere in Sweden, though only on hard or covered courts. Stockholm and all the larger towns have very fine tennis halls, generally with swimming baths. For special tournaments, see “Calendar of Events.”
YACHTING. The West Coast of Sweden, especially the archipelago north-west of Gothenburg, and also the Baltic archipelago, provide thrilling sport for the expert yachtsman. You are advised to bring your own craft, as there are very few yachts for hire. Kungl. Svenska Segelsällskapet, Birger Jarlsgatan 4, Stockholm, will give you all information about yachting. At Marstrand, and other seaside places on the West Coast, you can join parties for a few hours’ yachting among the “skerries” in coasters captained by reliable fishermen. Sandhamn, an island in the Baltic archipelago known to yachtsmen the world over, is the centre of yachting interests in Sweden. For regattas, see “Calendar of Events.”
BATHING you can get anywhere. There are sand beaches and there is bathing from the rocks. There is practically no tide, and there are no currents to worry you. The water has about the same temperature as in England. In the Baltic the water is best in July and August. On the West Coast you can bathe as late as early September. Stockholm, and most of the larger towns in Sweden, have excellent swimming baths, some of which are the last word in luxury. I will only mention Sportpalatset, Stockholm, a magnificent swimming stadium with restaurant attached. You can also get Turkish baths everywhere.
RIDING is a hobby you can indulge in quite cheaply in Sweden. The instruction is excellent, the terms very moderate. There is no hunting to be had, but the beautiful country all around Stockholm lends itself well for a morning ride. For horse-racing see the “Calendar of Events.”
FISHING. Salmon fishing is difficult to get. The waters up in the north of Sweden, however, abound in lake trout, char and grayling. All you have to do is to bring your rod. In some places you have to pay a small angling fee, but in most cases you are free to indulge in your hobby to your heart’s content free of charge. Good fishing can also be had all along the coast of Sweden and on the lakes. The Swedish Traffic Association, Stockholm, will supply all information on request.
SHOOTING can also be had in Sweden. There is hare and all kinds of game, such as black cock, ptarmigan, capercailzie, grouse, hazel hen, wild duck, etc. Elk and deer stalking, on the other hand, are for the select few who come with a useful introduction, but you can join an elk-stalking party for a fee of about fifteen guineas per elk head. Up in the north bears and wolves still exist, but opportunities for joining an exciting hunt are few. For information apply to The Swedish Traffic Association, Stockholm.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING. Excellent conditions up in the north, especially Lapland, with its unique scenery. Kebnekaise, the highest peak in Sweden, 6,900 feet above sea-level, is the goal of the most seasoned climbers. There are many other peaks besides on which you can try your skill. Guides can be had cheaply. Sweden also offers ideal conditions for the ordinary hiker and cyclist, both of whom can get many a good “tip” from the Swedish Touring Club, Cykelfrämjandet or Skidfrämjandet, Stockholm. One thing is certain, once you have paid your fare to Sweden, you will have a very cheap holiday.
SKI-ING. In Stockholm and the Central Provinces the best time is January-March. For a ski-ing holiday, however, I advise you to go to some well-known centre in the North. In Dalecarlia you get good cross-country conditions (January-March), while Jämtland, Härjedalen, and Ångermanland are for the more experienced ski-er. At Sollefteå, in Ångermanland, there is a ski-jump comparable with the one at Garmish. At Åre (Jämtland) you will also find an excellent bobsleigh run, and at Storlien (Jämtland) perhaps the best ski-ing terrain of all. In Lapland, within the Arctic Circle, the ski-ing season begins on March 1st, but goes on till midsummer. You could not choose a better holiday, and many an Englishman has told me that a Swedish ski-ing holiday has spoilt him for any other country. It might have been politeness, but there is undoubtedly something in it. You can get courses in everything appertaining to “mountain touring” in Vilhelmina (Lapland), and all the leading centres possess excellent ski-ing schools. You can join ski-ing parties, benefiting by much reduced terms for travelling, etc. Guides charge most moderate fees, and there are no extras to pay. Further information from Föreningen för Skidlöpningens Främjande, Vasagatan 16, Stockholm.
ICE-YACHTING and SKATE-SAILING are two thrilling forms of sport that I am sure you would enjoy. There are ideal conditions on the large stretches of frozen water all round Stockholm. The only drawback is that both ice-yachts and skate-sails are private property. When you are on the spot you may get in touch with somebody who will treat you to a few hours’ real excitement. For to be in an ice-yacht as it races across the sea at a speed equal to that of a fast train, clearing treacherous fissures by a hair’s breadth, is a thrilling experience. Skate-sails are not very expensive, and will provide you with almost as thrilling an experience as the steel-shod yacht. Ordinary skating can be had anywhere in Sweden. The Stadium in Stockholm has a fine skating rink, with a band playing, or, if you prefer it, there is the Ispalatset, boasting an equally fine indoor rink. Bandy and ice-hockey matches are held all over Sweden in the winter. The Stadium in the summer is the centre for football and athletic games, besides being the scene of all kinds of drill shows and pageants.
“Looking at shops” and “bargain hunting” are things that few ladies can resist, especially when visiting a foreign country. Both Stockholm and Gothenburg can boast some very fine shops and general stores where you can buy everything at quite reasonable prices. There are also a great many old curiosity shops, especially in and around Norrlandsgatan and in the “City between the Bridges” in Stockholm. Here you can pick up many a bargain—old silver and pewter, jewellery, etc., quite cheaply, and without feeling that you are being “done.”
What Sweden is famous for, however, are textiles, rugs, glass, china, pottery and pewter. All those things are a joy to behold for anyone with artistic perception. For the Swedish artist has an unerring eye for line and colour, and the workmanship is perfect. It is a fact that people interested in interior decoration come flocking here from all over the world in an endeavour to pick up new ideas, trying to borrow from the inexhaustible well of Swedish originality and imaginative inspiration, and buying specimens to form the pièces de résistance of their own collections.
I will not say that these things are inexpensive, except certain very attractive glass and pottery. But considering the quality of the goods they are not expensive, and you would certainly have to pay far more for them in England or elsewhere.
Electric lamp standards of wrought iron and also beautiful electroliers can be had far cheaper than in England. I can also recommend Swedish stainless steel cooking utensils, such as stewing-pans for cooking joints and game in the Swedish way. Also waffle irons and pancake pans, especially those for making small pancakes (Plättar). There are also all sorts of practical gadgets for the kitchen. The glass and china and the hardware departments of any leading store would be well worth a visit, and also the furnishing department.
Then there are all those articles that are typical of Sweden, and that you will find in the gift departments of the stores, or in shops specially dealing in Swedish Arts and Crafts Products. Here you will find, among other things, a good selection of Swedish national costumes, some of which are really lovely. You could not find a nicer present for your little girl, for instance, than a dress from Leksand, in Dalecarlia, or one for yourself from Scania, in the south of Sweden, the kind favoured by the Crown Princess of Sweden when she goes to stay at her summer residence on the Sound.
Sports outfits can be had quite cheaply, and you will find a marvellous selection of really smart ski-ing outfits, both for ladies and gentlemen. You should buy not only skis and skates, but also boots, socks, gloves, in fact, all winter sport etceteras over here.
The keen housewife will, I am sure, wish her family to sample some of those delicious, typically Swedish “Smörgåsbord” dishes (hors d’œuvres). Swedish herrings (gaffelbitar), anchovies, caviar (delicious for cocktail snacks), smoked reindeer, smoked sausage (without garlic!) or crayfish butter (for perfecting your fish gratin, or any sauce to go with fish), are only a few of the things I can recommend. Or why not get some Swedish Stilton cheese and ask your husband what he thinks about it? Unless you prefer goat cream cheese (getmesost). Swedish hard bread is famous, and I advise you to sample all the different kinds before giving your order for England. Having made up your mind that Swedish food is, after all, not so bad, I think you would do well to buy a Swedish cookery book in English at the nearest bookstall.
You know, of course, that the Aga stove and the Primus stove are Swedish inventions, the same as the Electrolux products, and that universal blessing, the Zip fastener. Those things you can buy in England, but I wish that you could take with you some of our modern houses. What a revelation they would be to an English housewife, for never have I seen anything more practical or attractive than the modern flats in Stockholm. They turn housekeeping into child’s play, and there are many bachelors—gentlemen of high standing—who delight in managing their own little ménage, cooking and all.
Any house agent would be sure to allow you to go over one of these modern flats.
Another thing I should like you to see is a “ready-made” timber bungalow being erected “while you wait,” so to speak. King Edward VIII much enjoyed watching this Jack-in-the-Box performance on his visit to Sweden a few years ago. These bungalows could easily be taken over to England and would be a boon to the week-ending town worker. But remember, a Swedish timber house is a permanent building and has nothing in common with the “army hut” or temporary building we see in England. They are of every size, from a large hotel with 400 rooms to the small size garden house with a single room which you can buy for next to nothing.
When tired and weary of dashing round and in dire need of facial or any other kind of beauty treatment, you may pay a visit to one of our excellent hairdressing salons.
Those connected with the large hotels are, as a rule, quite good, but the Grand Hotel salon, as well as the Carlton Hotel salon, is even more than that. The same may be said about the Hygienic Department of the Nordiska Kompaniet and La Vogue, to mention only two. The prices may vary somewhat, but you can get a permanent wave for 25 kr. (and a good one, too), a manicure for 2.50 kr., a shampoo-and-wave for 4.50 kr. at any of the above-mentioned places.