March weather

We've had a good month. It's been getting warmer steadily, and we had a bit of rain as well. This is exactly what we want for March!

April will be the last month without us in residence. We will at last arrive at the house for the whole summer on May 1st!

Sooz and I are meeting with the tax authorities in a couple of weeks to set up our residency. It should be a straightforward process, but we shall see. Stay tuned for updates on this subject!

Cashless Sweden Pt. 2

I've posted a few times in the past about the move away from cash in Swedish society. It is harder and harder to spend our kronor these days. The airport and Stockholm city center are still cash-friendly, but it isn't easy to spend money in the archipelago.

This article from the Guardian shows very clearly how efficiently cash has been left behind in favor of digital alternatives, for better or worse.

Cash has been replaced by credit cards, of course, but also Swish, a payment system which links one's bank account, allowing super-simple transfer of sums back and forth. It's become a verb now: to 'swish' someone a few kronor.

Those of us without national ID numbers, though, can't register for Swish. I still havehope there will be some way for us to be part of the Swish system once we start spending more time in Sweden this summer!

I will keep my readers informed on how I get on.

Glad Midsommar!

Wishing a happy holiday to everyone from London this year. We've decided to wait a bit and spend our summer vacation later in July this year.

It looks like we made the right call, too. As every Swede has feared, the seven consecutive weeks of nice weather ended just in time for the big weekend. Typical rainy and chilly weather has prevailed for the dance around the maypole.

Let's hope it warms up for our visit!

Unintended consequences

I posted over two years ago about Sweden's progress in becoming a cashless society. I can report that project is still on track. It's no longer a surprise to find small shops that take cards these days; I find more and more places that refuse to take cash last all. Some in the government are wondering if things are changing too fast.

The scarcity of cash is causing Sweden's criminals to change their behavior. A recent article in The Atlantic points out that besides fraud and cybercrime being on the rise, so is old-fashioned theft of valuable objects.

Going cashless can certainly help the tax authorities, and it is much more convenient for the seller and buyer alike. But sometimes fixing one problem just causes another...

Modernism in Gotland

The New York Times magazine has a long article about Gotland this week. It touches on Swedish culture, the role of Gotland in the summertime, and a crop of modernist buildings going up in a very traditional environment. It's worth a read!

Guns Livs is no more

I've written many times in the past about Guns Livs, the grocery store on Nämdö. Its been in the same family for over 50 years. People's options about Guns on Aspö are divided. Some of us find its slightly worn-out store and spotty service part of its charm. Others long for a bit more professionalism and modern service.

This past summer was the last one for Guns and her family. The store, restaurant, and marina has was sold to new owners, who stayed mysteriously quiet until the end of the year. 

It turns out that the transaction took longer to complete than planned, but now the new owners have published their vision on the Gunslivs website. The key statement is this:

In the coming years of 2018 we will of course keep the store, the restaurant and the marina open as usual. But a little change will be noticeable already next year - we will clean, paint and freshen up. We want to get to know Nämdö, its conditions, residents and visitors.

From 2019 onwards we want to further develop the existing grocery with expanded range and better service and accessibility. The bar will have a facelift - both interior / exterior. Here we want to create a meeting place in the archipelago where everyone can socialize and enjoy the amazing environment, good food and drink. We also want to invest in archipelago leisure activities and offer a modern and interesting range. Together with the municipality we want to continue to develop accommodation for more year-round accommodation and accommodation for tourists. This in order for Nämdö to be an obvious centerpiece in the archipelago - a unique place for reflection and recreation as well as adventure.

The general approach is that the new owners want to expand Nämdö to become more of a "living" archipelago. They stress that this is closely in line with the kommun's plan to maintain a sustainable archipelago. It's an interesting balance between keeping things simple and charming but perhaps a bit shabby, and offering more modern amenities to draw new people to the area and allow it to thrive.

This will be an interesting development to watch over the next few summers!

The health benefits of island life

My friend Chuck sent along an article from the Telegraph recently. The author spent 72 hours in the Gothenburg archipelago as part of a project to measure the health benefits of island life.

Readers won't be surprised to learn that time spent in the wilds has a measurable calming effect. For example, the group in the article had a collective drop in stress of almost 70 percent.


I can attest to the effect myself. We always have our best sleep over the calm, quiet, dark nights in the archipelago.

Sweden's population: now 10 million

Today marks a significant milestone for the country of Sweden. The official statistics website, scb.se, announced this morning that its population clock has crossed the 10 million mark.

It's happened much sooner than originally thought. As recently as 2010, this mark wasn't due to be hit until 2021. Now, it looks like the 11 million mark might be hit by then!

About three-quarters of this rapid increase is due to immigration, with the remainder due to Sweden's high birth rate. Nordic Business has a good article (if slightly dated) about Sweden's huge population growth.

Perhaps one day, Sooz and I will add a couple of digits to that number!

God Jul!

I've posted previously about the tradition of Donald Duck's hold over Christmas Eve in Sweden.

The show is on in a few minutes. We're in London, so we will be watching over the Internet. I'm sure Rutger, along with a big chunk of the country, will be watching live.

Merry Christmas and God Jul everyone!

Learning Swedish

Sooz is continuing her language studies at the University of Westminster. She is well into the intermediate courses and has been a diligent student.

Unlike all of her classmates, she doesn't have a Swedish partner (at least not yet!). Her opportunities to practice her Swedish at home are therefore limited.

We have a Sonos speaker in the kitchen these days and have programmed Swedish radio for listening practice. Sooz also gets Swedish news alerts on her iPad.

I found recently that Swedish state radio operates a service for beginning Swedish speakers. A website and daily podcast is in simpler Swedish, and it also focuses on topics of interest to new Swedes.

Sooz gives it a listen from time to time and it is very well done. If you're learning or practicing your Swedish, it is an excellent resource.

The 6-hour work week, revisited

I wrote recently about an experiment in Gothenburg in which employees of a nursing home worked only 6 hours a day, while still receiving full time pay. This was intended to reduce sick time and raise overall efficiency and happiness.

The test was deemed to be a success and made the news all over the world.

Sadly, this success is not being replicated elsewhere. A recent trial in Umeå didn't have any of the benefits found in Gothenburg. In fact, use of sick leave went up!

It's still too early to say if the whole idea is a failure, though. I like the fact that different things are being tried, at least!

The 6 hour work week

I read recently about an experiment in Gothenburg with a 6-hour work day. It seems to be working well, for some organizations at least.

Paradoxically, productivity seems to be enhanced by the shorter working hours. “What we can see today is that employees are at the very least doing the same amount in the six-hour workday, often more than they did in the eight-hour day,” said the manager of a Toyota repair facility.

The idea is that workers who are fresher and less stressed can contribute more in their shorter working day, to the benefit of all.

Sweden has a long history of experimenting with work-life balance.  It's one of the things I love about the culture there.

Mat Hem

I wrote last year about the grocery delivery service, MatHem. They're big in the major cities in Sweden, and they branched out to archipelago deliveries last summer.

We decided to give them a try this year. They started island service on June 15, and Sooz made an online order from London that day for delivery yesterday afternoon. She was amazed at the range of goods available. When we first moved to Stockholm in 1989, the selections at the grocery store were limited, to put it mildly. Today, she's able to click on just about anything she could want and have it delivered! Amazing.

We bought a few groceries on our way out to Aspö on Sunday, and Sooz took stock of what we had at the house. She was able to alter her online order up until Monday evening, which was quite handy as we were able to fill in some grocery gaps we hadn't realised. We also added a bunch of heavy items like charcoal and bottles of tonic.

On Tuesday, we received a number of status messages from the delivery boat, and they arrived on our dock at 5PM loaded with all kinds of goodies—even a selection of ice creams, which is a rare treat!

Overall, we were quite impressed with the efficiency and professionalism of the service. It wasn't cheap: 295 kronor, although that's the same as 2 round-trip boat rides to Stavsnäs, so the price isn't that far off.

Sooz is worried about another potential cost, though. One of the things that makes life out here interesting for us is that it's a little bit hard. Having to think carefully about what you buy is very different to our lives in the city. It's a fun challenge to think through what to buy, where to buy it, how to get it to the house, how to manage our supplies.

With the ability to just click on a huge array of groceries and have them brought to us, that specialness goes away. What with the internet and HD television, and boat deliveries of ice cream, Aspö becomes more convenient, but perhaps a bit less special, too.

A few more ice creams will help me get over that feeling, though!!!

Trevlig Valborg!

Tonight is Valborg, the night before May 1st, and the traditional start of Spring in Sweden. Tonight is celebrated by a big bonfire, and tomorrow is time for speeches by the "politically active", as the official Sweden website puts it in describing the day.

I wrote about my first Valborg on the blog six years ago for those readers interested in mining the archive.

The Swedish Number

Incidentally, this happened while we were in Sweden recently. The Swedish tourist board has set up a "national phone number". 

Dial +46 771 793 336 and you'll be connected to a Swedish person to talk about anything at all. Since the program started, 17,000 Swedes have signed up to have calls sent to them. People from all over the world are calling in to talk to a random Swede, even the Prime Minister:

Naturally, this experiment in openness and tourism has gained a great deal of attention. The Atlantic, Guardian, and New York Times have all written about the experience. Here's a tip, though: don't ask about ABBA, Ikea, or the Swedish Chef!

New money

I saw a few stickers on cash registers last week with pictures of Swedish notes crossed out and a date of June 30th.

A closer look showed the 20, 50, and 1000 kronor notes are being taken out of circulation in the next couple of months, replaced by newer, more secure versions. I'll admit I had completely missed this news.

Next year, the 100 and 500 kronor notes will be withdrawn, along with the coins.

I looked at my cash (as I said recently, Sweden is pretty cashless already) and found some old bills. I'll be spending them them in advance of the changeover!

Expat.com

I registered my blog a long time ago with expat-blogs.com. Over the years, I'm sure many people have found this site through their referral. I've probably disappointed many folks looking for information on work or life in Stockholm, though!

The website has changed recently to expat.com, and it is a much broader and sharper-looking site these days. It's easy to find information on most any city in the world now.

It is certainly worth a look if you're thinking (or just dreaming) of living elsewhere.

The ABBA Museum

The recent edition of Intelligent Life magazine has a wonderful article about the ABBA museum. It really makes me want to go next time I'm in Stockholm!

The article covers much more than the museum, though. ABBA's place within mid-70's Swedish culture is discussed, and it is a fascinating read.

There's a podcast version, too, if you're into that.

Shopping in Södermalm

The southern part of Stockholm, Södermalm, is one of those areas that has transformed from a rough-and-tumble part of town into a hipster enclave.

When I worked in Sweden 25 years ago, I had a colleague who lived in Söder, and I remember everyone's reaction to his living in such a dicey area. His rebuttal was that it was far cheaper than living further north!

Margaret's son, Callan, who is a naturally hip guy, lived in Södermalm a number of years ago when its revival was just beginning. Now that I think about it, maybe he was one of the people who helped start the transformation.

Totally Stockholm has a long article about Söder and the taxonomy of hipsterdom.

The reason I'm writing on this is that my friend Rob sent me a New York Times article about shopping in that area. It also references shopping in Shoreditch, an area of London that has gone through a similar hipsterfication. Sooz and I have visited Shoreditch a few times and we really enjoy it. I know we're too old to be hipsters, but we can visit at least!

Cashless Sweden

I have found that, over my years in Sweden, every place I go accepts debit cards. I've paid for hot dogs at a kiosk, and my taxi boat through a wireless dongle while on the high seas. I've sent money electronically all over Sweden for all sorts of business and personal reasons.

The New York Times has written recently about Sweden's progress in becoming a cashless society. Old-fashioned physical money represents just 2% of Sweden’s economy, compared with 7.7% in the United States. The Guardian has a similar article, pointing out that robberies have fallen in line with the lack of money available to steal.

Although I haven't seen it yet myself, apparently many ATM machines have been removed due to lack of use, and some bank branches no longer keep cash. It's not just credit cards, too. Camille uses an iPhone app called 'swish' to send and receive small amounts quickly and easily.

It's not just the citizenry that endorses going cashless. Skatteverket, the Swedish tax authority, loves eliminating cash transactions. The high tax rates in Sweden give ample incentive to tax dodge when possible. Paying a workman in cash in an undocumented transaction avoids the payment of VAT, which can be as high as 25%. Of course, Skatteverket does a great job of chasing down such activity.

Despite such work, the shadow economy in Europe is still huge, nearly a half-trillion euros last year. In Bulgaria, 31% of the country's economic activity is off the books. In Sweden it's still over 13%.

As more transactions take place online, more taxes can be collected, which is something the Swedish authorities love!