Brooms and Mops

When we moved to Sweden we, of course, had to figure out what to bring.  Believe me when I say that it never occurred to us that it would be impossible to get the type of broom and mop that we are used to using.

What are we used to using?  Items like the following are typical in the U.S.

Here in Sweden, these items are essentially impossible to find.  

Instead, this is what we find: 

 

[these are around 3 feet (one meter) tall.]

and 

   

Ho hum...

And so what did we do?  

Well for a broom we found a shoulder height (on me) mini push broom.

And for a mop - I brought one (all but the pole) in my suitcase.  

Yup.  

I did.  

Swedish National Day - June 6th

OK - First, simply because it is easy, and because the article does a good job, I am once again going to refer to The Local. 

http://www.thelocal.se/20150605/why-dont-swedes-care-for-the-national-day

Today is Swedish National Day.  When one asks a Swede how this day is celebrated, you will be informed that no one really knows as it is a new holiday.  It got its official start in 1983.  One gets the day off from work - if it lands on a weekday*, and yes, there are festivities, but not really traditions.

And I think to many - Midsummer, only a few weeks later, is actually the day to celebrate.

Lastly - I think it isn't celebrated as much simply as a reflection of the Swedish personality.  Swede's are pretty quiet people.  Not just in their volume, but in their manner.  They are not, as the article suggest, "flag wavers".  Not to say that Swedes are not proud of their country.  They absolutely are! No doubt.  But they are quieter about it.  Usually.

Below is a picture which shows an exception to the rule. : D

We took this shot on Swedish National Day 2013.  The Viking is carrying two flags.  The one in the back, blue with a bright yellow cross, is the Swedish flag.  The red flag with the yellow cross is the (unofficial?) flag of this region of southern Sweden, Skåne.  We in Malmö are a mere twenty minute train ride from Denmark. - And much of this region used to belong to Denmark many years ago. The Skåne flag is a combination of the Danish flag (red background with a white cross) and the Swedish flag.

*Side note - the Swedes get a lot of days off during the calendar year.  There are 14 full days off, 2 partial days off, and 3 additional holidays that always fall on weekends.  It is of note that the 14 full and 2 partial days: If they happen to fall on a weekend, one does not get to take that vacation day by extending the weekend.  In contrast, for example, if the 4th of July happens to fall on a weekend, in the U.S., one gets either the Friday prior, or the following Monday as a vacation day.  Not so here.