A popular and still-growing website and weekly podcast that explores the world of travel and places is AmateurTraveler.com, based in San Jose, California and run by Chris Christensen. I discovered AmateurTraveler.com when seeking information and travel education primarily for my iPod. This podcast has been running for two-and-a-half years now, but this past week journeyed to Sweden for the first time.I had the pleasure of doing a half-hour long interview with Chris as we discussed travel to and within Sweden including edible reindeer, Swedish holidays, the dark and light of winter and summer, Stockholm, smaller Swedish towns like Linköping and Uppsala and, of course, the wonder and enjoyment of fika.
I want to thank Chris and AmateurTraveler.com for this opportunity and new experience. The best part is that anyone out there reading Linköpinglivin' can check out AmateurTravler.com and listen to episode #115: Sweden!
http://www.amateurtraveler.com/
And if you are visiting Linköpinglivin' for the first time because of AmateurTraveler.com, welcome to this little part of the world.
In the United States, most people would tell you that the Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving and increases as December 25th approaches. Well in Sweden, the first day of the Christmas season, which both starts and finishes strong, is the first day of Advent which is always four Sundays before Christmas, today.
"Nu är det Jul igen" in Sweden and nothing like the Gamla Linköping Julmarknad, "Christmas market," to get things started right. For more about a Swedish Christmas, please see my December postings from 2006, including the Top 10 words you must know to experience Christmas in Sweden, including ljusstake, pepparkakor, glögg and Julbord.
Pictures above:
1. AmateurTraveler.com
2. Sean enjoys some fika, despite the size of the picture.
3. Gamla Linköping's Christmas market children's choir.
4. The crowning of Therese, Linköping's Lucia 2007.
5. The Gamla Linköping Advent crowd watches the arrival of Lucia.
6 comments:
Sean, you have lived in Sweden for 1 and a half years and still haven´t learnt that Linköping (and Uppsala which is bigger) aren´t considered small swedish towns, they are large. They might be small in the world, but not in Sweden
More importantly for a non-Swede would be the information that in Sweden the important day of Christmas is the 24th, since that's when Santa arrives and when presents are distributed (in the evening). For some reason, many other countries seem to celebrate Christmas one day late. The 24th also happens to be Donald Duck's birthday, as celebrated by the yearly rerun of the same cartoon for ~40 years.
Hej Sean!
Just wanted to say hello, I heard your interview with Chris on AT. I also lived/worked in Stockholm off and on for about 18 months, and I find your characterization of Sweden/Swedish culture is right on! Having been back in the states for 6 years, I miss Sweden terribly! But I still keep in touch with old friends there. Have you actually learned to speak Swedish?
best regards,
-Skip (Austin, TX)
How it that I work for a media conglomerate, but you have articles written about you, a column in a weekly newspaper and now a 1/2 hour interview for the world to hear?
Now I understand how you felt when I told you that one of my clients is ESPN.
Good stuff, Sean.
Hey Sean!
I loved that interview. You sound so nice! Hehe Your blog has become a habit of mine. It's really fun to hear about your own country from someone elses perspective. I have never realised fika is particularly Swedish.
Sean,
What happened to Todd's weekly comments? I looked forward to those!
Best,
D
Post a Comment