Swedes do not have reputations for beating their own drums of glory. Rather than seek the limelight, Swedes are generally more fascinated by their work than by any honors or laurels that may be bestowed upon them. Even though they may not care about receiving kudos, we are not hesitant
On March 30, 1926, Ingvar Kamprad was born on his family farm Elmtaryd in the local parish Agunnaryd. While this innocuous statement of fact appears to point to nothing of interest, if you add the initials of this child to the initials of his farm and nearby parish, you get
Melodifestivalen 2018 kicked off on Saturday night! Melodifestivalen is the music competition where Sweden picks the performer that will represent them at Eurovision in Lisbon this year. This year’s competition started in Karlstad with the first semi-final and will travel around different cities, with the final being held at Friend’s Arena in
A few weeks ago we added two new products to our shop! Now you can get a tote bag and mug with a bunch of Swedish proverbs! The tote bag is only $25 and is perfect for being green. Use this instead of a plastic bag at the grocery store.
People traveling to Europe don’t necessarily think of Sweden as being one of the premier destinations for watching football. Just last year, a prominent sports site ranked the most entertaining leagues in world football and made no mention of the Allsvenskan (which for those who aren’t aware is the top
If the name Dag Wirén doesn’t conjure up any melodies for you, do not feel bad. Outside of Sweden, not many people have treated themselves to (or been aware of) the musical creations of Dag Wirén. Collectors of modern and eclectic classical music most likely know his famed Serenade for
One of my favorite ways to learn Swedish is to watch Swedish films. Because I don’t live in the country, I have to actively search for what to watch (not many Swedish films are advertised here). So, I went ahead and asked on Swedish Freak’s Facebook page, what is your
Sweden is arguably one of the best places on Earth to eat, visit, and live. But the fact is that despite having a rich history and culture, Sweden is famous for the wrong things. Sure, Swedish meatballs are tasty and we’ve all been to IKEA or heard an ABBA song;
Born July 10th, 1724, Eva Ekebald would have turn 293 years old today. Google has taken to update their Doodle in honor of Countess Eva Ekeblad. Thank you Google for pointing out this amazing Swede! So what exactly did she do? Potatoes where introduced to Europe in 1658 by Spaniards,
What does March 22nd and the most famous Swedish holiday, midsummer, have in common? In this Swedishness podcast, Kattis and Phillip interview experts in Swedish tradition, as well as others to dive deeper into Swedes and this sexy holiday of theirs. As the description says: This celebration of sunlight and
No seriously. I booked my flight already, leaving on the 22nd (yes, this Saturday), and it cost me $550 including carry on luggage, some travel insurance, and a seat selected on the way home. I do have a hotel cost in Iceland on my way there of $70. I’m not
Again, another reason why I love Sweden. Nothing stops Swedes from recycling. Absolutely nothing. Not even a terrorist attack. Someone pointed this thread out to me on Reddit with a video of Swedes recycling under the terrorist threat they recently had. A rough translation of the text (please Swedes, if I’m
Being one of the countries that embrace technology, it is no wonder that Sweden is known as the startup hub of Europe (think Spotify & Skype). In this episode of Swedishness, Kattis and Phillip interview experts in the Swedish startup arena to discover what the Swedish startup scene is all
Well yes! I actually find Swedes to be one of the most efficient types of people (think IKEA). But one may question when Swedes actually DO their work, as the Swedishness episode 5 podcast points out: Employees in Sweden get more paid holiday than nearly any other country in the
After almost 5 years away from Sweden, I can’t stand it anymore! I want to find a job in Sweden. I’m ready to fika, take my shoes off at work, pay high taxes, and get 5 weeks paid vacation. Not only that, I’d love to go back to school and
So what? Well, I suppose maybe young people may not appreciate free press and being able to say anything, including the truth. It seems that more and more the freedom of the press is being weighed down by untruths and bias that many are struggling to figure out what is
Yesterday I was sad to wake up to the news that there was a terrorist attack in Sweden. Another truck attack. While we mourn for the lives lost, let us continue to live our everyday lives not in fear, but in love of one another. The Prime Minister of Sweden
Due to limited amount of time (don’t we all have that issue), I can only do so many things. I realized that the shop hasn’t been updated in forever (since Christmas). So I decided it was time to do a little design and update the shop! I’m excited about the new
I like your article, Emily. I am Swedish, but have lived in the US longer than in Sweden.
Yes, and you are the second person to point that out! That is what I get for saying I would update the article and then not doing so!
Hi! Nice list, but isn’t Nokia from Finland?
Thank you for the recommendations Lydia!!
I would recommend The Emigrants with Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow. Obviously by the title, Swedish family and friends leave Sweden for a "better" life in America. I would…