Language as a door key to culture

Many people start learning a language because they are interested in that specific culture which belongs to the people who speak that language. Unless you are into a specific subject on Arts or Politics/Sociology context, you do not usually get down to 'studying' a culture. You do not say, for example: "I have bought a textbook on Chinese culture and now I am learning intermediate Chinese architecture, next lesson is about regional Chinese operas". Therefore, studying a language has been reputed ..

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Södra Djurgården - An island in Stockholm's National City Park

Only a few minutes by bus, tram or ferry from Stockholm's city centre, the idyllic island of Södra (south) Djurgården awaits you with parks, meadows and woods for relaxing strolls; several museums and an amusement park - just to mention a few things. Of course you can also walk here from the city centre and enjoy the view across the water from the waterfront. This island (as well as the northern part of the national city park) has managed to remain relatively unexploited thanks to being th ..

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Fenced in or fenced out?

The first time you drive or travel on a long distance bus in Sweden, you will perhaps wonder about the high fences that border most major roads - mile after mile. The fences may not make a very welcoming impression, but they aren't there to keep you out of the forests. Their purpose is simply to keep moose (or elk, as these animals are more commonly known as in Europe) and other wild animals off the road. Every year, around 40.000 road accidents involving wild animals occur in Sweden, and abo ..

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Budget holiday in Sweden

Sweden may not be the cheapest holiday destination in Europe, but even with a limited budget, this Nordic country can be a realistic alternative. Apart from youth hostels and backpackers' you could consider staying at camping grounds. If you haven't got a tent there are often cabins available, and sometimes this alternative is cheaper than a couple of beds in a hostel. The cheapest cabins tend to be small and very basic, but access to a communal kitchen and showers is normally included in th ..

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Holiday making in Sweden

Most overseas tourists visiting Sweden chose Stockholm as their destination, and there are certainly many things to see and do in the capital. For instance, you can take a stroll in the Old Town; visit the open-air museum/zoo Skansen; or go on a steamboat-trip in the Stockholm archipelago. However, if you want to see more of this rather large (by European standards), elongated country, here are just a few appetizers: The island of Gotland, a three-hour ferry trip from the mainland's east coa ..

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The Right of Public Access

The right of public access, which seems to be quite unique for Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland, is an ancient common law that gives anybody the freedom to roam basically wherever they want in woods and fields. To us Swedes this right is so self-evident that we perhaps don't realise how lucky we are in this respect (as in many others, for sure). Our access to our natural surroundings is more or less unlimited. We can pick wild berries, flowers and mushrooms without asking the landowner's p ..

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Sex in Swedish

I am so sorry if I happen to disappoint you, dear reader, but there is a risk that you may find the headline somewhat misleading: this blog post is going to deal with so called 'false friends' in a linguistic context, and I merely wanted to catch your attention. The word 'sex' in Swedish actually means the innocent little number six (well, it means sex as an activity as well, just as it does in English, but there may be many other places where you can read about that kind of thing!). A false fr ..

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Great Music and Beer at Akkurat

The Akkurat is an especially great bar to visit for beer or for music. Located on the ultra-hip island of Södermalm, the Akkurat provides a wide variety of food and drink options. In the summer, there is an open porch for enjoying the fresh air and watching street traffic. Inside the bar, the walls are covered with beer-related memorabilia. The beer list offers beers of many different types during all seasons of the year. For instance, during one evening one may sample an imperial pale ale, a s ..

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