Farewell to Scandinavia

Well, I'm off to Paris today. Andi and I got back from Sweden last night, and it felt so nice to get back to her home instead of the hotel room. There's just somthing wonderful about a home. We bought some duty-free champagne and chocolates (filled in the center with Remy-Martin... yum...) and enjoyed our train and ferry ride back heartily. We got back to her house around midnight and amused ourselves quite a bit... when you're a little tipsy, Danish is a really hilarious language. So Andi read random newspapers and magazines to me (she now speaks Danish) and we laughed and laughed and laughed and finally fell asleep around two.

Leaving Scandinavia, my impressions are mixed. I don't think I had much of a preconceived notion of what Scandinavia would be like--precise (as in, nothing is ever late, or dirty, etc.), eating a lot of fish, outdoorsy folks, cold weather, and beautiful landscapes. These impressions were all pretty accurate. Trains are so often on time that there is no mechanism for notifying anyone if a train is late--it just doesn't happen. There's simply no need for it. And everyone, EVERYONE speaks English. So that helps.

I was surprised that in order to get authentic food, you have to go to someone's home and have a cooked meal. Scandinavians are very thrifty and just do not eat out unless the food is foreign--kebabs, thai, etc. I was also surprised by how sensual the culture is. Danes and Scandinavians are very comfortable with the sexual side of human nature, and it is very openly and clearly expressed in everyday society. Nothing is lewd or prurient "improper"--it's just that a wider range of the gamete of human emotion is acceptable to express in everyday society, male and female sexuality. How to explain... for example, lyrics in a song by the musician Shakira that is very popular here is not considered racy or sensual; it's just honest--the lyrics say, "Underneath your clothes / there's an endless story/ there's the man I chose; there's my territory/ and all the things I deserve for being such a good girl, honey." There is no catcalling and no inappropriate behavior, but couples are very affectionate in public. Sixteen year-olds openly invite girlfriends or boyfriends to spend the night, and parents are entirely open about this behavior; it's just considered normal. Children are given an inordinate amount of autonomy and freedom, but in this culture--largely of similar values, greatly homogeneous and very compact and small--it's safer than in larger socieites. It's odd--ESPECIALLY with people so young-- but it is a very open existence. People talk about sex and sexuality in normal dinner conversation. It's strange, but very open and honest.

Oop! About to leave for the airport! Paris, here I come.