EXAMPLE PAGE - MAGAZINE - LIVING - Flipbook - Sida 6
THE LIGHT
A few years ago, The Sun newspaper,
the UK’s idiot king of tabloids, ran
a story about Facebook’s new data
centre in Luleå. The story started
like this: “In this remote Swedish
community the pale sun rises at
10am, sets at 2pm and the midday
temperature is a perishing -30C.”
The piece didn’t mention that these
gloomy, freezing circumstances
only infrequently held
sway and only in the very
deep mid-winter. The
newspaper then blithered
on about how “biting cold
and darkness dominate in
Luleå, a town perched at
the top of the world.”
This is, of course, about
95 percent nonsense. The
story gave the impression
that Luleå was a dark,
dankplace all year
round. It is not. And
neither is it here, a little
further south, in Skellefteå. By early
April, our days already stretch out
more than 30 minutes longer than
London’s and 20 minutes longer than
Stockholm’s. The vårvinter (early
spring) days here are glorious –
dazzling sunshine reflecting off snow,
with temperatures of around 5C.
And then there’s the midnight sun
and our often sun-soaked summers.
Northern Sweden is an incredibly
bright place to live. Even the deep
winters are illuminated by the snow.
an 11am appointment is purely
indicative of the day in which you
might be seen. They may as well just
offer you an AM or PM slot, like
some delivery companies.
There was another remarkable
difference between the UK and
Sweden. I had mainly good dealings
with the UK’s NHS but some of
the staff employed would have
been better suited to working with
In Skellefteå
we lock our door
to shut out
the friendly
people.
THE HEALTH SYSTEM
My girlfriend received incredible
care when she gave birth to our twins
a few years back. Since then we’ve
had more great care in Skellefteå.
What struck me first about hospitals
up here was how uncrowded and
efficient they were. If we have an
11am appointment, the appointment
would take place at 11am. In the UK
grumpy grizzly bears – they were
about as caring as a needle in the
eye. The staff in Skellefteå were
born to be in healthcare. They’re
compassionate, knowledgeable and,
professional.
The combination of uncrowded,
modern, cutting-edge facilities
peopled by staff who are in the right
profession is a potent one.
And when you have children, it’s a
reassuring combination, too. The
health system up here is nothing
short of sensational.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service up here tends to
be excellent. Shop staff smile and are
courteous. They stop what they’re
doing and help you find stuff. In the
UK the only supermarket in which
that happens is the rather expensive
Waitrose chain. Over here, even staff
at the more middle-market Willy’s
and Biltema are super helpful. Try
~ 6 ~
asking for help at Tesco’s in the UK
and you’ll likely be ejected from the
premises for harassing the staff. Up
here, it’s actually part of their job to
be helpful.
FRIENDLINESS
My southern Swedish friends never
believe me when I tell them stories of
the friendliness of northern Swedes.
About how people flit from house to
house, rarely knocking,
having coffee, sharing
home-baked goodies and
bearing gifts for young
ones. It really is like The
Waltons TV series but
with less religion and
more cake. After our
children were born we
were inundated with
gifts. People would let
themselves in and wander
up the stairs - one couple
from the village (who
we had never met!) even
walked into the nursery when Donna
was breastfeeding. We now lock our
front door when we’re at home, but
not because of people wishing us ill
or liking the look of my hi-fi, as was
the case in the UK. In Skellefteå we
lock our door to shut out the friendly
people.
NATURE
I’m looking out of my office window.
Our land – bought for the price of a
parking spot in London – stretches
down to the lake at the bottom of
our “garden”. It’s a huge lake. Over
it fly ducks, geese and cranes. We’ve
seen reindeer, elk and roe deer.
Snowy owls and golden eagles are
also spotted but less regularly. And
there’s the Northern Lights. We see
them regularly from our front steps.
Norrland - what a spectacular place
to live!
Right; Golden eagle and fox photographed
by Conny Lundström / WildShots Sweden