Traver ,
Travel in Sweden
You may go all the way by sea from England to Gothenburg, or you may: Choose from a variety of routes across north Germany, which, once- the • continent has been reached, involve only a further brief riater. transit by train- ferry. In any caiie, it is best to `make Gothenburg the real starting point of your holiday. It is not actually a very exciting town, beech* its buildings reflect more of the prosperity of the late nineteenth century :than of its .earlier fame, but you
will find about it an atmosphere shfliciently foreign to whet • your appetite for the delights to come. From here you may
go by train:to., liarlstad (for the Viirmland 'district) or to Falun (for Dalecarlia), and so be plunged at once into the heart of romantic Sweden, or else you may proceed to Stockholm by way of the Gots Canal. If you can spare the time for it-I strongly 'recommend this amiable, meandering journey of three days. You will see the great lakes of Vanern and Vattern, and at the end of it you will have absorbed, almost unconsciously, so much that is essentially character- istic of the Swedish landscape—the curiously limpid quality of the air ; the stillness of the wooded hillsides ; blue distances, and the faint smell of wood smoke in the evenings—that coming at last to Stockholm you will recognize it as the capital of a country long familiar. This, Moreover, is the best possible way of arriving ; across Lake Millar you first catch sight of the Town Hall, .which, however well it may be known to you from photographs and eulogistic descriptions, will inevitably produce an unexpected shock of pleasure.
The midsummer months are not the best time for exploring the social possibilities of the town, because many people are away then, but the traveller whose main objective it is to see something of the sights, enjoy something of the food and observe something of the normal occupations and pleasures of the Populace, Will not be embarrassed by that. For sightseeing it is best to take your bearings froth' the Norrbro,
. the bridge which connects the modern city with the "Staden," a central island where are situated the finmenie royal pallet and most of the other buildings that are historically 'interest. lug. Be sure, when you are at the Storkyrkan, to see the wood-carving of St. George and the Dragon, which is one ot the finest pieces of mediaeval workmanship to be found any. where outside the Amsterdam _Rijksmusenm. With regard to food, the best known restaurants are the Operakiillerim and the Grand Hotel. But it is worth remembering that in most of the large cafés you can be fairly sure of decent cooking, while much of your appetite will be devoted to experimenting with the almost limitless variations which the national hors d'oeuvre has to offer. For observing the population at leisure, spend an evening at the Djurglo' den ; there you may sit out under the trees and drink beer and listen to a band. if the weather is hot (and during the height of summer it is liable to be very hot for short periods) you can make an easy escape to Saltsjobaden on one of the more primitive• watering places along the coast, where you will find good bathing and good sailing. But once, before you leave Stockholm altogether, go up by lift to the Slidermalm terrace (Sodermalm is south of the " Staden ") from which there is a fine view of the city and surrounding country. The contrast between new and old is curious, and you will be struck by the appearance of the modern " Tre Kronor" mill (an experiment in "Functional- ism ") and the twin skyscrapers in the Kungs Gatan. But the Swedes have an exacting architectural conscience which has enabled them to transform the appearance of their capital without just turning it into an assortment of nondescript buildings,. .
From Stockholm it is only a six-hour -train journey to • Falun and Rattvik. This latter is a small, pretty town' on the shores of Lake Siljan, and.a good inuring centre for .he whole province of Dalecarlia. There 'are lovely walks and . lovely expeditions to be made (Vika and..Torang and- Omits must on no account ,be missed) and thestfulness of these wide, quiet meadows is a pleasant change after a few days of urban sightseeing; If -you have time, you will want to go to the Fryken lakes (in Varmland, to the south-west of Dale- carlia) as well, and if you are a devotee of Selma Lagerlof, you will ge there whether you have time or not. Fog -this is 1` h0" Country; almost every square Mile of it has some association with he work ,and,a motor.driye. through it is liable to assume the character of a pilgrimage. I do not think myself that a motoring holiday in Sweden with your own car is strongly to be recommended, partly -because so many of, the roads are narrow and curly and partly because there is so much of the country that can be seen better by boat. But in Dalecarlia and Vannlancl a car is an undeniable advantage.
If you are returning to Stockholm you should go from there to Visby, on the island of Gottland. It retains more of its treasures and is more evocative Of the past than almost any other town I know, and the Gottland landscape affords gentle, lovely setting. There are sonie'fine thirteenthLeeritury Churehes to look at and 10,000 feet of wall round which to walk. you can go by boat from Visby to Kalmar (on the mainland just opposite the island of Oland)'-and from there, if you are returning home by the 'overland route, it is scarcely out of your way to take in the university town of Lund, which , is very beautiful.. Onthe, whole, however, the extreme south and south-west, although it is pleasant enough, has less to recommend it than the country of the lakes farther north.
. Sweden has the advantage, from the point of view of the man in search of a ,holiday, of being a relatively empty country. You -will find travel there easy,and pleasant."-- In the larger centres people are uniformly as helpful as possible to tourists, and if in small, out of the way places they should at first appear slightly' hostile, you may be sure it is due to shyness and not to malevolence. It is a very clean country and there is nothing against travelling in the third class . sleeping cars on a long journey, as for instanee Rt.° Aliisko, in Lapland, which is the place people go to who want tc; see the midnight sun., . _Do not be surprised when train conductors refuse tips, although you may be sorry, because they do so :much to deserve them. Tipping in Sweden, -as everyWbere ' else, is largely a -matter-of commonsense combined withf‘tact, „tout you will generally find the Scandinavians less extortnate
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