The Charm of Winter in Sweden

FEw British holiday makers discover Sweden. And yet, here is a land of great natural beauty, rich in historic memories.

It caters well for the -stranger. If there is an uncomfortable or carelessly run hotel between Gothenburg and the North Cape. -I have not been able to find it.. Travelling is easy and the attractions both in summer and winter many.

In summer one has the luxurious North Sea voyage between Tilbury and Gothenburg, the delights of a long and restful journey through the Gota Canal, the wonders of the inland water-ways, among the finest in Europe, and a healthy, open-air life, full of interest, with sports of all kinds abounding. From Stockholm, itself one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, you can take, in the summer months, excursions of infinite variety. Three hours of flying, a supremely picturesque journey over seas, islands and myriad lakes, will give you Helsingfors. There are regular services by rail and boat to the Arctic north. Visby, the amazing mediaeval ruin, is a night's trip away. No one need spend a dull hour in Sweden in summer days. The best time to go is between the beginning of June and the end of August.

* * * *

The winter prospects are equally varied and, to my taste, still more attractive. The time to see a northern land at its best is when it is white. Between January and- April, one has an ideal winter climate, abundant snow, cold enough, but not too cold to enjoy life in the open. Ski-ing, skating and sledging are the universal sports. In Stockholm every- body skis. The little tots of three and four stumble about on their little ski in the public parks. Children go to and from school in them. Adults use them as a matter of course. Here are skating rinks where you can rely for weeks-together on always having a perfect surface. The air, clear, fresh, almost intoxicating in its stimulating qualitiei, seems JD give one a new lease of life. Every winter-sport is practised here on an extensive scale.

The best way to reach Sweden in winter is not by the. long sea route, but via Ostend or the Hook of Holland and Berlin or Hamburg. The journey to Stockholm takes two days, but it is so pleasant and varied that it gives little sense of fatigue. It is best to leave Berlin or Hamburg in the morning, reaching the Swedish shore in the evening. It is worth the journey to travel on the wonderful terry boats from Salnitz to Tralleborg. The trains run right on to these ferry boats, but the wise passenger gets out of the train and explores the boat itself. Here are luxuriant restaurants, rest rooms and drawing rooms. You can even. have a bath if you wish. Arriving at Tralleborg in the evening, you go to, your sleeper and wake next morning in Stockholm. Most long journeys in Sweden are done at night. The fares are reasonable and the sleepers comfortable. Everyone, except, to quote the (local phrase, " fools and Americans," travels second class. (The second-class sleeper is all one could want.-

* -* Stockholm is rich in attractions of many kinds, from ;Grand Opera to curling. The leading hotel there, the Grand, its regarded as one of the sights of the city, and• its amazing

(breath room; like a titanic Mauresque Court, takes one's (breath away. There are many other good hotels. • The only fault that I have been able to find with Swedish food is its richness. The smorgasborg alone, the hors-d'oeuvres given to you before your luncheon, numbers sometimes dozens of dishes, and is almost overwhelming. Swedish cooking ranks high and deservedly so.

From Stockholm there are, in winter time, many fine excursions. It is the fashion for Stockholm folk themselves, during the Christmas holiday, -to go north to the land of the reindeer and the Lapps, where winter-sport hotels are built on a large scale. But anyone visiting- Sweden for the first time in winter will find it by no means a bad idea to make his headquarters in Stockholm and to explore the land from there.

For a winter*Iiit m' to Stockhol one needs warm overcoats

.

or wraps, but fur cots, where desirable if you have them, are not a necessity. Furs are wanted further north. Apart■ ments and hotels• are all so eqaably.heated that you are never conscious of cold in them. There are many shops that would rank as first-class anywhere, but Swedish prices are hjgh, and apart from souvenirs and the like, one would do well to purchase what one wants before going there.

* What are the drawbacks of Sweden as a holiday resort ?

The first is cost. Living in Sweden is undoubtedly dearer than in France, Germany or Italy. Sweden placed its currency on a gold basis soon after the Great War, and high prices consequently rule. Then, some people find the Swedish life too fine for their taste. Those whose inclination runs in the direction of the night life of Paris or Berlin should not come here. You will find good sports, good music, good plays in plenty, but Sweden does not encourage excess.

I have heard some tourists grumble over the difficulty of obtaining drinks in Sweden. Before you can buy spirits in bottles you must receive a permit from the authorities. The sale of alcohol is a public monopoly. You can have all the beer or wine that you want and can be served with a certain amount of spirits at your meals. If you wish more, you must obtain your permit. That, however, is very easily done. This " pass-book " system of controlling drink there may cause slight inconvenience to some tourists, but it has effected such wonderful improvements among the people themselves that it is very much worth while. The argument that holiday makers will not come to Sweden because they cannot get all the whisky they want seems to me absurd. But I have heard

it seriously advanced. -(.

- The visitor to Sweden is bound to fall in love with the 'land; Here is a' people, -frank, kindly, courteous and educated. Stockholm itself, with its beautiful buildings, its fine public gardens, its entrancing waterways, running in the very heart of the city, and its absence of signs of poverty, is a delight. The great palace of the King, the City Hall—perhaps the finest modern building in the world—and the surroundings all draw one. To know Sweden is to love it.

The rich historic past of the nation lends its people a natural pride. In Stockholm one is reminded at every turn that here is a land whose sons have been willing to die that the world might be free. Memorials of Gustavus Adolphus and of Charles XII abound. The King's Guards that march through the heart of the city each day at noon, with band of musicians at their head, represent regiments whose history is linked up with hundreds of years of Continental wars. Their banners record campaigns in Muscovy and the Netherlands, before Moscow and Warsaw, in the Low Countries and in the heart of Poland. The Swedish Church, too, is a rich combination of gorgeous ritual inherited from ancient days and of severe Protestant doctrines. The old Swedish aristocracy is passing, but one is sometimes inclined to say that the whole of this people is a nation of aristocrats. The very workman in the streets bears himself with the air of one who feels that he is indeed a man. The King is the most democratic of all citizens. You will see him sometimes in the theatre, sitting in his box like any other citizen, unnoticed and left in peace.

'

Upsala, the picturesque, Gothenburg, the port of Dutch founders, Scottish upbuilders and American hustle, Malmo, next-door neighbour to Copenhagen, with its great aerodrome, must all be seen. The man interested in the economic develop. ments of the country will find much to hold him here, particularly the great developments of water power. The man of science knows this as the home of original research. The man of letters will be tempted to say, as I was after •my first few days in Stockholm, that here surely is the most literary city in Europe. The. social reformer will find some of the problems that still weigh heavily on us boldly tackled and largely solved. Sweden is worth discovering.

F. A. MACKENZIE.