Touring Sweden

This is the last in the mini-series of stepping beyond our shores to experience what some Ghanaian travellers have experienced abroad. Stella Frimpong is a fresh communication studies graduate of Central University in Accra and an avid reader of this column.

Recently Stella had the chance to do a study tour abroad. She came back with a travel story and some musings...

When I knew that I was going to visit Sweden for the first time I had no idea what to expect, but one thing that intrigued me was all the places I could visit in this Scandinavian country.

I was looking forward to exploring Stockholm, Gothenburg, Jonkoping and Malmo. As I was based in Jonkoping I start with that place.

The 10th largest city in Sweden, Jonkoping is full of trees. Indeed, it looks like it has more trees than the whole of Ghana. The city is located on the shores of Lake Vattern, in Southern Sweden at elevation 100 meters above sea level. A river passes through the city centre making the temperature here comparatively lower.

The major natural resource Jonkoping has is water. One unique thing about this city is that you can actually drink from any of its water bodies as compared to Ghana where our lakes, seas, lagoons, and, rivers are polluted by ‘galamsey’, farming, and other human activities.

Next stop Gothenburg. This is a town I first heard about at journalism school. Located on the west coast of Sweden, Gothenburg is the place where printing began. It remains the second largest city in Sweden; it is also popular for its Dutch-style canal and the famous Lisberg amusement park which is ranked among the top10 amusement parks in the world by Forbes.

The park has several theme rides and a landscaped sculpture garden and it is also the most admired attraction by number.

Folks in Gothenburg are well known for their love for “coffee”, also called “fika” in Sweden.  The smell of coffee on the boulevards of this city is almost part of the landscape.

Cafés line up on every turn of a street and there is no doubt that Gothenburgers love their cafés. Besides, “fika” is not just “fika” in Gothenburg, it is a life style

A picturesque landmark of King Charles XI welcomes you to the city of Malmo. The lovely statue shows the King sitting on a horse. Engraved is the royal motto “in Jehovah sors mea, ipse faciet”. To wit:  Jehovah is my destiny - He will do it.

According to the local legend, King Charles XI is described as “being frightened of almost everything and finding foreigners not easy to talk with”. Perhaps that explains the source of this motto.

As the capital of Sweden, Stockholm welcomes us through its airport. The ancient Scandinavian city shows all the signs of cosmopolitan Europe. One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia.

For me what makes Stockholm special is that it hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm City Hall.

Over all, my experience is that the Swedes are very proud of their culture. The average Swede can rattle on endlessly about Swedish culture without batting an eye.

Like Ghanaians they have a hospitable nature that is why they take in so many refugees. These are normally immigrants who come from war-torn nations. They are settled in communes and Sweden encourages them to integrate into the national culture.

I was also impressed with the level of development. For example, I experienced a ride on  railways built through mountains and Ghana is yet to sustain a rail system. Ghana is not really different from Sweden, or is it? Well, maybe it is in some aspect.

My point is, both countries have able bodied persons who can equally ensure growth in their various nations. Both republics have water, gold, and a few other resources in common, but why is Ghana still behind in development?

I consoled myself with the saying that Rome was not built in a day.