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@ Stone Bridge, Kinnekulle
Alethea begins her tour of "Sweden". Wrap up warm!
Stone Bridge, Kinnekulle
Kinnekulle is a flat-topped mountain in the county of Västergötland, Sweden. This beautiful bridge is probably limestone excavated from the Kinnekulle Grand Quarry. The lower levels of limestone date back 400 million years.

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@ Swedish Port, Bohuslän
"How many lakes are there in Sweden, Summer!?" queried Alethea.
"A huge number, I'm guessing!"
"Yes, indeedy—95,700!"

Swedish Port, Bohuslän
Bohuslän is a province in Götaland, Sweden. A rocky coastline ranked as one of the world's last great wilderness areas, with 3,000 islands and 5,000 islets.

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@ Antique Window
"The hotel manager taught us two untranslatable Swedish words today, to help understand Swedish culture," remarked Alethea.
"What are they?" asked Lady Aelfgifu.
"Well, the first is fika, which means to have a cup of coffee with a treat at a café while talking with a friend. A small word for a universal custom that everyone in Sweden enjoys! The second describes a core Swedish value. Lagom means 'not too little, not too much … but just right.'"

Antique Window
It was not until the 19th century that large panes of glass were made so all windows prior to that time were smaller panes of glass with lead joining the panes. The first glass blocks were patented in 1886. This beautiful blue glass window appears to be made of glass blocks.

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@ Swedish Lapland, Sweden
"How many lakes are there in Sweden, Zazzy?" queried Alethea.
"A huge number, I'm guessing!"
"Yes, indeedy—95,700!"

Swedish Lapland, Sweden
Lapland is a province in northern Sweden. The northernmost parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia, also known as Sápmi, is the land of the indigenous population, the Sami people, who have lived here for thousands of years. A truly stunning landscape.

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@ Full Moon
"Gosh! Apparently Sweden is the fifth largest country in Europe in terms of land area, but despite that, it has one of the lowest populations per square kilometre in all of Europe and under ten and a half million people in total," remarked Alethea.
"Goodness! They would all easily fit into Paris!" responded midnught.
Full Moon
Bundle up the pets and go for a scenic drive along the misty roads. It looks clear enough that you should see some stars.

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@ Drottningholm Palace, Sweden
Alethea turned to Allie Kat and asked, "Do you recycle?"
Allie Kat responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."
Alethea nodded in agreement, "In Sweden, they recycle so much that they only have one percent waste to take to the landfills, fifty percent of waste is recycled or composted and forty-nine percent is incinerated for energy."
Allie Kat gave a big smile at this news, "We need to do more, we need to be like Sweden, when we get home I am going to talk to my friends about starting a compost and learning more about how we can be more efficient in our waste management."
Drottningholm Palace, Sweden
Permanent residence of the Swedish Royal Family. This, the most well-preserved royal castle in Sweden was built in the 1600s. The castle is built on an island, Lovön which is close to Stockholm.

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@ Frozen Lake, Sweden
Alethea turned to Trixie and asked, "Do you recycle?"
Trixie responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."
Alethea nodded in agreement, "In Sweden, they recycle so much that they only have one percent waste to take to the landfills, fifty percent of waste is recycled or composted and forty-nine percent is incinerated for energy."
Trixie gave a big smile at this news, "We need to do more, we need to be like Sweden, when we get home I am going to talk to my friends about starting a compost and learning more about how we can be more efficient in our waste management."
Frozen Lake, Sweden
Wintertime changes the landscape considerably. Bodies of water can freeze over, trees are covered in snow, darkness falls earlier and light comes later. Taking a walk through a winter forest is refreshing but do be careful where you put your feet.

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@ Apladalen, Värnamo, Sweden
"They certainly like quirky marketing here, Mochi! 'The Call a Swede phoneline provided a single telephone number that anyone around the world could call and talk to a Swedish person picked at random from a group of volunteers. The scheme ran for three months and took calls from all around the world.'"
"That sounds like a fun thing to do, Alethea!"
Apladalen, Värnamo, Sweden
A natural history park is the main attraction in Värnamo, featuring traditional houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. There are goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry that you can pet.

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@ Sweden Icy Country Road
"It says here that two-thirds of Sweden’s land area is covered by forest," remarked Alethea.
"Wow! A tree-lover's paradise!" responded Shelby.

Sweden Icy Country Road
Grab your runner sled and get ready for some fun in the winter sun! The ice packed road is perfect for waxed runners and sledding fun!

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@ Sweden Street Art
"'Whilst the official language of Sweden is Swedish (or Svenska), you'll hear many different tongues on a trip. These are official minority languages and include Finnish, Sami, Yiddish, Romani and Meänkieli'," read out Alethea from the brochure.
Choose a name nervously clutched her copy of Swedish Made Simple.
"I hope the pets we come across speak Swedish—or English, of course!"
Sweden Street Art
People's Park, Malmö showcases the beauty of nature and the creativity of the people's art.

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@ Swedish Main Train Domain
Sweden’s northernmost point is called Treriksröset, meaning "three national cairns". This is the point where Sweden, Norway and Finland meet, so you can literally stand in three countries at once at this point in Sweden.
Swedish Main Train Domain
Pulling out of Stockholm Railway Station we see the "Orange Carriages", not to be mistaken for the spooky Silverpilen train, or Silver Arrow, that we met in one Scary Fayre episode! These trains may be ridden in perfect safety!

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@ Crown Pharmacy

"Come with me, we are going to the underground Metro."

"The underground for a trip?" Mandy asked.
Alethea shook their head, "Not quite, you will see when we get there, just another block."

When they arrived in the underground station Mandy looked around with their mouth open. "Look at all this art, just look at it all. Paintings, sculptures, and that over there is a mosaic."
Alethea smiled, "Are you surprised? In Sweden, ninety percent of the metro stations have been decorated with many different art forms. It is one huge gallery when you put them all together."
Crown Pharmacy
This splendid red and gold sign is at the Skansen Open Air Museum in Stockholm. The Crown Pharmacy (Apoteket Kronan) has a sign outside in the form of a royal crown to accord with the pharmacy’s name. Enter the pharmacy to go back to a time when the pharmacist made up medicines and tinctures from a recipe. The shop fittings are mostly from the palace pharmacy at Drottningholm outside Stockholm as well as from a pharmacy in Köping that was run by the noted chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

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@ Mariefred Railway Station
Angus McGregor lowered his copy of Swedish Without Strain. "You know, they don't have a way to say 'please' in Swedish."
"Wow!" responded Alethea. "So...I don't understand, how do you get by without it?"
"Well, it seems you just have to sound polite and use Tack, which means 'thank you'."

Mariefred Railway Station
The Mariefred Rail Station is located in Sodermanland, Sweden. The station operates a steam locomotive on the narrowest track, called a narrow-gauge track, ever used for public train services runs from Mariefred to Läggesta and Taxinge Näsby, between May and Sept.

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@ Sweden Värmland
"'Sweden has a famous hotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi made entirely out of ice. The hotel has to be re-crafted every year using large blocks of ice taken from the Tome River'," read out Alethea from the brochure.
"Sounds very stylish, Alethea, if a little chilly, possibly!" remarked Franz.

Sweden Värmland
Standing on the peak of one of many throughout the travelled road, it's incredible to look over the green valley below, is that a cloud shadow?

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@ Sweden Limhamn, Malmö
Oh look ... you won a pet!
Sweden Limhamn, Malmö
Walking along the coast of Malmo, the sunny sea grasses call travelers to keep strolling

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@ Sweden Cornflowers

Alethea turned to matty and asked, "Do you recycle?"

matty responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."

Alethea nodded in agreement, "In Sweden, they recycle so much that they only have one percent waste to take to the landfills, fifty percent of waste is recycled or composted and forty-nine percent is incinerated for energy."
matty gave a big smile at this news, "We need to do more, we need to be like Sweden, when we get home I am going to talk to my friends about starting a compost and learning more about how we can be more efficient in our waste management."
Sweden Cornflowers
Waving gently in the summer breezes, the bright blue flowers are the inspiration to so many art pieces, pottery, china and eyes of blue!

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@ Örebro Castle, Sweden
"Ah! We know Sweden has land borders with Finland and Norway but did you know it's also connected to Denmark—by a bridge?" said Alethea.
"A bridge that's a border? Sounds great!" said Mystery.

Örebro Castle, Sweden
The oldest part of the castle, a defence tower, was built in the late 13th century. In the 1890s the castle underwent extensive remodelling and the round towers you see today were created.

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@ Sweden Ostkustleden
"It says here that two-thirds of Sweden’s land area is covered by forest," remarked Alethea.
"Wow! A tree-lover's paradise!" responded Inukshuk.

Sweden Ostkustleden
A wonderful place to rent a cabin and relax on the shores, the traveler who enjoys sunrises and sunsets will not be disappointed.

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@ Sweden Snow Fence
"Interesting culinary fact about Sweden here, Bug Off!" announced Alethea. "They celebrate the arrival of midsummer with boiled potatoes with dill. This a Swedish delicacy."
"Well, you know me, Alethea. A meal is incomplete without potatoes, whichever way they come!"

Sweden Snow Fence
Covered in a fresh layer of snow, covering the world in white for all the eye can see, strap on your snowshoes and enjoy a crisp walk!

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@ Downtown Crown

Alethea turned to Gramps and asked, "Do you recycle?"

Gramps responded, "Well, I try to, I think it is important."

Alethea nodded in agreement, "In Sweden, they recycle so much that they only have one percent waste to take to the landfills, fifty percent of waste is recycled or composted and forty-nine percent is incinerated for energy."
Gramps gave a big smile at this news, "We need to do more, we need to be like Sweden, when we get home I am going to talk to my friends about starting a compost and learning more about how we can be more efficient in our waste management."
Downtown Crown
King Carl XVI Gustaf has been the monarch of Sweden since 1973. He is the 74th King of Sweden. Sweden's tradition of monarchy goes back over a thousand years. This crown, representing Sweden's monarchy, is a famous landmark on the Skeppsholm Bridge in Stockholm's "Gamla Stan", which means its historic "Old Town" quarter.

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@ Øresund Bridge
"The hotel manager taught us two untranslatable Swedish words today, to help understand Swedish culture," remarked Alethea.
"What are they?" asked Lyla.
"Well, the first is fika, which means to have a cup of coffee with a treat at a café while talking with a friend. A small word for a universal custom that everyone in Sweden enjoys! The second describes a core Swedish value. Lagom means 'not too little, not too much … but just right.'"

Øresund Bridge
The Øresund Bridge is a toll bridge that links Denmark and Sweden. Spanning 16 km (9.94 mi.) A very dramatic photograph showing not only the impressive bridge but a wonderfully moody sky.

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@ Twilight Sky, Stockholm
"You know, Edgar called me a heathen the other week because I said I didn't like Dickens," remarked Alethea. "I'm going to inform him that 'heathen' comes from the Old Norse heiðinn, meaning 'one who inhabits the heath or open country'."
Tallulah grinned. "He'll probably just call you a Philistine instead, Alethea!" she said.
Twilight Sky, Stockholm
It does not matter where you live or visit, everyone loves to sit for a while and gaze out at the setting sun. It may be just a gentle darkening of the sky with a bit of red or orange, or it may be a full-on display of colours. Relax and enjoy as nature says goodnight.

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@ Sweden Winding Mountain Road
"Did you know Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that gives everypet the freedom to roam in nature?" said Alethea.
"Which other countries have the Right to Roam?" queried Shadow.
"Norway, Estonia and Scotland," responded Alethea.

Sweden Winding Mountain Road
Sit down, strap in and hang on! The adventure on these winding roads is about to get real! When life hands you a curve, remember, lean into it!

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@ Northern Lights, Sweden
"'Whilst the official language of Sweden is Swedish (or Svenska), you'll hear many different tongues on a trip. These are official minority languages and include Finnish, Sami, Yiddish, Romani and Meänkieli'," read out Alethea from the brochure.
lily nervously clutched her copy of Swedish Made Simple.
"I hope the pets we come across speak Swedish—or English, of course!"
Northern Lights, Sweden
The Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights can be seen in more northern countries and they never fail to instill a sense of wonder. Green is the most often seen colour with red being the rarest. Dancing, rippling, swaying colours are created when charged particles collide with gasses in the earth’s upper atmosphere.

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@ Bring The Oars, Sweden
As Alethea's tour of "Sweden" comes to an end, she receives a seasonally appropriate gift!
Barren Winter Hills
Hills and mountains layered over a background add depth. These wintery feeling hills are just waiting for you to add whatever you like. Maybe you want a whole forest where pets can play hide and seek. Perhaps you prefer to cover the hills with snow and create a place to make snow people or snowpets. Maybe there is one lone tree bare of leaves or an ocean below the hills. Ah! My pets are clamouring for me to make them a place where they can go sledding.
Bring The Oars, Sweden
Sweden has more pleasure crafts, per capita than almost any other country. The people of Sweden have a great affinity with water. This looks like a fine little boat and the waterway has some lovely scenery. Time for a leisurely drift down the river.
Alethea has completed her tour of "Sweden"! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also tour Scandinavia!