here are some real swimmers in the swedish sea!! it was 2 days ago, somewhere around 6 in the evening. it was not cold, but not warm either, some 20 degrees C at most... i had some time to observe them and it was so different from what you would see in the us! firstly, people arrived by bike, alone or together. just left their bike unlocked and walked to the water, undressed and went in. no toe dipping, not scared of the cold! hoppa! no lifeguard either, and no millions signs saying that you can or cannot swim, or when the "water closes" (in the us the water or the forest or the park or whatever usually closes after sunset). after swimming people just dried themselves and took off their swimsuits, something you also would never see in the us, as ofcourse you cannot show any skin...
im at the airport now. i enjoyed my practical baby-course... yesterday i got to feed the baby, and saw how she was bathed... im fully prepared now... ;) but as i think its sometimes already a burden to carry my camera everywhere, i think its still too early for babies...
5 comments:
haha.. i'd like to see a certain american's reaction.. especially as he might face the choice of moving to sweden ;)
Scandanavian people are physical so more at ease than other people. I have never understood why americans are so prudish. Has it to do with religion? Maybe the dutch have brought all those strict religions there in the past!
Here is one American who can't explain why we are so hesitant to enter the water or why we are more modest about changing in public. But, the reason for the signs is that we are a litigious society. If someone got hurt (or worse, drowned) after hours, they or their family would sue the city and would probably succeed unless there are clearly visible signs telling people not to go in after the specified time.
Jack's right. Over the years people started suing and blaming in situations where they should have used common sense. So, thanks to clever lawyers, we're now burdened with signs, laws, and regulations. Has that improved the use of common sense? I think not.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Sweden. 20C, that is pretty much the top temperature this Summer!
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