My Dream of Sweden

     Bucket Lists. Just about everyone I've talked to for any length of time has a bucket list. Places they want to go. Things they want to do. I am pretty sure everyone has at least one thing in life they have always wanted to do, but haven't. Mine? I want to visit Sweden.

I have for as long as I can remember. I would like to visit many places outside the U.S. but first and foremost, Sweden. Why you might ask? My grandpa.

It's hard to put into words the effect this wonderful man had on my life.  I can not recall a time I didn't see a smile on his face. I spent my childhood learning about life from him. He was a giver. Any time anyone had a need, he was there for them. No matter what. He was creative. He liked to go to the junkyard and get the old bicycle parts and rebuild bikes and then sell them. I can remember many days helping him put the bikes together. If we weren't doing that, we were building birdhouses. I can still see the front of his house with several birdhouses and bikes in the front ready for someone to purchase. He was never opposed to hard work and always liked being outside tinkering with something. 

He is the reason I want to go to Sweden. His family came from there. He still held the thick Swedish accent and I loved it every time he said my name. As a child I can remember him singing Swedish songs and trying to teach me the language.

So where exactly is Sweden?

It's nestled between Norway and Finland. It is a Unitary Parliamentary Monarch. King Carl XVI Gustaf  has held the throne since 1973. It's capital is Stockholm. I don't know much about Sweden so I looked up some fun facts.

1. The Nobel Prize has been awarded in Stockhom Sweden since 1901

2. The current 3 point seat belt for our cars was invented in Sweden

3. Speaking of inventions, the pacemaker, ultrasound, refrigerator and computer mouse all were invented in Sweden. The Volvo automobile and IKEA furniture are from Sweden.

4. Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union.

5. There are 260000 reindeer in Sweden

6. Soccer is the largest organized sport in Sweden

7. The Swedish company King is behind the game CANDY CRUSH

8. Sweden has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world with 74 for men and 80 for women.

9. Sweden also has the highest number of McDonalds with 227 per capita in Europe. 

10. The worlds first ice hotel was build in Jukkasjarvi in the 1980s. It has 60 rooms and was built out of 4000 tons of densly packed snow and ice. It rents rooms between December and April. Residents are issued special gear when they stay to withstand the temperatures as low as -8 degrees.

I guess I better bring some warm clothes when I go.