- What to bring from Sweden from souvenirs with character
- Delicious Sweden
- Furniture and interior items
The Kingdom of Sweden joyfully welcomes its guests, demonstrating extraordinary northern architecture, surprising with magnificent natural landscapes and peaceful character. It is not at all difficult for a tourist to return to his homeland, knowing that he will be able to bring from Sweden, in addition to pleasant impressions, many beautiful souvenirs and useful things.
All gifts from this Scandinavian country can be divided into several groups: delicious products, useful things for the home, furniture and interior items, beautiful traditional souvenirs, and in different regions their own crafts and crafts dominate.
What to bring from Sweden from souvenirs with character
The main place among the gifts from Sweden, which are vivid illustrations of mentality and indigenous crafts, was assigned to the famous horses from Dalarna, one of the Swedish provinces. Now these are real business cards, not only of the region, but of the entire country. Traditionally, they are made of wood, then painted in bright, juicy colors. The most popular are yellow and blue, the colors of the Swedish national flag and coat of arms, and they are accompanied by an equally bright red.
Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, the female craftswomen who made the Dalarna horses were punished as witches, so the folk craft was forgotten for several centuries. The art of making wooden horses got its second wind already in the VXIII century. Very quickly, the toys managed to win the sympathy of not only Swedish children and adults, but also foreign travelers. Today, you can buy not only souvenirs of such a theme, but also more utilitarian things, for example, towels on which these very horses are depicted.
In second place among the Swedes (and in the first place among foreigners) are figures depicting Swedish Vikings. The main thing for the guest to remember is that these proud and beautiful warriors never wore horns on their helmets. The helmets got a frightening look in the cinema, today this image is so replicated that the Swedes themselves make souvenirs with such protective headdresses. You can buy formidable warriors "with or without horns" in any souvenir shop in the Old City of the capital.
Delicious Sweden
Leaving Sweden, you will not be able to do without edible gifts, firstly, the products here are ecologically clean, secondly, high-quality and, thirdly, very tasty. Anyone familiar with the Kid and Carlson, which Astrid Lindgren told about in her books, will remember the different delicacies adored by "a man in his prime," and fragrant buns with coffee from Freken Bock.
Although they do not bring buns from Sweden (of course, they should be the freshest), in the suitcases of tourists go gog, the national drink of the Scandinavians, which is prepared on the basis of wine and various spices. This is a local variety of the well-known mulled wine, the popularity of which increases dramatically with the arrival of cold weather. The most popular are the souvenir sets of googs, they include several types with different tastes, moreover, they are beautifully packaged. Among other alcoholic beverages, you can bring Akvavit vodka as a gift to your family and friends, the peculiarity is that it is infused with various herbs and spices, and, of course, the most famous Swedish alcoholic brand - Absolut vodka.
Returning once again from the story by Astrid Lindgren, I would like to note that experienced tourists still recommend buying a pack of beans or ground coffee. The Swedes know a lot about this invigorating drink and have mastered its production. And instead of buns, you can grab a dozen or two different chocolates, in this country there are several famous factories for the production of sweets, but the main one is Marabou, which has been delighting the inhabitants of Sweden and their foreign guests with delicious chocolate products for more than a hundred years.
The same can be said for fish, Swedish fish processing companies offer a wide variety of gourmet products, including: caviar; salty fish; smoked salmon; fish pates; delicious herring. It is very easy to remember the name of the best manufacturer of canned fish and products - ABBA.
Furniture and interior items
Many tourists visiting Sweden do not forget about practical gifts, household items and even furniture. The main assistant is the IKEA chain of stores. The first news for foreigners IKEA is a Dutch company with Swedish roots, the second is that the cost of furniture and accessories in this country is much lower than in similar shopping centers in Warsaw or Vilnius, not to mention Moscow.
If you are not interested in industrial interior items, but you want to buy real works of art or handicrafts, then you should go to some kind of skansen. In the open-air museum, firstly, they will show how the Swedes lived a hundred and two hundred years ago, what they did, how they rested. Secondly, in such museums there are souvenir shops or shops where you can buy: china dishes; glass and crystal products. The inhabitants of Småland, a province located in the southern part of Sweden, are especially famous for their glassblowing skills.
