free rommy New York → Kansas City → San Francisco → Stockholm → Berlin

My 100th Post: 100 Reasons Why Sweden Rocks

1. It's a very clean place.
2. Everyone is an environmentalist.
3. The Swedes are proud of their high tax rate going to support social programs like healthcare.
4. Europe (and by this I mean the brilliant artists behind The Final Countdown)
5. Winter is a beautiful, festive season with candles and julbord feasts.
6. Glögg (this deserved its own point)
7. Pepparkakor (also deserved its own point)
8. Pancakes and split pea soup Thursdays
9. Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Roll Day)
10. Everybody is beautiful.
11. Summertime gets everyone smiling.
12. Very few European cultures are as hip to technology as the Swedes are.
13. Swedish design. 'Nuff said.
14. Kubb
15. Nils Oscar beer.
16. MEATBALLS!
17. Reindeer
18. Basshunter. Boten Anna.
19. Sill, otherwise known as herring.
20. Lax, otherwise known as salmon.
21. A well-funded, quick, efficient, and clean public transportation system.
22. ABBA
23. Roxette. I'll say it again. Roxette. She deserves to be mentioned twice.
24. Lars Winnerbäck who, if you haven't listened to him, is fantastic.
25. Renowned director Ingmar Bergman
26. Renowned actress Ingrid Bergman
27. Björn Borg, not only for his epic tennis-playing skills but for his good clothing (he has one of the biggest fashion brands here)
28. Monica Zetterlund, a fantastic jazz vocalist who sangs some very steamy jazz standards in the 60s and 70s.
29. Sambo
30. Gay marriage is legal and widely accepted.
31. The midnight sun.
32. The Northern Lights.
33. The crime is so low, that I never fear for my safety when I walk the streets at night.
34. The Daily Show Stockholm Syndrome Part I
35. The Daily Show Stockholm Syndrome Part II
36. Henrik Schyffert's Full Like a Kastrull
37. These hilarious experiments took place in Stockholm: http://thefuntheory.com
38. The epic Michael Jackson dance tribute took place in Stockholm.
39. You may disagree with me, but Inga from Sweden.
40. Midsommarsdagen or Midsummer's Day, traditionally held on the Friday after the longest day of the year (end of June)
41. For more clarification on the above point, check out this banned Ikea commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I5BGsK5ZAU
42. The longstanding tradition of dancing around the Maypole during Midsommarsdagen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maypole#Sweden
43. Swedish dansbands. Click on ANY picture here and you will see what true awesome is: http://www.svenskadansband.se/top.php
44. Sweden has a wicked (and very much still thriving) metal scene.
45. Magnus Samuelsson
46. Home of the Nobel Prize.
47. Home of the least corrupt government in the world.
48. The clever alteration of street signs.
49. Modern Swedish architecture.
50. Stockholm is built on islands for crying out loud.
51. It's still got a king (and queen and royal family).
52. Hockey. Period.
53. Allmänsrätten (literally All men's right). Man's right to roam. The maxim: "Do not disturb, do not destroy." It's really something only civilized countries can get away with.
54. Uh...the VIKINGS were awesome.
55. IKEA. I may not appreciate it so much, but it's notably Swedish.
56. St. Lucia Day
57. Stockholm has tons of green area.
58. An enormous ship called the Vasa sunk moments after it launched on its maiden voyage.
59. Pasta sallad and paj. Two standard cafe meals.
60. Pizza sallad!!!1!1!
61. Sweden has taken in more Iraqi refugees than any other country in Europe. (though it hasn't been completely without controversy)
62. The Swedish chef! Ok fine, he's not Swedish, but he's still AWESOME!
63. Swedish penis enlarger pumps. Hey, I'm sure they've helped many a gentleman feel just a little bit better about himself.
64. Swedish fish!!! And YES, they do exist here! (But they're multicolored and they're just called "fish", duh.)
65. Godis (pronounced goodies). Every 7-Eleven, supermarket, and video store has an epic selection of loose candy. And it's amazing.
66. H&M (Hennes & Mauritz). I don't ever seem to have any luck there, but hey lots of people seem to find some great clothes there and good for them.
67. Science. Sweden continues to throw a lot of money, and remains at, the forefront of scientific research.
68. They may have created a highly successful AIDS vaccine that works in humans which frankly, is badass.
69. Stockholm was badass enough to declare itself the Capital of Scandinavia which I'm sure has pissed off Norway, Denmark, and maybe even Finland and Iceland. But it's Sweden and Sweden is awesome and Sweden knows it.
70. Gustaf Erik Pasch, a Swede, invented the match.
71. Jonas Offrell invented a revolver at the same time as (and independently of) Samuel Colt! And to think that Sweden is now neutral.
72. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite! And is the man behind #46 above.
73. Carl Rikard Nyberg invented the blowtorch.
74. Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist invented the kerosene stove.
75. Swedes are pyromaniacs according to 70 - 74.
76. Ericsson.
77. Volvo. (notably maker of one of the safest cars in the world)
78. Nils Bohlin who worked at Volvo invented the three-point safety belt which keeps us all alive today!
79. Saab.
80. Julmust, a Swedish holiday soft drink is also the greatest soft drink known to mankind.
81. Anders Celsius is Swedish.
82. The lakes completely freeze over in winter time and everyone walks on them for fun.
83. Sweden's main film production facility is called Trollywood.
84. Swedish grocery stores charge for wasteful, environmentally-destructive bags in an attempt to discourage people from using them...and it works.
85. Sweden music exports are third in the world following the US and the UK!
86. Sweden has an ice hotel, made completely from ice which melts every summer and gets rebuilt every autumn. Badass.
87. Skype is Swedish.
88. Swedish weddings are among the most fun in the world. I don't care what anyone else thinks.
89. Sweden has their own distance measurement called the mil (actually it's not specifically Swedish, it's Scandinavian)
90. Thai food is AWESOME here.
91. There's this fermented herring here called surströmming which apparently smells so fucking bad, it can't be eaten inside. Which is awesome.
92. Electrolux, maker of home appliances, is Swedish.
93. Absolut Vodka is Swedish.
94. The Swedish word 'gift' (pronounced yeeft) which means 'married', also means 'poison'.
95. Full means drunk. But ful means ugly. And when I'm out drunk and girls talk to me, I usually tell them I'm too ugly to go home with them.
96. Lingonberries are a fantastic Swedish berry which go great with meatballs, herring, and other savory Swedish meals.
97. Swedes. Love. Potatoes.
98. Sweden is a lagom culture.
99. Swedes love New York.
100. And to think that a country of just 10 million people has accomplished so much and has made such a broad spanning impact is just plain freaking awesome.

I'm such a Sweden fanboy.