Paco´s Life: Madrid

Stockholm: First impressions / Primeras Impresiones

2 October 2006 10:02 AM | In Stockholm |

So here we are, after a trip whose only interest was the huge bridge to be crossed for getting into Sweden I got to Stockholm very late on Sunday. During these first weeks I am staying at Pili´s place, a member of the office staff who is been living here for the last 32 years. Very friendly person, she told me everything I need to know about the “Spanska Ambassedens Handelsavdelning”. The same applies to the rest of the people here. The wellcome has been very very warming, I cant not complain at all. We are located at the center of Stockholm, on a 13th floor so we have a great view over the city. Besides, I have a really good place, appart from the rest of the interns but very comfortable.

About the job, easy as it was to be expected, the office is currently under phase VII, which means the systems available are the most updated ones and the load of work for the IT responsible the minimum. There is not much to do, backups, users management and a few things more. It is quite clear I will not learn much but I will have time for some other things such as finishing my Phd, keeping this blog more updated and the most important one: travel, travel and travel The time table is very convinient, I get into work at 9 and leave at 4, with one hour break for lunch. Really easy going, before you can realize about it the shift is over. Not too many surprises with this.

The city is beautiful, just the central part of Stockholm consist on 14 islands, the periphery is extended over an archipielago formed by hundreds of them. Therefore, the water is an esential part of the urban landscape. Channels and bridges make Stockholm an unique visual show. One of the most beautiful cities I have never seen. Besides, the weather is not to hard yet, we even had a couple of sunny days. However, on a first moment, in comparation with Copenhagen the city happens to be unhandy. This is a bigger place, the use of cycles is not so extended and instead metro and tram are to be used. Apparently I got too used to the quiet and easy going Danish capital and I feel a little lost here, so many islands and channels make orientation kind of hard and here distances are something to be taken into account. In a way, it reminds me to Madrid, it seems I have spent too much time living in small cities.

All pictures here!

And let´s move to one of the most important topics: nightlife. I dont wanna get conclussions yet but so far it looks worrying. Stockholm looks very very posh. It´s been just a weekend but the experience was somehow dissapointing. It was a way back to the culture of the night club guarded by these elegant bouncers who believe themselves to be God. To get or not to get into the place deppends on the fucking will of these people, i.e wheter you are propertly dressed or not, if you are in companion of women or just whatever stupid excuse they can make up. The environment is terribly snob, at least in the places we visited this weekend, maybe this is because we chosen the worst ones but people living here for a long time tells me this is the way it is. Again, there is a big difference with Copenhagen were everything was more unformal, in Stoclkholm the environment is absolutely posh. Guys dressed with suits standing in the bars pretending to be something, amazing women who seems to be more worried about credits cards than anything else.. It looks like a very complicated place for going out and also terribly expensive. Drinks hardly get cheaper than 100 swedish kr (arround 11 euros) and they are 25 ml of shit, no good rums here.

Besides, swedish people look less easy going than danes. Appart from the really warming swedish staff we have at the office, people in general looks less friendly, less willing to help you. Again, the comparation with Denmark is unavoidable. Apparently, swedish people are more nationalist and proud of themselves. But, again, these are impressions I got from what people told me, once again I will wait to make up my own opinion. I was said the same about danes but then they happened to be very nice people. In the mean time, I am pretty busy looking for an apartment, soon I will have news about this.

A hug for everybody from Sweden!