Sweden

xxtimboxxtimbo Posts: 8,870
Forum Member
A wonderful country of vast forests and lakes.... lots of space,
lots of blonde women... a laid back way of life.

You d think it would be a prime retirement destination for 50 somethings who have
made their money in the UK and want to retire to the peace and quiet of Sweden
.... well away from the traffic and hassle of London
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Comments

  • BanglaRoadBanglaRoad Posts: 57,514
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    Is Sweden not one of those expensive countries to live in?
  • sodavlacsodavlac Posts: 10,607
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    I often hear of retirees wanting to move somewhere warm. It can be a pit parky in Sweden in the winter months.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    Laid back way of life?

    Sweden has more strict rules and regulations than you can imagine! You can break a law there for the smallest thing and there are fines for everything.

    It's a modern and efficient country but very conformist and a tiny bit dull.
  • roger_purvisroger_purvis Posts: 968
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    Its a nice clean, well run country. Pricey. Cold in winter.
  • xxtimboxxtimbo Posts: 8,870
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    They do have ways of warming up.... thats what saunas are all about !
  • CentaurionCentaurion Posts: 2,060
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    Its a nice clean, well run country. Pricey. Cold in winter.

    Indeed, why would anyone retire to a place colder and more expensive ?
  • Chilli DragonChilli Dragon Posts: 24,684
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    Whilst most of the Swedish people I met whilst there were beautiful to look at, they are quite a rude, unfriendly bunch...(yes, I know it is a massive generalisation)
  • Chris MarkChris Mark Posts: 4,897
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    80sfan wrote: »
    Laid back way of life?

    Sweden has more strict rules and regulations than you can imagine! You can break a law there for the smallest thing and there are fines for everything.

    It's a modern and efficient country but very conformist and a tiny bit dull.

    I have a good friend who is from Sweden and when I've visited her in both summer and winter I've found it a nice place. It's not perfect but there is no such thing as a utopia and there never will be. I'm from London and to be honest I find much of the UK dull outside of big cities but that's just me....
  • Philip WalesPhilip Wales Posts: 6,373
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    The Nordic countries are often held up as prime examples of the "social experiment, gone right" by various Governments. Trouble is they forget to mention the high taxation, high import tax and generally how expensive it is to have this "great social attitude"
  • Chris MarkChris Mark Posts: 4,897
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    Whilst most of the Swedish people I met whilst there were beautiful to look at, they are quite a rude, unfriendly bunch...(yes, I know it is a massive generalisation)

    They're quite reserved and don't show much emotion in public....a bit like the British. Must be a northern European thing.
  • Kiko H FanKiko H Fan Posts: 6,546
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    BanglaRoad wrote: »
    Is Sweden not one of those expensive countries to live in?

    Eye wateringly expensive when I visited a couple of months ago.

    Absolutely lovely place, but yikes, £35 for a bottle of wine in a restaurant, the sort of bottle I'd get for £14 over here. £6 for a 400ml bottle of beer.
    Unregulated taxis, charging you anything between £10 and £30 for a 10 minute journey.

    Friends of our got charged £40 from the hotel to the restaurant in a taxi. We took the underground, 4 stops. Even that cost around £4 for the single journey.

    We're definitely going back, but we'll plan well and save up.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    Whilst most of the Swedish people I met whilst there were beautiful to look at, they are quite a rude, unfriendly bunch...(yes, I know it is a massive generalisation)

    Some are attractive but not all. It's also a myth that all Swedes are blond and blue eyed.

    I do agree with you that Swedish people are quite rude and unfriendly on the whole. Basic manners even seem lacking.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    Chris Mark wrote: »
    They're quite reserved and don't show much emotion in public....a bit like the British. Must be a northern European thing.

    The Dutch people are Northern Europeans but are nothing like that!!

    Norwegians are even more rude and miserable than the Swedes I found. Denmark has the most open and friendly Scandinavians, again from experience
  • bobcarbobcar Posts: 19,424
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    The Nordic countries are often held up as prime examples of the "social experiment, gone right" by various Governments. Trouble is they forget to mention the high taxation, high import tax and generally how expensive it is to have this "great social attitude"

    But most people are better off and have more disposable income. The "let people decide what to spend their money on" cry is just a con to allow the further increase in the gap between rich and poor.
  • xxtimboxxtimbo Posts: 8,870
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    You re prob right about the high cost of booze...
    Ive heard of Swedes travelling to Germany to by booze

    just like the Brits used to go by ferry to France to buy booze in bulk
    ( not sure if they still do that )
  • Chris MarkChris Mark Posts: 4,897
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    sodavlac wrote: »
    I often hear of retirees wanting to move somewhere warm. It can be a pit parky in Sweden in the winter months.

    People often talk about moving to Canada but the winter temperatures in Stockholm are on average similar to Toronto which is at the same latitude as Nice in the south of France. Summer temperatures are about the same as southern Britain.
  • sodavlacsodavlac Posts: 10,607
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    Chris Mark wrote: »
    They're quite reserved and don't show much emotion in public....a bit like the British. Must be a northern European thing.

    I'm part Estonian and Estonians are often characterised like that too, as are their near neighbours the Finns. Very much so with Finns, and I've a theory that's why they produce so many good racing drivers compared to their population size (Sweden does very well too) - they're great at keeping their composure. Of course, having forest roads to go rallying in helps too!
  • Philip WalesPhilip Wales Posts: 6,373
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    bobcar wrote: »
    But most people are better off and have more disposable income. The "let people decide what to spend their money on" cry is just a con to allow the further increase in the gap between rich and poor.

    Not sure they do have more money, how often do you see people from the Nordic countries on holiday abroad. I think only once or twice have I come across them. And their taxation is a stupid amount. My Dad sells things on Ebay and recently had a order to Norway (I think), the buyer asked my Dad to mark the parcel £15 as anything more would attract an import tax of over 100% or something like that.
  • Chris MarkChris Mark Posts: 4,897
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    80sfan wrote: »
    The Dutch people are Northern Europeans but are nothing like that!!

    Norwegians are even more rude and miserable than the Swedes I found. Denmark has the most open and friendly Scandinavians, again from experience

    I've heard the Dutch being described as rude by some people, I didn't think that when I visited their country. I've been to Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands and I found them to be generally pleasant and welcoming, just like everywhere else I've been. I think you probably get the same percentage of arseholes and lovely people wherever you go.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    bobcar wrote: »
    But most people are better off and have more disposable income. The "let people decide what to spend their money on" cry is just a con to allow the further increase in the gap between rich and poor.

    Over the years I have been in a few homes of Danes and Swedes and my experience was that they are 'breaking even' more than 'better off'. Their incomes are great but imagine how much a weekly shop costs in Sweden or buying clothes in Denmark. They dressed quite ordinary, no designer brands, shopped in discount supermarkets and seemed to have no more luxuries than the average Brit in a professional job.

    The only real plus side I saw was that they had easier access to better public services like school, university, social care, healthcare and benefits. They are all very well funded and they seemed very well taken care of by the state.
  • Chris MarkChris Mark Posts: 4,897
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    80sfan wrote: »
    Some are attractive but not all. It's also a myth that all Swedes are blond and blue eyed.

    I do agree with you that Swedish people are quite rude and unfriendly on the whole. Basic manners even seem lacking.

    People often say that the British have no manners these days don't they?
  • xxtimboxxtimbo Posts: 8,870
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    I think that Sweden was quite the hip place in the 70s....

    ... but that was down to the fabulous .............Abba
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    xxtimbo wrote: »
    You re prob right about the high cost of booze...
    Ive heard of Swedes travelling to Germany to by booze

    just like the Brits used to go by ferry to France to buy booze in bulk
    ( not sure if they still do that )

    Swedes going 'booze cruises' has to be seen to be believed!

    A lot of those from southern Sweden hop on the train to Copenhagen to go and buy litres and litres of beer that they then sit drinking in the parks getting smashed all afternoon and then stagger back across the water carrying what's left back home with them.

    It's a joke even used in advertising that Denmark has a lot of drunken Swedes to put up with!!
  • Chris MarkChris Mark Posts: 4,897
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    80sfan wrote: »
    Swedes going 'booze cruises' has to be seen to be believed!

    A lot of those from southern Sweden hop on the train to Copenhagen to go and buy litres and litres of beer that they then sit drinking in the parks getting smashed all afternoon and then stagger back across the water carrying what's left back home with them.

    It's a joke even used in advertising that Denmark has a lot of drunken Swedes to put up with!!

    Another thing the British do, get pissed! To be honest the drinking culture in Scandinavia is the most similar in Europe to Britain's in my experience, it has far more in common with here than it does with the Spanish or Italian drinking cultures. Actually the Danes are known for their heavy drinking as well as the Swedes.
  • BanglaRoadBanglaRoad Posts: 57,514
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    I have a good friend who is Danish and he tells me that although they pay high levels of income tax they don't have to pay for a TV licence or road tax. He reckons that when it all works out then he is marginally better off in UK but not by as much as I had imagined.
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