The
Town Höör
There are many words in Swedish that
are very similar to words in English, just spelled a bit differently. The name
of the nearest town to our village that has a Grocery store is not one of those
words. This town with the Grocery store is called Höör. Because in English we
do not have the letter "ö" the name of the town (that I always have
to say when I tell others where I live) we pronounce with a regular old
"oo", which sound just like another English word we have.
The building pictured above is
a Hospital of some kind. The woman in the neon vest was hospital security and
wanted to know what I was doing. When I told her I was taking some photos of
the building to show Americans what Sweden was like she looked at me so
puzzled. Her reaction is strangely typical for a Swede when I comment on the
design of a building or anything else in Sweden that is so wonderfully
different from what I'm used to. I think it's a shame that more Swedes don't
have more pride for the things that make the country like a dream to others. I
think that this reaction could be because of how much Swedes value modesty in
their culture. A very similar reaction is the line I get all the time from
Swedes, "I am sorry, my English is so bad". To all my Swedish friends
reading this: NEVER SAY THIS AGAIN because it's just not true.
These are some shots of the really old part of town. There
are many house made of stone and wood. Everything is extremely clean and there
many fantastic yards and parks, with absolutely nobody enjoying them. I think
because I come from a place that has so many more people, to me many towns in
Sweden are like this one. I feel like I am the only one there but everything is
manicured and well cared for.
There is a river that runs through the center of town that
makes all the old buildings even more charming. To many American's, Swedish
towns like this one look like they are from the storybooks that we read as
children. Sometimes it does not even seem real to me. I guess the fact that the
nearest Bar or Restaurant to our house is actually a small castle would give
you an idea about what kind of a place I am looking at here.
