Day 37_Gothenburg neighborhood design

We started the day at the gym with a spinning class.  The music was Swenglish with a mix of Swedish and English lyrics and songs.  No ABBA though, so was a little disappointed to miss out on some Swedish culture.  My favorite spin instructor Josh would be proud that I am still spinning though on an international vacation at the moment.  A grocery store visit was the next highlight.  I like seeing what people eat in other countries.  The fish section of the store was huge.  Not only was fish available fresh or frozen, but you could buy various other fish things that were pickled, dried or in toothpaste-like containers for sandwiches.  Fruit like blueberries, imported from Spain, was around $15 for a small container, so we bought frozen for dessert.

We also visited Michael and Andrea's former neighborhood which I looked at with a community design eye.  Most houses here have red tile roofs and all have a ladder onto the roof that niches between the tiles.  Housing was focused inwards with nearby parking.   His development grouped homes around a central courtyard which was a play area (this one had a large sand box) with bench seating.  When they lived here, there were many children in this group of homes so parents could either watch their children from the house or take turns outside.   Daycare facilities and schools are generally located walking distance from the housing.  Daycare is an affordable $175 a month.  When children are born in Sweden, the mother stays home at 80% pay for the first year, with another 6 months of paternity leave at 80% pay.  Children generally go to daycare around 1 1/2 and most mothers return to work.  Sweden has set up a system that seems to work well for families making it affordable and easy to work.  Additionally, women can choose to work part-time up to 8 years to attend to their children's young needs.  The playground at the school was a natural setting which is a more common international design.  It included flexible play spaces with rocks and trees.  In the U.S. these rocks would probably pose a trip hazard and be removed.  Here they provide imaginative play while fitting into the natural setting.

Dinner was salmon and shrimp soup and included Andrea's brother Per and his girlfriend Johanna.  We discussed many interesting topics from politics, unions, taxes, to housing--me gaining insight from those who work and live under this system of government.