[I've been meaning to write this e-mail for several years. I finally just sent it... to the Stockholm Visitors' Board and their press department. Stay tuned for a response. Or, go do something else.]
Dear Stockholm Visitors’ Board,
Hello!
My name is Dave Fox. I’m a travel and humor writer from the United States. I also work as a tour guide in Scandinavia every summer. I used to live in Norway and I speak Norwegian fluently, but don’t let that frighten you! Really! Over the years, I have come to really love Sweden as well, and I always tell my American tour groups very nice things about the Swedes when I take them around your country.
There’s just one thing I am curious about. A few years ago, your city’s slogan was, “Stockholm: Beauty on Water.” It was a nice slogan. You had a fun cartoon drawing of the city on all of the plastic bags you gave out at your tourist information office. Then, one summer, maybe five or six years ago, I arrived back in Sweden for another summer of tour guiding, and you had changed your slogan to “Stockholm: The capital of Scandinavia.”
Who came up with this new slogan? Did you consult with the Norwegians, or the Danes, or the Icelanders before you printed up all of those new plastic bags and put signs all over your airport? Didn’t Sweden sort of get in a few wars and things with Denmark when the Danes made similar claims a few centuries ago?
Just curious. Skriv gjerne tilbake på svensk om det er lettere. (Feel free to write back in Swedish if it's easier.)
Hugs,
Dave Fox
P.S. I agree wholeheartedly with the Swedes that King Christian II of Denmark was a pretty big jerk.
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