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We boarded a bus that was so long that even Diane Sorensen would have trouble manoevering it! The driver for this trip from Arlanda airâ€" port to Akersberga had the duty (dare Icall it pleasure?) of transporting our group numerous times throughout | the next 12 days. _ He truly deserved the hat, exâ€" change pins and thankâ€"you gift from our team! Both hotels were conveniently located near the subway and train station, with the main shopping area of downtown Stockholm being only a 20â€"minute walk away. Although the Kommendoren hotel could boast of a fitness program (we had to climb five flights of stairs to our rooms), we envied the Parlan people who brazged daily about the eggs in their breakfast buffet! The Hotel Parlan, which St. Marys Midget parents stayed at when in Sweden four years ago, was filled to capacity with our folk and still couldn‘t accommodate all of us. We also filled two floors in the Hotel Kommendoren, a couple of blocks away. Both hotels are barely noticeâ€" able from the street, just a doorway marked with a small brass name plate. Breakfast was provided for all guests, a Swedish smorgasbord of plain yogurt, cereals, a variety of breads, meats, cheese, fish pate, vegetables, lindenberry jam and an assortment of beverages. Stockholm hotels Akersberga, a coastal town about the size of Stratford, is basically a "bedroom" community where most people commute to work in Stockâ€" holm. The Akersberga committee, therefore, decided to accommodate the adults in Stockholm, which they felt offered better shopping and resâ€" taurants, as well as places of historiâ€" cal interest. We soon discovered that almost everyone spoke English very well, and this certainly helped the boys feel more comfortable. As the host families took over complete responâ€" sibility for their billeted hockey player, the parents bid their sons fareâ€" well and were then taken to their hotels in Stockholm, a 40â€"minute driveaway, _ _ _ . / After greetings from the Akâ€" ersberga mayor and hockey officials, our boys were matched with the families with whom they would be staying. Some of the host families had sons who were no longer playing hockey or who had moved up from Bantam, but were keen to return the hospitality they had received in St. Marys last Christmas. By Terry Pook Arriving at 11:30 a.m. Swedish time on Dec. 27, we were welcomed by an enthusiastic group with flag waving, hugs, warm greetings and a renewal of acquaintances for those who had met last year. In Akersberga, we gathered with our hosts in the gymnasium of the Akersberga Sports Complex for a welcome snack consisting of coffee, soft drinks and "glog", a traditional, warm, wineâ€"based concoction served with almonds and raisins. Host families Lots more than hockey Shopping was particularly enjoyâ€" able in "Old Town", the original city of Stockholm which dates back to 1200 a.d. Most of the buildings and | cobblestone streets have been preâ€" | served with shops, restaurants and | small businesses on street level with | apartments above. A short detour |down a tiny side alleyway might lead to the discovery of a basement cafe ~nestled into the original town wall where one could take a break and | enjoy Swedish coffee and a delicious \ apple streudel with warm vanilla | sauce. | _ Canadians are already louding protesting the proposed 7 per cent Goods and Services Tax. In Sweden there is a similar tax already in place called the Value Added Tax, adding 23 per cent to the price of everything! / Tourists can get arebate on this tax if | they produce their receipts and their _ parcels sealed in the original bag at the airport when they are leaving the |.country. } Stockholm _/ The city of Stockholm is over 700 years old and richly deserves its title "Venice of the North". It is situated _ on 14 islands with numerous bridges and waterways throughout the city. One store did a fine business sellâ€" ing us an unusual kitchen utensil, a flat whisk which apparently willhelp to create the perfect gravy or sauce. On Thursdays, one of the squares becomes a flourishing market with the most incredible array of openâ€"air flower shops and fruit stalls. Popular souvenirs are beautiful Swedish crystal and leather goods, handâ€" woven table runners, woolen mitâ€" tens, candle holders, Hard Rock Cafe Tâ€"shirts, and unique Swedish Christâ€" mas decorations. Stockholm is very aifferent from North American cites in that there are no skyscrapers downtown. Most buildings are about six stories high. The numerous parks, squares and treed boulevards lend a feeling of tranquility and intimacy to a city of over 1,000,000 people. Shopping Stockholm offers shops, departâ€" ment stores, markets and enclosed malls to satisfy even the most avid shopper. One of the main streets downtown is closed to traffic to form a mile long outdoor pedestrian shopâ€" ping walkway. Food in Sweden holm, the largest spherical building Our preconceptions of exorbitant in the world. prices and a diet of sour yogurt, fish _ With a flexible interior reminisâ€" and potatoes were soon dispelled. centofthe SkyDome, itis designed to Host families made every effort to accommodate sport and cultural cater to the tastes of their billets, events, with seating for 16,000 specâ€" while at the same time giving us the, tators. Although we didn‘t play in opportunity to savor traditional this arena, our group was taken on an Swedish fare. official tour and some returned later ie in the week to see a professional hockey game. on Swedish trip We were comfortable with temâ€" peratures ranging from â€"1 to â€"4, with no wind or snow in Stockholm. A i couple of days were quite foggy, two were clear and sunny, most were overcast. When we travelled north of the city, there was a little more snow and colder temperatures: The counâ€" tryside is fairly flat, with rocks, lakes, fir and birch trees reminiscent of Northern Ontario. In Stockholm, the daylight hours are few in winterandlong in summer. When we were there, the sun rose about 9:30 a.m. and began to set by 3 p.m. In the summer we were told it never gets totally dark and golfers can tee off until 11:30 p.m.! Recreational facilities With 10 hockey games in 12 days, we had the opportunity to see several arenas and sports complexes in the Stockholm area. The premiere strucâ€" ture is the Globe Arena in Stockâ€" holm, the largest spherical building in the world. »Tax and a service charge are inâ€" cluded in the menu price. Climate and landscape With a latitude equal to the southâ€" em tip of Greenland and part of the country within the Arctic Circle, one would expect much colder temperaâ€" tures than weexperienced. Sweden is warmed by the Gulf Stream and seems to have a climate similar to ours. Stockholm offers a wide choice of international cuisine, including McDonald‘s! Although restaurant food can be expensive (McDonald‘s is more than twice the price it is here, a bottled beer is $9); there are many luncheon cafes that offer homemade soups, openâ€"faced sandwiches and a Swedish pastry for a reasonable price. With a flexible interior reminisâ€" centof the SkyDome, itis designed to accommodate sport and cultural events, with seating for 16,000 specâ€" tators. Although we didn‘t play in Many of us were invited to our son‘s host for coffee, dinner or for a lateevening snack. Swedishcoffee is very ~strong and is usually taken black. Like expresso, it is made by boiling the grounds in a pot of water and then filtering into a carafe for serving. Some of us were unable to enjoy it, some grew to like it, one said "this is the coffee I‘ve been waiting for all my life!" Fishis amain staple in the Swedes‘ diet. We were able to try marinated herring with dill or with mustard sauce, anchovy scalloped potato casserole, shrimp appetizers and salmon prepared in a variety of ways. ice surface, unlike anything we had ever seen before. A small wooden building at the side served as the dressing room. At minus 12 degrees outside, many spectators used it to come in for a cup of strong coffee from a thermos and just to keep warm! Our Bantams played bandy at a rink about a halfâ€"hour drive north of Akersberga. The bus stopped at the side of the road in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. We were directed towards a path into the forest which we walked along for quite some distance in the gathering dusk. Suddenly we came upon a clearing in the woods, a huge wellâ€"lit artificial Bandy is the Swedish game with rules rather like soccer, but played on skates with fieldâ€"hockey styled sticks and a small hard rubber ball. The ice surface is immense, probably four times the size of a hockey rink. We were very aware of the central part that physical activity plays in the daily life of Sweden. On a Sunday or holiday, everywhere we went we saw people outdoors walking, enjoying the ‘fresh air and each other‘s comâ€" pany. s Our host town, Akersberga, mainâ€" tained not only an indoor arena and an outdoor rink, but a bandy rink as well. This outdoor rink would be mainâ€" tained by the same staff and flooding equipment as the main arena and if it had cold pipes underneath it, it would share the same compressor equipâ€" ment used indoors. An idea for St. Marys? Most arenas also housed gymnasiums in the building; one included an indoor pool. One sunny afternoon, we drove by alarge frozen lake and saw dozens of people skating, pulling toboggans, pushing strollers and just walking on the ice. The physical activity and healthy diet must have their effects as we noticed how very few Swedes were overweight. 5 Transportation Most of us quickly adopted the habit of walking almost everywhere while in the city itself. Downtown Stockholm seemed to have relatively little traffic compared with London or Toronto and no visible parking lots. Other arenas were fairly new beauâ€" tiful structures with high ceilings and attractive in their use of wood for beams, walls and seating areas. The Marstaarenadressing room even had a sauna in it. Most arenas also had an outdoor rink adjacent to them. Almost all hockey in Sweden was played on outdoor rinks until apâ€" proximately 15 years ago. We played in some rinks which had once been outdoor, but are now covered w.ith a wooden shell. These buildings tend to be rather cold. The dressing rooms were in another building across a parking lot.