Useful packing tips?

I found some tips for packing up ahead of the moving day. However, they are not the most useful – downright obvious might be a better way of stating it:

• Use packing cases
• Buy a large roll of tape
• Don’t pack all books in one box
• Wrap glass and china items in clothes or paper before packing
• Load the vehicle carefully so accidents don’t happen during the move.

Hmmm, glad they are there to help us out.

Stockholm - The Musical

I think I’m a few months behind the curve on this one, but it is fun nonetheless. The tourist offices for Stockholm and Sweden have teamed up with SAS, Radisson and Scandic to create Stockholm – The Musical. Just fill in your name and let Sven, Inga and Mr Meatball welcome you to Stockholm. Go on, try it.

The site also provides a blog with articles on bars, restaurants, clubs, shops and activities in the city.

Home, sweet home

One of the main considerations for us ahead of the move is when to put my apartment on the market. Initially, we had planned on the summer, but then time ran on and now it is summer…

This very useful tool from BRFkredit (Danish only, I’m afraid) provides details about property values in different areas in Denmark (price per square metre (and the consequent value of my apartment), the % change in property prices since the last quarter and the number of properties sold. And, unluckily for me, prices in my area have declined 7% on the last quarter, but I guess that is the way that it goes with the property market. And the most important thing is to sell it before we leave or there will be extra t-a-x [shudder].

DanBolig also has a useful page (also in Danish, sorry!) where you can put in the size of your property and type, location and how much you would like for it and they will let you know how many people are seeking such a place.

Now just comes the simple task of selling the place.

Liveable cities

A special feature in the latest issue of Monocle (the brainchild of Wallpaper* creator, Tyler Brûlé) listed what the magazine sees as the top 20 most ‘liveable’ cities of the world (quality of life), with Copenhagen coming in second. The article about the city was very interesting, especially the quote about the number of Porsches now seen around the city. Also amusing, given the delightful summer weather that Copenhagen is experiencing now, is that one of the criteria they used was hours of sunshine – and Copenhagen still managed the no.2 spot.

The list in full:

1. Münich
2. Copenhagen
3. Zürich
4. Tokyo
5. Vienna
6. Helsinki
7. Sydney
8. Stockholm
9. Honolulu
10. Madrid
11. Melbourne
12. Montreal
13. Barcelona
14. Kyoto
15. Vancouver
16. Auckland
17. Singapore
18. Hamburg
19. Paris
    
20. Geneva

Not sure how much I agree with Copenhagen's high ranking as Monocle states in the accompanying Urban Manifesto that the survey is 50% scientific and 50% subjective, but then I am obviously biased as I am moving from the no.2 city to the no.8.

The whys and wherefores

This move is the opposite of the one that I made to Denmark in a number of ways. Firstly, as I say in my profile, that was made for work and this move is for love. Secondly, the decision to move to Copenhagen was made in split second and the time between that decision and arriving was not that much longer (six weeks, as I remember); this one will be a grand total of 15 months (if all goes to plan and we’re in Stockholm by Christmas). And thirdly, I have a little more idea about the country that I’m headed for this time around, rather than just some idealistic views garnered from work colleagues and Hans Christian Andersen…

The past eight or so months have been spent trying to keep quiet about my big news, and the month after I talked to work about it? Well, that has been spent trying not to worry. Once it was out in the open I started reading more and more websites about moving, particularly ones about moving to Sweden, and that is when I started to get nervous – there are a hell of a lot of statistics out there and not all of them make for positive reading. And that is the thing that does not make sense; this is not the first time that I am moving, so why am I getting myself so worked up about it not working out? Is it the time that I have to think about it, or that the move to here was initially just for six months, whereas this is permanent?

Too much time on my hands, methinks.

Sunny Scandinavia?

To cheer myself up in this rainy weather, and to remind myself just how beautiful it can be here in the summer when the sun is out, I've decided to post a picture of sunny Copenhagen at its best - taken a few years ago, Københavns Rådhus - Copenhagen Town Hall.

What it is all about

I know that there are a number of blogs out there written by those who have moved to Sweden, and so you may be asking "Why add another?". My only answer is that my aim is to offer a slightly different perspective - namely, mine.

I am in the lucky situation that I am not diving straight into the unknown of life in Sweden - six years in Denmark will, I hope, give me a slight headstart on life in Stockholm. I know, I know, Danish and Swedish cultures are quite different, but they are closer to each other than to that of Britain, which means that I have probably already taken the greater step with my move to Denmark.

Our move to Stockholm is planned for year-end, so the posts here for the first six months are likely to be about preparing, packing and panicking - as well as that other great feat: learning Swedish.

So that is my blog 'mission statement' out of the way; now, on with the posting.