I had never been on such an empty flight in my whole life.  I got on the plane from Chicago to London, and I couldn’t believe it. I had one entire side of the airplane to myself.  On the other side, there was a Swedish family, and one American who was going to visit his girlfriend in Sweden. I think there were a few people in business class (why didn’t they upgrade me?).  But I had at least 30 rows to myself on this United flight. Needless to say, I slept fine, comfortably stretched out.  The first flight from SFO to Chicago was about half full.  Everyone wore masks. Then for the 5-hour wait at London Heathrow, I was surprised to hear mostly Swedish at the airport. It seemed that mostly Swedes are traveling. There were no restaurants open, just the newspaper shop and one pharmacy. This was traveling at its best; no lines for security.  But also, no one took my temperature, and there were no questions about whether I had been exposed to the virus. Eventually I got to the gate for the SAS flight to Stockholm.  That’s were all the people were. This flight was completely full with every seat was taken. I suffered on that flight in a middle seat, and with jet lag I fell asleep with my head leaning on the seat in front of me.  Again, everyone wore masks. If I were to get the virus, it would be on this flight. But I had been tested the day before I left, and I was careful throughout the trip.

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Sweden seems like a different planet. The stores are open, restaurants are open. Nobody wears masks. Traffic is busy and people take the subways. The shopping malls are crowded.  It is like going back to the times before the coronavirus, and it is refreshing. It is nice to not have people avoid me while I am walking on the sidewalk. It is so confusing, because there is a lot of misinformation out there about COVID-19, and it is hard to know whom to believe. As someone who studies the ecology of disease, I know that this virus can be dangerous, but I also know that most people don’t have it. This virus brings up a lot of strong feelings.  It has gotten tied up with politics and with economics. There is a lot of fear, and there is tragedy. I know friends here who have had the coronavirus: some who got sick, and others who didn’t. Sweden has taken a different route, but it is a route that basically would become inevitable for most countries. The reality is that shutting down society indefinitely is nearly impossible. Here people are cautious, and many people stay home, but it is not a requirement.  Sweden is a country known to take care of its citizens, and Swedes are now so surprised that they have gotten such a bad reputation. They can’t even travel to Norway or Denmark. My mind is not entirely clear on how this is unfolding, but at this particular time, I am proud to be a Swede.

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There are no summer performances, and movie theaters are closed. No concerts, but museums are open, and free. Buses are free, because we enter through the back, so there is no place to pay. Few people are on the buses anyway. This summer has been super warm, and the beaches in Stockholm are full with people swimming in the enticing clean water. Gyms are open, and I got my haircut as soon as I arrived. When I wear a mask in the supermarket, people avoid me, because they think I probably have the virus. The days are long and it never gets dark. But bars are mostly empty, and there were no big Midsommar parties.

The Apple store was the only place that required masks, which they provide.  It is an American experience, and they take your temperature before entering. But then the store is in a mall in Täby (suburb of Stockholm), and clearly you have to enter the Apple store from the mall, where no masks are required.  It seems illogical, as do so many things these days. Anders Tegnell is the state epidemiologist, and he is rational and informed, and in Sweden, more or less, people trust the government. So, Stockholm is not “normal”, but it is certainly more normal than anywhere else.

I have explored new areas in Stockholm. Right near our home is Stora Skuggan, which is a huge park that feels like being out in the countryside. I like to run there. Brunnsviken is the nearest place to swim, and the water has been so warm. I visit friends, and we have picnics in the sun, and swim. I had a rash on my arm, so I dropped into the doctor’s office, and she prescribed me a cream that I could pick up at any pharmacy in the whole country. Everything is coordinated in the system. There are very few unhoused people here. I am attaching a photo taken a few weeks ago of where I used to live in the Mission in San Francisco, as compared to where I live in Stockholm. And San Francisco is one of the richest cities in the world; something is dreadfully wrong. Sweden now has a population of about 30% immigrants. It is diverse, and it seems to work.

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A little art diversion: Milles Gården was exhibiting works of Toulouse-Lautrec and his contemporaries. Then in Djurgården, they’ve displayed the sculptures of Alice Aycock, looking like giant white metallic innerworkings of clocks. I eat lots of fresh Swedish strawberries and salads, and got takeaway from one of the better Thai restaurants. The truth is that stress levels are much lower in Sweden than the USA these days and I am hoping that the recent crises bring about big changes in America. It really is time.