Örebro...

So we've lived here for nearly 3 months and I've told you about the locals, the shopping, basketball, and numerous other things, but I haven't discussed much about the overall city and it's history! So it here it goes...

Orebro is a beautiful city said to be in the "heart" of Sweden, however it's more southern Sweden if you ask me!  It has a population of nearly 140,000, making it the 7th largest city in all of Sweden.  It is said that there are immigrants living here from over 150 countries, making up about 16% of the population.  I guess this is why the English language is so well known, gotta stay universal!  It has a great location, being about 2.5 hours from Stockholm (Sweden's Capital) and about 3.5 hours from Gothenburg and Oslo.

It is a very laid back city.  The people are VERY family orriented.  The work/home balance in very important here, something I wish us Americans could learn more about.  During the day they take breaks to enjoy one another over "fika" which is a time when people come together for coffee or tea and a sweet of some sort.  This break is in addition to the normal breaks and lunch. Must be nice! Stores open kinda late in the morning and close early.  During the weekends they open between 10-11am and close at 4pm so employees can go home and enjoy their families.  Most cafes and small stores are completely closed on Sundays.  If someone has to work before 6am or after 6pm during the week, or on a Saturday after noon, they get paid time and a half. If they have to work at any time on Sunday or holiday they get paid DOUBLE pay. And this is everywhere, whether the establishment wants to pay it or not.

It is known as the "Town of Cycling" in Sweden.  I can certainly see why.  Here, cyclyists have the right-away, get out of their way cause they surely won't be getting out of yours.  You see more people riding bikes and walking than driving cars.  So take a in a deep breath of fresh air, it's CLEAN!

There are a few tourist attractions, the largest being the Castle.  With Orebro being nearly 700 years old, this Castle has been around for awhile.  You can tour inside a portion and even have lunch in the cafe.  A wing however is unavailable to public viewing because a person we'd call the "Mayor" back home lives there.  It's a beautiful landmark, and we enjoy seeing it everyday on our walks.

The weather is quite cold.  Between November and March the highs don't go above 40 degrees, and that is on a good day.  It's dark and gloomy, with the sun disappearing in mid summer. During the winter the sun rises around 8:30am and sets close to 4:00pm.  Certainly took time to adjust to so few hours of daylight.  The summer hits it peak in July and August with a high of 72 degrees.  I've heard that this is a beautiful time to see the city because it is so green!  How could it not be with all the snow and rain.  However, if you visit in the summer you better learn how to sleep with the sun up.  The sun rises close to 3:30am and sets a little after 10pm! So you only get 5 hours of dark.  Weird, right?

Once we got used to the city and lifestyle here, we really started to enjoy it.  It's been a lot of fun and has taught us a lot.  Although it's not even close to a third world country by any means, it's taught us to appreciate the luxuries of home!