Gritty Gothenburgers take snow in their stride

This has been the snowiest winter for Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, since 1987. It normally doesn't get much snow with being on the West of the country, just lots of rain. But the snow couldn't catch them out; they still they did a super job of snowploughing and gritting roads and main thoroughways. (Salt is ineffective at temperatures below -4C, which is what we had there last weekend.)

And for the pavements, they wait for life to quieten down in the evenings, then send someone up and down in a Suzuki Jeep with a mini snow plough on the front.

In fact, we saw a motley collection of vehicles being used from a mini JCB to the full Council liveried jobs; clearly they contract out some of the work, and why not. Farmers can't do much farming in temperatures of -14C, so this type of work is useful to society and keeps the wolf from the door.

There were people pressure-hosing tram points, no doubt with anti-freeze similar to what they spray planes' wings with before take-off. Magic.

People went about their business, taking the snow-over-ice layered conditions in their stride, including the many 70 and 80 year olds we saw zipping around. (One on two sticks who still took the tram to go shopping.) We also admired the bin men who were going about their duty, but I took my hat off, figuratively speaking only you understand, to the people who still cycled around on their trusty bikes, including the Postie with panniers. Now that is the right stuff...in the white stuff:-)