I can't believe I've never mentioned this before. Perhaps it's because taking your shoes off indoors is such a regular part of life in Sweden that I don't even notice it anymore unless it happens in some unexpected setting, such as it did last Friday. It's so regular, and so famously un-American, apparently, that The Swede's folks wanted him to remind me to take my shoes off when I arrived at their home to meet them for the first time. So anyway, Friday. We went into the city to sign the papers on our new home. The real estate agent's office is on Sveavägen, probably the biggest commercial street in Sweden, in an area where one would expect that the shoes would make the outfit. We're talking Stockholm, not Rome, I know, but fashion matters here. Curious, then, that we were greeted with a sign asking us to take our shoes off just inside the entrance to the realtor's office. If I had known, I surely would have matched my socks to the rest of my ensemble. And I definitely wouldn't have worn my prized Christmas present - those gorgeous Ugg boots you see there - which I dreamed for the next couple of nights that someone stole Carrie Bradshaw-style while we were inside buying our home.
So I want to know, do people bring slippers everywhere? I hate cold feet! What about the poor people with foot odor? This is a very interesting custom...
ReplyDeleteI was totally thinking about the episode in SATC!
ReplyDeleteI think, Leslie, since it's hardly ever sandal weather here, people are usually wearing socks so they don't need slippers. Foot odor is tricky, though. I guess I haven't thought about it much since I was blessed with feet that smell like a summertime rose garden.
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