Ever dreamt you could sail into the Northern Lights… well, in eight years in the Aurora Borealis capital of Scotland I never once saw the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen
Many delights though, The Northern Bar, St Machar, Red Lion (Beastie), Blue Lamp (Lampie), Hotel Metro (‘we won’t go there) and countless others.
Begin the Bergen: Norwegian gem
But I’ll have to take Mary Webb’s word for it and her knowledge of the fishing port/pre-oil city of the Fifties.
Like the heroine of Mary’s song I too have been a traveller all of my years.
And we’ve all gripped the armrest on that coach, taxi or uber in the European roads that lead to ruin but what about the countries where all roads lead to roam.
But it might surprise you which are the safest and which are the most dangerous.
With Norway and the Nordic countries (Sweden second and Denmark fourth) coming out tops.
And don’t they always?
Norway leads the way in Europe when it comes to electric vehicle charges.
It’s just the walking that trips me up in the fjords or was that a shape-shifting troll?
Norwegians could
Off the beaten track: In Norwegian fjords
Our survey today, from Vignetteswitzerland.com, analysed the latest data from the European Transport Safety Council.
To see which countries had the highest road deaths per million inhabitants.
Norway is statistically the safest country to drive in in Europe.
With 2022 showing that the country only had 21.38 deaths per million inhabitants, the lowest of any European country.
Compared to 2012 data, this is a 26.48% drop from across the decade, with 2012 having 29.08 deaths per million inhabitants.
No sweat in Sweden
That way: Sweden
Sweden comes second on the list of safest countries, with just 21.72 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Compared to 2012 data, this is a drop of 27.74% from when the country had 30.05 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Coming in third place is the United Kingdom, which comes in with 25.89 road deaths per million inhabitants.
The change in road deaths is less significant than other entries on the list.
With a drop of just 9.51% from 2012, where road deaths sat at 28.61 per million inhabitants.
Denmark takes fourth place, with 26.22 road deaths per million inhabitants in the 2022 data.
A 12.38% drop from 2012 when the country had 29.93 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Swiss like clockwork
Snow bother: In the Swiss Alps
Rounding out the top five is Switzerland, which comes in with 27.58 road deaths per million inhabitants.
A 35.29% drop from the 2012 data, the most of the top ten safest countries, with 42.62 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Now the best ways to get around Switzerland, of course, are on a pair of skis, by foot or by train.
Or why not all three?
We’ll save the countries where the driving is out of control.
Eyes on the road
Fur play: That’s the way to drive
Suffice to say the top five are Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Portugal.
Mind you, I’d say that the most hazardous country is anywhere I’m driving.
And don’t even let me on the other side of the road… which is exactly what mes amis in the French Riviera decided.
Wheely? In France
Instead take the load off and let someone else behind the steering wheel.
Now the scientists helpfully tell us that ice bathing is reviving.
‘Among ice bathers, higher levels of several protective factors in the blood have been measured, factors that protect against infections, and this corresponds to the fact that ice bathers have a few respiratory infections than others,’ says Arctic University of Norway boffin Prof Maja-Lisa Lochen.
Although we admit we take further precautions than these hardy pensioners by getting dressed up as teletubbies for our stint in Val D’Isere.
The Voss boss
All you need is glove: Wrap up well
Now we’ll leave the last word to Voss boss Marit who recommends…
Not to dip your head and hands in and use a hat and gloves and water shoes.
And not to jump or dive in, especially if you are a senior citizen.
And never to ice bathe alone.
Our version: In Val D’Isere
Not least because you need the company as Marit admits.
‘When you get in, you should breathe deeply four times, don’t rush, and feel that the body adapts.
‘We try to stay calm and not talk too much when we are in the water, although it’s difficult when there are so many of who love to chat!’
Norway, it’s the return of the Cold Dears… but we say, Yes Way.
I mean you know your safe when you can take off all your clothes and sweat it out together in a sauna together.
Hello from the Low Countries
Can I be trusted on a bike? In Amsterdam
Where the crime rates are low and the approval ratings are always high.
In Luxembourg where despite its miniature size you’ll feel free as a bird surrounded by forests, gorges and the Moselle river valley.
Or the liberal Netherlands where they stay cool, cycling along canals, eating crepes or getting high in brown cafes.
A hundred thousand welcomes
With queen of Spain Teresa, Eoghan Corry and Sharon Jordan in Dublin
And it would surprise absolutely nobody to see Ireland up there as one of the safest countries in Europe.
Where you can still stop and talk to strangers in the streets of its capital Dublin and get the craic.
While out in the country, often called Real Ireland, and certainly my Dear Old Mum’s heartland of Co. Donegal there’s always a welcome in the hillside.
And quirkily where there is no rail service, getting about requires a lift from Maura.
And she’ll drop you off at Seamus’s who will take you as far as Breid who is going your way.
And so Switzerland is as safe as chalets and across Europe too.
And for the fourth year running it’s the happiest place in the world, it’s a No1 Finnday Funday.
So what do we put Finland’s joy down to… all those icy dips and saunas?
Well, yes, according to the Finns themselves who credit their love of nature.
He’s started so he’ll Finnish
Roll in it: Finland
Heli Jimenez, of Business Finland, explained: ‘We appreciate the small things in our daily lives.
‘Such as sitting quietly on a bench and staring at the empty lake after a relaxing sauna session or taking a morning dip in the sea before starting the working day.’
If you now live in the frozen north of Britain, or Scotland as it’s sometimes called, then it’s a victory for chilly places.
Cry freedom
Happiest place on earth: Paula in Orlando
The UN World Happiness Report looks at perceived freedom, honesty, welfare, good health and generosity.
And a trust in their leaders which has been reciprocated over Covid with that ‘helping to protect lives and livelihoods during the pandemic.’
Now we’re all of us ambassadors for our countries when we live abroad.
And among my most treasured possessions is the Pleasure To Work With Award that hangs proudly on my wall.
There’s a moose loose aboot this hoose – Lord Rockingham’s XI
Now what has ‘Hoots Mon’, a UK No.1 from 1958 to do with the price of Irn-Bru?
Only that the moose is considered a measure of distance in northern Sweden.
Which we’re all looking at enviously because there’s no lockdown there.
In the region of Norbotten locals are warned to stay ‘one moose length’ away from each other.
Check out the lights. Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Pexels.com
While in the rest of the country they’re still eating meatballs, smorgasbords and pickled herrings and highly-priced beer in bars and restaurants.
All the time following Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s guidance to keep social distance.
The Swedish hinterland
So what is it that Sweden is doing right?
Well, in a nutshell, they believe it is not sustainable to keep its people in open-ended lockdown.
A night out in Sweden
And that they are prepared to accept certain restrictions on movement and interaction over a prolonged period.
Rather than to take the pain today for jam tomorrow.
She and her fellow Swedish politicians recommended this on internal travel at Easter.
The government exhorted Swedes not to travel to their summer cottages or relatives but did not ban them from doing so.
Which was 90 per cent lower than in previous years.
The Abba Museum
All of which progress and good husbandry focuses our attentions rightly on Sweden…
And talking about husbandry I’m reminded of what a good husband I would have been to Agnetha Faltstog, my first love.
Alas her husband Bjorn Ulvaeus was on the scene… and I was only 11.
ABBA’s Greatest Hits was the first album I ever bought.
And it was my love of Abba that got me innocently into trouble in my Jesuit Catholic all-boys school when I brought copies in of The Sun newspaper.
The ABBA Story
All because they were serialising The ABBA Story… I even used my lunch money to pay for the newspapers.
Easy ahopping
However my teacher suspected that I was ogling the bare-breasted Page 3 girls instead. All of which landed me with a belting.
I will continue to make it one of my life’s missions to track down Agnetha in her retreat.
And the best starting point is to actually get out to Sweden.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines http://www.flysas.com is your best bet, and they fly out of Dublin, and in the UK from London, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.
Brazil to Argentina: Another that bridges two South American rivals… and is better known as the Fraternity Bridge.
Crossing the Iguassu River it stretched 1604ft and was opened in 1985.
And was inspired by the construction of the Friendship Bridge between Brazil https://www.visitbrasil.com and Paraguay in 1965.
And back to an Ireland-Scotland bridge, don’t tell Stena https://www.stenaline.co.uk, a Swedish firm remember, who are my bridge between my two countries.
