The Ukrainian/British/American character.

Ukr. Ch.

Ukrainians are an outgoing people, more genial than their Russian cousins and more fun to hang out with. Russians, it is said, sit, talk, drink, and brood; Ukrainians eat, drink, and sing, and their songs are mostly happy and romantic. Optimistic and undemanding, Ukrainians see the brighter side of life, and have a proverb that explains it all – "Things will sort themselves out somehow".

Kyiv (Kiev) is 375 miles to the south of Moscow and has a warmer and more moderate climate. As "southerners," Ukrainians have a more sunny disposition than Russians, and make friends more easily. When they get to know you, they have a great sense of humor, joke a lot, and laugh at their own troubles.

All this reflects the abundance of a fertile land. More than half of Ukraine's land is arable, and its rich black soil and mild climate have made it the breadbasket of Europe. Bread is a staple of life, and from time immemorial Ukrainians have been known as grain growers. Bread lovers will not be disappointed in the variety and quality, and Americans who have never tasted real bread will be in for a treat.

British ch.

The national character of the English has been described in different ways, but most commentators agree over one quality,which they describe as a sense of superiority or “insular pride”.English patriotism is based on a deep sense of security. Englishmen as individuals may have been insecure, threatened with the loss of their job, unsure of themselves or unhappy in many ways. But as a nation they have been secure for centuries.

The English are a well-disciplined people and it is probably no exaggeration to say that they have the best manners in the world. They are all polite, they all know how to hold their knife and fork and how to behave in society. Besides they are never rude. Coarse expressions are hardly ever used. You may be struck by the fact that life in Britain is less noisy.

The English display a surprising unity in a crisis. They also have a strong sense for public order. The apparent coldness of Englishmen has been almost universally noted by the foreigners. But they also confess that once one gets to know an Englishman better, he turns out to be a very companionable fellow.

The typical feature of the English is their love of games. They love playing all of them. They play football and cricket; games are nowhere so popular as in England. But however childish at their games they are very serious in business.

Amer. Ch.

American society seems to be much more informal than the British and, in some ways, is characterized by less social distinction. Students do not rise when a teacher enters the room. One does not always address a person by his title, such as "Major" or "General" or "Doctor" in the case of a holder of a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The respectful "Sir" is not always used in the northern and western parts of the country.

However, it is best to use a person's title when first meeting him/her, and then allow the person to tell you how he/she wishes to be called.

They use first names when calling each other, slap on the back, joke and are much freer in their speech, which is more slangy than the conventional British English. You will often hear the word "Hi" (a form of greeting among friends) used instead of the usual "Hello," and "Howdy" instead of "How do you do?"

Those who don't easily show these signs of friendship are called "snooty" or "snobbish." In contrast, people who show such simple signs of friendship, particularly to their own economic and social inferiors, are praised as "regular guys," or as "truly democratic." As a description of character, democratic is generally used to signify that a person of high social or economic status acts in such a way that his or her inferiors are not reminded of their inferiority.

16. Travelling and transportation

It is easy to get to Helsingborg. The city is a transport hub with good travel links for cars, buses, trains, ferries and planes. There are commuter trains and buses to several cities and towns and it is close to Copenhagen Airport.

The central station in Helsingborg is called Knutpunkten. From here you can travel by train, city bus, regional coach or ferries. There are several train stations all over the municipality for local or regional journeys. Skånetrafiken is responsible for trains and buses in Helsingborg and throughout the rest of Skåne (Scania).

No cash on buses and trains in Skåne

You cannot purchase tickets onboard Skånetrafiken’s buses and trains. The easiest way to pay is by using a “jojo” card; this is a reduced rate card which you can charge up with any amount you like each time, for instance 200 SEK. You can buy the jojo card at the central station, Knutpunkten.

You can plan your train or bus journey by using the travel planner on Skånetrafiken's website or by calling Skånetrafiken’s customer services on 0771-77 77 77.

Trains

Skånetrafiken's routes connect Helsingborg with different parts of Skåne, as well as Denmark. There are trains to Lund, Malmö and Copenhagen in the south, but also to Ängelholm and Gothenburg in the north. There are also several daily trains to Kristianstad.

Ferries

There are ferries to Helsingör (Elsinore) several times an hour. The companies Scandlines, Sundsbussarna and HH-ferries will take you acrosss the sound.

Planes

Ängelholm Helsingborg’s airport is located 35 kilometres north of Helsingborg. The airport is operated by SAS and Kullaflyg.Bergkvarabuss operates the airport bus to Ängelholm Helsingborg Airport.

Copenhagen Airport is just a one-hour train ride away, across the Øresund Bridge. You can find the timetable at Skånetrafiken's travel planner.

City buses

In Helsingborg there is an extensive and efficient city bus service. Go to Skånetrafiken.se to see how often the different buses operate around the city.

Regional coaches and express buses

Regional coaches operate between Helsingborg and many different towns. There are several routes.

There are several different companies operating routes from Helsingborg to other cities in Sweden, for instance to Gothenburg.Swebus Express and Go by Bus leave from Knutpunkten.

Parking

The closer you park to the city centre the more expensive it will be.

On the city’s parking map you can find municipal parking spaces and parking meters that are operated by the City of Helsingborg. By clicking on each symbol you will find out how much the parking costs per hour and for how long you can park there. Other parking lots and multi-storey car parks which are operated by private companies are not shown on the parking map. Parking places that are free of charge are not included either.

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 2874