PRESENTING VÄSTERÅS

SUSANA SALVADOR


- Tell us something about yourself:
I was born and raised in Västerås, but now I am on my way to Spain, to finish my studies in linguistics.

- Considering your name, you have Spanish ancestors?
Yes, my mother is from Spain. I have been there quite a lot, too, during vacations. I even lived there on my own for some time.

- What makes it nice to be living in Västerås?
Summertime. To be able to sit in the grass, but that is the same in all of Sweden. But I enjoy the greenness here, after having seen what it looks like in Spain. Djäkneberget is a nice place - I have drunk some beers there throughout the years.
I think that Västerås is a good place to have children in. It isn't so much stress as in a bigger city. It is cycle-friendly, easy to get anywhere, you could place your kid on the bicycle, don't have to take the subway....

- What is bad about Västerås?
The small-town-mentality. If you listen to people talking to each other downtown - that is almost a degradation of those not being there. It isn't any good either, that everybody abandons the centre in the evening. "Do your work and go home" is the maxime here. At five, half past five, it is already empty in the centre. And then there is a very narrow cultural life, in the cinema there are only the same old Hollywoodmovies, there are no alternatives.

- Which advice would you give to a tourist in Västerås?
About what to see? Oh, I am not good at that. I ususally get to know a new place by wandering around, exploring it. But: the castle, the harbour, Djäkneberget again... The library is very good. There are a lot of small galleries as well, but this isn't typical for Västerås only. If you have got a car, you can take a ride to Tidö slott.

- Any other points of view about Västerås?
It is stupid to have different fees on the bus, depending on what time you take it. You never know how much the fare is. Ban the cars in the city and lower the bus-fees. At some bus-stops downtown they have taken away the sign, telling which bus-numbers pass there. That isn't any good for strangers. Heat the benches at the bus-stops, as they do in Luleå, so you can use them in winter as well. And it was a good thing that cars were not allowed in the centre.

- Why do you want to live in Västerås?
Well, I don't. I am on my way out of here. I can't stand the narrow-mindedness. But my parents live here....



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