Re: carpets and shoes worn indoors...
Wall-to-wall carpets are a burden and a requirement for me. I have a chronic pain condition, so it literally hurts for me to walk on hardwood floors, but I also always feel like I have to vacuum constantly with carpets! With wood floors you can just sweep. Also, I always take my shoes off at the door, but no one else I know ever does. It's a pain whenever someone comes to visit me. Even my Chinese friend never takes her shoes off! Again, then I feel a compulsive need to clean!
I didn't know that there weren't wall-to-wall carpets in Sweden, so I guess that's something new I learned today! Oh, and I can't really speak about restaurants because I rarely eat out -- seriously, I would do so much better if I lived in Europe. The only restaurant food I ever eat is Chinese, which I usually order to take home.
I do love my walk-in closets, though.