Well, that's not entirely true, you just have to be a bit particular about when and how to start the conversation.

Things I find work most of the time in Sweden to get started is complaining about something mutually bothersome, annoying or scary that you don't have any power over, things like:

- A third party being rude. So if you notice that someone gets annoyed by someone else you can huff and puff a little over that.

- the weather, obviously and often!

- if someone hurts themselves or trips (doesn't have to be as big an injury as in the article)

- children are great conversation starters, regardless if they are cute, loud, awake, still or whatever. And this is one of the few positive topics that work.

The trick is also to not keep talking about the annoying thing, because that is quite boring!

If you get more courageous you can also just ask about a place, piece of public art or even the way to some random thing, in my experience (a whole life) swedes are very helpful :)

My favourite question is to ask people who clearly hope to see me go away about the names of places, I don't know why that topic works so well to tear walls down, but it does.