On June 19th I celebrated my first Swedish Midsommar! I danced like a frog around a flower covered pole, drank 6 shots of schnapps and ate enough pickled herring to feed a small viking family. In Sweden, Midsommar is arguably the most celebrated day of the year and understandably so. It marks the summer solstice and the longest […]
The Best Waffle In Sweden & How To Make Your Own
It’s so symmetrical, so golden, and so perfectly complimented by cloud berries and homemade vanilla ice cream that I can’t help but stare in admiration, gratitude and lust. I hover closer, still in awe, when suddenly a warm waft of fried butter, dough, and powdered sugar shatters my stupor. My fork forcefully descends. It cuts off an infant sized piece of […]
You Know You’re In Sweden When…
After spending any amount of time in Sweden, you realize that all the stereotypes you ever heard are true. It’s a country full of ridiculously beautiful blondes, masterfully made moose meatballs and functioning alcoholics. It’s colder and darker in the winter than your miserable outlook on life after trying to assemble an Ikea bed. And […]
How To Live In Sweden For Cheap
At 8 pm the sun shines powerfully about 30 degrees above the horizon. It’s warm glow caresses your skin and you can’t believe it’s still so strong. At 9 pm horizontal rays engulf dense pine forests and radiate over green meadows. The land is painted a golden and mystic dusk. At 10 pm, and for the next hour, time is forgotten as the […]
How To Get A Visa For Europe
One of the most impressive accomplishments of the EU is relative freedom of movement among member states. This is known as the Schengen Zone, and it includes a few non-EU countries as well. Within Schengen, US, CA & AU citizens, as well as many others, do not require a tourist visa to enter or travel around. Although […]
10 Things We Can Learn From The Happiest People In The World
Scandinavia is located as North as Alaska. It’s cold, dark, damp, and dreary for nearly 9 months out of the year. And when summer does come, it is often plagued by overcast skies and drizzle. Yet somehow, year after year, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, rank highest in GNH or gross national happiness. Since it can’t […]
Big News: Summer In Sweden!
I am writing to you now from train 58. A Stockholm bound train that has just departed from Kongsvinger, Norway. Through the flat screen window on my left, a typical Scandinavian summer scene soars by. A wide river helps us carve a path through the dense spruce and pine forests that seem to cover every […]
