The main task of the day was catching the train from Sundbyberg to Arboga so that we might spend Christmas with my partner’s family. It’s a fairly short slippery walk to the train station, enjoying the crisp crunch of gravel and ice. We did make a quick stop into a drug store to grab some allergy medicine that I had forgotten to pack and my … Continue reading A Train to the Countryside

There is a tradition in Sweden of a julbord, or a Christmas table, where all the traditional Christmas foods are laid out and eaten in a gastronomic display of elegance and fortitude that can test the mettle of any person. For our trial by taste, my partner had selected two restaurants. The first was meant to be at Fjäderholmarnas krog, located on the closest island … Continue reading A Grand Christmas Table

Having forsaken an alarm clock at the start of this adventure, I remember being woken up by my partner trying to make conversation with me but I did not stay awake for long. Later on I was more forcefully awakened by the ultimatum that we needed to leave in 45 minutes to meet up with our friend as we planned. I’d slept entirely through the … Continue reading Winter Walks

My partner woke me up at 7:40 with the unpleasant news that they had noticed a booking number in the most recent Icelandair email that came in yesterday. It seemed that the closest day we could be rebooked to fly to Sweden is the 24th! A full 2 days more of waiting and fully destroying any and all of the carefully laid plans that had … Continue reading Carpe Diem

After the grueling experiences of the previous day, we elected to stay in bed basically all day. We slept in so late that we missed breakfast so I walked to Sandholt to procure some sandwiches but otherwise we hung out, took showers, napped, and listened to the wind howl outside. In the evening we met up again with our American friends, having dinner at Public … Continue reading Rest and Recover

The day began early, 3am alarm to be ready for a 4 am pick up. Not that it was needed as we were both already awake, unable to truly sleep with the looming travel day ahead. Still we rolled out of bed, dressed in our previously selected clothing, and headed out. Bizarrely, as we approached the elevator I saw a familiar face looking at me … Continue reading “We have already been 4.5 hours on this…lovely bus”

Just before noon we set out to catch a bus to the Blue Lagoon. Bus stop 6. Waiting in the cold was the worst part as, although the instructions told passengers to arrive 30 minutes early, the bus arrived 10 minutes late. Still the promise of being warmed by the thermal pools kept us all hopeful and pleasant conversation passed between passengers, many from the … Continue reading The Blue Lagoon

The following morning we awoke, myself gradually, my partner fitfully. They are generally a lighter sleeper than I so by the time I was waking up for good, they had been mostly awake for several hours. Our hotel offered a continental breakfast so we decided to try it out, hopeful that it would follow the Scandinavian tradition we had come to expect in Nordic countries. … Continue reading A Sunny Sunday

It is hard to believe that it has been more than a year since we have travelled internationally. There was a move, a new job, multiple life changes and yet all within the United States. I mean, we took a small trip to Canada but that’s not all so different, really. More tea. But Iceland, now, that’s an adventure. Typically the bleary eyed stop in … Continue reading Cold as Ice

The weekend was upon us and I was excited to be able to explore with my fiancé, who had to work during week days. We had chatted about visiting Haga park, a large park where the crown Princess has her residence, and the Butterfly House on its grounds. Although the weather was partly cloudy we decided that is was our best chance to visit. Ideally, … Continue reading Northern Summer: Haga Park and the Butterfly House