vacation edition SWEDEN 🇸🇪 | July 17, 2024

WHERE TO NEXT?

Dear Traveler,

Stepping out of the Boston airport felt like walking in a sauna. But nothing like the Norwegian and Swedish saunas of last week.

I’m missing Scandinavia weather already!

Since we’ve been home, I’ve taken Tigger on many hikes and mountain bike rides and much of it I spend reminiscing about the memories of our two weeks in Northern Europe.

Our last stop was Sweden and it was everything I hoped for – except some challenging weather conditions that impacted our trip.

Creating a Plan A before traveling – a well thought out itinerary with all logistics handled, ideal accommodations selected and cool experiences – is an essential part of what I do. But sometimes you need a Plan B. In this case we had one and used it.

But sometimes also you need a Plan C.

The finale of our trip, the pièce de résistance, was a tiny island off a remote coast of Sweden.

When I first heard about it I knew we must go.

This was about 8 months ago when I’d planned the Norway and Copenhagen parts of our trip, but luckily hadn’t booked our flights. “Easy” to add on one more destination.

But this is not a destination for everyone.

The set up is unusual, the logistics can be challenging and the weather is very variable.

And we loved it all.

Two days before we left Copenhagen I’d received notice that our arrival on the island was in jeopardy, “We regret to inform you that we received bad news today of a technical issue with the helicopter, which means we have to cancel your booking. As a result, your travel itinerary will be changed to a RIB boat ride.”

A day later…

“Sunday morning looks rather windy right now so it might be the case that we will have to postpone the RIB boat until 16:00.” (it was supposed to be 11a)

I have never been to this remote area of Sweden, so I relied on my contact at our accommodation for guidance. I traded WhatsApp messages with him to create a plan for what to do with our extra downtime (after a 5:15a departure from Copenhagen we weren’t looking to be too ambitious).

He nicely booked us in the day spa at a local hotel on the mainland. We soaked in hut tubs, read books and sweated it out in the sauna floating above the natural cold plunge – the sea. We also had an upfront view of the windy conditions.

I solicited lunch ideas that college kids would enjoy from the young woman who worked at the spa and decided a fun, trendy restaurant on a close by island.

Since it was Sunday, it wasn’t nearly as vibey as it would have been Friday or Saturday night. But we had an enjoyable lunch, played cards and then hiked up to a 300 year old fortress.

Our new departure time was postponed again. Now 5pm. At 4:20p we hopped the ferry back, collected our luggage and met up with our captain 6 hours after our original departure time.

Our captain, Johann, explained, “Today we’re not taking our boat, we’re actually taking a boat the Coast Guard uses for rescues. It’s even more stable than ours and if for any reason it tips over, it automatically rights itself.”

Hmmm. Comforting?

I guess that made me feel a little bit good.

“We are going to head north and then turn west for a direct entrance to our harbor. If the seas are too rough, I may slow down and wait for a bit. But don’t worry. We’ll get there safely.”

Hmmmm.

But Johann is an expert and we trusted him.

Everyone suited up in dry suits, because it wasn’t a question of if we’d get wet, but how wet we would get.

We were joined by a delightful couple from Finland, two Argentinian chefs with restaurants in London and Paris, who the owner had befriended and invited to come to the island as special guests, and one of the owners.

The wind was strong, the seas were rough and we were on our way towards the horizon.

It was a wild ride! Like a bucking bronco in the sea. There were screams, we jumped fast approaching waves that sometimes had a big drop off after the crest, and other times were followed by a high trough, which was a welcome respite.

Click on the photo below to see part of the ride (I couldn’t take my phone out to video during the really rough parts).

Johann took a straight shot into the harbor and like that, it was over.

We shared much appreciation as we lifted ourselves onto land.

Despite the description above – the day was absolutely spectacular. Blue skies and warm weather. We had a tour of the island, our temporary home. You can see the drone footage Trevor captured of me at the top of the lighthouse here…

The reading cottage, formerly the powder storage, with the massive picture window looking out at the sea was Jessie’s favorite. She can curl up with a good book on a comfy couch anywhere.

The only thing missing – rain (don’t worry that comes tomorrow).

We climbed up the lighthouse steps, we sweated it out in the sauna, we admired the preservation of the old buildings and we heard stories about the island’s notable history.

Then at 8pm (nowhere near sunset) in the former food cellar, we had a Champagne toast with the owner’s handpicked favorite – Yann Alexandre.

Our dinner began with a trio of seaweed – locally harvested just offshore by the chef, followed by steaming mussels in a broth we soaked up with fresh bread.

The main dish – no surprise – seafood. Langostinos, crab, shrimp. A massive platterful.

Trevor’s expression – contemplation. Where to begin?

The server taught us how to open the crabs the old fashioned way – with rocks from the island. Trevor excelled and I took advantage of his skill.

“8 minutes until sunset!” one server announced this just as I was shelling another shrimp. “If you want to see it from the lighthouse, you should go now.”

Off we went!

PS it is not easy to climb 147 steps after a glass of wine and champagne and quite a full belly of seafood.

But we were motivated!

We made it to the top and the colors were beautiful.

The sunset lasts a long time when you are this far north. So we probably could have taken our time.

With full hearts from the beauty of the evening from this special vantage point 100+ feet high, we descended the steps to finish dinner and enjoy desert.

After a restful night’s sleep (thank you blackout blinds) I did 3 “laps” up the lighthouse stairs for some exercise so I’d finish just when coffee was served at 8am.

The chef’s rolls were light and chewy. The biscuits soft in the middle with a crispy outer layer. Some of the best I’ve ever had.

Today’s weather was darker – the clouds covered the sky.

Trevor pulled up the crab pots and discovered a crab.

He and Jason fished from shore.

Jessie went in the sauna.

I watched Diego make crab empanadas and read in the main house.

We watched the seagulls protect their babies from anyone who accidentally approached.

It was leisurely and fun.

Until…

Jessie and I were in the cozy reading cottage and as we were about to head back to the main house, a downpour started. Serious rain and blustery wind.

I opened the door for a peak and the winds blew it wide open. I had to go out in the rain to get it shut. We laughed so hard at our misfortune.

We didn’t anticipate this quick change in weather (note: in Northern Europe you should always plan for the weather to change), so we hadn’t brought one of the many raingear outfits hanging in various rooms around the property.

We waited it out for a while and once it slowed to a light rain we ran for it.

Minutes later the rain stopped. Trevor brought out his drone and with approval began flying it around the island. Truly a birds’ eye view.

After lunch Jessie and I lounged in the hot tub while the raindrops landed on us (the rain had returned).

The owner invited Jason, Trevor and the Finnish couple out on the boat to go fishing. The seas were drastically different than the day before.

A massive success!

We said our goodbyes, coupled with some strong hugs and hopped in the regular RIB boat for the return trip.

Today’s ride would be smooth sailing.

We didn’t even wear dry suits.

Really? What fun is that?

As we departed the island we all felt grateful to have enjoyed this brief time in paradise.

So many memories in such a short stay.

On this trip we were in just a tiny bit of Sweden, but there is so much more to to the country!

hiking
fishing
kayaking
sailing
remote mountain restaurants and Michelin star feasts
boating the archipelagos
cozy pubs
Swedish spas
remote lodges

And visiting Stockholm. There is so much to do!

The Vasa Museum (one of my top favorite museums in the world)
Nobel Peace Prize Museum
Royal Palace and Armory
Artipelag Gallery – created by Björn Jakobson, founder of BabyBjörn – we were lucky enough to meet him on our visit
The Grand Hotel Stockholm, one of my all time favorite palace hotels with the most beautiful (and vast) breakfasts!
Wander around Södermalm, the funky and bohemian neighborhood – full of cafes and shops

Last week’s most popular article was GQ’s The 8 Resorts to Add to the Top of Your Bucket List.

This week’s inspirational articles include a sweet article “In 56 years of marriage, here’s what I learned about love and adventure,” the 11 most beautiful pools in Italy, biking through Burgundy, Fiji vs Bali, 11 best places to visit in Sweden (perfect for this week’s newsletter), Uruguay’s Punta del Este (if you’ve been “everywhere” this is a great place to put on your list!) and 11 European trips everyone should add to their bucket list.

What is up with the number 11 this week?

The informational articles include the secret way to bypass security lines at Europe’s busiest airports, 18 little things to cool you down on a hot vacation (timely! Not on this list, but one of my personal favorites – the Spanish/European habit of bringing a hand fan) and road tripping to Nova Scotia (where one of my favorite hotels is).

What a Sunday for Spain! Alcaraz was the clear winner at Wimbledon followed by Spain’s win over England in the Eurocopa. Now we are watching the Tour de France and are looking forward to the Olympics. Let’s you and I plan more trips around sporting events!

Enjoy summer!

Warmly,