Exploring Sweden

Dear Diary,

Sweden has a unique and gorgeous landscape that must be experienced to be believed.

On this trip, we distanced ourselves from the country's major cities. Stockholm is on our "someday" list of places to travel to, of course - but we were looking for a slow down.

Sweden's countryside and smaller towns served us with the relaxation we needed, and it was a fitting close to our busy summer of lacrosse tournaments and sporting events.

You're surrounded by towering pine trees.

In fact, I felt like I was walking through a living scene of Frozen, which I'm certain I've commented on the blog before, as the environment felt like such a fantasy.

At any given moment the boulders would awaken, and we'd break out into song.

I confess to feeling slight reminders of Minnesota wherever I turned. A happy sunflower, the lush greenery - I cannot deny the connection, and wonder if perhaps it is the reason why Scandinavians chose to resettle in Minnesota at the height of immigration to the States over a century ago.

Inlets of the Baltic Sea

Roadtrip Across The Country

(This roadside scene reminded me of the 7 Sisters in San Francisco due to the symmetry. I admit to preferring the simplicity of Swedish homesteads.)

Petrol Stations in Sweden 

E-95 Petrol cost 15.92kr per liter, and with the conversion rate of 9.1 kroner = $1, it cost about $60 to fill our tank.

Getting There

Our journey to Scandinavia began in Minneapolis where we boarded a direct flight to Amsterdam (7.5 hours), then a quick connection flight to Copenhagen (approximately 1 hour) before hopping a train to Lund, Sweden. There, we rented a Volvo SUV to complete our travels to Påryd, Sweden.

Our B&B accommodations were quite comfortable and welcome following a long day of travel. 

We had some jet lag to contend with during the first couple of days, which is typical.

 (I now want an old cast iron stove.)

Related Posts from our 2016 Sweden trip: Sunset View from 18D // Scenes of Sweden // Midsummer Celebrations // A Walk Through Swedish Pines

After a restful night's sleep and a giant mug of coffee, we were ready to take in Sweden's beauty ...