Last weekend I followed one of my good friends and her family to their summerhouse nearby Valdemarsvik in Östgötaland. A great majority of the Swedish population lives in bigger or smaller cities and villages, and as a consequence the countryside offers plenty of space and old houses Swedes use as their summer residences. For someone coming… Continue reading The Joy of Beautiful Autumn Days
Last weekend I finally made it to the one Nordic country I had not payed a visit yet: Finland. Finland is known by most people as a country marked by countless lakes, endless forests, an abundance of saunas, a high consumption of vodka and high suicide rates. As for the countless lakes and the endless… Continue reading The Last of the Nordic Countries: Finland
The last day of our trip we spent in Longyearbyen. One of the guides on the campsite told us the airship museum, covering over 100 years of polar exploration history, was worth checking. We spent a surprising amount of time in this tiny museum, reading the stories of the many men who wanted to be… Continue reading Breaking the Spitsbergen Bubble
Quite to our susprise, we found out that right below the airport in Longyearbyen lies a campsite. To keep as much as possible of our budget available for activities, we packed our camping gear and went for some Arctic tenting. That actually turned out one of the best choices we made for the trip.… Continue reading The Arctic Naked Bathing Club
After moving to Sweden I started making regular trips into Arctic territory and realized that there is something special about the parts of this planet located above the Arctic circle. On every visit, I am amazed by the natural beauty of these areas. I feel free. I feel like I want to get lost and… Continue reading A Story of Arctic Beauty: Spitsbergen
Sarek was the longest and most challenging hiking trip I set up so far. Ever since we got the hike inside our heads last summer, Matthias and I thought hard about how we could best prepare for the long and intense trip we signed up for. We needed to improve our gear and our navigation… Continue reading Hiking in Sarek National Park: Preparations
Sarek national park is rightfully cherished by Swedes as Sweden's 'pearl' and 'treasure'. Located far north in the Arctic mountains, between Padjelanta and Stora Sjöfället national parks, it contains Sweden's most dramatic Alpine territory. Since the park has no well-developed trails, a mere 2 bridges to help you accross the many glacial rivers running into Rapa… Continue reading Europe’s Great Wild: Hiking In Sarek National Park
The tiny national park of Skuleskogen is one of Sweden's most well-known, and rightfully so. Matthias and I were amazed by the beauty of our surroundings during our entire stay in the park. The forest is amazingly rich. Green blueberry schrubberies seem to cover the entire forest floor, providing a fruit forest feast for any… Continue reading Hiking in Skuleskogen National Park
In the mean time, it is already time for the first real multiday hike of the summer. Tomorrow early morning me and my ever-present hiking partner Matthias will go about six hours northwards by train to go to a region called the High Coast (Höga Kusten). The landscape in this region is somewhat different from… Continue reading High Coast Hike
Team Belgica 