Finding North

Ah, Midsummer. The second biggest holiday in Sweden ( after Christmas ) and the one I had been eagerly wanting to experience for the past six years. I know, quite the buildup right? And so far in life I've learnt that the bigger the expectation, the bigger the fall. So to ensure that disappointment didn't swallow me whole on this most gracious day, I tried to lower my anticipation and just tried to enjoy it as best as I could.  We opted for simplicity and decided to follow my boyfriend's family to Bonnstan ( the old Church Town ) to watch the celebrations. I wanted a real, authentic feel of what this day was really about and I have to say that it was as traditional as it gets, with the big pole in the center, a lot of singing and, of course, dancing.  Midsummer is all about greeting the arrival of summer, whilst celebrating life, light and fertility on the longest day of the year. Originally, nature was seen has having special powers that would ensure good heal...

Last week my boyfriend took me to a place called Vitberget, right in the middle of Skellefteå. Even though we are currently living outside of the city, he used to live there, so it was astonishing to me that I had never visited it before. From there you can see the entire city, the view so amazing that I had to catch my breath. It was lovely up there, with what felt like the world at your feet. We could hear the faint traffic noise, which from afar almost sounded like a calming lullaby to me. In a way, I guess it reminded me of my own previous city life ( it is, however, a very different place ). But not only that, it gave the city a new outlook in my mind. When we're down there, in the midst of it all, we can't see the big picture. See all of it at once, for what it truly is. When we are immersed in our lives, walking around on the streets, going from place to place, it's impossible to see how majestic it is - even if it is a small town. I really loved standing th...