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...

Swedes take their gardening very seriously. And the main attraction in any garden could only be - the flowers of course . Now that winter is behind us, there are bright and colorful flowers everywhere. Nature has been incredibly generous and everything has been in full bloom for a few weeks. Which means that no self-respecting swede wants to be left behind when it comes to their pride and joy, oh no. The sun, the Spring and the ( mild ) heat are like blessings that need to be treasured and preserved, since we all know they're not going to last very long. It is like a very fleeting, passing moment and before we know it, it's gone as fast as it appeared. I should tell you I don't know much about flowers, neither their names nor their specific properties, but I do know that I love to smell them and above everything else, how they look. Their aesthetic brings me so much joy, I could just stare at them for hours at a time. So when my boyfriend's dad invited me to join ...

You can't talk about the north of Sweden, and in particular Skellefteå, without mentioning classic cars. I'd go as far as to say it's like a religion up here, like something sacred they cherish in their daily lives. People are very passionate and fiercely invested in their vintage cars, holding a particular sense of pride in the ones they own. So much so, that there is a group called Norrlands Motorhistoriker that was started in 1967 and they are all about these veteran vehicles . Every few years they host a car show in town and lucky for me, the most recent event happened this past weekend - I was more than delighted to go. They worked very hard and put a lot of effort into the organization, but it was all worth it because the result was incredible. As soon as we walked in, it was like we were transported into the past ( if you don't count the modern people around ), with so many beautiful cars, mopeds and motorcycles. Now I have to warn you that I know very little...

Ever since I created this blog, I have been thinking a lot about what defines me. I struggled to find words to describe myself in the "About Me" section and that caught me by surprise. Don't I know who I am? What is important to me? What is it that makes me different from others and sets me apart?  I stared into my screen, my mind working at ultra-sonic speeds to grasp at any sort of words that might come my way. Everything that came out of that search were relatively banal things, like my age and a sum of the things I love and are important to me. And that begged the questions: is that me? who am I after all? I'm convinced that at twenty-four I still don't know what to reply, because I simply have no idea. I really am still trying to figure everything out . What would be the fun in having all the answers anyway? ;) But today something surprised me in a good way. I put forth these questions and asked my boyfriend how he would describe me. He said I was k...

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...