Sweden was not a country I had planned to visit this trip. For some strange reason, I kept meeting Swedish people and making friends with them whilst travelling in Asia. Many of them asked me if I was coming to Sweden. In the end I said “Sure, why not?”

It was a great decision. Sweden is a very beautiful county. There are so many lakes, and forests, and the fact that you can camp for free practically anywhere was a huge bonus. I spent 2 weeks there, first visiting a friend who was doing rabbit showjumping at the Falsterbo Horse Show, then heading up to Stockholm for a few days before making my way back across to Karlstad, then back down the west coast, stopping at Helsingborg, to get in some beach time.

Falsterbo is a big international event for horse jumping. Over time it has also turned into a big camping/partying week for many young people in Sweden. You find them out in the evenings partying  and having a great time, and during the day they are either at the show, sleeping off last night, or down the beach.  Some of them I don’t think saw the show at all. My friend Daria was part of the rabbit showing jumping. I had not heard of that one before, but sure enough - you can train them to jump over hurdles in an obstacle course.

Stockholm is a city built on Islands. There is not much in terms of big tourist attractions, but nevertheless, it is a great city. During my stay I visited the castle and its exhibits including the treasury and royal apartments. Most of my time in Stockholm was spent walking around the city with my friends, just making the most of the beautiful sunshine, or going for the occasional swim. I was very lucky with the weather - it was blue skies every day.

My highlight in Stockholm was going to the theme park, where my friend Maja works. She had some free vouchers,  so her, another friend Cecelia and a few of their friends spent had several hours of immense fun, trying out the roller coasters, wild mouse, extreme  and other rides.. Awesome!

On one particular morning I went for a run, I left my friends house and headed off down the street, not sure exactly where I would go, or what I would find.. Just fifteen minutes down the road I discovered a beautiful lake, surrounded by forest - so clean and inviting, with very few people around.  I couldn’t resist a swim. It was very refreshing, blissful and peaceful, which pretty much sums up my experience of Sweden.

Last update : 29-08-2008 16:27

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