The men on the royal council gave up in March. She held out until September. Yet her surrender is the one we ask about. Do you have better facts or better sources? Please send them to me, Zayera Khan. I own this website. I live in Stockholm. In the outer courtyard of the Royal Palace,…
Iron, copper and silver paid for Sweden’s wars. Today the weapons themselves are the export. Who grew rich along the way? *If you have better facts or better sources, please send them to me, Zayera Khan, the owner of this website. I will correct the text. In this article Iron before the cannons The Hanseatic…
Museums, palaces and castles in Stockholm County. Each entry has a short description and a link to the official website. This page is an overview. It does not give opening hours, prices or addresses, because they change. Open the official site before you go. A gold ✓ means I wrote an article about the place….
CIVIC GUIDES One day, three ballots, and a system built to make every vote count. Updated 29 September 2026 · By Zayera Khan I voted in September 2026. So did almost 7 million other people. In Sweden, voting is ordinary. You see it at the library, in the square, over coffee. This guide explains how…
The houses change names. The women who carry the blood between them rarely get named. In this article Kings were chosen, not born The queen without a name Widows who moved the crown A saint and his queen The sister behind the Bjälbo kings Women who held power The Vasa web Two queens crowned “king”…
Sweden’s median, mean, and mode wages for 2025, compared with Germany, Spain, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania — and set against the cost of living.
A region-by-region guide to 1,600 museums — the ones I’ve already visited, and the ones on my list I did not know, until I looked it up, that Sweden holds an actual world record for this. Guinness World Records lists Sweden as the country with the most museums per capita. Around 1,600 museums for 10.6…
I spent just under a week in Romania alone. No travel agency. No group tour. No friend to split the confusion with. The experiment was simple: navigate an entire country using only an AI tool — Gemini — for logistics, routes, and timing. No guidebooks. No traditional research. Just prompts and a backpack. I want…
Every October, the world holds its breath as Stockholm and Oslo announce a handful of names that will define the year in science, literature, and peace. The Nobel Prize is the closest thing humanity has to a global seal of greatness. But behind the ceremony, the gold medals, and the champagne toasts at the Stockholm…
Where your ship docks decides your whole day. Here’s what you actually need to know. Fact-checked 29 September 2026 · By Zayera Khan, Stockholm-based guide Your ship can dock in one of a few places around Stockholm, and it makes a real difference to your day ashore. Frihamnen sits about 3.5 kilometres northeast of the…
I Paid 17,735 MKD ($330) for Three Teas and a Bottle of Rose Oil in Skopje. Skopje’s Old Bazaar is genuinely one of the most atmospheric markets in the Balkans — Ottoman-era lanes, the smell of spices, vendors who seem happy just to chat. I loved it. Right up until I walked into Mimosa Natural…
A visit to Kosovo: the city, the country, and everything in between The NEWBORN monument stands in the middle of a pedestrian square in central Pristina, its oversized letters repainted every year since they first appeared on 17 February 2008 — the day Kosovo declared independence. The City Pristina — or Prishtinë in Albanian, Priština…
A travel guide to Sofia — free walking and food tours, cheap metro, queer nightlife, vegetarian food, and the social realities behind the beautiful facades. Sofia kept coming up as a stopover, a layover, a “well, it’s cheap” destination. I’d heard it described as rough around the edges, post-communist, still figuring itself out. Section 1…
Stockholm is one of Europe’s most visitor-friendly capitals — until you hail the wrong taxi. Here’s what’s really happening with unregulated fares, the numbers behind it, and exactly how to protect yourself before you get in the car. Stockholm gets a lot of things right. The transit system is genuinely excellent. The city is walkable,…
One card, 360 museums, twelve months. Here’s the real math on whether Finland’s Museum Card pays for itself — and how to use it properly once you’ve bought one. I bought my first Finland Museum Card almost by accident. I’d gone into the Ateneum for one exhibition, saw the price at the desk, did some…
Oodi: Helsinki’s Living Room Forget dusty shelves and enforced silence. Oodi is one of the most alive, welcoming spaces in all of Scandinavia — and it happens to be a library. A Building That Floats Standing on Kansalaistori — Helsinki’s Citizens’ Square — it’s hard not to stop and stare. Designed by Finnish studio ALA…
Sweden holds the world record for most islands — over 267,000. Stockholm alone sits in an archipelago of more than 30,000. Here’s the geology, the history, who actually lives there, and the islands that genuinely deserve a place on your itinerary. Sweden has more islands than any other country on earth. Not more than Indonesia….
Cities rarely change quietly. They expand, fracture, reorganise — often faster than the people living in them can adapt. At Stockholm City Museum, this process is made visible through one of the museum’s most insightful exhibitions: a decade-by-decade portrait of Stockholm from the 1880s to the early 1900s. Rather than telling history through grand monuments…
For more than 40 years I’ve used dry sauna as part of my healthcare routine—most regularly over the last 15 years, especially in winter. I typically go 1–2 times per week to my sauna club. In Sweden we have saunas in swimming halls, so I always do sauna after swimming and exercise at the gym….
What is a smörgåsbord? A smörgåsbord is a Swedish buffet with an ordered progression of cold and hot dishes. The word combines smörgås (buttered open-face sandwich) and bord (table). In Sweden, it still refers to a specific traditional spread—not just any buffet. From brännvinsbord to smörgåsbord The tradition starts in the 1500s–1700s with the brännvinsbord…
The Landscape: Where Atlas Meets Sea There’s something quietly powerful about standing at the edge of a continent. Cap Angela doesn’t announce itself. No crowds. No souvenir shops. Just a black-and-white lighthouse on windswept cliffs, marking where Africa finally yields to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the northernmost point of the African continent. The geology…
Hanna Hirsch Pauli: The Art of Being Free — A Story for Our Time 🎨 I’m thrilled to share some thoughts on an exhibition that truly speaks to me, and I believe, to our contemporary conversations about identity, freedom, and the power of the untold narrative. The current exhibition at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Hanna Hirsch…
The Art of Guiding: More Than Just Leading a Tour A good tour guide does much more than show people around. They hold the group together, keep things running smoothly, and turn travel into an experience that feels both safe and memorable.Being a guide means being part leader, part storyteller, part calm problem-solver — and…
Exploring Norway’s Fjord, Mountain & Cider Heritage This self-guided route follows a breathtaking loop through Aurland, Hardangerfjord, Hardangervidda National Park, and Ulvik — regions that together capture Norway’s essence: fjords carved by ice, mountain plateaus alive with reindeer, white stave churches, apple orchards, and music echoing from valley to valley.Whether you begin in Aurland near…
Trees shaped by wind, berries born from frost, and animals moving quietly along ancient routes. To spend time outdoors in Norway is to step into a living museum — one shaped by glaciers, wind and patient adaptation. You hike through birch forest, ski across a high plateau, or sit quietly by a fjord. And nature…
Guided Fjord Route: Exploring Norway’s Cultural Landscape from Voss to Hardangerfjord Traveling from Voss to Hardangerfjord is not just a scenic journey — it’s a passage through centuries of Norwegian life. Each valley, tunnel, and bridge tells a story about survival, adaptation, and respect for the landscape. This guided route follows the classic fjord corridor…
From Gudvangen to Vik and the Hardangerfjord Route The drive from Gudvangen through Granvin, Ulvik, Eidfjord, Myrkdalen, and Vik traces some of western Norway’s most impressive fjords, glaciers, and tunnels.This region forms the Hardangerfjord–Sognefjord corridor — a living landscape where engineering, tradition, and wilderness meet. Gudvangen — Valley of the Gods The name Gudvangen means…
A journey through mountains, waterfalls and fjord heritage — with the stories I tell on the road, and a plan to do it on your own. Traveling between Voss and Flåm takes you along one of western Norway’s most scenic routes. History, farming, waterfalls and dramatic geology, all in one valley after the other. The…
Living at the Intersection: The Other in Swedish Society There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from constantly being positioned as “the Other” in a country that prides itself on equality. It’s the tiredness of existing at multiple intersections where you’re perpetually not quite Swedish enough, not quite straight enough, not quite “integrated” enough….
I. Executive Summary: The Performance Edge Jet lag is more than just feeling tired; it is a temporary medical condition caused by your body’s internal clock falling out of sync with a new time zone. [1] This disconnect, known as a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, causes widespread problems like insomnia, fatigue, digestive issues, and “brain…
Renting a car is a fantastic way to see Sweden, from the southern coast to the northern wilderness. But before you hit the road, you need to know the rules, which are often stricter than in other parts of Europe—especially regarding alcohol and winter equipment. Here’s your guide to driving safely and legally in Sweden….
How I pay for the metro, buses, trams and boats in Stockholm — and which ticket saves you money. I live in Stockholm, and I guide visitors here. How do you pay for the metro? The answer is simpler than most people think. SL runs the metro (tunnelbana), the buses, the commuter trains, the trams…
Five ways from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) to the city center, from 18 minutes to SEK 43. Updated 30 September 2026. I checked all prices on the official websites of Arlanda Express, SL, Vy Flygbussarna and FlixBus. Arlanda is about 40 km north of Stockholm. You can take a fast train, an airport bus, a…
Or: A Comprehensive Guide for English Learners, Students, and Teachers Navigating the Evolving World of Pronouns If prepositions are the sneaky troublemakers of language, pronouns are the full-blown identity crisis. They’re the words we use to avoid repeating ourselves, and somehow they’ve become the most contentious, confusing, and culturally loaded parts of speech in existence….
Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love “At the Weekend” Nine prepositions in English. Illustration: Zayera Khan, made with Claude. Prepositions. Those tiny, innocent-looking words that somehow cause more international incidents than disputed border territories. They’re the linguistic equivalent of the banana peel that everyone keeps slipping on, except the banana peel changes…
Yesterday, I realized I’ve become a bit of a hermit—that I don’t seek company and that I’m completely fine being by myself. I don’t feel the need to go out or talk to friends, not even close ones. I simply no longer reach for people. There’s a small sadness in that; this independence can feel…
A journey through European profanity and what it tells us about gender, power, and culture. What Swearing Reveals About Us I’ve been thinking about curse words lately. Not because I swear often — though I do, like most people when frustrated — but because of what they reveal about us. About our cultures. About who…
❄️ Discover Stockholm’s Winter Nights Like Never Before When winter falls over Stockholm, the city transforms into a calm, glowing wonderland. Snow crunches underfoot, candlelight flickers in windows, and the water reflects the golden lights of bridges and steeples. This is where a new kind of adventure begins — welcome to Noctourism, Sweden’s rising travel…
Introduction Athens, Greece — a name that conjures images of marble temples, blue skies, and ancient legends. Yet for many modern travelers, the reality can be jarringly different from the postcard-perfect myth. While Athens undeniably holds historical and cultural significance, it’s not a city that everyone will fall in love with. Beneath the grandeur of…
If Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Visited Athens Today: A Dialogue Across Tim A Strange Return to the Modern Agora Imagine it’s a radiant morning in Athens. The Acropolis stands proudly, as it has for millennia, yet below it sprawls a very different city—fast, loud, digital. Into this world step three timeless thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and…
What non-EU travelers must know about Europe’s two new border systems: EES, which is now in use, and ETIAS, which has no start date yet. Update (30 September 2026): In July 2026, the EU removed the Q4 2026 start date for ETIAS. There is no new date yet. EES has been fully operational since 10…
How to See the Northern Lights in Swedish Lapland (When, Where, Costs) The essentials Where: Abisko National Park and Kiruna offer dark skies and reliable conditions under the auroral oval. Visit Sweden+1 When: Mid-November to mid-March = highest odds; overall season Sept–Apr. Swedish Tourist Association+1 How: Fly to Kiruna (KRN) or take SJ night trains…
Best Time to Visit Sweden by Month (Weather, Costs, Events) Quick answer June–August = warmest temps, long days, festivals (highest prices). Visit Sweden September–October = fall colors, better hotel deals, fewer crowds. November–March = winter sports + best odds for Northern Lights in the far north. Swedish Tourist Association April–May = shoulder season, blossoms, rising…
The World is crazy, and I am walking on the beach.People are sunbathing, some are swimming.Refugees are boarding vessels with life jackets and their belongings.Some drown, unable to survive the passage.Hundreds, thousands have arrived on these shores—this island where I stand, the coastlines of Europe.The World is crazy, and I am walking on the beach.What…
Delphi: From Pre-Greek Roots to Modern Lives Delphi isn’t just a ruin on a mountainside—it’s where myth, religion, and politics met for more than a thousand years. Below is a clear, fact-checked tour from its earliest layers to how it lives on today. What (and where) is Delphi? Delphi sits on the lower slopes of…
Dogs, Dopamine, and the Data in Every Sniff: What Canines Teach Us About Reward and Human Behavior By Zayera — Curiously connecting animal and human behavior. Questions asked by Zayera & written with ChatGPT. I’ve been thinking a lot about why dogs sniff… and sniff again. The more I read, the more I see a…
Hydra, Greece: the car-free island you can (and should) visit from Athens Hydra (Ύδρα) is a tiny stunner in the Saronic Gulf: whitewashed mansions spilling down to a crescent harbor, cats napping on sun-warmed steps, and not a single car to break the quiet. Here’s your complete, easy-to-use guide—how to get there, what to do,…
Impactrip in Athens ImpacTrip is a certified B Corporation—a third-party verification that the company meets high standards of social and environmental performance. What you can do in Athens (programs & minimum durations) ImpacTrip’s Athens opportunities cover both social and environmental causes. Current options include: Food Rescue — 2-week minimum; works with community kitchens and shelters…
Meteora at a glance Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Thessaly: monks settled these near-inaccessible sandstone pillars from the 11th century and built ~24 monasteries; six are active today. See UNESCO’s brief: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/455/ Your base towns: Kalambaka/Kalampaka – main hub for hotels, cafés, museums, and tours: https://www.kalampaka.com/en/ and the DMO: https://www.infotouristmeteora.gr Kastraki –…
Piraeus → Aegina ferry guide + what to do on Aegina How to get from Piraeus to Aegina (step-by-step, with links) Where to board: Most Aegina ferries leave Gate E8 at Piraeus. Confirm on the port screens/your ticket. See maps: Blue Star’s Piraeus map and a simple E-gate map (PDF). (Blue Star Ferries) How long…
Walk Like a Thought: Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust, and the Well-Being of Moving Slowly We don’t have to go far to go deep. Rebecca Solnit reminds us that walking is the smallest pilgrimage with the largest return: a way the day becomes porous again and the self remembers how to listen. “Walking, ideally, is a state…
Rockwell Kent on Wanderlust, Limits & Art The American artist–adventurer Rockwell Kent (1882–1971) wrote about travel as both hunger and instruction. Below are two of his most powerful lines on wanderlust and purpose — fully fact-checked, placed in context, and translated into lessons for how we travel and create today. “Wander where you will over…
Maya Angelou on Belonging, Freedom & Travel Maya Angelou linked freedom to a deeper sense of belonging—not to one place, but to an inner home you can carry anywhere. Here’s the exact quote, the fact-check, what travel meant to her, and why it still matters for how we move through the world. “You only are…
A life in motion (brief bio) Born enslaved in Maryland in 1818, Douglass escaped in 1838—by train and steamer, disguised as a sailor—and rose as one of the century’s most influential antislavery orators, editor of the North Star, adviser to presidents, and later a U.S. diplomat.His story is inseparable from boats, railcars, pulpits, and lecture…
The core idea Many decisions can be tried, measured, and—if needed—undone. We often forget this because three well-documented biases push us to “stick it out”: Status quo bias: we prefer the current path even when switching would help (Samuelson & Zeckhauser, 1988). Sunk cost fallacy: past investment makes us continue unwise projects (Arkes & Blumer,…
Gamla Uppsala: Where Sweden’s Kings Were Burned and Buried Just a few kilometres north of Uppsala, the landscape opens up and three enormous grass-covered mounds rise from the earth like something out of a myth. They are visible for miles. On a clear spring morning, they look exactly as ancient as they are. This is…
Why Umeå? Umeå (pronounced OO-meh-oh) is the largest city in northern Sweden, shaped by design, education, and nature. After a devastating city fire in 1888, planners rebuilt with wide streets and planted thousands of birch trees as firebreaks—earning Umeå its nickname, “City of Birches.” Today it’s a lively university hub and former European Capital of…
Julita Gård / Julita Manor Julita Gård (Julita Manor) is a unique, open-air manor museum in Sörmland, about two hours from Stockholm. The estate is owned by Nordiska museet and preserved to show how a large Swedish estate functioned in the early 1900s—nearly 360 buildings across ~2,200 hectares of manor grounds, forests, farmland and waters….
What is Stockholm Kulturfestival? Stockholm Kulturfestival is the city’s biggest free cultural event, transforming central Stockholm into an open-air stage for five days every August. In 2025 it ran 13–17 August, with free entry and programming for all ages across music, dance, theatre, film, talks, and workshops. It’s produced by the City of Stockholm. Kulturfestivalen…
Travel as a Habit of Reflection Travel is a habit of reflection: to step outside daily life and duty, to be forced to find and discover new parts of myself. Poor sleep, noises, vibrations, and new rhythms unsettle the balance I build in my habitual life. I go anyway—aiming for recovery, exploration, adventure. Inspiration arrives…
A Visible Secret I am living with a secret—visible but unknown. Here is a personal story. I have lived with this secret since I was a teenager. It began at a tender age when I was a very shy and quiet child, observant and thinking. Pondering and asking questions. We arrived in Sweden in 1984…
Ambivalence in Leadership – Conscience, Ethics & Better Decisions Ambivalence is often misread as weakness. In reality, ambivalence is proof that we have a conscience. It is rooted in the feeling that what we want to do may be worthy—or unjust. That tension signals capacity for complex, critical thought. It makes us more reflective and…
What makes a movement meaningful? When does the dance—or a specific movement—become the Fool (Narr)?The music drives; movement becomes secondary.Playfulness unfolds. The body’s limitations are made visible, ultimately, in the dance. The contrast with slow-motion movements. The entire performance is abstract art in motion; the music seems to live a life of its own. Brush-stroke…
Fjord boat route: what you’ll see and where you can hop off Aurlandsfjord → Nærøyfjord (Flåm ↔ Gudvangen, ~2 hours one way). Modern, low-noise ferries glide past tiny hamlets, farms, and waterfalls. Some departures also serve Aurland and Undredal, and selected sailings make request stops at Styvi and Dyrdal (book in advance). Kjelfossen waterfall (by…
Why Bergen? Why Vestland? In the 1800s, Western Norway—especially small towns and fjord communities—saw Europe’s last major wave of leprosy. Care was concentrated in Bergen, which ran several hospitals for the disease; St. Jørgen’s (today’s Leprosy Museum) is the best preserved. Contributing factors included close-quarters living, poverty, large households, and prolonged household contact—conditions known to…
Why Potatoes Matter in Norway Few ingredients tell Norway’s story like the potato. Brought north in the Enlightenment era, resisted at first, then embraced, the humble knoll helped the country weather war-time shortages, shaped everyday cooking, and today anchors both home kitchens and high-end Nordic menus. 1750–1800: Introduction, Doubt—and the “Potato Priests” Potatoes reached Norway…
The difference between Berg vs Fjäll Sweden (svenska) berg: everyday word for a mountain; also appears in geology terms like berggrund (bedrock). fjäll: mountains/plateaus above the tree line—the classic, treeless highlands of the Scandinavian Mountains. Norway (norsk) fjell: default word for mountains and high plateaus; typically implies terrain over the forest line. berg: often means…
Hardangerbunaden – Norway’s National Icon From local dress to cultural code Two hundred years ago, clothing in Hardanger did more than keep you warm—it communicated who you were. A headscarf often signalled a married woman; braids coiled around the head suggested she was unmarried. White aprons and covered hands meant “church clothes,” usually for life’s…
What is a fjord (geologically)? A fjord is a deep, U-shaped valley cut by glacial ice and later flooded by the sea. During the Quaternary (the last ~2.6 million years), ice sheets and outlet glaciers advanced and retreated many times, grinding bedrock and over-deepening valleys below sea level. When the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet melted…
How Norway grows Atlantic salmon, from a small fish in fresh water to a 4–5 kg fish in a sea pen — and what it means for the wild salmon. Updated 30 September 2026. Norway is the world’s largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon. I visited Salmon Eye, a floating visitor centre at a salmon…
Stalheim: Norway’s Most Dramatic Viewpoint Imagine standing at the edge of a valley so steep, so green, so improbably beautiful that you wonder for a moment whether it’s real. That is Stalheim. Perched above the Nærøydalen valley in Western Norway, it offers one of the most photographed views in the country — and one of…
Rose-Painted Chests: More Than Storage, A Piece of Heritage Rosemaling – the art of rose painting – blossomed in Norway in the mid-18th century and became a defining feature of folk art by around 1850. Before its rise, most wooden objects were decorated with pyrography (burned designs, svidekor) or woodcarving (treskurd). The origins of rosemaling…
The Dessert Scale: How Sweet Is Too Sweet? Life can be measured in many ways – as I was cooking one of my favorite comfort dishes rice porridge, I realised that I needed a rice porridge sweetness scale – how much sugar is too much sugar? Welcome to the official Rice Porridge Sweetness Scale™ –…
Harriet Backer: The Woman Who Painted Light From the Inside Out I want to tell you about a woman most people outside Scandinavia have never heard of, even though she was one of the finest painters of her era and spent decades shaping what Norwegian art looked like. Her name was Harriet Backer, she was…
Why Is It Called a “Danish Pastry”? I spoke about Danish Pastry as on our bus tours we often had a coffee break where a danish pastry was served, most often in Stalheim hotel. So I had to look it up and explain the reasoning behind the mix-up.The name “Danish pastry” is a bit of…
There’s a moment, somewhere around the third hour of a Waxholmsbolaget ferry from Strömkajen, when Stockholm feels like a rumour. The water has widened. The islands have thinned. The pine-covered cliffs have given way to bare rock and open sky. You’re no longer in the middle archipelago — you’re at its outer edge. And if…
When I guide a bus tour, storytelling and service matter—but safety is my first task and constant focus. Below I share what I’m responsible for on every departure and the practical concerns that sit behind my safety briefings. What I’m officially responsible for Duty of care: Keep passengers informed and prepared; coordinate calmly with the…
Aurlandsfjellet National Scenic Route 20th July 2025, I drove on the national scenic route with a friend, we went on a short hike and stopped at the scenic spots. The ponds were cold and the views were amazing. We also saw some sheep impossible to hike and not see sheep in Norway! Overview If you’re…
The Atlantic Salmon of Sognefjord in Lærdal If you’re exploring Norway’s stunning Sognefjord region or driving along the National Scenic Route, don’t miss the chance to learn about one of the area’s most fascinating and important inhabitants: the Atlantic salmon. The Lærdalselvi river—sometimes called “The Queen of Salmon Rivers”—offers a unique story that blends natural…
The Støls Trail has existed since the 17th century, however 1,800 steps were added in the last four years, built by skilled Sherpas from Khunde in Nepal. The path between Kvanndal and Rong is the 17th stage of the Bergen Trail. I hiked on June 3rd from Kvanndal to Kvanndalsstølen which is located at 600…
Bømoen: Where Ice Shaped the Land and Water Still Sings Nestled just outside the vibrant town of Voss in Western Norway, Bømoen offers more than just scenic hiking trails and quiet forest walks—it holds a deep geological story written in stone, water, and time. While many associate the region with adrenaline sports or the cultural…
Vossa kvanne (Angelica archangelica ssp. litoralis), sometimes called vossakvann, is much more than a plant. It is a symbol of survival, medicine, cultural identity, and agricultural heritage in Western Norway — especially in the region of Voss. This highly aromatic plant has been cultivated for centuries and is now recognized both for its historical role…
Mølstertunet: A Glimpse into 19th-Century Farm Life At the heart of the museum lies Mølstertunet, an authentic farmstead comprising 16 buildings dating from the 1600s to the 1800s . Perched on a hillside, this cluster offers panoramic views of Voss and the surrounding mountains, providing a scenic backdrop to the historical structures .(visitnorway.com) Each building…
This hike I started with taking the Voss Gondola upp to Hanguren 818 meters. I followed the trails towards Lonahorgi until 950 meters. The trails had snow so I stopped there and almost spent an hour enjoying the views, had lunch and talked on the phone with my family and showing them the views as…
I started before 9 am this morning, the temperature was only 1 degrees celsius when I left home on 80 meters above sea with my rucksack. I walked to the Voss Folkemuseum which is at 180 meters. I found the path going up to Hanguren and it was easy to hike up the mountain. It…
We began our journey along the E16 toward Vinje, before turning onto the scenic Route 13 that winds its way through Myrkdalen. The drive was stunning—surrounded by dramatic mountain landscapes, mirror-like lakes, and peaceful farmland. As we climbed toward Vikafjell, the views opened up to reveal sweeping panoramas of the fjord region. Descending into Vik,…
Voss: A Cultural Gem in the Heart of Fjord Country Voss, located in Vestland County in Western Norway, is much more than a scenic stop between Bergen and the fjords. This small town, surrounded by mountains, lakes, and rivers, boasts a rich history, vibrant cultural heritage, and a reputation as one of Norway’s top destinations…
In the beginning of the trial, we passed a golf course and a dog training course. This winter day neither golfers nor dog owners with their dogs were out on the courses. After a while, the path divides into the 5 or 10 kilometer forest trail. Here is an area where the green markings are…
Why “Nobel Week Lights” Makes December the Best Time to Visit Wintertime Stockholm If you can only pick one winter week for Stockholm, make it the one when the city turns into a glowing open-air gallery: Nobel Week Lights. It’s magical, easy to enjoy, and uniquely Stockholm. What is Nobel Week Lights? Nobel Week Lights…
Trier, Germany: a quick visitor guide to “Germany’s oldest city” Trier sits on the Mosel River right by Luxembourg—and it’s often considered Germany’s oldest city, founded by the Romans as Augusta Treverorum in the late 1st century BCE. Its extraordinary Roman monuments, together with the Cathedral of St. Peter and the Church of Our Lady,…
Quick facts (know before you go) Language: Officially bilingual (French & Dutch). English is widely spoken in tourism and business. Currency: Euro (€). Belgium adopted the euro in 2002. Arrivals: From Brussels Airport (BRU), trains reach Brussels-Central in about 17 minutes; 8 trains/hour on weekdays. Public transport: On STIB/MIVB metro, trams, and buses you can…
Love, Frequency & the New Shape of Connection — personal notes Love, Criteria & Vibration — a morning note Categories: Love & Resonance · Attachment & Boundaries I’m looking for love—to love and to be loved. Like many people, I carry an unconscious checklist: values, behaviors, even voice or presence—a collage of culture and biology….
On 4 December 1676, just north of Lund, Sweden and Denmark fought one of the bloodiest days in Nordic history. In freezing conditions, the 21-year-old Swedish king Charles XI confronted Denmark’s King Christian V. The Swedes won—but at a terrible cost. What happened here? The Danish army had taken most of Skåne during the Scanian…
Fjärås Naturum (naturum Fjärås Bräcka): a simple guide Just south of Gothenburg sits Fjärås Bräcka—an Ice Age ridge with sweeping views, a thoughtful visitor centre (naturum), and one of Halland’s most striking Viking-Age grave fields. It’s an easy half-day stop that combines geology, history and short walks with coffee and cake. Why go Unique landscape:…
Just 50 minutes east of Gothenburg, Borås is a compact cultural hub: giant murals, headline-grabbing sculptures, contemporary art shows, and a living textile heritage you can touch. Visit Sweden Why Borås is an open-air art gallery Sculptures everywhere. Since 2008, Borås Art Museum has curated the Borås International Sculpture Biennial (today Borås Art Biennial)—bringing large-scale…
Skopje, North Macedonia — quick guide to the city of bridges, bazaars & bold sculptures Skopje is the lively capital of North Macedonia, a river-valley city defined by the Vardar River, an Ottoman-era bazaar, modernist post-earthquake architecture, and, yes, a lot of statues. This easy read walks you through Skopje’s story, the must-see sights, and…
Thursday 8 December Taxi from St.Louis; to Diama Senegal passport control. Then I took a taxi to Nouakchott, 9-14 pm. #bordercrossing #mauritania #senegal #campsite https://medium.com/globetrotters/crossing-the-desert-across-mauritania-on-the-ore-train-533ca5dbe06a Friday 9th December Mauritania, Sagalil valley. Walked ca 15 kilometers today. Saturday 10th December Hiked from sagalil valley to Tergit, ca 12 kilometers away. We reached Tergit with car the…
https://medium.com/globetrotters/a-few-days-in-gambia-chilling-fe52e53f782d Just arrived in Gambia, spend half the day traveling from Saly, Senegal to Banjul, Gambia. With shared taxis and the slowest border crossing with boat ever! Thursday 22nd December Ca 4 hours on the road to leave Senegal and tech the border of Gambia. Border crossing went well, and I did not scammed by…
My third day in Dakar, I got bus tickets for tomorrow, and went to Yoff beach. Mostly locals, lots of men playing football on the beach. Some children and adults in the ocean. Very few tourists. The water was warm and lovely. I had lunch with locals and got bugged by street vendors trying to…
My articles on MediumFaroe Islands Iceland Iceland Approaching Iceland and the harbour at Seydisfjördur. In Husavik we went on a whale safari, photos on the town, see videos. I also had breakfast duty and made omelette outdoors for the group. Hverir, geothermal region. Grjotagja, where you can see the tectonic plates shifting apart. Hverfjall a…
