Sweden, land of crayfish festivals, herring, meatballs, cinnamon buns, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Volvo, Spotify, IKEA and oh so handsome Alexander Skarsgård. How could I pass up the opportunity to visit the most popular Scandinavian country on my list?

Summer, is indeed the best time of the year to visit this country that has 56 days of daylight around the clock in the most northern part, and 32 days of pure darkness in winter.* Thankfully, the weather gods were looking out for me. Prior to my arrival, majority of summer was dreary and rainy, and after I had left, the weather resumed to gloom. I arrived on a beautifully warm, sunny day. The blue sky was decorated with big pillowy clouds and the land was green, very green; bright lime to be more exact. The lush colors in nature and calming scenery was an instant welcome, and in a way, reminded me of home.

One of the first things I noticed, was that Swedes really are cultural minimalist. Minimalism is part of their everyday life, it's incorporated in design, fashion and even down to the way they think. It now made complete sense why the majority of Swedish brands and products have simple, modern yet functional design qualities (IKEA, Volvo, H&M, Tretorn, Fjällräven). In comparison to other countries, where historic buildings were heavily designed and lavish, Sweden's old architecture was relatively minimal in design. This means that the Minimalist trend you're seeing all over Instagram is not just a trend or a 90's influence there, it's their cultural aesthetic. As for fashion, the same philosophy applies, but it's paired with an edgy undertone (think Acne Studios, Cheap Monday, Dagmar and Rodebjer). This stylish combo definitely makes it appealing to New York City fashionistas. Swedes are doing design right, and this is why I find Swedish designs so aesthetically pleasing.

My second cultural observation was that Swedes love nature. In fact, the country has what's called Allemansrätten, a constitutionally guaranteed right of public access that assures land is open to everyone.* This makes for a very environmentally contentious and responsible society that helps preserve while maintaining the quality of life and nature. Not only are they big on preservation, Swedes are very serious about recycling and highly efficient with trash. They have what's called waste-to-energy (WTE) plants that turn un-recyclable trash into energy, which in turn, provides electricity to homes. Smart. Can we start doing some of that State-side? OK, enough fun facts about Sweden. What I really wanted to get at was, I loved that you could pick edible, wild berries (blueberries, raspberries and wild strawberries) pretty much anywhere, and trust me I did every morning (mainly on privately owned property). There was something about berries that had been picked minutes before breakfast time, that made my fil taste so much better.

It's obvious by now, that majority of my time was spent absorbing Swedish culture and experiencing the countryside. I traveled to Västerås, Stockholm, Gothenburg (pit stop over to Oslo, Norway), then up to Mora and Sälen. Up north, I stayed in a cozy "winter" cabin and attended Cykel Vasan, which is the mountain bike version of the world's oldest and longest cross country 90km ski race called Vasaloppet. This was the first official outdoor sports race I had ever attended and I imagine this would be the closest I would ever get to experiencing Tour de France, Nascar or any other national, professional outdoor race. On that note: As humans, we no longer wear big sun or derby hats and carry parasols, being in attendance at a race requires one to be exposed to the sun for long periods of time, and if there is anything you need to know about me, is that, I do not care to be exposed to the sun for long periods of time. Nope. But, I can say that as a tourist, it was enjoyable to experience such a large scaled local activity, even if I could feel my skin sizzling in the sun.

To really round up my outdoor experiences and become a Swede by association, my northern trip ended with mountain hiking in Sälen. From this hike, I learned that one must wear proper sized hiking boots or you will suffer. But, that did not stop me from noticing how clean the air was and appreciating every breath of crisp, fresh oxygen; I inhaled as much of it as possible. The further up I hiked, the more picturesque it became, 360 degrees of pure nature. Nearby, a pond mirrored the sky and clouds so clear it almost seemed unreal, until you walked up and saw your own reflection looking back up at you. Along the hike, I found a bench and sat down to take it all in. I get it now, the full picture of Sweden: Vikings, nature lovers, cultural minimalists, efficiency, traditional family values, maintaining individual responsibility and social cohesion. At face value, the quality of life in Scandinavia was admirable and this view was epic. The rest of the hike was peaceful and meditative. With the lack of city life noises, the only thing I could hear were my own foot steps and gentle breeze. I had traveled across the world to find serenity and found it.

* source from https://sweden.se/