Today we are heading to Spain after spending 5 weeks in Sweden. We’ve travelled all around Sweden, visiting its two largest cities, Stockholm and Göteborg (Gothenburg), while staying in the third largest, Malmö, as our base.
All of them were cool cities — we stayed in great places (both Airbnb and hotels), saw the sites, ate at some amazing restaurants and, of course, went cocktail bar hopping.
We found the most incredible G+Ts at a bar in Göteborg called Steampunk Bar. There were hundreds of different gins available and equally as many G+T varieties to order from the extraordinary menu. If only we could transplant this place to Sydney…
We also went to a speak easy bar called Stranger. We had a good chat to the Australian bartender. Apparently there is a big Aussie contingent in Göteborg. One of the things we really wanted to do in Sweden was to stay on one of the islands of the Stockholm archipelago, so we took a train 4.5 hour north to Stockholm and spent 4 days on a small island. The trains are really comfortable and they have wi-fi so Dylan is able to work and I’m able to study while we’re on the move. It means we’re not missing out on visiting the places we want to go but we’re also more conscious of our time. We don’t aim to see everything but instead, focus on what we really want to see and do. For now at least, it seems we’re successfully managing remote work life.
Our tiny Swedish house on the island of Tranholem in the Stockholm archipelago
We rented a place to stay through Airbnb on a small island only accessible by boat and had our own little house on the waterfront. We also went into Stockholm city a couple of times. There was a ferry running to the island a few times a day, but after 6pm the only way back was by row boat. The first day we arrived we took the row boat, and again after a night out in Stockholm, which made for a fun trip home after a few drinks.
Taking our luggage and ourselves to our island by row boat
The house really was very tiny and with nothing much to do on the island, 4 days was about the limit. But it was very relaxing to sit by the water reading a book and to fall asleep listening to the water lapping on the shore. While we were in Sweden we also took a train 2,000km north to one of the most northern towns in Sweden, Riksgränsen, for a week of snowboarding in the midnight sun.
Unfortunately it was a bad season and a lot of the snow had melted just before we arrived so only two lifts and difficult runs were open.
I had been planning to learn how to snowboard, but with the conditions as they were it wasn’t possible. So with high expectations, the trip ended up being a bit of a disappointment. However, Dylan got some runs in and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery while studying and drinking hot chocolates.
Going up the mountain on the ski chairlift at Riksgränsen to take photos and explore
Travelling is not always the perfect experience that you envisage it will be, or that others assume it to be. While we’ve done some great things, it’s been kind of lonely for us. One day I realised that I went 4 days without speaking to any other person except Dylan. While he is excellent company, to be entirely reliant on one person for conversation is strange and somewhat unsatisfying. We’re not staying anywhere long enough to make friends, and being surrounded by a very foreign language has, at times, been isolating. I consider myself introverted and generally don’t mind spending long periods of time alone, but even for me, it has been a challenge. It has been harder than I expected not having work, particularly while Dylan has become increasingly engaged with his work.
This shouldn’t be read as a complaint or indicative of self-pity, because we’re grateful for this opportunity that we have, but I think it’s important to talk about the whole digital nomad experience. An Instagram feed filled with pictures of beautiful places and fun experiences does not show the whole story, and nor do I think it should. We want to be honest about our experience and to openly admit that it’s not amazing all of the time. And arguably, it shouldn’t be. Happiness and enjoyment are relative.
Waiting for the ferry on the island of Tranholem in the Stockholm archipelago
We’ve really enjoyed our place in Malmö. We’ve had amazing weather here, being lucky to enjoy one of the best summers Sweden has had. I’m going to miss my yoga studio and Dylan is going to miss the Swedish meatballs (köttbullar as he dutifully calls them), but we’re excited, and ready, for a change.
Dylan’s home-made köttbullar
We are heading to sunny Spain for a month, living in the third largest city, Valencia. We’re excited for the beaches, the paella and the sangria.