Hello. I
have been in
Sweden over one week now, and I must
say it is
one of the cooler places I
have been. Extremely expensive, and
pretty chilly,
but very neat. When I
arrived in Stockholm, I
wasn't really expecting an
urgency to book all
my hostels much in
advance. I
booked one for
when I got
here and
that was that. The day after I
had arrived I
figured I
would have a
look into other places to see in
Sweden, and
immediately realized how naive I
was. I
literally could not
find anywhere to stay from
Gothenburg,
to Malmo,
to Stockholm and a ton
of little cities in
between. Everything under $100 a
night was booked solid. I got
to the point where I
was looking up camping
gear rental and
searching for
places to sleep in
the wilderness. Apparently there's no such thing as
trespassing in
Sweden, so
you can literally camp anywhere as
long as
you are out of sight of homes. I
did not
learnt that till later
though. I
started to weigh my options
out and
thought about being a
hobo wanderer and
living on the street. I
thought it would have been pretty funny,
but in
reality I
probably would have frozen at night. I
didn't stop
searching and
while doing so I
was talking to this funny German
guy who was staying in
the hostel
that I
was in.
Her ended up being a
really cool guy and
we had some laughs at my situation,
entertaining the hobo idea,
hoping maybe a
Swedish beauty would show
some sympathy for
my situation and
take me in..
maybe unlikely but a
boy can dream. Anyway I
started searching everywhere,
even looked into Norway and Finland,
which were more expensive. After a
few hours of searching I
found a
very affordable place to stay for 3
nights in a
place called Gnarp. I
did zero research on Gnarp,
had really no clue where it was or what there was to do. I just
found a
cheap place to stay and
had my Europass,
which made getting
there was '
free', so I
booked it and
didnt think twice. I
then proceeded to book 4
more places after that just so I
wouldn't have this situation again. August is
the busy season in
Sweden I
guess, so I
was being dumb by
thinking I
could get by just skating
along. Anyway I
enjoyed my time in Stockholm,
me and
the German,
Moritz,
went exploring later and
went out for
some beers. Beers in
Sweden are about $7 a
piece minimum (brutal for
my budget)
thus my partying in
Sweden has been minimal.
But I
have still
had my fun. People watching here is just
insane. Seriously some of the most beautiful women I
have ever seen. But 95%
of them look right through you. Getting a
smile out of them feels like a
huge victory. So
anyway, I
bail out of Stockholm and start
the journey to Gnarp. After about 5
or so
hours of traveling I
arrive. The train stops and
the train station is
literally just a
single cement
platform and a
vacant little red hut.
There is
no real
buildngs around,
it is just
the full
middle of the woods type place. I
saw no street signs or anything, and
thus I
figured I
would be
sleeping outside again because I
wasn't sure if I
would find my hostel. I
end up asking this family if they knew the address and
they were kind
enough to give
me a
ride. On the ride we talking and
they told me about this end of summer festival
that was happening
the next day and
invited me very kindly. They gave me their contact information and I
was pretty stoked. I still
had no idea what I
was doing in
Gnarp, and
at this point we had just
arrived at the little hotel/
cafe place I
had booked. The place is super
quaint and
tiny and
there is
really nothing around it at all
besides fields and a
big park.
No bars,
only he one visible restaurant and a road.
There were a
few homes surrounding as
well,
but overall the beautiful greenness of the surroundings captured me. I
couldn't wipe the smile off my face from
the start. I
was so
happy, and I
really have no real
explanation for
it. I
hadn't even seen the room I
was staying in, I
was just
very excited on the situation. I get
my room key ad go through the check in and
they tell me my room is
down the hill. and
walk into this little cabin deal. I
was expecting a hostel
dorm room with a ton
of beds,
which I
was pretty sure I
had booked, and
when I
walk in
it turns out to be
this awesome little cabin for
two people that I
have all
to myself. It came with its own kitchen,
bathroom, and
two little single beds and a
tv (I
never even plugged in
the TV
though, I
had more fun opening the back
door and
listening to Guns N
Roses while just
staring into the wilderness).
It was magical from
the first second. I
was so
fired up. I
unpacked and
ad got settled and set
off to buy some food from
the local store.
There ended up being only 1 and
it was about a kilometer
away. Didn't phase me though, I
walked there with a
huge smile slapped on my face. When I got
there I
realized a
big dilemma.. I
understand no Swedish, and all
of the cooking directions and
food labels were in
Swedish. I
bought a
bunch of basics though, I got by.
The only mistake I
made was buying what I
thought was butter,
but it was some weird grey cube thing that I still
have no idea what it was. I
think it might have been clay,
because it tasted like
clay. I
was very confused by
it. It just
sat there on the counter after I
opened it and I
would study it. I still
think its weird they sell clay in
the butter
section. But yea, I
obviously picked up some swedish meatballs at the store
too,
which were breakfast everyday. I
had some solid
feasts. So, the next day I rang up the family who had given me the ride. The father, Mats, came and picked me up and drove me back to their beach home to meet up with the family. The second I walked in that door they made me feel so welcomed. Lena, the mother and Elsa their daughter were so sweet and made sure I was taken care of, fed, and comfortable. They had the coolest beach home, looking right out at the Baltic Sea. We spent some time there talking and getting to know one another. They were a really cool family, something like I want for myself in the future when I have a family. They were all very close and very grounded. They took me to this beautiful spot where Mats and Lena used to go when they were dating. It was so good to hear the waves crashing on the rocks. Again, made me miss Hawaii, even though it really was nothing like Hawaii. We walked out to the point there and it was very beautiful. After that, we headed over to Lena's parents house for the crayfish season opener feast. I met the whole family, grandma, grandpa, Lena's sisters and their boyfriends and husbands and their kids. Everyone there was extremely welcoming and kind as well. Lena's fathers name was Stone. Perhaps the coolest name ever. He was a legend. I sat between Stone and Mats, and Mats taught me the correct protocol for eating Crayfish. I had never had crayfish, and they were actually really tasty. I got into it. One of the highlights, was the schnapps drinking. With every shot of schnapps, there was a different song they would sing. It was classic. And they all knew the songs. I was having a blast. After dinner though, Mats and Elsa were very keen on going for a dip in the ocean, and I wasn't going to be one to say to some fun. So we did. That was was so cold. Wow. They didn't think it was that bad, but it was what I would have worn a full suit, booties and a hood to surf in at home. And we went in in just trunks. I felt like those Russians that are in that polar bear club. It was so funny though. Getting out and making our way back to the house was another experience. The air was much colder than that water. I got warm in no time though and back in my warm clothes. By now it was dark out and all the candles were being lit, illuminating the coast line. It was quite the epic sight. So many candles all over the beach and down everyones drive ways. Literally everyone participated in it as well, which I thought was really cool. I cannot thank Mats, Lena and Elsa, as well as the rest of your family, enough for that experience and how welcomed they made me feel. Thank you guys, you are all so awesome! Thank you.
The rest of my time in Gnarp was just full relax mode. I read quite a bit and sat outside, taking in the view. I walked around a little bit, but more just relaxed. It was a wonderful time. It was like a vacation inside my vacation. I am now back in Stockholm now and enjoying that. Im heading around more of Sweden for the next couple days before heading down to Denmark. Pretty stoked on all of it. I cannot believe how blessed I am. I look forward to more adventures in the future. There is not going to be a 'normal' for me anymore after this trip, and I am pretty excited about that. I have such a new perspective on life now and I hope to keep growing. I want to thank my family too, I love you guys, and I am so blessed to have you. Adios.
