Island of Ven

Good food, drinks and stunning landscapes. Ven is an island in the middle of the narrow between Sweden and Denmark.

Me and my G have just arrived to the mainland after 3 days on the island. Still I’m trying to find a reason to go back.

Our accommodation for our stay at Ven has been on the camping Camp Ven in our tent. This place as been really good. Clean toilets and showers. What I should call the right amount of guests. A bar and resultant with both good food and drinks much better than I’ve expected out of a camping. Good service, I can really recommend this place.

First day we spent settling down at the camping and having a nice evening with dinner and wine.

Our second day we rented bikes in order to ride around the entire island which takes about 90 minutes. A beautiful ride. However we to a break in one of the harbors to have a smoked salmon lunch with potato salad and a beer. After that we continued to a beach and took a swim and then returning to the camping.

After short stop at the camping we took the bikes to Spirits of Hven Backafallsbyn for a gourmet tasting. Where we tasted Vodka, Akvavit, Gin and Whiskey and learned what drinks you could do from some of them and proportions. The also talked about the history and the making of the different spirits and of the distillery.

After the tasting me and G had a great dinner at their restaurant. Where we both where very pleased with the food and the setting. Lovely outdoor section of the restaurant.

Then we headed back to to camping and took the ferry back to the mainland. The easiest way to get both to and from the island is by ferry from Landskrona.

Ven where a super nice short stop at our vacation and I can highly recommend it. The fact is that I would more than love to go back.

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West Coast Kayaking

I’ve been kayaking before but last weekends winds where around 8-10 m/s so that where a decent challenge. Especially since it was the third time I was out kayaking at sea. However, I’ve spent more time kayaking in lakes.

The crew for the trip where 3 out of 4 members that will go to Lofoten in 2,5 week. It was me, my wife G and out Norwegian friend A. So we geared up and paddles out into the waves and it took some effort and about 2 hour before we reached the island Ängholmen about 5 kilometers from Marstrand that is a more famous location at the Swedish west coast.

There we set camp for the night and and had a really nice evening swimming, testing tents, sleeping gear and outdoor kitchens for the trip to Lofoten. Where a pretty nice test. Windy but rather warm temperatures in the air and sunny. Also got some pretty nice photos. And I had 24 hours without internet. I just sent texts telling my family when I arrived and left locations and took a few photos. Most photos however, I took with my GoPro camera.

Loved kayaking at the west coast so it might happen again.

World most beautiful skiing

I am speechless. This Easter weekend is among the best skiing experiences ever. Not necessary because the ski resort is the best ever but because the total experience involving weather, views and skiing where all with prefect conditions.

I spent Easter skiing in Beitostølen, Norway. Both cross country skiing and alpine skiing. Love both of them and grew up skiing both at least once a year but the last couple of years I’ve mainly been cross country skiing. Just because I own a pair of cross country skiis and I had 15 minutes from the door to my apartment to the tracks in the woods during the 3 years I lived in Oslo.

However, this Easter weekend I spent the first two days cross country skiing. The first day a short 5 km track in the world cup track in the Beitostølen cross country ski stadium and it surroundings which where nice, with good views, good tracks and nice afternoon/evening sun.

The second day I took a longer route and more of a cross country skiing hike on 23 km up the mountain and on top of the mountains and around a ice and snow covered lake with views of Jotunheimen which is a majestic mountain landscape that sometimes is called the roof of Norway because its many peak that’s higher than 2000 meters. Clear blue skies, sunny and warm weather, amazing views and perfect tracks and all just wild and raw nature. To be honest I don’t think cross country skiing can be any better that this.

Yesterday I where a bit tired from the 23 km cross country skiing the day before and decided to go alpine skiing because the ski resort of Beitostølen also offers this. Hired equipment and took among the first lifts up the mountain and then pretty much skied for the entire day and tried all slopes in the entire resort. I had a blast. Not the best slopes that I’ve tried but they where all prepped great and the views and the weather where absolutely amazing. I would do this any time if you asked me to go here again.

So now I’m back in Gothenburg again, arrived a few hours ago and couldn’t resist of sharing there photos with you guys. What’s you’re best skiing experiences? Please share and leave a comment below.

Shopping & Sightseeing in Copenhagen

This morning I woke up in an sunny Copenhagen with snow in the air. I live a short walk from the train station and could see from my hotel window, it’s a pretty majestic building. I started of the day by take a walk to the pedestrian shopping street Strøget.

Started out by the city hall which is a enormous brick building with status and gold.

We walked along Strøget and took a side street in order to find H&M’s latest concept which is a store brand called Arket. I rather quick found two T-shirt’s and a woolen hat. Bit by wife won the shopping as she usually does.

The my sister and her boyfriend joined us and we had a quick hotdog at 7-eleven. Before we hoped on a hop on hop off sightseeing bus and a tour called the mermaid tour. Yes it actually takes you to the statue of the mermaid as a inspiration of the famous danish author H.C. Andersens story. The tour also show us Nyhavn a The Royal palaces in Copenhagen among other things.

After that we slit up for a moment me and the family and me and G got back to Strøget for some more shopping. And I spent some time taking some photos. The tour and the walking around Copenhagen has really made me see more of the great architecture of Copenhagen.

We finished of the night by dinner at the concept restaurant The Italian. Which obviously serves great Italian food. Where we had a three course dinner and some good wine, everyone excepts my sister which is pregnant. So pretty awesome day and I highly recommend The Italian.

Oslo Cross Country Skiing

Oslo is an truly amazing winter city and cross country skiing is huge here! Yesterday where cross country skiing day for me and the wife and if you like cross country skiing this is not a bad place during winter time. Read somewhere that Oslo have about 3200km of tracks for cross country skiing. I might not be that surprising that they are one of the number one countries in the world in this sport.

Yesterday me and G went cross country skiing. We stayed in the district of Majorstuen and took the subway to Frognerseter with our skis. The we skies from there to a place called Tryvann which also have a downhill skiing facility and continued right by it down to the cottage in Ullevålseter. In Ullevålseter we took a break and had a Norwegian waffle and hot coco that we bought in the cafe that’s run by the sports club Lyn which is a pretty successful cross country skiing club. It all can be seen while eating there. The beams and walls are full of big trophies and prizes.

After that we continues down to Sognsvann where we took the subway back. So a almost 12 km trip in perfect conditions if you live cross country skiing this is a great route even if it’s a bit crowded from time to time.

Highly recommended. Even if I know this might not be the number one activity on your list of what to do in Oslo but it’s a great place for it. Just saying.

Skiing Weekend!

This weekend I finally went skiing. After last weekends failed attempt to go cross country skiing due to a sick wife we finally made it this weekend.Perfect weather with clear blue sunny skies, a lot of snow and minus 13 degrees Celsius. Doesn’t get much better than that to be honest.We went to a place about 1 hour north of Oslo by car called Brovoll. The only way to get there is by car as I know. This isn’t a ski resort or something like that but an small place that was recommended by Norwegian friends. A small house with a small cafe and just first class tracks for cross country skiing. Where an amazing weekend and getting out into the woods on skies a sunny winters day is hard to beat. The snow covered trees and the meter think layer of snow that covers the ground. The silence of absolutely nothing is breathtaking. When I go skiing in that kind of conditions everything else just disappears. It’s good for me I’m sure it that. By the way had my GoPro with my and just had to try it out. Might come a short video later.Have you tried cross country skiing? Let me know if you want to try Brovoll and I can give you the location more exact.

Next adventure?

Finally I’m starting to catch up with everyday life back home. Work, the apartment, the car all slowly is getting as it should be but as soon as I stop my mind wanders off to a place of its own. I’m looking for my next adventure. So right now I’m thinking about surfing, hiking up my first 2000 meter high mountain or some kind of new experience like that.

All suggestions are welcome, do you have any or what’s yours? Please share them in the comments below.

Winter Forest

I just couldn’t stay at home or take the bus to Oslo as planed. Neither could my wife G, so we meet up in our cottage in the Swedish countryside in the forestswoods of Dalsland. Both real jetlaged and not very much sleep since we came back from Mexico so I feel a asleep pretty much upon arrival friday night after an intens two day week at work. G sat up with her family who joined us a bit later.

Saturday we sleept in and it was the first entire night I had since we got back. After a nice late breakfast me, G and my parents in law took a hike into the wood. I brought my cameras both the GoPro and the Leica with the project of getting some video. It was an absolutely stunning day and after a while I cound’t resist to take som photos with my Leica in the beautiful snowy winter wonderland. I love being in these kind of environments and I think I must have it. Its my way to relax and I really love the calm and peacefulness. I love living in the city but I have a need for the nature and getting away from the city. I guess it has something to do with the contrast but I can’t really explain it.

I just had to share these photos with you. How was your weekend?

Everyday photography

I’ve been sick for a few days with fever and a manly cold. But I’m getting bored so I’ve been watching tv but also spent some time on YouTube mainly watching photography videos.

So I’ve spent today with trying to catch some everyday photos. And here are the results.

Please leave a comment below on what you think about the photos and if you have any ideas for everyday photography.

5 years of blogging

It’s true, I’ve been blogging for 5 years this month. As you might know I’ve been more or less active in the blog during different period but it’s always a thing I love doing.

So, I’ve stared to look back five years in my phone and honestly was surprised by what’s happened during the last five years. I’ve finished university, got engaged, traveled, got married, lived and worked in Oslo for three years and moved back. A pretty crazy journey when I look back on it. Found a lot of photos in my photo library and not sure they ever been posted on the blog earlier but just to show some that’s happened during the last five years.

By the way I can highly recommend going through the last 5 years of photos. Changes perspectives a bit. I know the last five years have affected me deeply and hopefully mainly for good.

Please leave e comment below on what you’ve done the last five years?

New York, 2013

Oslo, 2014

Rome, 2015

Bali, 2016

Gaustatoppen, 2016