Gävle, located just a few hours north of Stockholm, is a city often overlooked by Swedes. It’s visited even less by international tourists, and while first impressions might make Gävle’s absence from Sweden’s list of ‘Must-See’ places unsurprising, this small …
Every December, acclaimed prize winners, government officials, academics and royalty gather for the Nobel Prize winners’ banquet. It is a lavish affair hosted by Stockholms Stadshus. – the Swedish capital’s iconic City Hall. During the evening, around 1,200 guests enjoy …
After a hard few months, I finally got to enjoy a relaxing spa weekend at the Dalecarlia Hotel in Dalarna, Sweden.
Little did I know, when I was floating in a hot tub overlooking Lake Siljan last weekend, that the …
Today is fettisdagen in Sweden, which means that the mostly-lagom Swedes will help themselves to a semla, or two or three. Semlor are rather large bread rolls filled with mandelmassa (almond paste), cardamom, and a very generous dollop of …
“Runway ready! How do I look?” tweets Gävlebocken, the official social media account of Sweden’s famous Christmas goat. Indeed, he’s not only famous in Sweden: according to the Guinness Book of Records, Gävle’s Julbocken is the world’s largest …
With over 3,000 kilometres of coastline, Sweden has plenty of coastal towns; and, although the most beautiful beaches are in the south, the east coast has many gems. The Stockholm Archipelago is a great place to begin if you are …
With Covid still limiting overseas travel, I have travelled locally in Sweden over the past few months. Recently, I’ve been to Sundsvall, Västerås, Kristianstad and Stockholm. My favourite trip, however, was Åre, a lakeside ski-resort 600 km north of …
As the gateway to Europe, Malmö ‘s youthful, cosmopolitan vibe is distinctive from other Swedish cities. During the summer, tourists flood the city beach, and residents stroll through leafy parks or run along the beachfront promenade. Everybody cycles, the network …
With my visit to the US coinciding with the fourth of July, I hoped to experience at least two of the ‘four Fs’ that form the tip of the cultural iceberg: food and festivals. I’m sure that fashion and flags …
Čičmany in central Slovakia comes straight from the pages of a fairy-tale book. The picturesque village sits in a verdant meadow surrounded by pine forests, but this is not what makes it so delightful. What’s more striking is the way …
Peeping through the trees ahead of me, the iconic shape of the castle reminds me that although I am kayaking in the countryside, I’m actually still in the city. That’s the beauty of Bratislava, one of the world’s smallest capitals; …
Waking long before daylight, we found our car concealed beneath the icy shroud of the first winter snowfall. Once outside and puffing impatiently into my hands to enjoy a momentary sensation of warmth, I opened the door shattering the icy …
Approaching a large metal gate crossing our path, my friend whispered ‘Do you think we can walk here?’
‘Well, it’s open, and there’s no sign saying we can’t’, I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. …
It’s been 26 days since my world shut down. It’s been far longer for others.
It began slowly. Back, in January, news of an unknown virus in China reached us here in Europe. I barely took any notice – SARS, …
Stay indoors. Stay safe, they said. They’re right, of course: if you stay indoors you won’t catch Coronavirus, and – more importantly – you can’t spread it. But what I didn’t know is that being trapped indoors by myself …
With coronavirus currently decimating the travel industry, it’s a good time to write about my life as an international teacher instead. I don’t write frequently, because I can’t travel full-time like I’d hoped I would when I first started Runawaybrit. …
I left work on Friday with my bag packed for a surprise birthday trip. All I had been told was that the bus departed at 4pm and I would need my passport. Of course, I had a few guesses about …
Once again, Christmas—the most wonderful time of the year—is upon us; and Bratislava just burst into life with festive crooners singing jovially of snow, sleigh-bells and chestnuts roasting on open fires. Ridiculously cute wooden cabins have sprung up around Historic …
Most people visit Cyprus during the summer, but you shouldn’t avoid this charming Mediterranean island during low season. Known for being the birthplace of Aphrodite: the Goddess of Beauty, Cyprus has much to love – even in winter.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on why I love living in Europe out of all the places I could go. And, yes: publishing this post as Britain perches precariously on the brink of Brexit is ironic. Having worked in Vietnam, India, …
