Blogs from Helsingborg, Skåne County, Sweden, Europe

It was a bright sunny day and a new destination was on the horizon. After breakfast we took the metro to the airport and rented a car for the remainder of the trip. Oslo was our destination and we had all the time in the world to get there before sunset, after all it was the land of the midnight sun! Driving wasn’t an issue as it was a left hand drive system and google maps our friend! Highway E20 from Copenhagen took us through the Oresund tunnel and bridge to the city of Malmö in Sweden. An engineering marvel would be an understatement for this brilliant genius of structural engineering that connected two countries together and facilitated trade and cooperation. Part of the bridge is an underwater tunnel which connects to a manmade island called ... read more

Spring has arrived in Sweden! Though the weather has been mild since my move here, longer and warmer days have people peeling off woolen layers and moving their café chairs to chase the sun! I am certainly no exception. Helsingborg takes great pride in brightening the town with seasonal decorations. The lights and candles that lit up Christmas are long gone, but now the streets have enormous planters filled with tulips and daffodils. And going along with the Swedish tradition around Easter, bright feathers attached to branches take center stage in various squares. Beyond the tradition of feathers, Easter in non-religious Sweden has sweet buns filled with cream, semla lining the windows of every bakery. Little girls will evidently dress up as witches and knock on doors where... read more

It happened! The turn from a mild winter into the one I imagined Sweden to have arrived. We had a “category 3” storm last week, complete with 44 mph winds and hail. It was exciting! Now the cobblestoned streets are bit treacherous and the Christmas decorations around town need to tended to, but there seems to be no lasting damage. It does mean, though, that my bike rides to work are a thing of the past, at least for the foreseeable future. The holiday lights do in fact cut through the increasing darkness, as I was promised. Christmas decorations and markets have sprung up around town. Lights like candles and illuminated stars seem to be the most popular for homes. The town has some chandelier sort of lights hanging overhead on the pedestrian streets. The most ... read more

Well, I think the weather may finally be turning! I woke up to the patter of rain that has come and gone throughout the day. The weather has been extraordinary since I arrived. I knew that I was being lured into a false sense of security! The beautiful weather has meant that I have been able to profit from plenty of time outside! I'm certainly not alone in wanting to soak up these warm(ish) days. Something foreign to me is the presence of blankets offered by restaurants and cafes. Draped over the backs of chairs are fleece blankets that customers wrap themselves in as the sun sets; this extends the time one can enjoy dining outside! Beyond sitting outside to eat, I’ve taken in many more days at the beach. I now have a bike! That ... read more

För er som såg mig på TV i helgen och trodde ni hallucinerade... var inte oroliga.. det var jag! **** Åkte hem för att dömma Fed Cup i tennis i Helsingborg, Sverige mot Ukraina. Tyvärr så förlorade Sverige 2-3 men det var bra och jämna matcher och det var super trevligt att få träffa hela domargänget! Vi bodde på Marina Plaza Elite Hotel i Helsingborg. Efter jobb på lördagen så var vi ett gäng som bastade, bastun låg på översta våningen med fönster över sundet, lyx! Sedan gick vi ut och åt tillsammans hela gänget på kvällen. Efter härlig hotellfrukost (med bland annat pannkakor och nutella!) så blev det dömning igen. Efter matchslut åkte jag hem med m+p+vic och vi åt god söndagsmiddag. Jag packade och sov sedan alldeles för få timmar. 04:15 ringde klockan. 05.35 ... read more