Haugastølvegen & Eidfjord (Norway Pt 1)

After such a great time in Sweden, I hopped on a flight to Norway, with about four days to jam in action and adventure. My first night was spent in Oslo, and with a quick breakfast, we jetted off for a 500 km drive to Bergen. This is the first pano I stitched together of the green, grand mountains.

Norway

Norway has an unreal landscape – perfectly healthy, cool colours, and at its peaks, still winter in May. Below are some shots from Haugastølvegen, located in the country’s Hardangervidda National Park. According to the park’s Wikipedia page, “[It] at 3,422 square kilometers, is Norway’s largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Hardanger mountain plateau.”

It wasn’t as cold as it looked. About 11 C.

Haugastølvegen
Haugastølvegen
Haugastølvegen
Haugastølvegen
Haugastølvegen
Haugastølvegen

During our drive from Oslo to Bergen, we also spent time at Eidfjord in in Hordaland county. Stunning, isn’t it? This photos were taken around 9 p.m., the sun still shinning through the mountain.

Eidfjord
Eidfjord
Eidfjord

My clothing for this trip is proudly sponsored by SAIL. Follow my adventures on sail.ca.

Gränna & Visingsö (Sweden Pt 3)

We spent some time with friends in Sweden, who took us on a day trip to Gränna & Visingsö.

Gränna is full of charm! It’s in Småland on the eastern shores of the lake Vättern, about 40 km north of Jönköping. The main strips features traditional Swedish candy stores, with an abundance of troll folklore.

Gränna
Gränna
Gränna

Just a ferry ride away, Visingsö is an island in the southern half of the lake Vättern in Sweden. Visingsö lies 30 kilometres north of the city Jönköping. It’s also home to the Näs Castle, which was the residence for the Swedish monarchy in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Visingsö

My clothing for this trip is proudly sponsored by SAIL. Follow my adventures on sail.ca.

Bankeryd buttercups (Sweden Pt 2)

About three hours south of Stockholm is Bankeryd, the second largest locality situated in Jönköping Municipality of Sweden.

The area is primarily farms, and typical Swedish red homes. The area is green for as far as the eye can see, and while you drive the open roads, you will commonly see the buttercup flowers in blossom.

According to swedishlapland.com, “In the low altitude areas – vegetation is richer than in the high altitude areas. The glacier buttercup (Ranunculus glacialis) is a mountain plant that grows between rocks in high altitude areas – preferably 1000 mamsl (meters above mean sea level), a very barren biotope.”

But more than anything, it is just plain beautiful.

Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd
Bankeryd

My clothing for this trip is proudly sponsored by SAIL. Follow my adventures on sail.ca.

Stockholm & Vaxholm (Sweden Pt 1)

I have finally arrived in Sweden! After taking a more than five hour flight from Toronto to Iceland, we touched down at Vasteras airport – just 80 minutes outside of Stockholm.

We stayed at the beautiful, waterfront Hotel Diplomat in Stockholm. Our room had a courtyard view with a small balcony, but we had no problem viewing the water while eating our early morning breakfast. This hotel is top notch; it’s exactly what the photos depict. Clean, historic and perfectly situated in old Stockholm.

Hotel Diplomat Stockholm Hotel Diplomat Stockholm Hotel Diplomat Stockholm Hotel Diplomat Stockholm Hotel Diplomat Stockholm

We also used our evening to explore Vaxholm, located in the city’s archipelago. Our hotel was right across from the Cinderella Viking Line ferry (NOTE: each way will cost you about $25 CAD per person). “Idyllic archipelago town with many well-preserved wooden houses from the turn of the last century, painted in the archipelago’s typical delicate pastel tones. Vaxholm has numerous charming restaurants, cafés and shops,” reads the visitstockholm.com website.

Vaxholm Vaxholm Vaxholm Vaxholm Vaxholm Vaxholm

We still have a full itinerary planned in Sweden. There are stops planned in Jonkoping, Tunnerstad, and Granna coming up ….

My clothing for this trip is proudly sponsored by SAIL. Follow my adventures on sail.ca.

A little Yukon throwback

I never had the chance to share this photo during my Yukon series. But I was going through images this weekend, stumbled onto it, and had the need to post it.

It’s my cousin and I. As you can see, we had some fun making giant snowballs on the way to Skagway, Alaska. My dad snapped this photo at one of the pull-offs.

It’s been almost three months since I was in the Yukon, and in another three weeks, I will be packing my bags for another great trip; this time, Sweden and Norway!

yukon