Dree Your Own Weird

The city of Stockholm stretches over fourteen islands, and is teeming with almost as many ships as people.  Our scant twenty-four hours there was nothing but a tease, yet we made the most of it with many promises of a return visit. Twice in the past, Adam had stayed at the Af Chapman Hostel , and so returning with a family now in tow was a must.  Often voted one of the top hostels of the world, the Af Chapman includes rooms on a 19th century ship moored next to the island of Skeppsholmen.  There are also additional rooms in a nearby building with an interior designed like a ship's quarters.  If you don't make reservations in time, don't fret - you can still visit for a drink or mid day meal. After an hour spent finding parking on the tight island, we headed to the Gamla Stan .  The Gamla Stan is Stockholm's old town, and as in most European cities, a great first stop on the tourist route.  There are numerous shops for your sou...

Seventeen Years ago Adam met a delightful family from Sweden, with whom he spent many enjoyable days over the course of two visits. Below, he shares his story of their meeting and speaks of the importance of friendship while traveling. We first traveled to Steninge, a small seaside community where Kerstin and Anders live during the summer months. It was wonderful to finally meet Adam's friend, and her two young children made us wish ours had stayed so cute a little longer. After almost a month of being on the road, we devoured their homemade meals and basked in the luxury of real beds and tables. All her linens were white, as befits a seaside home, and there is nothing I like more than swathing myself in crisp white linens while drifting off to sleep. Although Steninge is not a touristed area, there were forest walks and beautiful sea views to keep us satisfied. Having a chat on top of a Viking Burial Mound What looked to be an easy put-put course in a n...

My interest in Sweden was aroused when I heard about “fika,” a break in the day when the Swedes imbibe coffee and cinnamon rolls. I looked up a picture of the rolls on Pinterest and promptly told Adam I was ready to go. Alright, so that is not the real reason, but it most certainly was part of it!   The real reason we visited Sweden is because it is there where dwells Adam's beloved Swedish mother, Henny Rothman, and it was high time the kids and I met this enigmatic woman and the rest of her incredible family.   We flew from Edinburgh into Gothenburg , the country’s second largest city, and called our airbnb host to let her know we had arrived. She was apologetic, but ended up in the hospital and so would need to cancel our reservation. We scratched our heads and debated whether we could stomach paying for a hotel room. Sweden is quite expensive,  so instead we headed to a campground on the outskirts. How expensive is Sweden? Well, the campgro...

We started our journey into Glen Affric at the late hour of 9:30p.m.   We had had much to do that day, including downing a couple pints at the local pub (Slater's Arm) with our friend David before hitting the trail, thus such a late start. Darkness soon closed in   and we found a non-descript but level spot along the trail at which to pitch our tents.   The men celebrated with a half bottle of Scotch whiskey and the kids and I drifted off to sleep while listening to their muted voices. The next morning we awoke to hordes of midges buzzing outside our tents.   With the decision to conquer the Glen Afric trail, we had become honorary highlanders we conjectured, and so therefore, midges could be easily handled.   We were incorrect.   Hundreds lit upon our bodies at once and began to nip at us, nay, rip at our flesh.   David was choking on the mass that had managed to make its way down his throat, and the kids were going into hysterics as ear...

Eight years ago my heart was broken. It was my first time in Europe, and I was bent on seeing castles and more castles. There was one in particular that I was the most excited for:  Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe . In my daydreams I had peopled that stronghold with a fierce clan Chieftain and his alluring daughter...and that daughter looked a lot like me. When we arrived at Loch Awe, Kilchurn Castle lay on a tiny peninsula that jutted out into its waters. It was surrounded by fog, breathtaking and just how I imagined. Alas! I could not figure out how to get to the darn thing! There were no signs as expected - no footpaths, no giddy tourists - only sheep, miserable sheep.  This time I was not to be waylaid. I had done my research and knew how to find the small, almost imperceptible path that leads to the castle, and if I couldn't, I had the power of the law on my side. In Scotland, you have " the right to roam ," meaning you can cross private lands as long as ...