Snapshot of a Swedish Adventure... Klättermusen Style

The Klätturmusen Experiences Team greeted us at the Norrköping Central Station and treated us to lunch in the cute town of Söderköping, which borders the Göta Canal. After a leisurely walk along the canal, learning some of the town’s history, and learning a bit about everybody, we headed to Torrö Island, passing by acres and acres of “cereal,” which is how the locals reference the wheat fields. Once at our campsite/home for the next four nights, we settled into our cozy little tents and then took a short walk on a path through the brush of Torrö to the shore of the Baltic Sea for champagne and strawberries on the rocks to toast the beginning of our adventure.

This welcoming intro put us all at ease and set the tone for the rest of the week.

Coffee is served at 8 am around the picnic table along with a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, porridge, and lots of lingonberry jam (a main staple on many Swedes’ tables). I love vacations where you can eat all you want because you know you’re going to be burning it off! Next, a half day of hiking around the perimeter of Torrö, up and down trails surrounded by beautiful wildflowers, cool breezes, and the Baltic Sea, followed by a lunch of freshly smoked salmon and Swedish-style pizza while live folk music was played in the background by a local musician. Next, a mid-afternoon nap in your tent while a midsummer shower poured down until you receive a call-to-action video from one of your adventure guides who instructs you to hike to the rocks by the sea where a pop-up sauna has just been set up and is ready to be enjoyed.

After the sauna, you plunge into the 55-degree Baltic sauna again, and plunge again and just about then, the hunger kicks in and you stroll back to camp for a meal of creamy broccoli soup, steak, and potatoes. I have to say, the food was one of those surprises that exceeded expectations.

Full belly and tired, you pass out in your tent, after a day well spent!

Once a year during the summer solstice, the Swedes let loose. It never really gets dark during this season, and I awoke a few times after midnight to peek out of my tent to see the really pretty purplish sky above. So, during the longest day of the year, the Swedes celebrate Midsommar. Girls of all ages hunt wildflowers to be weaved into flower crowns while the men prep behind the scenes. After a formal sit-down dinner (akin to our Thanksgiving), full of seasonal favorites like smoked salmon, pickled herring, fresh dill, new potatoes, and topped off with strawberry cake and whipped cream, the rest of the day is spent dancing around a maypole, playing games such as horseshoes in the grass, and enjoying family and friends (old and new), all the while drinking bubbly or sipping on aquavit. A pretty nice day indeed!

Time to kayak! No hurry and against the wind, it was well worth it! But first, our expert kayaking guide made sure to brief us on every bit of information we needed to know so that we could grab the paddles and go. There is a serenity to paddling; you get in a rhythm and glide along the water, all the while taking in the surroundings and being amazed that you are in such a beautiful place and in no hurry to get anywhere. We truly enjoyed stopping mid-route to eat our boxed lunches (made that morning from the fire-cooked veggies and meat from the night before) and then recharging by napping on the rocks! The ongoing theme seemed to be that we move on when we are ready, in no hurry. Ever. Such a different pace, worthy of living in the moment.

A full day—71 kilometers of gravel biking up and down country roads through heavily forested areas and by beautiful lakes. By the time we reached Borkhult Lapphem Lodge, half of us fell to the ground feeling both proud of ourselves and utterly exhausted (in a good way) after a long day of cycling.

Like stepping back in time, Borkhult Lapphem was in an area that only a local would know about, and how sweet it was. In the charming basement dining area of the lodge, we were treated to a fabulous candlelit dinner cooked by the owners (two sisters). If that wasn’t special enough, one of the sister’s husbands showed up and while he played the guitar, they sang Swedish folk songs.

Bedtime couldn’t have come soon enough. I was extremely fatigued from the day’s activities. Before turning in, I could not resist a few minutes of relaxing by candlelight, as the setting was so charming, and enticing—what a simple treat indeed.

More gravel biking to reach our starting point five days prior, the town of Norkköping. For all biking adventures, there is a team member in a support vehicle trailing or leading the way. This team member also sets up picnic lunches on hillsides next to picturesque lakes while the expert cyclist guides ride along with the group to keep us motivated and fueled with Swedish candy. The driver also acted as DJ and played a great soundtrack of techno-style music while the photographer filmed from above with his drone, snapped action shots out the car window, and ran ahead to set up and photograph the group approaching. So fun! The point is, we were well taken care of the whole trip! After arriving in Norroköping for our last night, in true Klättermusen Experiences fashion, they went all out and set us up at The Lamp Hotel, one of the nicest hotels there. After a well-earned shower and nap, we were treated to a delicious dinner (which was a fusion of Swedish and Asian flavors) in the penthouse. Knowing our adventure was nearing an end, we reminisced, had some laughs, and decided it wouldn’t be the last time we would adventure travel this way!

I can wholeheartedly say waking up to the sounds of the birds while inside a tent enveloped in a comfy down sleeping bag is a really nice experience; but so is waking up in a comfy bed with great linens in a very stylish hotel room knowing there is a big shower with hot water right there ready to help get the day started. The Klättermusen Experience adventure crafters did a great job interspersing the rustic with the modern because it really did make us (or me at least) appreciate each for what it was; the contrast added cultural texture and breadth to the overall experience in a short span of time.

Norkköping is a very industrial-looking city steeped in history and on the last morning we walked through the historic district to a local museum to view the Ståhl Collection of contemporary art curated from all over the world. The collection was quite thought-provoking and took my mind to places it doesn’t often visit. We ended our journey together at Boka Cafe, one last toast to a week well spent. We then said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.