Why We Fell Hopelessly in Love with Sweden

Are you ready for some more reasons why you should visit Sweden? Here goes! PS: this post is part of a series; if you want to read the first one, click here!

Wild Swimming

In Belgium, swimming in any lake, river, or body of water is illegal. Yes illegal. Why? Because they are scared people will drown when they go swimming unsupervised. It’s ridiculous, especially these last couple of years when Summer temperatures are soaring to the high twenties!

kelly in her bathing suit sitting on a wooden jetty with her feet dangling over the water of the lake

a wooden jetty over a lake that is so still that it has a perfect reflection of the trees and the pink skies in the water during sunset in sweden

me and florian hugging while watching the sunset standing knee deep in the water of a lake with trees in the background

But in Sweden, they fall back to their allemansrätten again. So you can take a dip almost everywhere! And Sweden has a lot of lakes! Not a fan of lakes? Drive to the coast and take a plunge into the ocean.

Wildlife in Sweden

During our road trip, we saw 5 moose, 2 snakes, 1 beaver, multiple couples of cranes, sometimes with a little one, a group of reindeer, and lots of deer.

a group of adult reindeer with baby reindeer running on the road with a car coming at them in the background

a group of adult and baby reindeer running on the side of the road

It’s safe to say that Sweden has an abundance of wild animals. You’re dead wrong if you think a moose is the most extraordinary animal this country has. Even though your chances of seeing one are incredibly limited, lynxes roam the whole of Sweden.

a beaver swimming in the water but is barely visible from afar

a grass snake on the ground between leaves in sweden

But also bears, wolves, and wolverines call Sweden their home. The chances of seeing these majestic animals are slim, but you never know!

If you want more information about where to find these animals best, check out this website.

Sweden’s Midnight Sun

There are so many reasons why I love the long Summer nights in Sweden. For one, it’s truly magical to sit outside at midnight and still feel like it’s only 8 pm. It gives you a sense of possibility and energy and is pretty refreshing!

crazy sunset behind the trees with a reflection in the water of the lake

pink purple sky reflecting in the lake during sunset

orange pink sunset reflecting in a lake in sweden

pink skies behind an island of trees in a big lake in sweden

If you wanted to go for a hike around 2 am, that would not be weird. It would be smarter even to do this because you avoid other people. It sounds lunatic to go hiking at night, but it feels normal when you’re in Sweden, experiencing the midnight sun.

And that’s not even talking about Winter in Sweden, which I’m sure is as magical as Summer. We haven’t visited in Winter yet, but stay tuned because I’m sure we’ll get there, and maybe there will be a part 3 coming then!

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