Envisage A Traditional Christmas

This year I spent Christmas in Sweden and it was slightly different than my normal Christmas in England. On 23rd December we went to the top of the garden, (yes a humongous garden for me) and cut down our Christmas tree which had been specially selected after years of tradition that a tree needs strong branches for the candles to hold.

Between us we dragged it back through the snow, then erected and decorated the tree. With the candles lit, it gave it such a Christmassy feeling as the presents built up under the tree and in Santas sack.


The afternoon of the 24th December we ate a traditional Swedish Christmas meal. The starter was sill (herring),potatoes  which we ate while singing songs and drinking snaps. The main course was a delicious cured ham, moose meatballs, vegetables, prunes and salad with different sauces accompanied with beer, red wine and Julmust.


Santa Claus later took the sack on the evening of the 24th and then returned it and greeted the family, which was great fun, I'm sure I recognized him but it couldn't of been, it was definatly Santa. We all opened our presents through the lovely evening we had.

Chasing The Winter Sun... continued

On continuing the Chasing The Winter Sun post this was some of the best of the rest of the trip. I couldn't help but keep spinning round to look out of every window of the car  to see the sunset. 

We or should I say I jumped out of the car to take photo's in the -15c daytime temperature at every given moment on the snow filled roads in the Höga Kusten. Winter is really a true beauty of life and next time anybody considers getting away from the winter during the Christmas holidays, stare it in the face and go enjoy a real winter treat and head north to Sweden for a brand new experience.

Chasing The Winter Sun

In recent days I've been in contact with friends and family who have gone to the southern hemisphere to India, Australia and Mexico for winter holidays to get away from the cold harsh European winter. Well, I did the opposite and vacated north to Höga Kusten, Ångermanland, Sweden.

There was half a metre of snow in Höga Kusten in two days and then we were rewarded with cold blue skies and an amazing sunset. I have seen some beauty in my time but this was really, really something special when you least expected it.

We drove around the snow topped mountains and frozen lakes and chased the winter sun all afternoon. Every corner we turned, the sky looked like it was on fire on the snowy backgound, what a contrast. These are just a few of many photographs I will post in the coming days. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Happy New Year from The Traveller Returns.

Europes Christmas City

Watching Liseberg's five million lightbulbs glow up the city centre sky during the whole Christmas period and my appartment, I couldn't help but not resist to have a look in and see the Christmas wonderland.

Gothenburg really puts on a good show when it comes to Christmas and you wouldn't be let down. The whole city turns into one big light show from light shows on the Aveyn's Konstmuseum to the centre of the show, Liseberg it's self .

For a full Christmas feel with Swedish taste, Liseberg is a must for the whole family, go on the rides, enjoy the music, ice-skating shows, eat, try and buy local cheese, deer or even moose, there's definatly something for everyone!!! God Jul from Sweden.