Sweden on a thought abroad

North of the Arctic Circle: Hiking adventures in Sweden

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 13:46:51 +0000

My dream of returning to Northern Sweden for some hiking came true this year. Streams and lakes, puddles and pools, snow and ice, mountains and valleys; orienteering, pathfinding, river crossing, wild camping. Fabulous views rewarded the efforts I put in.

From Stockholm to Oslo by Bike

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 10:31:07 +0000

Bike touring, wild camping, ferry rides, sun bathing, bike packing, and more. A recount of a loosely planned bicycle trip that brought me another time across Sweden, and this time also a tiny bit of Norway.

Herräng, en resa till Herräng

Mon, 23 May 2016 17:06:13 +0000

Några veckor kvar inför nästa resa till Sverige. Den här gången på sommaren. Vilket är ju inte den värsta tiden att åka dit. Jag är mycket nyfiken på danslägret i Herräng, vilket är välkänd bland dansarna i Swingvärlden.

Ice skating in tailwind

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 13:37:44 +0000

Great timing. A wave of cold temperature and clear skies comes to Sweden precisely when needed. But if it weren’t for the logistics, the wind could have made ice skating impossible. A story in pictures on what the dark and cold winter in Sweden had to offer.

Long distance ice skating on Siljan: Old places, new adventures

Fri, 20 Feb 2015 12:18:42 +0000

The ice conditions and the weather in Stockholm being far from ideal for ice-skating, we travelled all the way up to Lake Siljan in Dalarna, Sweden. An essay on the wonders of long-distance ice-skating, a winter activity as fantastic as well as little known outside the Nordic countries.

Svenska utanför Sverige – hur gör man då?

Fri, 14 Nov 2014 14:43:00 +0000

Man brukar säga att det är mycket lättare att lära sig ett främmande språk när man befinner sig i landet där språket talas än om man befinner sig utomlands. Angående svenska som främmande språk får jag nu ingå kompromisser eftersom jag inte längre bor i Sverige. Kommer jag att glömma bort allt som jag lärt mig? Helst inte.

Goodbye, Sweden. Goodbye.

Wed, 12 Mar 2014 09:10:19 +0000

Everything has an end. Such has my student life in Stockholm. The last days give me a chance to sum up my roughly twenty months in Sweden.

Åland – Ice-skating in Finland

Wed, 22 Jan 2014 12:55:16 +0000

From Sweden over the Baltic Sea to Åland in Finland for an afternoon of ice-skating. Waiting for us were beautiful frozen fjords. How come so few students are interested in this hobby?

Skridskoglädje på Tämnaren

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 11:57:15 +0000

Äntligen var det dags att sätta på sig skridskorna. Tillsammans med klubben gick det på en solig lördag norrut från Stockholm för att åka skridsko på Tämnaren, Upplands största insjö. Den mörka årstiden lyser verkligen upp när isen lagt sig. På riktigt.

Akka from Kebnekaise

Sun, 08 Sep 2013 12:46:34 +0000

A wonderful journey through Sweden. Great weather conditions. Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest mountain called. A story both with pictures and with words.

Zwischenbericht von der KTH: Über Versuchskaninchen, Double-Degree, Kurswahl, Nerdvokabular und den Polarkreis

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 04:40:45 +0000

Den gibt es nur auf deutsch: meinen Bericht vom ERASMUS-Jahr im Rahmen des neuen Double-Degree-Studiums zwischen den Informatikfakultäten der Technischen Universität München und der Königlich Technischen Hochschule Stockholm.

Across Sweden from Kungshamn to Stockholm by Bike: Day 5

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:38:38 +0000

Across Sweden with the bike from the west coast to the east coast? I have tried my luck. Here is a report about the last day – from Torshälla to Stockholm.

Across Sweden from Kungshamn to Stockholm by Bike: Day 4

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:06:09 +0000

Across Sweden with the bike from the west coast to the east coast? I have tried my luck. Here is a report about the fourth day – from Mullhyttan to Torshälla.

Across Sweden from Kungshamn to Stockholm by Bike: Day 3

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:06:05 +0000

Across Sweden with the bike from the west coast to the east coast? I have tried my luck. Here is a report about the third day – from Mariestad to Mullhyttan.

Across Sweden from Kungshamn to Stockholm by Bike: Day 2

Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:52:29 +0000

Across Sweden with the bike from the west coast to the east coast? I have tried my luck. Here is a report about the second day – from Vänersborg to Mariestad.

Across Sweden from Kungshamn to Stockholm by Bike: Day 1

Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:51:46 +0000

Across Sweden with the bike from the west coast to the east coast? I have tried my luck. Here is a report about the first day – from Kungshamn to Vänersborg.

Across Sweden from Kungshamn to Stockholm by Bike

Sun, 11 Aug 2013 12:46:20 +0000

Across Sweden with the bike from the west coast to the east coast? I have tried my luck. In a diary-style series of articles I will describe some of my experiences during the five days of biking In the hope that it might benefit others with similar ideas!

Review of the Visualization Course at KTH: A Matter of Trust

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:15:20 +0000

When trusting the students is a good idea: a review of the project-based visualization course (DD2257) given by Mario Romero in spring 2013 at KTH. The projects presented by the students exceeded my expectations by far – but why?

Sun and Ships on a Saturday in Stockholm

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:56:47 +0000

Stockholm shows its finest side whenever it is sunny. By coincidence, a particular Saturday in spring this year was a lot about ships — ships and their stories.

Sandhamn Off-Season

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:55:55 +0000

A weekday in April in Sandhamn: no people, no sound, almost no coffee. But plenty of water, plenty of sun, and still plenty of ice. Here are some impressions. And a riddle: what is 北京八?

Langstreckeneislauf aus der Sicht eines Deutschen

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:14:34 +0000

Wandern in den Bergen ist in Deutschland ein beliebter und allseits bekannter Freizeitsport. Wandern auf dem Eis mit Schlittschuhen hingegen ist hier größtenteils unbekannt. Eissorten abseits der Eisdiele? Abschnallbare Kufen? Isdubbar? Fahren auf Eisschollen? Mehrere dutzend Kilometer? Gefährlich? Eine Geschichte eines deutschen Anfängers über den ersten und intensiven Kontakt mit dem Langstreckeneislaufen in Schweden.

Ice around St. Saltkråkan

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:57:16 +0000

Newly frozen black ice in Stockholm’s Archipelago on March 16. Alone the tour I went with populated the ice with 250 people, which is four buses worth. The frozen sea was beautiful but sometimes treacherous – as ever, carefulness is your best buddy.

Ice near Vålarö

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:54:07 +0000

What is more to say after more than 200 kilometers on the ice? That it looks differently every month. And in March, I got the opportunity to see an amazing mixture of old thick ice, new thin ice, and sea water.

Ice on Vättern

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:55:29 +0000

After many days of adverse weather conditions, an ice-skating tour brings me to the second-largest lake in Sweden – which is three times larger than Bodensee (Lake Constance). Parts of the lake were covered with transparent ice with a hard and level surface.

Week Numbers in Google Calendar

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:25:47 +0000

The schedules of most courses at KTH are formulated in terms of week numbers. Google Calendar has a hidden feature for those, who are not yet used to remembering the current week number.

Ice in Mellanskärgården

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:55:46 +0000

Impressive experience on the ice in the middle parts of Stockholm’s archipelago — thanks to a phenomenal friend.

Ice on Stora Värtan

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:40:28 +0000

Gemütliche ice-skating tour on Stora Värtan. Small sight-seeing à la Shackleton included.

Winterness Around the Corner: Tyresta National Park

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:12:43 +0000

As an allusion to a previous article about the wilderness in Tyresta National Park, here is a short report on the winterness in the same place but during another season. Looks completely different.

Ice on Rönningesjön

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:17:01 +0000

It is just appropriate to praise the public transport from time to time. Especially if it makes a trip to a frozen lake a breeze. This time it was Rönningesjön near Täby. The snow was cleared from a circular track on the lake that used to be a bathing place in summer.

Missing in Sweden: Amazon

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:49:20 +0000

Strange but true: there is no Amazon in Sweden. I conceive this country as very eager to adapt new concepts and cutting-edge technology. Connectivity to the Web is ubiquituous. However, to my big surprise, there is no www.amazon.se. I could not find a matching Swedish counterpart either. Why?

Ice on the Baltic Sea

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:17:08 +0000

Magnificient ice on the Baltic Sea within Stockholm’s Archipelago, as discovered on a tour 20 kilometers east of Norrtälje.

Ice on Norrviken, Edsviken, Brunnsviken

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:36:26 +0000

Getting the better part of the nordic winter: An ice-skating tour in the darkness from Norrviken to Brunnsviken, The evening was rounded off by some beer at Karlaplan. What else to expect from live?

Ice on Östermalms IP

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:14:41 +0000

How to create a nice area for ice-skating? “Deep-freeze” a stadium, clear huge amounts of snow, and turn on the floodlights. While ice-skating on a lake is definitely better, the circle at Östermalms IP is large enough to offer space for skaters at all kinds of speed and abilities.

Ice on Vallentunasjön

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:57:41 +0000

Many thanks to those who know the ice and made me have a wonderful day on the frozen Vallentunasjön – igen: tusen tack till dem som gjorde det möjligt.

Vetenskap och konst - Julkonserten 2012

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 01:51:46 +0000

KTH’s Christmas concert 2012 offered a diverse composition: traditional Christmas pieces, a Lucia procession, and an extract from Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio).

Secondhand Course Literature in Stockholm

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:43:15 +0000

Being sick of expensive course literature in Stockholm? Relief is on the way: Secondhand books can be bought at Campusbutiken of Stockholms Universitet. There is also an online platform kthbok.com which performs a similar duty without taking detours via a reseller.

Swedish in Sweden - Musings about Motivation

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 15:09:40 +0000

Musings about motivation: the last part of a series in favor of learning Swedish while in Sweden.

Swedish in Sweden - Practice and Rehearsal

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:18:10 +0000

When learning a foreign language, there is an abundance of new words, new grammar, and new expressions coming in. Rehearsal is necessary in order to keep the learned items in memory. Much practice is required in order to turn passive understanding into readily available active language skills.

Swedish in Sweden - Learning to Listen

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:17:47 +0000

What use is it to ask someone in Swedish and then not to understand the answer? How to get the pronunciation right without being able to listen to Swedish? These two thoughts made listening a top priority for me when I started a new foreign language.

Swedish in Sweden - Gathering New Input

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:28:05 +0000

When learning a foreign language, full immersion probably guarantees a nearly unlimited supply of new words, new grammar, and new expressions, which never comes to a halt. When immersion is not possible, how to react?

Swedish in Sweden - Translation Tools

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:09:43 +0000

The best way to find a good Swedish translation while in Sweden is to ask a Swede. Of course. And there is no surprise here. However, there are a couple of resources available on the web that help with translation when professional help is not available.

Swedish in Sweden

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:05:30 +0000

Swedes talk Swedish. Surprised? Swedes always talk English with you as a foreigner? Well, the game can be changed and it is not too hard for native speakers in German or English. This is the start signal for a six-part article series about how to concretely speed up your progress in learning Swedish as a foreign language, based on my experiences. Why not just talk English? This crucial question is tackled first.

Stockholm in Autumn - Worth a Thousand Words

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:26:57 +0000

Autumn has arrived and Stockholm dresses itself in wonderful colors. The magnificient scenery is definitely worth a few pictures.

TUM @ KTH Go Global Exchange Fair 2012

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:53:02 +0000

In 2012, KTH Stockholm offered an exchange fair for local students that want to go abroad. We organized a booth for Technische Universität München.

Vetenskap och konst - Fyrverkeriorkestern 2012

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:47:39 +0000

Charming. Unbeatable. Inconceivable. So much to the concert at KTH in Stockholm on September 12, which featured a variety of enjoyable pieces and culminated in the overwhelming “Music for the Royal Fireworks” (G. F. Händel). A fantastic display of music and fireworks in the Borggården of KTH main campus in a chilly late summer night.

Two Semesters at TUM - Four Periods at KTH

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:54:02 +0000

Technische Universität München (TUM) divides the academic year into a summer semester and a winter semester. However, it is four periods instead of two semesters at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Here is a glance at some of the implications that I can see.

Biking in Stockholm - Practicalities and is it worth it?

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:28:48 +0000

Where to get a bike in Stockholm? Where to put the bike? And is it worth bicycling in Stockholm? While the practicalities are not easy to address, the efforts certainly pay out as a first trip indicates.

Överraskning: min kurs är på svenska

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:10:46 +0000

Why is the lecturer talking Swedish? Kursen är på svenska, förstås! I noted with some surprise that one of my courses is given in Swedish. It turned out to be a very welcome opportunity to listen to Swedish in a multi-modal setting.

Swedish Krona reaching 12-Year High against the Euro

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:31:43 +0000

Unfortunate for all those who have to exchange euro for Swedish krona: the krona has reached a 12-year high against the euro in August 2012. This is a rough 10% loss compared to last year.

Shout it out loud every Tuesday: Living in Lappis

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:07:06 +0000

Every Tuesday one can hear random shouting at 10 pm in Lappis, a big housing estate near Stockholms universitet and KTH Stockholm.

KTH Campus Valhallavägen: Attack of the Clones

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:04:04 +0000

Fearsome clone troopers are patrolling the campus! What is happening on the campus of KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Valhallavägen?

Wilderness Around the Corner: Tyresta National Park

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:44:15 +0000

Tyresta National Park is merely an hour away from Stockholm, and is mostly rocks, wood, water. A special feature is a large area that was flame-cut by a raging wildfire in 1999, now offering a rough and strange landscape.

Splendid: Swimming in Stockholm

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:06:36 +0000

Stockholm is said to have very clean water. Indeed, I can only agree. Clean, refreshing, and open to everyone: swimming in Stockholm’s waters is excellent. What a welcome contrast to the lukewarm dirty waters around Hong Kong.

München-Stockholm by Train includes a Ferry-Ride

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:04:22 +0000

Travelling from Munich to Stockholm by train seems to be a crazy idea at the very first glance. However, coming at a price of 39,- EUR and virtually no baggage limit, I chose to take a 21h train ride on me to Stockholm via Nürnberg, Hamburg and Copenhagen with Deutsche Bahn. While the crowded trains made the journey tougher than expected, I was surprised by getting a ferry-ride for both the Intercity Express and myself.