5 Reasons You Will Love Sweden

My love affair with Sweden started back in 2002 and is still going strong. So what’s the big attraction?

1. The fresh air.

I always feel like I can breathe better in Sweden. There’s just something about it – big skies, light colours and an outdoor lifestyle that blows the cobwebs away.

5 reasons you will love Sweden — Fjällbacka, Västra Götaland

2. The water.

The majority of the time I’ve spent in Sweden has been on or near the water. There’s a lot of it, and the Swedes love to get out on it. Nothing says sunshine and fresh air quite like being on a boat… even when the sunshine is hard to come by.

3. The history.

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, and proud of it. But it still feels like the monarchy is close to the people. You only have to look at the Royal Palace in Stockholm – it may only be used for ceremonial purposes, but you could almost go up and peer through the windows if you wanted to. (I doubt you actually could; I got a bit close to the equivalent in Copenhagen once and got shouted at by a guard in a bearskin…). All the pomp and circumstance, but without the cynicism we have in the UK – at least from what I can tell.

4. The fish.

I’ve mentioned before that I am pescatarian, i.e. that I eat fish but otherwise no meat. Well, I’ll freely admit that part of the reason is that I love fish, and Sweden has fish and seafood to die for.