From Uppsala Secrets to Gotland Magic: Island Hunting as a Digital Nomad

My mission to explore as much of Sweden as possible is in full swing. Since my coaching schedule only takes up a few hours a week, I have the wonderful freedom to catch trains, hop on ferries, and say yes to some incredibly generous invitations from new friends.

From quirky history in Uppsala to the peaceful countryside of Gotland and the sunny shores of the southern archipelago, here is what life on the road has looked like lately.

Uppsala: Viking Land

My first stop was a quick day trip to Uppsala. The cathedral and the giant pink castle are definitely impressive when you see them in person.

But my favorite stop was Gustavianum, the university museum, because it threw a completely unexpected piece of home my way.

The Augsburg Connection

They have an artifact called the Augsburg Art Cabinet.

I seriously had to travel all the way to Sweden to find out there is such a thing?!?

It’s a beautifully intricate 17th-century cabinet packed with hundreds of tiny artifacts, exotic items, and secret compartments. The city of Augsburg actually gave it as a massive, extravagant gift to the Swedish King back in 1632.

Talk about a small world!

1660s "Entertainment"

Up in the attic of the museum is the Anatomical Theatre, and learning about it was wild. Back in the 1660s, this was high-society entertainment. People would actually buy tickets, squeeze onto these steep, circular tiered balconies, and watch dissections for hours.

Our tour guide told us that since human bodies were hard to come by, they actually had to go "unbury" people who had been laid to rest outside the church graveyard. Because of that, the dissections were mostly animals like dogs or pigs, with a human on the table only once in a while.

Imagine getting dressed up on a Friday night, buying a ticket, and grabbing a seat just to watch a scientist dissect a pig. It really puts modern reality TV into perspective.

Myth-Busting in Gamla Uppsala

Even though it was getting late, I couldn't leave without heading north to Gamla (Old) Uppsala to see the massive, sweeping royal burial mounds. Walking among these giant grass hills from the 5th and 6th centuries feels a bit unreal.

The three largest mounds are heavily splattered with mythology: they are literally nicknamed Odin’s Mound, Thor’s Mound, and Freyr’s Mound. Old folklore firmly claimed the Norse gods themselves were buried right inside them.

According to Gemini, back in the 1800s, the future Swedish King Karl XV got so tired of people arguing over whether the mounds held pagan gods, legendary kings, or were just "natural lumps of dirt" that he backed a massive archaeological excavation to settle the matter once and for all. They dug right into the heart of them and found ancient royal cremation graves filled with bones and fine golden threads. So it settled the regular dirt debate, but sadly, no signs of Thor's hammer.

Well, I'm pretty certain that Thor's hammer wasn't found. Everything else I'd take with a grain of salt, given the source. 😜

Fjäderholmarna and Nyckelviken: Nature Pure

Next up was a day trip out to Fjäderholmarna, a tiny group of islands just a short ferry ride away. The whole place is completely car free, filled with quiet rocky shores and little local artist studios. Best of all, there are plenty of benches scattered right along the waterfront, which was my personal favorite.

While I was checking out the local fishing museum, I came across four gentlemen sitting outside. One of them kindly pointed out that one of the buildings was only open for another 30 minutes while they were there, and recommended I start with that one before they closed it up. It was just another example of how incredibly kind and considerate everyone has been on this trip! 🥰

The museum itself gives a fascinating insight into fishing and island living back in the day. It features a collection of traditional wooden boats, and while it was certainly a simpler life, it must have been incredibly hard.

Fish Skin Leather?

I spent some time poking around the workshops, but the absolute wildest thing I saw was a designer making leather out of fish skin. Yes, fish skin! It is surprisingly soft and durable, and apparently, it is an ancient technique.

Oh, and in case you were curious, it does not smell like the catch of the day 😂

After the craft shops, I headed back outside to wander along the coast. The views are just stunning and there were so many opportunities to just sit along the shore on a flat rock or one of the many benches and just be grateful for the life I get to live.

Nyckelviken Nature Reserve

Another recommendation from a new friend was Nyckelviken Nature Reserve, which is just a short boat ride from Fjäderholmarna. The scenery here is just stunning. Glistening water is surrounded by a massive mix of boulders, trees, open green meadows, and quiet forest paths. Pure peace!

A Lovely Evening with a New Friend

The next evening I met up with a new Facebook friend for a drink. We went to a place called Två Små Svin. The main event of the night was not actually the drinks, but the fact that my new friend worked tirelessly to teach me the correct Swedish pronunciation of the name. I am proud to report that I can now successfully say "two small pigs" in Swedish. One never knows when these words might come in handy! 🤣

After drinks she introduced me to a near by Crêperie, where I continued practicing my two small pigs over a yummy galette and a nice glass of cold Chardonnay. Not sure how much the wine helped, but we certainly had a lot of fun!

Fun fact: yet another new Facebook friend I met through the Heja Livet! group invited me to spend a long weekend with her up north in Voxnadalen, right in the middle of deepest Hälsingland, at her conference and retreat center. Not only that, she extended the offer to my new "Swedish teacher" and so now the three of us get to meet up for some girl time. 🥰

This trip is coming up this weekend, so definitely tune in for the next update to hear about our adventures there!

Gotland

Keeping with the theme of the amazing generosity of the ladies I met through the Heja Livet! Facebook group, another wonderful woman invited me to stay with her on Gotland.

When I first posted in the group, she had recommended that I check out Gotland, but despite my best efforts, I was not able to find any accommodation and had given up on the idea of visiting Gotland.

That all changed when she invited me to stay at her lovely countryside home. I arrived in the early afternoon, and my new friend took me around the charming town of Visby before we headed to Barlingbo Bryggeri, a local craft brewery. She had actually organized a private tour for us! I got to taste some of their brews, including their flagship beer, Galgbacken.

Fun fact: Galgbacken translates to Gallows Hill, named after Visby's medieval execution site. Cheers to that! 🍻

Afterward, we headed to her place and I felt right at home. 🥰 Following a simple and oh so delicious home-cooked meal, we went on a bike ride around town.

Even though there was not a single drop of rain where we were, here is what we encountered. Apparently, I have seen rainbows before, but this looked much more like a massive rain column! 🤯

Have you ever seen anything like that?

Over the next few days, we shared stories and explored the island together. We visited places like Asunden and Graute Gård, which I never would have been able to reach by public transport. She truly went above and beyond to make my time on Gotland unforgettable.

Asunden is home to some incredible raukar, and very cute sheep wandering around the area. If you have never heard of them, raukar are giant, dramatic limestone sea stacks. The stone itself actually started forming as tropical coral reefs near the equator a mind-boggling 400 million years ago, but they were sculpted into these crazy shapes by wind and waves after the ice sheets melted about 10,000 years ago.

Sooo big!

What do you see in this picture?

Nessie?

A snail?

A resting seal?

Something else?

After all that exploring, it was time for fika, the sacred Swedish tradition of coffee, sweet treats, and taking a breather.

We had ours at Graute Gård, this beautiful working farm.

Just imagine sitting in this peaceful setting in the sun, with a cup of tea in my case, and a super yummy slice of cheesecake topped with whipped cream and salmbär. Salmbär is a local dewberry native to Gotland, related to blackberries and raspberries, and it is absolutely delicious 😋

Sadly, the next day it was already time to say goodbye to my new friend 😢

But since my ferry was not until late afternoon, I had a whole day left to continue exploring Visby.

Visby is a UNESCO World Heritage site, famous for the ancient medieval wall, or ringmur, that wraps around the city. Walking past those towering stone ruins really makes you feel like you have stepped right back into the Middle Ages.

Right in the middle of those ruins and old wooden houses sits the Visby Cathedral, towering over the town. Standing there and looking up at it, the scale of it is just breathtaking.

Beyond the grand monuments, it was the quieter corners of Visby that stole my heart. I could have spent days just strolling through the tiny cobblestone streets lined with wooden houses and climbing roses, or getting lost in the pure magic of the Botanical Garden. 😍

After the over three hour ferry journey and an additional two+ hour train ride back, it was time to take it a bit easier the next day.

Hagaparken and a Very Long Book

Thanks to another recommendation, I checked out Hagaparken. This is a massive royal park in Solna, complete with historic pavilions, copper tents, and the palace where the Crown Princess actually lives.

Since it was nice and toasty yet again, I spent an hour or more, who knows, just laying on a pier and listening to my most recent audiobook. I am currently listening to the series by Rebecca Yarros: Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm.

Apparently, my AI companion claims this isn’t a trilogy as I thought, but a planned five-book series. On one hand, that’s great news; I walk constantly and these books are so good I don't want them to end. On the other hand, given the source, I’ll believe it when I see it. 😉

Utö and the Island Hunt

After a work day of coaching, although I do not even think of it as work because I enjoy it so much, and hanging out at home, the following day brought me to Utö, an island in the southern archipelago.

A friend recently asked me what I like best about Stockholm. Even though there are many things, I think what I really love the most is exploring the archipelago.

When I chat with people, I keep getting more and more recommendations.

I started wondering: could I possibly check out all 25,000 islands in my seven weeks? 😂

Well, my "trusted" AI informs me there are actually closer to 30,000 islands and islets out there. Since checking them all out in seven weeks is probably a bit ambitious 😜, let's just talk about Utö for now

As I said, Utö is in the southern archipelago, about an hour boat ride away from Årsta Brygga if you are heading to the north side of the island, or Nynäshamn if you are leaving from Ålö brygga on the south side, which is exactly what I did.

Contrary to my usual mode of travel, I rented a bike instead of walking. I was incredibly grateful I did because it was hot and there is quite a distance between the north and south.

Right at the beginning of the ride on the north side is the famous Utö Kvarn.

It is a stunning old windmill from 1791 sitting high up on a hill. It was the perfect place for a picnic before making my way south.

Most of the island is pure nature. Ironically, thanks to an active military firing range on the south side keeping developers from building all over it.

Definitely not the place where you want to get lost, which is a bit of a habit of mine.

Fortunately, everything is very clearly marked with signs letting you know if there is any activity happening. Thankfully there was not! 🥲

Because of the military range, I initially did not even want to go to the south side, but everyone mentioned a beautiful beach called Stora Sand, and a famous fish restaurant down there. So, off I went.

First Stop: Stora Sand

If you have read my earlier blogs, you already know about my love-hate relationship with Gemini. Wait, did I just say relationship? What do you even call it when you regularly communicate with an AI...? No idea, but anyway, moving on.

Before I left, Gemini sold this place to me as a "long stretch of white sand beach."

What do you think? Does this count as a long stretch of white sand beach in your book? 😂

But that did not change the fact that it was heavenly to perch on one of those granite blocks, alternating between cooling down in the water and sunbathing while listening to Onyx Storm. I ended up staying there for a while, soaking up the sun on the rocks, and only got a mild sunburn from it, so I call that a win 😜

As I was leaving, I noticed there were way more bicycles parked than there were people on the rocks, which made me suspicious. Sure enough, just a little further up and around the corner was the actual long stretch of white sand beach!

I'll let you judge where it falls on the scale of white sand, but this one was on me for not trusting my AI companion to look around the corner 😉

Braving the Trail for Smoked Shrimp

Since I've heard and read so much about the famous fish place on Ålö, plus a stretch of the path was part of the famous Stockholm Archipelago Trail, which I had been wanting to hike, I took my bike across the small bridge to the next island.

Most of it was a lovely ride, though I did find myself in a forest with barely a trail, navigating sand, and contemplating whether I should abandon the mission entirely.

Just as I was about to give up, I spotted a couple on bikes. If they can do it, I can! So I braved my way through the trees until I got back onto the typical gravel road.

And I'm for sure glad I didn't give up! The views certainly made up for the rough terrain.

And so did the smoked shrimp, the Shandy (or Radler, for my German friends 🍻), the laid-back atmosphere, and the view from Båtshaket, the fish place right on the water.

I am just in love with the seascape of the archipelago and keep trying to capture it in pictures for you all to enjoy, even though I know photos do not do it justice.

Still, here are a few shots from the ferry ride back.

Alright, that is it for now. Tomorrow I am heading up to the northern countryside for the weekend. Check back in next time to hear all about it!

With gratitude,

Renate

from Stockholm ❤️

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And if you want to see more behind-the-scenes pictures from the road, you can browse my growing collection of travel galleries below:

• 🇳🇴 Norway Gallery

• 🇸🇪 Sweden (Stockholm) Gallery