As we wind our way south along the Norwegian border I marvel at the beauty of west #Sweden, count myself lucky to live among the dense forests, breathtaking lakes and wide valleys of #Värmland and feel homesick already, knowing that we'll be spending the next week in the concrete cultivated blandness of The Netherlands, counting the days until we travel up north again and follow those same winding roads to our home.

#JagÄlskarSverige #ILoveSweden

Nomz, fresh from the forest. Chantarelle and funnel chantarelle.

#mushrooms #autumn #food #ILoveSweden #JagÄlskarSverige

Today was nice. Went out in the forest with a local guy as guide. Learned a lot about mushrooms, picked some too and fried them in a tasting session. So good! And the weather was nice too. No rain (even though it's been raining cats and dogs yesterday and today in the evening too), no sun, not too much wind, around 14°C.

Mushrooms are fascinating, and the sheer variety is astonishing. Tasty too!

#JagÄlskarSverige #ILoveSweden #Mushroom #Mushrooms #ForestFood

It took us 3+ years in #Sweden but we're finally brave enough to put some chanterelle we picked from the forest ourselves in our meal.

#mushroom #food #ILoveSweden #JagÄlskarSverige

Reason #3647 why I like Sweden. I'm literally in the middle of one of the largest commercial districts in #Karlstad, and what's there? A forest! Big enough for me to get lost in while waiting for the shops to open.

#ILoveSweden #JagÄlskarSverige

Forest with a trail leading over some rocks.

Despite migraine, I took myself to Skövde today to celebrate international workers day. My first such celebration, for in The Netherlands, this is not observed. But throughout Sweden, people took to the streets. In Skövde we had a marching band, followed by us holding banners with such radical suggestions as 'everyone should make a living wage' and 'a Sweden for everyone, not just the richest'. Then there was music and speeches in the central park.

So inspiring, 10/10, would go again.

#InternationalWorkersDay #ILoveSweden #JagÄlskarSverige #Skövde #VänsterPartiet #Sweden

I don't usually watch daytime TV, but I'm making an exception for Sweden's best show: den stora älgvandringen (the greate moose migration).

It's 24/7 camera streams from the forest, spotting moose migrating over rivers. That's it, that's the program. It's brilliant.

#ILoveSweden #JagÄlskarSverige #DenStoraÄlgvandringen #SVT #SVTPlay

And another name announced for Sounds Fair Festival in May in Gävle: A Swarm of the Sun. New to me, but now listening to their latest, An Empire, on bandcamp (aswarmofthesun.bandcamp.com/al…) and it's pretty awesome. Dreamy, drawn-out post-metal with a kick. The festival is going to be so incredibly awesome!

#Metal #PostMetal #MusicFestival #SoundsFairFestival #Gävle #JagÄlskarSweden #ILoveSweden