Home.

We made it back to Germany, safe and sound, with a few hiccups on the way. I will not bore you with all the details of this kick-ass trip but let me tell you one thing: it was nice. Really nice. And Sweden is nice. Reaaaaally nice. If it didn't get so cold in the winter I would seriously consider moving there for a few years.

But, I can't not say anything about this trip, so here it is in short...

Phase 1. Started off with serious excitement and ready to take on this new adventure, exploring the new towns, feeling the holiday mode kick in, relaaaaaxing. 

Phase 2. Flash forward about a month into the trip. I was getting a bit sad, grumpy and missed my home (the cold 11 degrees didn't make anything better) and I wasn't sure if three months on a boat was really going to be what I envisioned it to be. This seemed already way too normal to be a 'trip' (is this going to last forever?).

Phase 3. Oh my gawwwd what a nice trip this has been, I wish it would never end, I need to soak up the last week of being on a sweet old boat.

Phase 4. An APARTMENT with our very own BATHROOM and a KITCHEN with an OVEN. Where has this been all my life? 

This was a really nice trip with life long memories made and the perfect ending to our european five year adventure. 

(Phase 5) Asia, we are ready for you!

As a welcome home treat to myself I made chocolate Granola! with an OVEN! You've got to try it.

Delicious Choco Granola!

3 Cups Rolled Oats

1 Cup Buckwheat

1 Cup Hazelnuts (I used Walnuts and Almonds)

1/4 Cup Chia Seeds

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar 

1/3 Cup Honey/ Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Coconut Oil

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder 

Directions: 

-Preheat oven to 175 degrees C

-In a large bowl combine oats, buckwheat, chia seeds, sugar, roughly chopped nuts

-In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt coconut oil. Add honey/maple syrup, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth.

-Pour liquid ingredients over dry and mix it well.

-Spread mixture evenly on a baking sheet, firmly press down with the back of a spatula to ensure that the mixture is compact. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip granola and put it back for roughly 10 minutes stirring every so often.
It should smell fragrant and the nuts should taste nutty and roasted.

 from mynewroots.org

Guten Appetit!

A Swedish Update

I must admit, I was very lazy in taking pictures and updating this blog, I just wanted to enjoy some time away from real life but also, internet connections have been a bit of a struggle- siiiigh. 

We sailed and sailed and sailed until we hit the Åland Islands and even though it was the worst weather you could ever wish for on a boat trip (rain, wind, 10 degrees Celsius), it was beautiful. 

We stayed there for about a week and chatted to some locals who said they haven't had a summer like this in about 100 years. Of course, when we are there, the weather decides to give us the exception. Ha!
Nonetheless we had a nice time, there were lots of trails, nature and beautiful scenery we could enjoy, even with rain gear on. We went to an amazing museum, an old Ship called Pommern (read about her here) and learned about how it used to be for sailors- then we had nothing to complain about anymore! 

The trip back to Sweden was the roughest trip on a boat yet for me, extremely high waves and stormy weather but we made it safe! pfewf! Since then we have been doodling back towards Germany and FINALLY! got a summer :D and the cold weather seems like a whole other trip ago.

It has been very nice sailing, anchoring, exploring wonderful trails in Sweden, they have crazy outdoor fitness stations made out of wood, it truly is amazing. No town is too small for little paths with pictures and explanations on where you are and what you are looking at and what used to be here. 

It has also been a little trying, at times, living on a boat, in very small quarters, with my parents, who I see 24/7. Big personalities on very little space, what do you expect? haha.
This is also a very old boat, and we had a few things having to be fixed which caused a little extra stress and doubt about being able to finish this trip. Thankfully, as of now, everything is working again and we can sail back smoothly (hopefully). 

What! A! Summer! It seems like a lifetime ago that we started this trip and we've experienced so much, I already couldn't tell you where we were a week ago! Insanity!  

I hope you are having a suntastic time wherever you are and are enjoying the summer!

Toodles!

Sweden

This trip is coming close to 4 weeks now! Almost a month on the water and every few days if not every day a new harbour. A new town which means new exploring and a new adventure. I can positively say it has been a real treat.

I am sitting in a cafe in Stockholm (free WiFi!), enjoying the wonderful pastries the Swedes have (sooo many and soooo tasty!). We can't sail on today but will be able to get moving tomorrow, the only low windy day in the next few days. I have never felt so dependant on nature in my life. If it's too windy, can't leave the harbour, if there is wind coming from the wrong direction, can't leave the harbour, if it's no wind, can always leave the harbour. It's been very windy but also sunny and Stockholm is a wonderful city to explore, so no complaints from me! 

Interestingly though, in all of this excitement I have found myself sneaking in a routine. I get up around the same time each day, eat a similar if not the same breakfast and go to bed around the same time each day (exhausted from the day with either too much sun or too much wind lol) whatever happens in between is written in the stars. Just the way I like it, but after 4 weeks of not knowing what will happen today, I have come to love my few routined moments each morning. 

On another note, Sweden is truly beautiful. The skerry landscape is just too amazing to describe. You sail through them feeling so in awe of nature.

A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation; it may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack.^[1]
-thanks wiki.

I'm positively surprised at how helpful, inviting and friendly the Swedish people have been! Just wonderful.
In the next few weeks we will be anchoring a lot, and only be sailing in very remote areas, little islands and so forth going up to Finland now, so no internet (I must confess, it has been a bit more of a challenge then I had thought originally, living without constant internet. But, yes, also very nice!). 

Until the next time my friends, 
Enjoy your summer!!!