<Click HERE to request a Carpe Diem Beds of Sweden catalog>
This was one of my first images of Sweden, and also one of my favorites. For two beautiful mornings, this was the view from my the hotel balcony. The city across the Fjord is Lysekil (LEE se sheel), Sweden. Home of some of the nicest (and most accommodating) people I have ever met and also home to the Carpe Diem factory. I was invited to Sweden by Carpe Diem to tour the factory where the beds are made and also to experience a bit of Swedish culture. It was an unbelievable trip and I’d love to share some of it with you with these pictures!
Hotel in Midsummer Sun (about 9pm)
Not so much fun lugging the luggage up those stairs, but the view was worth it!
Cobblestone streets
Our hotel was in a small fishing village called Fishkebäckskil (fish ke BEK sheel). Little cobblestone streets meander through modest homes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Our van barely squeezed through! The hotel, Gullmarstrand Hotel, is a fine establishment with an awesome seafood restaurant, but it’s biggest draw (except for the views!) were it’s spa and sauna. Oh yeah, there’s also a platform to jump into the fjord that connects to the North Sea and a ladder to climb out. Sound crazy? It was. But that is exactly what Swedes do! They will spend time in the sauna, jump into freezing water and do it again and again. We did it three times and I’ve got to say it was pretty cool.
The water was freezing!
One of the best things about the Gullmarstrand Hotel was the Carpe Diem mattress in the room! After a day of travel, only sleeping one hour on the overnight flight and a long first day in Sweden, I was ready for a good night’s sleep. Now, I know I was tired, but I can safely say that my first experience on the Carpe Diem bed provided one of the best night’s sleep of my life. Went to sleep quickly and woke up feeling refreshed without pain. And I only slept 6 hours!
Our Carpe Diem Malö Bed!
We got extremely lucky on our visit to Sweden because we arrived at the start of Midsummer. Midsummer is a celebration of the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year. To Swedes, it is the most celebrated holiday behind Christmas. Being there during the longest days of the year meant the sun only set for about two hours, and even then it didn’t even seem like night. Below are some awesome pictures of the midsummer sun.
9pm
10pm
11pm
midnight
1am
Our second day in Sweden was spent at the Carpe Diem Factory, a voyage on a 125 year old tugboat, and sightseeing in Lysekil. The is a separate blog and video of the factory tour (coming soon) so I’ll spare this page those images. Below are some of the more interesting things I captured on the trip to the factory.
Vehicle and passenger ferry across the fjord from Fishkebackskil to Lysekil
View outside of factory. Check out the view of the islands and the wind turbines that power the factory. They flew the American flag for us!
At the Carpe Diem factory
With the Carpe Diem sailboat
Jörgen, founder of Carpe Diem Beds of Sweden
Checking out a new prototype, the Carpe Diem Vinga
My wife Lindsay on the Carpe Diem Marstrand…looks like we may be getting a bed soon!
After we toured the factory, we were treated to a boat tour of the islands that are the inspiration behind the names of the Carpe Diem beds. There are over 8,000 islands in the North Sea that line the western coast of Sweden and they are magnificent. Our boat, Harry, is a 125 year old steam powered tugboat (converted to Diesel many years ago). The boat ride was a true highlight of our trip…pictures below.
Back on land, Jörgen (founder of Carpe Diem Beds of Sweden) took us on a walking tour of Lysekil. Some favorites below.
Early the next morning, we hoped on a plane headed for Stockholm. Stockholm is across Sweden, on the east side of the country. Stockholm is over 900 years old, comprised of 14 islands, and is the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. We had two short sightseeing days there and we saw a ton of neat things.
Our Carpe Diem Malö Bed at Hotel Riddargatan
This door needs a bit of an explanation. We came across this door down a tiny alley in the oldest section of Stockholm. It leads down to a dungeon-like cafe. Now, long before it was a cafe it was a monastery, had secret caves and tunnels to the royal palace, and even a prison. The cafe proprietor told us a story from 1792 of a man who murdered the king and was jailed in that very spot! For more of the story, click here.
Two shots from inside the dungeon-cafe!
More from Stockholm…
Sweet little chocolate shop!
Changing of the guard at the royal palace
On our last day in Stockholm we went to a really neat place called “Skansen”. Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden, founded in 1891 to show the way of life in different parts of Sweden before the industrial era. Over the years, they have actually transported entire buildings and structures to Skansen to be preserved and appreciated by visitors. There were some Midsummer festival events happening when we were there! Here are some Skansen pictures:
Thanks for taking the time to check out my photo blog! For more about the reason I went to Sweden – to visit the Carpe Diem Beds of Sweden factory – click here.