Blogg

Notes from the north

Dispatches on paperwork, weather and everyday Swedish life — written as we learn it.

2 June 2026

The unwritten rules of fika

It looks like a coffee break. It is a social contract with pastries. Learn the rules before you break them in front of everyone.

1 June 2026

One month a year, an entire industrialized nation walks into the forest and doesn't answer email. Here's how to survive — and join — the shutdown.

28 May 2026

The sun sets at three. Here's what Swedes actually do about it — candles, vitamin D, and going outside anyway.

20 May 2026

The Swedish housing market's scammers have a playbook. After reading this, you'll recognize every page of it.

12 May 2026

The ten digits that unlock Swedish life — and how to get them without losing a month to paperwork.

6 May 2026

Nobody interrupts, nobody decides, everyone nods — and somehow things get built. A field guide to consensus culture for the confused newcomer.