rinna kryka // rinna church (Sweden)

Clearly I cannot get enough photos of church steeples. It doesn't hurt when you are gifted the most beautiful day for a road trip, full of scouring the Swedish country side for churches of family members long passed.

At this site, we were able to find a grave marker of a family that is in Nic's line. This was the second church of the day and our family would fan out and search the cemeteries for grave markers that belonged to Nic's family. Thankfully, Barb, Nic's mom, supplied us with all of the information we needed for this entire leg of our trip and names of who to look for at each location.

ryckelsby rusthall // ryckelsby, sweden

A quick stop on our way from Stockholm to Gothenburg, Ryckelsby in another town in which Nic has some family roots. While it took us a while to find this place in particular (thanks only to Maddie's amazing Swedish speaking abilities), it was worth it. Beyond the beauty of the farm and scenery around it, Nic's ancestors lived here!

the swedish coast // gothenburg to copenhagen

Hello Copenhagen!

A day road tripping along Sweden's western coast, from Gothenburg to a penthouse apartment in Copenhagen, Denmark. Small towns lured us in for coffee and a treat, but the call of Copenhagen kept us trucking right along.

christiania // copenhagen, denmark

A self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood in Copenhagen, Christiania, or Freetown Christiania, has been a source of controversy since established in 1971. The main drag, Pusher Street, was famous for it sales of hash and skunk weed until 2004.

Rules of the Green Light District:

1. Have fun
2. Don't run, it causes panic
3. No photos - buying and selling hash is still illegal

nyhavn harbour // copenhagen, denmark

The Little Mermaid

Notorious for beer, sailors and prostitution, Nyhavn Harbour in Copenhagen was a must see destination on our family road trip last May-June. Nothing says quality family time like sailors and prostitution, amiright? The harbour was built between 1670-1673 by King Christian V - not actually by the King of course, the Swedish prisoners from the Dano-Swedish war did all the dirty work.

The Little Mermaid was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen and is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It sits in the harbour (a long, but beautiful walk from Nyhavn Harbour - made enjoyable by stopping for a few beers at one of many beer carts), and has been a tourist attraction since 1913.

For a delicious bite to eat, stop at Holberg no. 19, a great neighborhood cafe just a few blocks away from the hustle of the harbour. Owned by an American ex-pat, this was a great find (thanks Rick Steves) for a fresh lunch - something that is often hard to find while on holiday.

Ekeby Kyrka :: Ekeby Church (Sweden)

While traveling in Sweden, May-June 2012, we stopped at the Kyrka (church) in Ekeby, Östergötland County, Sweden, where some of Nic's ancestors hailed from.