Welcome, or should I say Välkomna?

Hello dear readers! Welcome to my month long travel blog! I will be reporting on a few of my favorite Swedish things: Food and Music. Instead of trying to cover both subjects with a wide lens, I will cover these two topics using a macro shot. I want to discover something new about the country and its culture using two specific cultural icons: Fat Tuesday pastries and Melodifestivalen, an annual song contest.

Semlor and Song, in other words.

Fat Tuesday, the official day for eating semlor in Sweden, was two days ago. But that doesn't stop the Swedes from chowing down on these nom-nom pastries after the official date is over. No one is happier about that than me! It means I get to join in on the semla feast. And feast, I will!

Image from Flickr user Flugan - Creative Commons 2.0

There's also the song contest. Oh, the song contest! I have watched Melodifestivalen (literally, the melody festival) since I was a teenager. My first year was in 1999 and I haven't missed a show since. I couldn't miss it because it just wouldn't be February and March without it.

Image from Flickr user Signe Brockman - Creative Commons 2.0

My love for these two things - and more importantly, my love for Sweden and the Swedes - has convinced me to write this blog during my trip. I want to bring you along for the ride so you too can experience the fun and excitement of Sweden when tourists are few and far between. I hope to learn even more about my adopted second country, and I have a feeling you do too!

Nuuuuu kör vi! Here we go!