TROMSØ ARTIC-ALPINE BOTANICAL GARDEN NORWAY Visited June 26rd, 2016 Tromsø city, located on the "arctic island "of Tromsøya, approximately 220 miles inside the Arctic Circle, was our final northerly destination. A late afternoon excursion on Sunday took us to the summit of Storsteinen peak by cable car. From an advantage point of 1,381 feet, we [Read the full story …]

LAESTADIUS BOTANIC GARDEN AT KARESUANDO A Forsaken Garden Visited June 24th, 2016 Leaving Jokkmokk on Friday afternoon we drove four hours northeast to reach Karesuando, the northern-most church village in Sweden. It is located on the Muonio River which runs 324 miles (522 kilometers) long forming a natural border between northern Finland and Sweden. Our [Read the full story …]

TRAVEL REFLECTIONS ÁJTTE MUSEUM – JOKKMOKK, SWEDEN Visited June 23rd, 2016 Thursday afternoon we arrived in Jokkmokk, the capital of Sami culture and one of Swedish Lapland's oldest settlement. Our overnight stay was at the Hotel Jokkmokk, which overlooked Lake Talvastisjön. Near the shores of the eastern end of the lake was the Alpine Mountain [Read the full story …]

Jokkmokk and the Mountain Botanical Garden Visited June 23rd & 24th The capital of Sami culture and one of Sweden's Lapland oldest settlements named Jokkmokk, is six miles (10km) north of the Arctic Circle. Heading northeast after leaving Hemavan early Thursday morning it was our next destination. After approximately five hours in road miles, we [Read the full story …]

SWEDEN – NORWAY June 20th – July 2, 2016 TRAVEL INTRODUCTION It was on Monday that fellow traveler Lennie Kling and I flew from Norfolk, Virginia on the eastern Atlantic coast of the States into the harbor city of Trondheim, Norway, located in the west central part of … Continue reading the story “Hemavan”

Travel Reflections of Stockholm Visited on June 12th & 13th 2014 Our group traveled by coach from the port city of Nynäshamn where the Gotland Ferry had docked to Sweden's capital, Stockholm, a “floating city” built on fourteen islands linked by fifty-four bridges. Looking out from the third floor window of the Ersta Terass restaurant [Read the full story …]

Tanto – A Hillside Allotment in Stockholm Visited June 12, 2014 with the Lakeland Horticulture Society The green spaces and public parks in Sweden that were established as early as the mid-1800's, are the foundation of the recreational spaces in the centers of towns and cities that are an important part of Sweden's heritage and [Read the full story …]

A Garden Carved Out of the Pine Forests Of Tofta Visited on June 11, 2014 with the Lakeland Horticulture Society On this trip I observed that 'retirement' and 'empty nest' can become an opportunity for part-time gardeners to expand and become full-time gardeners. While visiting a private garden in the small village of Tofta (where [Read the full story …]

PRIVATE GARDEN OF STEFAN HAASE AND HELEN WAHLSTRÖM Visited June 11th, 2014 with the Lakeland Horticulture Society Leaving our beach cabin Wednesday morning in Tofton we traveled south to the eastern side of Gotland Island to the small parish of Lau to visit the garden of Stefan Haase and Helen Wahlström. They had bought an [Read the full story …]

Digerhuvud Nature Reserve on the Island of Fårö Visited June 10th, 2104 with the Lakeland Horticulture Society Our afternoon destination was to Sweden’s largest collection of limestone sea stacks at Digerhuvud Nature Reserve on the northern island of Fårö. The bedrock is covered with sharp chips of eroded limestone making vegetation very sparse. The … [Read the full story …]