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I was lucky enough to qualify for a spot on Team USA for Triathlon 70.3 worlds, which meant an opportunity to visit Sweden! I come from a family of travel enthusiasts- we often joke we were gypsies in past lives- so an opportunity to experience this beautiful country was a gift. I would be traveling alone for my raise and I decided that as long as I was going all the way to Sweden I would make the most of my time there and booked 10 days in the country. In the spirit of spontaneity I decided that I would freestyle my visit after my race was complete. I booked a larger SUV vehicle so I could keep my race bike assembled and also travel by bicycle if I so chose. I arrived in Stockholm in June at about one in the morning. I was immediately treated to the site of us still semi daylight sky in the middle of the night, which made my drive to Lynskoping the host town of the races that much more delightful. As in most European towns the hotel was smaller and situated in a vibrant and buzzing little town, even at three in the morning. I had my first adventure with European please because they thought I was driving a radically due to possibly drinking however it was just because I was lost and my GPS and stopped working. Once they realized I had not been drinking they were polite and actually escorted me to my hotel. After my race I headed to West so I could stop in Norway for a day. I was excited To see the geography and spent the day cycling and hiking just taking in the views. On day two I headed south with the intention of circumnavigating the entire southern half of Sweden. My first stop was at a Swedish castle, which also happened to have an exhibition of the costumes used in the filming of Elizabeth I. The day was rather three and I had the majority of the venue to myself . I was simply stunned not just by the architecture but also the artwork in the castle and of course the beautiful costumes worn by Cate Blanchett and the cast. That evening I checked into the best Western as I had found that their properties were modern and reminded me of being in an IKEA store. I had dinner at a little café that was quite pleasing as it played Motown music which made me a little less homesick for my hometown of Detroit. The following day I continued heading south and stopped at a Viking village that has been restored to its original working state. The country of Sweden employed many of its people during its recession in jobs such as this to bring back heritage sites. I was able to purchase some beautiful handcrafted jewelry from the on-site silversmith that I treasure to this day. The following day I continued heading south and stopped at a Viking village that had been restored to its original working state. The country of Sweden employed many of its people during its recession in jobs such as this to bring back heritage sites. I was able to purchase some beautiful handcrafted jewelry from the on-site silversmith that I treasure to this day. That afternoon I headed to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world on the southern coast of Sweden, but not before taking the train into Copenhagen and having lunch and exploring the hometown of my favorite childhood writer Hans Christian Andersen. At this point it started heading north with my final destination again being Stockholm. I was able to stop and take a ferry to an island off the west coast of Sweden that has the largest concentration of cathedrals in the world. Needless to say I ran out of vacation time long before I ran out of interesting things that I wanted to do.