Life in Blekinge

Well, what to say.... The past seven months or so are not easily condensed into a blog post. May take one or two.

The first step in getting to know my new home region was learning how to pronounce it. Most say BLEAK-ing -ah, though some go for more of a BLEKH-ing-ah interpretation. The "city" that I am living in, I won't even try to spell out phonetically. You just have to hear the name "Karlskrona" for yourself. If you zoom in on the map, you might wonder, "is your apartment building really just a few feet from the Baltic?" Or, "are those really docks behind your apartment?" The answers would, in fact, be yes, and I have to say it's pretty fantastic.

Karlskrona (wiki) is a somewhat typical European small town. There is a large public square in the middle of the centrum, several old churches and even some forts/castles. It has a much different character from the typical town in many ways though, due to its location on the archipelago. Things are a lot more spread out and there is not a classic walled center as many other towns have. With so much rocky coastline and greenery, it reminds me a lot of certain parts of the great lakes region back home. For those of you who have spent time in Traverse, this place would feel pretty familiar to you. Perhaps there is a connection between the terrain and why there are so many people with Scandinavian roots in the northern Midwest. I have to imagine that finding a region that looked so much like home was a bit of a comfort for folks who had come such a long way.

The population of the town and all the surrounding areas is only about 50K. It makes for a pretty sleepy place most of the time. 'Rush hour' is for five minutes just before 8:00am, and ten minutes just after 5:00pm, with the sidewalks rolling up shortly after 6:00. There are no music venues, and just three pubs in town. This makes complaining about Karlskrona a popular pastime among students.

Though Karlskrona is far from a thriving metropolis (for reference sake, Chicago metro area is roughly 11 million people, all of Sweden is under 9 million), the truth is, there is a lot to do here. The amount of nature and water means all kinds of opportunities to get outdoors. There are rock climbing and kayaking clubs, sailing, hiking and lots of team sports to get involved in. There's even a dancing club in town called "tipsy dancers." I've taken up rock climbing and some trail running, both things I have wanted to do for a long time. The size of the town also means great accessibility. You are not tied to a car, or even the buses. Bikes will do just fine thanks. There is a grocery store just down the block, meaning I can stop in every few days and get fresh fruits and veggies, plus some exercise walking there and back. Definitely a change of pace from Ukrainian Village.

I miss the opportunities and activities offered in big cities, but the quality of life here is difficult to ignore. It would be a great place for families or perhaps a summer residence.

Up next: A bit of Karlskrona history, and some cultural observations...