Almost all of the best swims of my life happened in Sweden, lake of 100,000 lakes.
Tag: openwaterswimming
When You NEED a Swim
Does anyone else get ansty and start feeling like you’re in a funk if too many days go by between swims…..cause I really get desperate for the lake after a few days. This photo is in Solna, Stockholm. One of my favorite swim spots during my three months there. The water was clean and cool. I could pull up and see beautiful parks on the shore. I had a fun swim buddy I got to swim with several times. It was just a 15-20 min bike ride away from where I was staying. I’m seriously thinking of starting a swimming
Better With a Buddy
Weather Data 12/17/2023 07:02 PM PST | Wind: from NW 2.8 m/sec (6 mph) | Air Temperature: 7.8 °C (46 °F) | Water Temperature: 9.25 °C (49 °F) (Lake Washington Buoy Data) Today at the lake it was sunny, and I felt hopeful. I was late meeting my swim buddy, K5, because I thought I forgot my gloves and had to go back home when I was halfway there. I hate being late for swims. I haven’t been swimming with K5 since April. Injuries and other things have kept her out of the water. She is a complete trooper, in
Friendly Peeps at the Park
Wind: from NW 3.8 m/sec (9 mph) | Air Temperature: 8.2 °C (47 °F) | Water Temperature: 9.39 °C (49 °F) (Lake Washington Buoy Weather Data 12/14/2023 ) Today at the lake it was chilly but not cold, and the water was nice and flat. There weren’t many people in the park. I saw two or three people walking on the trail I the distance. A lady and her grandson pulled into the parking spot next to mine, and she said, “there’s that crazy lady who swims in the cold water.” It was a pleasant opening. We chatted as we
Malmö Rocks
16 October 2023 Monday. Cold, windy, sunny. Today in Malmo, I rode my bike to the skateboard park, then I headed towards the beach. The first swimming place had a lovely wooden deck and little jetty/dock thingies you could walk out on, with ladders into the water. People were taking photos because nobody in their right mind would swim there now. It was quite windy today, so the waves were too strong for swimming. It was cold, too, but I have a wetsuit. I pedaled all over this fancy, new part of town, wondering how much $ I would need
Big Wind, Big Waves
7 Oct 2023 Today at the lake it was crazy cold and windy. Like wind-chill cold. The temperature was 47 F, but it felt like 20 F. F!!! I arrived early so I could get my wetsuit on properly and be ready when my swim buddy arrived so she didn’t have to wait for me to get into the water. I arrived too early, so killed time taking photos of the waves. I’m bummed that they don’t look as big as they were. I didn’t notice, but H commented that the city had taken down the rope and bobber thingies
No Pain in the Rain
Tues, Oct 3, 2023. Stockholm. Today at the lake, it was pouring rain. I made plans to meet my new swim buddy, H, at her beach, but I was late getting up, so we pushed the time out a bit. Even with that, I was late because Google Maps said it would take me 13 minutes. It took longer. By the time I arrived I was all the way soaked and a wee bit cold, but I didn’t care. H was there in her giant swim parka, and we were just as happy to swim in the rain. I struggled
Lake Connection, Robots, Flowers, Vikings
Today at the sea the wind was whipping across the water, making it little furious waves that came at me too quickly. I was smart and swam with the wind, and I made it to the diving platform faster than I usually do. I swim to the ladder on that dock to remove the extra belt I was wearing. I stupidly thought that I could use one belt to extend the range of my swim buoy so it would float farther away from me. It didn’t work. Instead, my foot got tangled in the extra length, and I had to
Return to Odensvi
Today ate the lake, the water was chilly and flat. My host took me to the same lake that her friend took me to last week. It’s a lovely setup, with a large playground for kids, lots of picnic tables and places to cook food, changing rooms, and a nice beach. The U-shaped dock is ideal because it creates a safe, enclosed place for the kiddie and a place for swimmers to enter the water. I love that they have a ramp for helping people in wheelchairs get into the water. The water felt soft and silky on my skin. I
The Swim I Needed
Monday, September 11, 2023, 7:22pm Today at the sea, the water was choppy, the sun was shining, and the jellyfish were nowhere to be seen. Or so I thought. When I walked up to the dock I was excited to see a man swimming in the water. I shouted out to him and asked how the water was, and he said it was quite nice, not too cold. I asked about jellyfish, and he said he hadn’t seen any. I looked into the water near the ladder and didn’t see any. I looked into the shallow kiddie swim area and
Storsjön
Weds Sept 6, 7pm Today at the lake I took a bus 30 minutes away to try a new swimming spot in the tiny village of Edsbruk. I got off at the wrong stop, so I had to walk almost a mile, but I didn’t mind. Maybe it was only 1/2 a mile. There were huge rock formations surrounded the swim beach, and then a little back beach on the other side where I saw lots of little motorboats. There was also a diving board. And, if you’ve got time to kill, a tiny bookcase library. Naturally. I got changed
Jellyfish, Ahoy
Saturday, Sept 2 Today at the sea it was gloriously sunny, and the water was flat, calm. There were loads of jellyfish out, so I knew I was going to have a lot of company. I was the only person at the beach again. I didn’t see anyone on the campgrounds or near the cabins. I hope they were out having fun somewhere. I miss swimming with my swim buddies back home. I love swimming no matter what, but it’s more enjoyable when I can share it with others. I took my time getting my gear on because I knew the
Swimming Wimmin in Sweden
Friday Sept 1 grey and cold and rainy. Today at the lake, we cancelled because of rain. But by the end of the day I was having a fit over my lack of wifi options, and my host’s friend, Y, and I decided a swim was necessary. So glad that I was smart enough to disengage and change gears. A swim is always in order. We drove to her lovely farm house in another village, then we drove to a huge lake. There was a large, maybe three-story building near the lake that housed a cafe, a community center, a
Swedish Ducks
Saturday, August 26, 2023 Today at the sea, it was windy, so the water was choppy. It rained all day yesterday, and it was still grey today, so I was alone at the beach. There were a few campers over by the diving platform; looked like they were fishing. I was excited to see four ducks enter the sea as I rolled up on my bike. I miss my home lake ducks, and wondered if Swedish ducks give an f*cks. I’m pretty sure they don’t, and that’s why I wanted to meet them and swim with them. By the time