"One day I want to live in Oslo, Stockholm, or Gothenburg."

I wrote that to my then-flirt in one of our very first emails in 2009 as a student in my early 20s. Almost exactly 10 years later, in January 2019, after a journey through Münster, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Koppang in Norway, and Stuttgart, we – by then an “established couple” – became citizens of Gothenburg along with our son, who had just turned 1. My vague, naive hope for the future had become a reality.

Since then, I’ve been living my youthful vision with our two boys and, most recently, a little girl. First, for several years in Gothenburg and its surroundings, and since 2022, right on the border between the West Swedish landscapes of Bohuslän and Dalsland. Here, I work as a management consultant for one of the large international consulting firms – though mostly not from a metropolitan office in Gothenburg, but from our little house in the forest, thanks to today’s modern work environment.

My passion is experiencing nature. I want to be outdoors and spend my time there in many different ways – but preferably fly fishing, rod in hand – for salmon in the local river (Örekilsälven), for sea trout on the coast, or simply for the big perch in the lake right outside our door.

This site is all about just that: experiencing nature in this magnificent landscape. But also about culture and everything else the area has to offer.

I hope I can spark your interest in this very special part of Sweden and perhaps inspire you to one outdoor activity or another.

Happy reading and warm regards,

Raphael