Text and photo: Helena Bergström
Now autumn is really here, seriously. The autumn leaves are yellow and the houseboat rocks us lively at night – more or less depending on the wind direction. This Friday we can tell you about some Stockholm mingling and recommend a historical novel.
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Meeting with Salzburgerland in Stockholm
As travel writers, we are occasionally invited to events where different destinations present themselves, talk about their destinations and open up for collaboration. This week it was time for the Austrian federal state of Salzburgerland, where you will find, among other things, Salzburg and Zell am See.
We have been here in the summer and we really like this beautiful area. In the winter it is of course skiing and we would also like to try that. Why not in Obertauern, which is the snowiest destination in the region?
Until then, we'll just have to enjoy the little gifts in the bag – each a hat and each a pair of socks, among other things. You only wish you knew how many socks we have with different travel destinations printed on them...!
A historical novel: The Blue Curtain
A book that came with us to Greece was The blue curtain by Stina Nilsson Bassell. I have had some contact with Stina before, after we published an exciting interview with her: ”She would teach me to carry water on my head”". We received the book from her, and since we like both history and stories that take us to other times, it felt exciting to get acquainted with it.
The blue curtain is a historical novel set in Östergötland in the 1860s. At the center are Olga and Helga, two young women who grew up as poor people in Linköping. When they are given the opportunity to leave the poorhouse to work at Himmelstadlund's manor, the door to another world opens – but the story also contains love, drama, murder and mystery.
What I was particularly drawn to is the historical depiction and perspectives on class and women's lives. We like history, and perhaps that's why historical novels appeal. Reading them can be a bit like traveling – but in time instead of space. Suddenly you get to step into another world, meet people who live under completely different conditions and try to imagine what it would be like to live there yourself.
Several real-world environments are included, such as Linköping, Himmelstadlund and Norrköping, and even real historical figures have been included in the story. This contributes to the feeling of actually being transported to another time. It is probably one of the things we like best about history – regardless of whether we encounter it on a trip, at a museum, in an old building or between the covers of a book.
History not only tells us about the past, but also provides perspective on life and existence today. What would our own lives have been like if we had been born in the same place, but 160 years earlier? What would we have been able to decide for ourselves – and what opportunities that we take for granted today would have been completely unthinkable?
Such thoughts arouse The blue curtain. And perhaps that's precisely the charm of historical novels: you get to embark on a journey without moving a single kilometer.
This week: Grateful for ...
There have been some tough things happening in the family this week – it’s not always positive – but we still like to try to think about what we’re grateful for. Right now, we’re grateful to be home and have time to work, combined with just being.
We almost always go for a walk in the afternoon, and often it's the same walk past Karlberg Castle. This week we found a wooden footbridge through a small nature area where we had never been before. Not big, but fascinating to find ”new” places within a short walking distance from home.
What are you thankful for this week?
The week ahead
Next week? We're at home on the houseboat in Stockholm. We have a few different plans – everything from lanterns and museums to errands and work stuff – but we also plan to enjoy the fall. We wish you a really nice weekend!
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Jossu says:
History is so interesting. I think about what it would be like to live in the time and place I visit or read about, at first it feels positive but then I become more realistic. Things like famine, disease, class differences and that as a woman I may not have even been of age. The best time is actually now, a real time of freedom.
09 October 2026 - 6:24