The pope is dead and I feel free to start writing my own bible – the holy Beer Brewing Bible! What the hell?

As you might know, alcohol is quite expensive in Sweden. While I would never ever drink beer out of cans in Germany, I got really used to it here in Umea. But still, a single can costs at least 10 SEK (approx 1.10 EUR), which is twice the price of a reasonable bottle in Germany. So why not producing your own booze?

My father felt sympathy with me and gave me a do-it-yourself “brewage set” as a Christmas present last year. It contains a heavy tin including the beer concentrate (enough for 20 liters), a small packet of brewer’s yeast and a detailed instruction manual.

And now, the time has come to start the endeavor. Everything is prepared to turn water into beer. The process will last a couple of weeks and I will report on the progress continuously. I have therefore created the new category My little Brewery. The posts will be numbered and marked with BBB, which is short for Beer Brewing Bible.

I hope I can enjoy my brewage at the fabulous Brännbollsyran at the end of May. If you see me then, feel free to ask for a sample!

After all my wonderful trips during the last few months, I have to find new superlatives to describe the latest one. We used the Easter weekend to discover Lofoten Islands in Norway and the Abisko National Park in the very north of Sweden. I was traveling together with my French fellows Laure + Julien and Georgiana, a girl from Romania. We covered a total distance of 2600 kilometers within 6 days.

The Lofoten Islands are an archipelago of cliffy and rocky mountains (800 – 1000 m), off the Norwegian coast. They form a magnificent scenery, connecting the snow-covered rocks with the deep blue sea of the Atlantic ocean. The islands are famous for stockfish production (air-dried cod). Everywhere in and around the little fisher villages you can see extensive frames with tons of fish hanging around (literally *g*). The islands are connected by rolling bridges or even tunnels. They still have no direct connection to the mainland. There are several ferries from both the Norwegian coast and the adjoining Vesterålen Islands.

Abisko is a small city close to the Norwegian border, directly at the railway line Kiruna – Narvik (transporting the iron ore from Malmberget to the port of Narvik). Abisko is the initial point of Kungsleden (the King’s Way), a popular hiking trail through Lapland. The Abisko National Park was founded 100 years ago in order to protect the mountainous landscape with its sparse fauna.

Both Lofoten and Abisko National Park are north of the Arctic Circle, north of every single place I’ve ever been before. Nevertheless, we could enjoy some sunny spring days which gave us the possibility to shoot hundreds of pictures. Of course I will publish a gallery with a representative selection. A travelogue is also on the way.