In this blog post, I’ll look back on a day trip I took to Sigtuna, a small town near Uppsala, during my cycling tour of Sweden.
Sweden is well known as a great place to live, with a high standard of living. Its well-preserved, uniquely Nordic natural environment and the laid-back lifestyle of its people—which blends seamlessly with that landscape—stand in stark contrast to life in my home country, inspiring many to dream of living there. Last January, I had the great opportunity to study abroad as an exchange student at Uppsala University in Sweden, and during the six months I spent there, I saw and experienced so much.
Life in Sweden was far more relaxed than I had imagined. For example, Swedes frequently take “Fika,” which refers to a coffee break; in fact, civil servants are legally guaranteed a 30-minute Fika break during both the morning and afternoon work shifts. When the weather is nice, everyone heads to the park for a walk, and in the evenings, they enjoy outdoor barbecue parties. Thanks to this atmosphere, I could fully immerse myself in that sense of leisure just by strolling down the street.
Cycling is widespread in Sweden, and the infrastructure and institutional framework for it are well-established. Since most people commute by bike, dedicated bike lanes and traffic signal systems are well-organized. With just a bike, you can go anywhere in the country, so many people enjoy cycling trips for leisure, and I, too, went on several cycling trips. Among them, the trip I took to Sigtuna, a small town near Uppsala, stands out the most in my memory.
One Thursday morning, the gloomy weather that had persisted for several days cleared up as if it had never happened, sparking an urge to travel. My friend Sam, whom I’d met in Uppsala, and I decided to go on a day trip to Sigtuna by bike. Sigtuna is a small town about 40 km from Uppsala; though it’s a quiet village now, it’s said to have once been one of Sweden’s most historically significant cities. With plenty of historical sites to explore and the chance to enjoy diverse natural scenery as we ventured beyond the city center, it was the perfect destination for a day trip.
As soon as we decided to go, we grabbed our cameras and bikes and left Uppsala. Once we passed through the city center, endless fields stretched out before us. As we cycled along the fields, we came upon a ranch where horses were galloping freely, and we took our first break there. The vast fields—a sight rarely seen in Korea—brought a sense of peace along with the cool breeze, and the exotic-looking horses made this trip feel even more special.
Once we had traveled quite a distance from the city center, we encountered a stretch without bike lanes. To get to Sigtuna, we had to pass through this section, which was like riding a bike on a car-only road back home. At first, I was worried it might be dangerous, but seeing how considerate the passing cars were toward us quickly put my mind at ease. They would slow down from a distance as soon as they spotted our bikes and wait for us to pass without honking even once. Their thoughtfulness on the road made my worries seem trivial and made me feel ashamed of how I’d grown so accustomed to a life where I’m constantly racing against the clock.
After cycling along the road for quite a while, we were greeted by a dirt path flanked by a dense coniferous forest. Though the bumpy path made cycling a bit uncomfortable, the journey was simply a joy as we admired the ever-changing beauty of nature. The old buildings that appeared here and there amidst the wilderness blended seamlessly with nature, revealing the depth of time and the grandeur of the past, and guided us to Sigtuna without a moment of boredom.
After cycling for 4–5 hours, we arrived in Sigtuna. Our first stop was the town’s landmark, “St. Olof’s Church.”
Sigtuna was Sweden’s first Christian settlement, and St. Olof’s Church is said to have been built in the early 12th century. Although it had aged considerably over the past 800 years, its solemnity remained intact.
After touring the church, we bought some bread and milk for a snack and headed to the lake. There were countless ducks on the lake, along with an elderly man feeding them. Watching this scene, Sam and I agreed that “feeding birds seems to be a hobby shared by grandfathers all over the world.” The only difference was that back home, if someone feeds birds, we’d immediately worry about them swarming around, but here, the scene simply looked peaceful and actually brought us a sense of calm.
The view of the lake was so beautiful that we forgot all about exploring more of Sigtuna and simply enjoyed the sky turning red. It wasn’t until the sky had turned completely red that we realized we had to return to Uppsala before sunset. Perhaps we were so captivated by the laid-back atmosphere there that we pedaled on without a care in the world, even as the sky grew dark. As we left Sigtuna behind, a pitch-black road with not a single streetlight stretched out before us, but the small headlight on our bikes was bright enough to guide us.
By the time we emerged from the coniferous forest, the sky had grown completely dark, and soon an astonishing sight unfolded before us. Countless stars were shining in the sky, bringing the expression “a shower of stars” to life. It was such a shame that I couldn’t capture the scene before my eyes exactly as it was with my camera. To make up for that disappointment, we lay in the field for quite a while, admiring the stars.
We safely arrived in Uppsala, having fully enjoyed Sweden’s nature, which exuded a unique charm under the moonlight. The deep sense of wonder from that incredibly leisurely day still lingers deep in my heart.
