The Escapist

In 2021, travel restrictions caused by the pandemic stopped Monocle from producing The Escapist just as it was needed the most. But last year, I bought the 2024 edition as we were about to head down to Portugal with the kids and - ever the dreamer - I could of course not stay away this year either. As often before, Monocle has this ability of tying together the different threads of this blog, from The Great Southern Land to perky Seoul coffee shops. 

Though SAS is indeed opening a new route to Korea in September, Anna and I were able to snag two award seats with Air France from Johannesburg to Gothenburg right around the time for the Cape Town Marathon in October so that we will now be our big international trip of 2025. For tonight, I am sticking closer to home (or Südtirol at least) with a glass of the same Müller-Thurgau wine that we had at Tavolo last Sunday. Selling for 99 SEK at Systembolaget, I am surprised that I had missed it in the past as it is a wine that I can really recommend.

Research grant

For the first time since returning to Sweden in 2014, I am happy to report that I have just been able to secure a major research grant. Having applied together with other researchers at Halmstad University last year, we learnt this morning that we have indeed been awarded 4.5 million SEK over a period of three years from the Swedish Energy Agency for research on the politics of bioenergy. With such great news, my morning in Halmstad could not have been any better as I marked a bunch of exams and had a few meetings before jumping on the treadmill for another half marathon.

Now on the train back to Gothenburg, I decided to travel with SJ to secure my requalification to the highest level of the SJ Prio programme before it is being revamped in February. Though details remain scarce, at a bare minimum I would expect them to let people who have already requalify keep their status for the next year as anything else would basically be fraudulent. As such, 299 SEK felt like a sensible investment in order to keep my ability to freely change trains on all tickets.

Thirteenth edition

Returning west across the plain after a wild night out with Sofi in Örebro, I am drafting a syllabus for a new course called “The Swedish Political System in a Comparative Perspective” that we plan to offer to international students in the future. Looking for suitable readings, I discovered that Comparative government and politics: an introduction is just out in a thirteenth edition which says something about the passing of time considering that I had the fourth edition or something when I was an undergraduate student in Örebro.

Clearly in violation of that White January promise, Sofi and I started the evening at Clarion Borgen which always brings back so many memories, including from when I stayed there in 2022 when taking a SoTL-course at Örebro University and started my mornings with photo intervals along Svartån. Otherwise, I got to deepen my friendship with Sofi’s lovely flat-coated retriever Krut, in part by sharing some of my Jamon Serrano Gran Reserva in front of the fireplace ;-)

Tavolo

During our first summer here in Gothenburg, I caught a glimpse through Tavolo’s heavy brown doors and got impressed when I saw a massive stone horse inside an airy brasserie. Listed in White Guide as Italian with a distinct touch of New York, it took eighteen or so months for the right opportunity to come along but tonight, while the kids were hanging out at the opera, Anna and I finally got to have dinner at Tavolo. Arriving just as the restaurant opened at 5 pm, the large room quickly filled up and soon we were surrounded by families and dating couples.

Ordering arancini and some polpette al forno with a glass of Maso di Mezzo Müller-Thurgau from Alto Adige (or Südtirol as it is known among the Habsburg-crowd), the food and the wine were phenomenal and so were the desserts. Further down the menu, both the mains and the pizzas looked good but for tonight, two starters felt just perfect as we had a late lunch after running 16 kilometres around Delsjön together earlier in the day.

24 days

I guess I am only human. Or something. But I did make it to day #25 without any sweets before I gave in to a semla with Eddie at the Cum Pane bakery in Olskroken. And tomorrow, Anna and I are planning a date night at Tavolo while the boys are going to the opera to see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with Anna's mother, meaning that there will probably be a glass of wine or two. Yet, looking ahead towards the Bandolerita in March, this experiment has really made me more conscious about how much sugar I eat and eager to clean up my diet for the 42 days that remain. So, do not expect any #småparti wine updates until later in the spring...

Post-pandemic flashback

Ignoring for a moment the terrible human toll of the Covid pandemic, I felt slightly nostalgic this morning as I was able to go for a forest run instead of taking the train to Halmstad for my lecture on organizational communication. At 10 am, the students showed up and we got to spend two hours together on Zoom in a joint flashback to the pandemic era.

Wet winter

After two weeks with excellent running conditions and some brilliant sunshine, I woke up to wet snow this morning with little appetite for going running. However, committed not to become a fair weather runner, I set out for 15 slippery kilometres and 200 meters of elevation gain in preparation for the Bandolerita.

Omnia bona capient finem

Much like Concorde, all good things must come to an end. Over the last decade, Anna and I have travelled the world thanks to the incredible American Express 2-4-1 vouchers, catching the sunrise in Rio de Janeiro and exploring the backstreets of Stone Town in Zanzibar. Yet, from April this year, American Express has decided to dramatically devalue these vouchers and forcing me to cancel a card that I have been extremely happy with for the last fifteen years.

As I find myself travelling less than in the past, and with SAS having left Star Alliance, I decided to give up on airline status altogether last year in August. However, unwilling to completely forego my past life of luxury above the clouds, I have signed up for an American Express Platinum card that will allow me to keep collecting points for travelling while enjoying lounge access and fast track regardless of what carrier I book. While the card has a hefty annual fee, the math definitely seems to be in my favour considering how much I used to spend on tickets to get into the right fare buckets or when choosing Star Alliance carriers when other options were cheaper. In addition, Anna and I can now look forward to six annual free dinners here in Sweden, a benefit that I hope to report on here on Rawls & Me once I get the card.

Fresh legs and fried rice

After staying away from running for a few days (1k on the gym treadmill yesterday does not count), my legs felt surprisingly poppy and light this morning as I went out on my usual 11-kilometre forest loop. Compared to the misery I felt after my first longer runs five years ago, I really think that the shorter recovery time is the biggest difference as I keep developing as an ultra-runner.

Otherwise, today has been all about statistics, first in the form of a Zoom exam review with the first-year students and then making slides that explain when to use crosstabulation, mean comparisons and regression analysis respectively for the second-year students. Considering how much stress I felt in the summer of 2023 in preparation for my first quantitative methodology classes, it is funny how these classes have become some of my favourite ones to teach and how I even brought the book along to read over some fried rice.

Mockery Monday

As Hamas is handing out goodie bags to the hostage upon their release, Trump is about to swear the presidential oath in Washington D.C., throwing the world deeper into disarray. I remember the dread I felt back in February 2017 when I took the picture above after departing DCA, and there is every indication that things will be much worse this time around.

If there is any upside to any of this, it is that the risk of a nuclear confrontation with Russia may be lower under a Trump presidency (even when accounting for the lack of foreign policy competence). Still, this is not because we have defeated chauvinism and its hyper-masculine values but because the same narrow zero-sum worldview has now won out also in America.

Spanish logistics

I am sorry for posting this, but I thought I should go through some of the logistics of the Bandolerita. After Google Translating my way through the “Reglamento”, one dropbag seems to be allowed at the halfpoint in Villaluenga del Rosario. Ideally, this means that I can leave my heavier headlamp, warmer jacket, and tights to be picked up after 40 km.

Judging from the finishing times of previous years, the true elite runners tend to complete the 80 km course in about 9-10 hours whereas the slowest ones need up to 23 hours. Ideally, I am hoping to be able to finish in about 14 hours (i.e. pacing 10 minutes and 30 seconds per kilometre on average). This means that I will run between 10 am and midnight, passing the halfway point about 6-7 hours after starting in Prado del Rey. With the sun setting at 7:23 pm on 8 March, this means I will hopefully make it to the dropbag well before sunset. Still, I should bring at least one smaller lamp with me as backup in case the race takes longer than expected. With an average temperature between 6-16 degrees in early March, I would obviously prefer to start the day in t-shirt and shorts and then switch to warmer clothes as the night approaches without having to carry everything with me in my backpack.

Sandsjöbacka

Being the largest nature reserve in Halland, Sandsjöbacka is known for its heatland where white horses roam and marsh lily bloom during the summer months. The first time I got to run there was in late September as part of the Halland Ultra-Beach recce. Yesterday, I returned for sixty demanding kilometres of trail running all the way to Skatås.

Starting at 9 am in Kungsbacka, I knew going in that, even if I had not developed any respiratory symptoms from William’s nasty cold, I was not feeling that well in my stomach and that the race would be somewhat of a challenge. Still, for the first 15 kilometres, all was fine, and I was having a projected finishing time of around six hours. At the marathon mark in Sisjön, that had turned into seven hours, but little did I expect exactly how tough the last bit into Skatås would be, as I passed the wild area known as Safjället and the muddy mountains of Kallebäck.

Ultimately I finished in 8 hours and 44 minutes as number 79 of 128 runners completing the race. Though I had obviously hoped for a better time, I am still happy I did not give up due to the stomach cramps and, with 3 new ITRA-points secured, I am already looking forward to the Bandolerita 80k in March.

Bike shopping

Sadly, Eddie’s bike that we bought in the summer 2023 got stolen the other week in Mölndal when he was visiting some friends there. Even if the insurance company is fully covering the loss, we have been a bit hesitant to buy him an all-new one as it might quickly end up being stolen as well. As such, I found him a temporary replacement bike on Blocket for 750 SEK to be picked up today on Ringön which naturally turned into a lunch run opportunity along both sides of the river with a ferry ride in between.

After being away from 5 am to 8 pm yesterday, it feels good to stay in Gothenburg today and prepare my upcoming lectures. For some reason, I came to think of New York and discovered that the iconic Millennium Hilton on Church St where I always used to stay ditched the Hilton brand three years ago. With hotel prices through the roof in New York, I doubt I would return regardless but staying for points at least makes it somewhat less painful. In any case, the dream of one day running the NYC Marathon still beckons.

Internationalization of curriculum

This morning, I took the elevator up to the 22nd floor of our main university building for a kick-off breakfast meeting about “internationalization at home”. With beautiful views of Laholmsbukten and the sunrise outside, we got to talk about how to make better use of the experiences that our international students bring with them to the classroom and other ways of internationalizing the curriculum, such as a “Blended Intensive Programme” or BIP.

This week has otherwise been all about grading and final seminars. With Sandsjöbacka Trail 60k coming up on Saturday, I have done one 10k tempo run yesterday and only plan to do one more run tomorrow in order to cap my total volume at 80k this week and avoid any injuries. However, with both kids feeling unwell and being home from school, I might need a bit of luck if I am to make it to the starting line in Kungsbacka.

Training for the uphill

A year ago, I was on the west coast of Denmark, running along stormy seas as I completed my first 100k race. After my fastest ever 50k in about five hours, I struggled with the remaining 50k against the cold northerly winds, ultimately finishing in 14 hours and 26 minutes.

As I head down to Spain in six weeks’ time, I will trade the flat sand dunes of the North Sea coast for the Sierra de Grazalema which is famous for its unique fir trees, limestone caverns, and snowy peaks up to 1,650 meters. After a few weeks with lower running volumes, my morning run brought me above 80 km this week, a volume that I hope to sustain until the end of February. Still, I am uncertain if I am really prepared for what awaits me in Andalusia. With the race starting at 10 am, and the elites finishing in around ten hours, I can expect to spend many hours running in the dark so I have invested in a backup Smini Fly headlamp from Silva and also a new textbook on mountain running.

Lake morning run

The Himalayas

This morning, Anna and I joined a hundred other runners for the Himalaya jog, taking us on a 15k-loop over the hills over central Gothenburg, featuring a ski jumping ramp that I had no idea it existed and the water tower in Guldheden (below).

Organized by the people behind Retrovarvet as a fundraising event for local charities, it was a nice break from the increasingly commercial world of running with no registration fees etc. Though off to a cold start with a real feel temperature of -11 degrees, everyone quickly got warm as we started ascending Hvitfeldsgatan and then up to Masthuggskyrkan. Returning via Slottskogen for a total of 300 meters of elevation gain, the run felt very democratic and welcoming to runners of all abilities. As for the more crazy version of local hill running, I just signed up for the 53k edition of the Alpaca Race on the 8th of June with 3,100 meters of elevation gain. And already next Saturday, I will take part in the 60k Sandsjöbacka Trail. 

No quitting

Today is Quitter’s Day, the day when people are most likely to give up on their New Year’s resolutions. And to be honest, it has been a lot more difficult than I thought to stay away from sweets with temptations truly everywhere. However, nine days in, I have yet to succumb even as I realize that much comes down to definitions, for instance, does breakfast granola count as “sweets”?

After grading all morning, I at least had no problems getting motivated for the gym where I did 5k of indoor rowing, 10k tempo on the treadmill, and some strength training – a classic 1200+ kcal triple that I will try to repeat at least once a week to complement my easy pace running in Skatås.

Office medals and Indian food

I do not know how it happened but apparently it is already Thursday night, and I really should be grading student work rather than updating Rawls & Me. But, yes, I made it back to Gothenburg through the storm Floriane on Tuesday, passing some rough seas at Fria Bad in Helsingborg which I unfortunately failed to capture from the train window. Stopping in Halmstad for a couple of hours, I also got to add the Polar Night Half Marathon medal to my office collection and pick up another batch of exams.

Once here, I have had busy days in front of Zoom but at least I have been able to go for two runs in Skatås and have Indian lunch with William (his favourite food). After all my trips to Los Angeles over the years, it feels sad to think of the fires going on there right now. Even on a good day, LA has this feeling of death lurking in paradise, and I wonder what will be left after this is over.

Barmarksspring

After spending almost three weeks in the Arctic, it is a true luxury to be able to take my red Hoka Rincons out for a harbour run with no ice or snow, even it means foregoing a much-needed extra hour of sleep. Last night, there was a long queue for de-icing at Gardermoen and the luggage handling at Kastrup lived up to its reputation but around midnight I finally made it to Savoy Hotel where I immediately fell asleep, happy to be back in Skåne if only for a night.

Now on the high-speed train to work, I have lots of things to do so I will leave you with this glimpse of Malmö Central.

Åsta Viking

Having schlepped my suitcase through the snow and spent the day working at Evenes Airport, I finally got to board my first flight of the day about an hour after the scheduled departure time. Now flying south through the cold Arctic night, I hope to still make my connection at Oslo Gardermoen so that I can finish the day at Hotel Savoy in Malmö as planned.

Though I published my own version of the Gold List back in November, Condé Nast just published their, featuring Fogo Island in Canada, Gangtey Lodge in Bhutan, and Chablé Yucatan in Mexico among other dreamy destinations, not to forget a fresh take on traditional Kazakh cuisine ;-) All more than enough to keep Tyler happy for another year. For my own part, I will remain in Sweden until early March when I am off to Andalusia for the Bandolerita Ultra Marathon.

The (other) empty quarter

After a great dinner and a few alcohol-free drinks (in keeping with my White January-promise) with our long-time friend Clare at the Moxy, Anna and I went to bed early only to get up six hours later and hit the road in our Toyota Rav4.

First, we drove 118 kilometres to the east and Skibotten before turning south onto the E8 and into the great uninhabited area known as the “Finish Arm”. Though a world away from the desert dunes of the Rub' al-Khali (or the ”Empty Quarter”), entering Finland and being greeted by big warning signs for extreme cold, we certainly got an adventure as the temperature dropped down to -33 degrees and the white expanse seemed endless with no people anywhere to be seen.

Luckily, our car did not break down and, a few hours later, we entered Sweden and stopped in Vittangi for coffee, gasoline, and a sandwich. After dropping Anna off in Kiruna, I turned west again, and drove the remaining 216 kilometres back to Evenes Airport, stopping only in Björkliden for an incredible photo-op just as the mist was lifting with "Lapporten" (Čuonjávággi) in the background. All in all, we got to drive 1,149 kilometres over two days and it is a journey I would love to do again in the summer at some point.

Polarnight Half Marathon

Having registered in the midst of summer, it felt kind of surreal to finally stand there at the starting line in Tromsø, surrounded by thousands of other runners, and ready to race those 21 kilometres next to my stunning wife. Being her third half marathon, and the first in winter conditions, Anna gradually picked up the pace as we took in the beautiful course along the waterfront with pitch torches burning every fifty or hundred meters.

Passing the airport just as an Austrian Airlines flight was about to depart for Vienna, the cosmopolitan vibe of Tromsø felt even more pronounced. With the temperature around -10 degrees, I was happy for taking things slow, yet deeply impressed by the few runners who were racing flat out in shorts and Vaporflys.

Coming back into town, there were even more lights and so many people cheering. Finishing with a chip time of 2 hours and 12 minutes, we were treated to warm drinks and a medal that definitely deserves its place in my Halmstad office.

Nordlysveien

Little did we know exactly how adventurous our Arctic adventure was about to get when I posted the last blog entry. Though the train made it in time for me to catch the Lofoten Express Bus and pick up our rental car at Evenes Airport, the Swedish Railways suddenly decided to cancel all our tickets home to Gothenburg (out of fear that a train would break down in the extreme cold that were forecasted). With all flights already more or less full, and Anna and me on our way up Tromsø, we had to think fast. Ultimately, we decided that we would get up super early on the day after the race and drive down to Kiruna through Finland, then drop Anna off so she could fly to Gothenburg with the kids while I would return the rental car to Evenes and fly from there to Copenhagen. With the Swedish Railways covering all our expenses, it was at least a silver lining to know that we would end up saving money this way compared to our original plans.

First however, we still had some beautiful driving to do along The Northern Light route into Tromsø, a race to run, and an old friend to meet for dinner. Though my expectations were high to begin with, I was not quite prepared for how much I would end up loving this new corner of the map which happens to be the northernmost I ever been (at least, outside of an aircraft).