Henk & Ingrid(46)

Ingrid and I had been dreaming of a quieter life for twenty years. We both had demanding jobs in Utrecht \u2014 me as a landscape architect, Ingrid as a yoga instructor. Every year we vacationed in Scandinavia, and every year it became harder to go back. When we saw a stuga for sale in Sm\u00e5land in 2023, with five hectares of forest and its own lake, the decision was made.

Buying a house in Sweden is surprisingly straightforward for EU citizens. There are no restrictions on foreign ownership. Our m\u00e4klare (real estate agent) spoke English and guided us through the entire process. The lagfart \u2014 the property transfer \u2014 was arranged within four weeks at Lantm\u00e4teriet. The total cost was a fraction of what we'd pay in the Netherlands: our house with land cost 1.2 million SEK, about 105,000 euros.

Rural life in Sm\u00e5land is a world apart. Our nearest neighbors live two kilometers away. The silence was almost overwhelming at first \u2014 no sirens, no airplanes, just birds and wind. We've started a vegetable garden, we gather firewood for the kamin, and in summer we swim in our lake every day. This is the life that Instagram accounts try to sell, but for real.

The Swedish winter was our biggest concern. And yes, it's dark. From November to February it gets dark around three o'clock, and temperatures can drop to minus twenty. But we discovered something: the Swedes have figured it out. Warm clothing, candles everywhere, and fika \u2014 the sacred tradition of coffee with pastries. Every afternoon at three we stop working for fika. It's not lazy, it's the art of living.

Ingrid now teaches online yoga classes and has set up a small studio in our outbuilding. I work as a freelance landscape consultant, partly remote, partly for local clients. Allemansr\u00e4tten \u2014 the right to roam freely through nature \u2014 is sacred here. You can walk anywhere, pick berries and camp, as long as you're respectful. After twenty years in the Netherlands, that feels like pure freedom.

Our advice to other couples who want a quieter life: start with a long trial period. Rent a stuga for three months, including in winter. If after a Sm\u00e5land February you still want to stay, it's real. We stayed \u2014 and we're happier than ever. The only regret is that we didn't do it ten years sooner.