Karlstad, Sweden
Member since
2006The member has not specified any exchange dates
House in Karlstad, Sweden
Welcome to the province of sagas and the long twilight of summer evenings! We can offer you our large and comfortable family home (3 floors, sleeping space for 8 people, 1 1/2 bathrooms, sauna, patio off the kitchen for outdoor meals and relaxation, offstreet parking) in a quiet neighborhood that is a short distance from anything you can desire. The nearby forests are full of blueberries and trails for wandering, and around town there are miles of car-free, paved bike trails. Downtown is just a few minutes away and is full of shops, restaurants, museums and art galleries, and there is a rich selection of cultural entertainment. Karlstad is full of bridges and waterways of the Klar River that empty into the vast inland sea of Lake Vänern, and the opportunities for outdoor recreation are nearly unlimited, thanks to Sweden's generous public access rights. Transportation is good, with coach and rail connections to all the other capitals of Scandinavia.
We have a summer cabin in the countryside 5 minutes away from Karlstad where we relax, swim and go canoeing. Our four children are grown and have left home, though one or two might be tempted to join us for the next exchange. They have all been with us on other exchanges and are seasoned Intervac enthusiasts. We look forward to each new season for exchanges and daydream about where our travels might take us this year and anticipate welcoming new exchange guests to our home.
Our house is now a home, thanks to the addition of our cat, Xáxi, born in May 2022.
Our Family
- 2 Adults
- 4 Children
- 13 Exchanges made
Occupation
- Retired programmer
- Retired Archivist/Librarian
Our Home
- House Type: House
- Floor: 3
- Environment: In a small town
- Bedrooms: 5
- Bathrooms: 2
- Sleeping Capacity: 7
In my house
- Pets - Not allowed
- Small children - Allowed
Exchange Types
- Home exchange
Indoor
- Free internet access
- Computer available
- Washing machine
- Clothes dryer
- Television
- Piano
Outdoor
- Garden
- Balcony
- Park / playground
- BBQ
- Sauna private
- Garage / private parking
- Bicycles: 3
Facilities
- Non-smoking house
- Use/Exchange of car
- Use of boat
Our Destination Wish List
- Open to any destination
- Iceland
Spoken Languages
- English
- Svenska
Our Neighbourhood
Occupation
- Retired programmer
- Retired Archivist/Librarian
Children
- Boy - Age: 30
- Girl - Age: 33
- Girl - Age: 39
- Boy - Age: 41
Pets
- One cat named Xáxi, born in May 2022.
About Our Family
We are a retired couple (former programmer and archivist/librarian) who joined Intervac in the 1980s and have championed and embraced this way of travel ever since, bringing our first two, then three and finally four children with us, introducing them to the marvels of getting acquainted with living in other countries and cultures. These days we're still going strong, most often just the two of us, though occasionally one or two of our grown children come along on exchanges.
We love to travel (of course!) and explore new places, and our interests include outdoor life, mushrooming, music, theater, reading, finding good restaurants and making new friends. On exchanges we often like to take our own car whenever possible, since part of the charm of travel is to discover treasured spots as we journey to our destination and back. But we also look forward to the day when train travel to and from Sweden will expand and involve improved options.
The pandemic made us pause our trips, but we hope to resume our adventures even as we learn the ways of more cautious travel. It is also our fervent hope that the current political situation will be contained and resolved peacefully.
We have one cat, but no other pets.