"Mälaröarna" Ekerö by Sjalen

Ekerö is the municipality with all the islands in Lake Mälaren, just west of Stockholm city centre. The main island with all administration is Ekerö, hence the name, but you will also find Färingsö, Adelsö and Lovön as well as an abundance of smaller islands - the most famous one being Björkö, home of Birka, the viking town which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The other listed heritage is Drottningholm Castle, the palace which is home to the Swedish royal family. Thus, many of you will have been to Ekerö without knowing it if you have visited the castle.

To me, these islands have a feel of "history" as few other places in Sweden and with the exception of touristy Drottningholm they feel very "dense", as if vikings are still watching your every move around their now changed landscape. Not only Birka but also Adelsö opposite it, are places where Swedes have lived for ages and ages and it shows in the cultural landscape, runestones and fields. Because they are islands, they are also not over run by people and feel very calm and timeless apart from around the main sights but even Birka feels serene despite people everywhere. The islands are also not the most easy area to reach for Stockholm sightseers (although easy enough by buses from Brommaplan) which might be why they feel special. Let's just hope the place isn't ruined by a bridge from south of Stockholm to the north to relieve Stockholm City of traffic as planned. There has to be another solution...Meanwhile, I will keep on enjoying every bit of it out here. Luckily, my parents live only a short bus ride away from it all.

• Pros:history, rural next to the capital, lakeside
• Cons:Ticks! Scratch scratch...
• In a nutshell:You could have a runestone in your garden!