Guest Hook Travel Guides Anna Maria Island | Page 3

MEET YOUR INSIDERS

MARIE AND TOMAS...
I was born and raised on a farm in
Sweden. My family hosted the local 4H club meetings
in our basement and every summer we would have 4H
exchangers from the US staying with us. Some of them
we visited later and are still in touch with and after I was
an exchange student myself to Ohio in 1980-1981 I have

Florida was the natural choice.

kept contact with the family ever since. So for me, the US
has always been my second home. Being an airline pilot
also helps, as I've been able to visit often, both when
flying long hauls and privately.

fell for it and then it was time to find something on the
Island, which wasn't easy, even in 2008.

Tomas was raised in the suburbs of Karlskrona, a small
town in Sweden. His main interests during his younger
years were badminton, kayaking and wildlife. In his
youth he worked for the biggest wildlife preservation

So in 2008 we traveled around Florida to try and find
a place of our own. It was actually the first time Tomas
had visited the US but he got hooked immediately! After
much searching we ended up on Anna Maria Island and
finally found the vibes that we were looking for. We just

Yes there were lots of places to buy during the peak
(low?) of the recession, but the ones we liked our budget
wouldn't allow. In the end I knew more about what was
available and with what restrictions than my Realtor!
Then finally she found us something that was just right.

“After much searching we ended up on Anna Maria Island and finally
found the vibes that we were looking for."
association in Sweden and traveled up and down Sweden
to visit and educate their different chapters. His cell
phone is always giving out alarms for the latest sightings
of rare birds and he really enjoys visiting the Island with
so much wildlife within a short distance. Tomas is also
a keen golfer and enjoys the many good golf courses
nearby. These days he works in the transportation
sector, just like me, but in logistics and shipping.
The Swedish summer is wonderful, but you never know
if it will last two and a half months (very unlikely), two
and a half weeks (more of a possibility) or two and a half
days (has happened)... I guess that's why you always find
so many of us Scandinavians traveling. We need more
sun!
Many people in Scandinavia buy places in Spain, Turkey
or Thailand to escape the long winters, but unless you
master the language to perfection you will always end
up being a long stay tourist, no matter how hard you try.
We wanted to feel that we could blend into society and
also deal with every issue without the language barrier
creating problems. With my existing affinity with the US,

It was much more spacious than your average condo on
the Island, bright and with a sea view. We just needed
to get the place restyled and updated to our liking and
standard.
I have spent enough nights in hotels to last me a life-time
and I knew that I didn't want a generic place without a
soul. We get many compliments on our interiors and I
think that we managed to blend a bit of Swedish style
with Florida feel.
Tomas and I have 4 kids each and our combi