Fully Booked

It isn't called 'running' a bed and breakfast for nothing. What do you do when you move to a foreign country and haven't yet mastered the language and customs? Take it easy or find an old house in need of rebuilding and open a bed and breakfast? Never one to run from a challenge, that's exactly what forty-something Emma Strandberg did in an idyllic seaside town on the west coast of Sweden - in the middle of a winter where temperatures dipped the mercury to minus twenty-two! With feet of snow, few daylight hours and a very small budget, Emma battled constantly with the challenges thrown at her. It grew so cold the plaster and paint turned to slush, wood snapped and cracked in the old house and the frequent night climbs onto the roof resulted in bruises, cuts and a couple of broken bones. Having survived the renovation the real business of running a bed and breakfast began. No sleep, a lack of privacy and the odd drunken threesome (by the guests!) would push her to her limit. Kindness, generosity and warmth shown by others saved her from defeat. With perseverance and determination, Emma succeeded in living her dream. Here you can share her extraordinary journey.