A Midsummer dream

I want to write about my Sweden adventures because I really hope that I remember them to look back on later :)

Near the end of June Ian, Billy and I went to visit a friend they had met while in the Netherlands, Anna. She graciously invited us to spend Midsummer with her and her family up at their cottage!! It was very very sweet and I had always wanted to learn more about Midsummer. All I knew about was from the movie and it involved flowers. So sign me up.

We met up with Anna in Lund, Sweden and made our way to her apartment. First night we just chatted over dinner and she taught us some Swedish and a Swedish drinking song!! We also learned about Swedish snaps, a very strong liquor commonly taken as shots at celebrations. It seems people kinda all don’t like it? Anyways. The next day we got ready to drive up to the cottage, went grocery shopping, picked up alcohol, and drove up. Once we got there (it is a lovely place on a lake, it felt very special seeing where she has spent a lot of time growing up), we met two of what she calls her “friends in the woods”, Linus and Algot. Two very funny and nice guys. Shoutout to them if they ever read this.

That evening we got a Swedish song education (didn’t know that Kygo was Swedish), set up the Midsommer traditional flower pole, played a fun lawn game called Kub, and made flower crowns!!!! Linus and Algot started calling us Canadicks and I think we’re enjoying the fact we couldn’t understand them ahah. I learned the Swedish word for trash!!! we went to sleep to get rest before the festivities of Midsummer began!!

And what a day it was. We went to town to pick up last few items but other than that we started drinking, playing more Kub, and partying. More fun people came, lots of good people,  and we ate dinner, did the drinking song games and then danced around the flower pole!! It was very lovely. Linus and Algot performed a song they had made, Billy represented Canada in multiple rounds of darts with Anna’s fathers friends and we all just chatted drank. Algot taught Ian and I (myself unsuccessful but will keep trying) to breath fire using Absinthe ahhaha. Which resulted in my drinking a lot of absinthe. Billy and Anna decided that they weren’t drunk enough by 11 so they made up for it considerably, and then we all went down to the lake for a late night swim.

Side not Linus and Algot make their own wine and it seems Ian and I are their biggest fans bc we drank 4/5 bottles between the two of us all night. Delicious. They seemed shocked we liked it so much.

The thing is that it’s very strange as it hardly got dark that night. Maybe for a couple hours but the tradition is you stay up til sunrise. Which is like 3 am.

We tried also this traditional cake called spettekaka, from the Scania region. It’s a meringue type  cake that is in a cone ish shape with icing. Anna likes it, and I found it good not too sweet, but apparently everyone teases her for it.

So we went swimming, Anna lost a few rings, and then made our way back up to sit around the fire. It was lovely to chat with all the friends, both Anna’s and her fathers :) they were all very generous and gave us a Midsommer we won’t ever forget. Billy had a little dance party by himself and then when it hit 4/5 am we called it … a night? Very confusing. My body had no idea what was happening

Forgot to mention Linus was very very sweet and offered Billy, Ian and I a piece of Viking jewelry. I got an arm band which looks sick.

The next day everyone was very dead ahha and it was a chill day. We swam, and just laid around. We then went to a fancy fish place that Anna used to work at!! We boated there and  had eel which I’ve never had before and very delicious rainbow trout. a lovely evening. There were also two old cars there which reminded me of Chitty Chitty bang bang which is fun to look at but … unfortunately one of them had not ONE but TWO confederate flags. Nice accessory.

We got back Anna, Ian and I cleaned and played Yahtzee (my first time), played cards and went to bed while Billy went fishing with the lads.

Next day we were planning to head back to Lund so we packed and cleaned. but Linus and Algot very graciously stayed behind schedule to take us fishing again. I had never gone fishing before but I did enjoy it!! Maybe I can go with Grandpa when I see him again!

It was time to say goodbye to the lovely people and cottage. I truly feel so lucky they all accepted us in and included us in their festivities. So so kind. Everyone really made it a once in a lifetime experience!!

We made it back to Lund, cooked dinner and met Anna’s friend Helge! A very cool kind guy :) good to chat with him. I helped Anna and Ian make a bracelet as well!!

Next few days we walked around Lund, saw the sights, got a great personal tour with Anna and just hung out :) it’s a really cute city!! I found an outdoorsy store and man it’s a good thing I am limited to my one backpack bc I really found a nice fleece sweater. I do want to come back to Sweden so I may need to get it then bc it seems fitting to buy a Fjallraven item in Sweden. Something very cool we learned is that in Sweden, there is a Right to Access land so you can camp anywhere. So add a camping, van trip around Sweden to the list of things to do :) we also had very very yummy falafel recommended by Anna and we learned a fun card game (very similar to Whist to my family folks that are reading)!!

Overall I feel very lucky to have met Anna and her friends and family! Hope to see them again in the future!! Really loved Sweden :)

Here is a random list of things I learned about Sweden:

1. They have these yummy candies called Cars. Super delicious. Kinda taste like the gummy sharks you can get in Canada, but better. Ian and I bought a couple more packets for our travels and we are really rationing them.
2. There are 270, 000 islands in Sweden
3. There is a term called fika where you get a coffee and a cinnamon bun (or a different pastry) but it’s kinda like a date, a lifestyle, and an activity all at once. A social tradition I think is sweet.
4. Cinnamon buns here don’t have layers of icing but instead icing crystal which are yummy little bits of icing. So better, in my opinion then ones back home.
5. Everyone apparently hates people from Stockholm. Vibes of the people aren’t good.
6. There’s another term that has no English translation called “lagom” which means “just the right amount” which is very wholesome and I like that it’s Swedens with no translation.

Currently, I am sitting in a square in Szecin Poland, beside a willow tree, seeing a fountain, with opera music coming from one of the buildings near by :)