A day on Hasselö

My vacation days are ticking away - 10 down, 9 to go. They've certainly been well spent so far. 

Last Thursday, we took a day trip to the archipelago outside of Västervik, to an island called Hasselö. It was a glorious day - breezy; a nearly cloudless, blue sky; and about 75 degrees F. We set off from the city on the 10am ferry, Freden, passing several other tree-lined islands on the 1-hour journey. 

Freden turned off a small harbor where waves were blowing against the sandy beach. Small tractors awaited our arrival to shuttle us to the island's only restaurant, Restaurang Sjökanten. But we decided instead to rent bicycles and explore Hasselö and its neighbor island, Slado, to the south. The two islands are linked by a tiny, 3-meter bridge over a cloudy moat.

We cycled along country roads, across fields, and down narrow paths between cottages painted in the classic Swedish red. It was like a ride out of a Pippi Longstocking story - flower boxes nestled in antique wagon wheels; cows bunched together in the shade under a tree, swinging their tails to ward off the flies; boathouses stretched out in clusters over the edges of tiny creeks. 

We cycled and we trekked and then we cycled some more, and eventually ended up at Restaurang Sjökanten where a beautiful lunch buffet awaited us. 

Fish soup, herring, roast beef, pork, tomato salad, pickled radishes, fruit, and cold beer. It was perfect.

We were pretty exhausted by the time the 3pm ferry arrived, and collapsed in our seats with cold beers in hand for the ride home. Thank you KN for such a wonderful adventure! Next stop: Berlin!

Travel woes in Sweden

Hello, Midsommar in Sweden! Or rather, the eve of Midsommar Eve. Undoubtedly one of Sweden’s biggest days for travel. Which means the usually speedy 2-lane (sometimes 4-lane) roads that cross the country are jam-packed with travelers, eager to celebrate the coming of “summer” (which means rain and 10 degrees C today) with snaps and pickled herring. Isn’t that what we all crave when we think of summer?

But before all that, we sit in a very long line of cars which, for NS and I, has made what is usually a 4-hour drive from Stockholm down to Västervik more like 6 hours. But that’s just speculation – we’re not there yet.  

It feels like half of our journey so far has been at a full stop. And when we’re not motionless, our bus driver is driving in circles trying to find the next pick-up spot. One disgruntled passenger went so far as to yell at our driver from the back of the bus (this never happens in Sweden).

Transportation in Sweden doesn’t get more exciting than this. And it’s not only the start of Midsommar weekend. 

Cozy Christmas in Västervik

Our Christmas holiday started last Friday with a bus trip to Västervik on Senior Svenssons' double-decker bus on one of the year's busiest days of travel in the midst of a snowstorm. Miraculously, we made it in just over 4 hours, only 15 minutes late. 

From Friday night through to our return to Stockholm on Wednesday evening, we gathered around the table - many tables actually - of family and ate and drank to our hearts content - and then some. We enjoyed the gorgeous winter scenes in the few hours of sunlight which reached our northern latitudes, and lit candles and fires in the cozy evenings. 

Friday was in fact the shortest day of the year with sunrise at 8:44 and sunset at 2:48 - 6 precious hours, all of which were cloud-covered. No matter, the snowy wonderland brought the perfect white Christmas. And the next day, a slushy soup ensued overnight from the cold rain. Now the streets and sidewalks are a dirty, icy mess - so much for my cross country ski training, for now at least.

Roadtripping through Southern Sweden

Our journey started in NS' hometown, Västervik,

which lives up to its motto, "The Pearl of the East Coast" - especially in the summertime.

Our next stop was Nina's family island, in the archipelago outside Västervik

where we swam and sun-bathed, explored and relaxed, ate good food, and drank wine

until the sun went down.

Back in Västervik, we watched thousands of motorcycles in the annual parade of HojRock

Northern Europe's biggest motorcycle festival.

We had some amazing family dinners

late into the evening,

followed by fresh night swims

in the moonlight.

After 9 days on the East Coast,

it was time to venture way out west - to Steninge.

We visited Halmstad, a beautiful, windy coastal town

full of surfers and beach-lovers - my kind of place.

Family gathered together in the family cabin on the ocean, surrounded by fields of cows,

and ran around the yard until we were warm enough to jump in the brisk waters.

For a few days, we did this

and I enjoyed every second of it.

As always, it was time to go home too early.

But just as we've barely arrived back in

Stockholm, we leave for the US to see

American family and friends - 

and get some true summer heat.

The Splendor of Västervik's Archipelago

Serene and beautiful, Sweden's archipelago - the skärgården, they call it - is truly magnificent. During our week-long holiday in Västervik, we ventured out to one of the islands overnight - my first true island experience, you could say. I visited to tourist-riden Fjäderholmen, just 20 minutes by boat from Stockholm, 4 times last summer - and promised I'd go further than that first stop-off this year. And now I've done it - beyond Stockholm to Tjust skärgård!

The island was small - enough so that I could leisurely swim around it in about 15 minutes (Michael Phelps could probably do it in 5, tops). We spent the afternoon lounging on this dock (see photo), soaking in the streaming sunshine on one of the few gorgeous days this summer has brought, and taking a dip before we ever completely dried off.

In the evening, we re-located to the westward-facing dock, perched on a small cliff above the water, from which we sat with bar-b-qued pork and boxed wine, watching the sun set and the moon rise.

When the sky was nearly dark - around 1030pm - and our mosquito spray could no longer ward off the swarming bugs, we took a late-night swim before crawling into our bunk beds by candlelight (no electricity or running water on the island). Ahhhhhhh the Swedish summer!

Winter Weekend in Västervik

the view from Nik's Dad & Nina's back deck

[Väst = west; vik = bay]

Västervik (NS' hometown) is the perfect weekend getaway from Stockholm. A 3 1/2 hour bus ride - this time, on what must have been one of the world's oldest buses (with a bus driver who handed out chocolates to all 7 passengers!) - it is easy enough to make the journey on a Friday evening. And that's what we did last Friday. 

\

our fika with NS' mama between checking out the winter sales

It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend visiting with NS' parents, walking around Västervik centrum, fika-ing, and enjoying some delicious meals. We also got to see Lasse's big band - an excellent group - play with the infamous Swedish singer, Janne Shaffer (has played with Abba, Bob Marley, Johnny Nash, to name a few). I hadn't heard of Janne before (no surprise), but really enjoyed his electric guitar concert, not to mention signature trademark: his tongue moving around inside his mouth as he plays. 

Oh, and did I mention the 5 hour 53 minute Australian Open Final on Sunday morning? I didn't watch all of it, but I can safely say I've never watched more tennis in a day than I did on Sunday. 

Covered in a thick layer of fresh snow, winter wonderland Västervik was exactly what we needed to recharge our batteries

Road Trip to Västervik

I think mid-January is the perfect time for a road trip. Maybe it's all the slush that's covering the streets of Stockholm, or the fact that I don't see the sun Monday-Friday, but going south seemed like a great idea last Friday. And because there was a surprise 30th birthday party scheduled for a friend on Saturday night, we made it happen - to Västervik. 

We squeezed into Nik's brother's Passat - 5 of us - straight after work on Friday, and made it to Västervik by 9. Not bad considering the ice and drifts of snow that sometimes covered our entire lane on a 2-lane road. These weren't the safest of conditions, but we arrived in one piece and were welcomed with vino and a delicious Taco Pie.

Saturday consisted of visiting with Nik's family and eating-napping-eating, a truly wonderful existence. And then, 

the birthday party! 

The gathering was literally a Sausage Fest. There were sausages hanging discreetly by the door to the venue  (so as not to be noticed by the birthday boy when he first arrived, unsuspecting), and inside were half a dozen different types of sausage: cold, hot, smoked, cured, chorizo, bratwurst. Think Bubba Gump shrimp, but with sausage.

It was wonderful and cozy and Axel (who turned 30) was surprised... although he had been wondering why there were so many potatoes in his parents' kitchen. Unfortunately, at the very moment he arrived, I crouched, ready with my camera, and heard a small beep:

Battery needs to be charged.

Noooo!

Somehow, as often happens, a few hours later my camera unexplainably mustered enough energy to take the only picture I have from our entire weekend. (See below)

This is what brotherly love looks like

Thank you Västervik and Happybirthday Axel!!