Midsommar Birthday

I felt very lucky to be celebrating the big 3-0 in Sweden, during Midsummer.  We started off with a delicious smorgasbord breakfast... of course, we had the usual breakfast fare and the not so usual, including Swedish meatballs,  physalis fruit, rye bread, flatbread, bilberry and rose hip 'soup' (which are actually drinks!).

We happened across a colourful flea market in a square close to the hotel.  I bought two small silhouette paintings which remind me of papercuts.

We tried to avoid the rain, and eventually reached the island of Djurgarden, an island of parkland, museums and historical buildings.

The Vasa Museum is a must-see, the 16th century ship is haunting and impressive. Equally impressive is the story of her salvage and preservation.


Then across to Skansen, a lovely open air museum where I got to live out my childhood Astrid Lindgren's Bullerby children dreams.  I even got to wear a birch crown.  Maidens are supposed to find seven different flowers and put them under their pillow on Midsummer night, so that they can dream of their future beloved.  I made do with finding just one for the photo opportunity as he travels with me these days, no dreaming required!

A maypole dressed with wildflowers.

Time for some folk dancing and singing...








Then we explored the historical buildings and the Scandinavian animal zoo. Brown bears, elk, and reindeer -
not photogenic as they were all moulting.



We were inspired by the allotment gardens - must get the raised beds up to scratch!

  A Sami house.  Unfortunately it was closed, I would have loved to have peeped inside.