Midsommar in Öland!
After three years, I can’t believe I’ve never written a post about Öland. We visited there several times—it is an island off the coast of Southern Sweden. My sister-in-law’s family maintained a summer home there for most of her life, and she and my brother recently built a summer house there.
I call it “the Hawaii of Sweden.”
Now, don’t get me wrong. As you will see, Öland does not have the same level of natural beauty that Hawaii does—although it is quite lovely. But Öland has that same laid-back, take-your-time, beach town vibe you get in Hawaii. It is always a nice change of pace from the bustle of Stockholm and life with children.
Unfortunately, we have yet to dial in the journey completely. This time, we drove. Previously, we tried the train. None of the journeys have been perfect—it's a long trip, six hours by car—seven if you travel with the Cinnamon Sticks. The train was fraught with difficulties as well, including a missed connection with a two-hour layover. Maybe next time, we will fly.
We always stay at the fabulous Stora Frögården, renting a little cottage or condo. They are directly on the water and down from a beach club where we have unsuccessfully tried to learn to windsurf. Öland is known for its steady winds and shallow waters. Perfect for newbies like us to try windsurfing.
Here is Stora for breakfast:
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun relaxes and decompresses from our trip:
We devoted this trip to visiting my brother and sister-in-law’s recently completed summer house. The Cinnamon Sticks felt right at home:
It sits on a lovely spot overlooking the sea:
We celebrated a traditional midsommar in the village of Kastlösa near the house. The village celebrated on the grounds of the old Kastlösa school house:
They raised the traditional Maypole covered with flowers, to which the Cinnamon sticks dutifully contributed:
I must say, it was a special day. It was the first time that we ever saw the traditional Maypole, and it did not disappoint. Later, there was dancing and celebrating around the pole, led by a young man on the accordion. It was just lovely.
Of course, we needed another Fika! Strawberries, ice cream, and coffee were on order. Never pass up an opportunity for Swedish strawberries!
Our lovely hosts:
It was an absolutely lovely day!
After the festivities, we returned to the summer house for a grill-out dinner.
Post-dinner bliss Cinnamon Brothers style:
Since it is the longest day of the year and the weather was marvelous, we enjoyed the sunset:
The sun was still up when we got to Stora at 10:30:
All in all, a wonderful day!
Sweden typical, Midsommar Day was rainy. That didn’t stop us from using Mrs. Cinnamon Bun's stand-up paddleboard. Viking style, the girls got out there in the cold before it started to rain!
Three years of living in Sweden prepared us for the weather, and we all brought proper rain gear:
Despite the weather, we enjoyed a lovely day in Öland. We went to the second-hand shop and bought some treasures. We also took a break for fika at the traditional Capellagården. All too soon, our weekend was over. It was a short but wonderful break! Maybe we will make it a yearly tradition!
To be continued…