Swedish Midsummer
Yxland was an interesting place, cant remember the last time I was on a car ferry and effectively marooned on an island. Not being able to move and my own will ie the ferries werent running on Midsummers Eve was a discomforting and very unusual sensation for me.
This wasnt Alcatraz but a very attractive island nestled in the Stockholm Archipelago. Miss P’s friend A’s family place was lovely. I was expecting a cabin with no running water but it was practically a cottage, complete with a dishwasher and satellite tv. Cant be bad.
Small frogs -Små groderna
On Midsummers Eve we went to the maypole and I (under orders from Brown Owl!) helped the locals lift the maypole up. Then the Swedes started to dance around it. One minute pretending to be frogs, the next elephants then pigs. Very funny.
Children wearing traditional wreaths
I didnt dance of course, I was way too sober for that but they did. It was great to see the parents and kids dancing together, for some young uns it was their first time and they looked bewildered by it all. Especially those whose mothers had put freshly made wreaths on their head.
Spikarna- 'Nails!'
There were several games taking place nearby. ‘Spikarna’ is when you count how many goes it takes to hammer the nail in a log, there was fiskdamm which I love. The kids all get a present in their fishing net.
We walked back to the cottage and had potatoes, beef (they had herring – sill of course) and watched Sweden play Italy in the football. Lovely.
Beware of Snakes!!!!
Earlier on A showed me a good place to fish, snag was he said the one word that makes me get very edgy…any guesses… yeah ‘look he says there is a snake, he is big too’. Ah this is one thing I have in common with Indiana Jones…I hate snakes. It wasnt a poisonous one and A was amused that this big bulk of a boy was petrified! I elected not to go fishing there! I just hate the bastards. I would actually rather go face to face with Mike Tyson than encounter a snake! Silly I know but I guess everyone has got something.
Looks good but wheres the fish?
I walked a good half hour to to the village of Kolsvik and started fishing there. It was a very scenic place to fish I must say. I walked past many large houses where I could hear the klink of schnapps glasses and tipsy laughter.
What I dont get though is I am there focussing on my fishing, Ipod on, headphones on and people still come and chat. I am a sociable guy but there are times when I just want to be left alone. Thats why I took up fishing. Dont get me wrong I really enjoyed being with Miss P and A, but it was still nice to steal a few hours on my own. Is Sweden turning me into an introvert???
Oh I caught nothing by the way, but I did get some very good casting practice in which is improving. Even used a much bigger spoon with a wire trace…so I am starting to feel more confident with my gear.
I caught the Sjögull back, it was a three hour trip down the Archipelago back to Stockholm. A really nice ride, though I had my head stuck in a book for most of it, only about a tenner as well better value than going out on the tourist boats!
I will add more photos during the week.
Delicious 
Digg This Post 
Facebook 
Stumble This Post
Related posts:
{ 2 comments }
Being stuck somewhere on midsummers gives me a real insecure feeling.
I think its the fear of despair crossed with swedish midsummers sect like feeling. like I had just entered Stepford.
I stayed in town and watched the show from vasaparken, it also seemed a lost less pretentious as those who were there seemed to share the same “couldnt care less” for it sentiment (or they would have been out in the country)
well at least the city wasnt as zombie like as it was say 10 years ago.
I stayed in Stockholm last year Mark, mainly because the Euros were on. I enjoyed getting away from it and seeing a bit of the archipelago that I hadnt been to before.
I guess I was lucky to be with two unpretentious people so it was a nice experience.
Must get hammered on schnapps next year and try and dance like an elephant
Comments on this entry are closed.