Sweden May 2026

 

Our holiday began in the town of Östersund, the largest city in the area of Jämtland and home of my son and his family. The town is mainly known for its winter sports and we could see snow on the piste. A rainy morning called for an indoor activity so we went to Jamtli, a national museum, which has indoor exhibitions and outdoor activities during the summer season.

We learnt about everything from the Sami culture to the Vikings with scenes set in the period of the ages.

There was an art exhibition with paintings by Bengt Lindström (1925 - 2008)known for his bold colours of plus a display of How Design Shapes Thought and Improves Life, including such objects as early mobile phones, furniture and kitchen appliances, most of which were in my lifetime.

The next day we drove down to lake Storsjön (literally the Great Lake), the fifth largest lake of Sweden and home of the famous lake monster Storsjöodjuret with his/her imaginary child called Birger, which we learnt about the previous day during our visit to the museum. Again, most of the activities such as boating and crazy golf had not yet opened. Indeed, the ice had only just melted. We saw crocuses and narcissi which were long over in the UK. We walked along the water and stopped for Fika newly opened French café Clementine. Our meal that evening was Tacos, a very popular dish in Sweden. We noticed that it hardly gets dark at night here.

Later in the day we set off for the isolated family homestead and wood business by the shore of another lake which has been in the family of my in-laws for hundreds of years. A car flashed its lights as it passed which signified there was an animal on the road and we saw an elk. It seems that when an elk calves, the yearlings are pushed out before they really know how to fend for themselves.

The next day we were treated to the real Swedish experience. After shooting practice (at a target) we went for a walk by the lake which took us through forest. After cooking sausages on an open fire BBQ for lunch, some of us, me included, went for a sauna followed by a dip in the lake, while others took the boat out to fish but caught nothing. It is hard to believe that in the winter months this lake is frozen for many months allowing cars to drive over it giving a shorter route to Östersund. The in-laws treated us to champagne and nuts in a beautiful, new cottage they had designed and mainly built themselves on the site of a former barn.

 The sauna

 View from the sauna

 BBQ area

 Boat house

 The very beautiful new building with wood burning stove and fully fitted with kitchen, bathroom, lounge and sleeping areas

As many generations of the family have lived there, there are many old artefacts and vehicles which have now been replaced with modern quadbikes and implements 

 

That evening, back in Östersund, three generations of ‘boys’ went to watch a football match of our local team at the house of a Swedish fan while we ‘girls’ took a walk to a MAXI supermarket, where they grow some of their own produce. We ate pickled herrings in various sauces which don’t seem to be available in the UK.

Monday was a work day for the adults so we took the car and the grandchildren to Bynäset, still on the great lake, where we skimmed stones and walked along the lakeside enjoying the view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance. We returned to town for a tasty lunch at the Espresso House café. We intended to play Crazy Golf but that hadn’t opened yet for the season, so made our way to the French café, which was also closed. However, on the way we were able to see glass being blown and view the vases, drinking glasses and paperweights that were made there. After each picking a delicious cake at Wedemark’s Konditori on the main street, Prästgatan, which was founded in 1924 we were able to sit outside in the sunshine. The 18 year old school graduates (studenten) were wearing their special hats which resemble those worn by sailors. They will later participate in a parade through the town (flakäkning) on flatbed trucks. It was our last night and we had a takeaway of our choice for dinner.

All too soon our holiday was over. We were treated royally by our hosts and even the weather was kind. It was a close call at Stockholm airport with just 40 minutes to change planes with a long walk to the transfer terminal and having to queue up to give our handprints and facial recognition at passport control. Luckily they decided to let passengers with imminent departures go to the front of the queue and were just in time to board our plane.