Scandinavian Solstice

My sister-in-law Amanda has been inviting us to spend midsummer in Sweden for a few years at her family home but as its right before school usually ends we haven’t had the chance to join them until this year. That means I have already spent several years fantasising about the midsummer festival, midnight daisy picking and wreaths of wildflowers, and even at that, it didn’t disappoint or fall short of expectations as so often happens when we are looking forward to something for a long time.

We spent almost a month in Scandinavia in total, and after finding Denmark to be totally uninspiring (other than Lego and Copenhagen) – probably expecting too much hygge on display after hearing so much about happiness indexes etc. we crossed a very expensive bridge to Malmo in Southern Sweden. The first couple of weeks were spent moving from bike park to bike park along the coast vaguely pointing at Stockholm, catching up with old friends, camping at lakes, doing the odd city stop and trying to work out who the Swedes were.

The Swedes are a fantastic and fun bunch, once you get through the layer of being utterly rule abiding. We were told off several times during our stay and not for anything at all punky. We had too many items for the only 10 item checkout in the supermarket and were reprimanded heavily. We parked in the wrong direction once. We had our dog off the lead. Don’t do that if you go to Sweden. They really don’t like not following the rules. Because everyone is more or less following the rules, then everything works seamlessly and everyone seems thoroughly satisfied with life. They follow the idea of Lagom or ‘just enough’ and live in perfect moderation and balance leaving the average caravan tourist with an unmistakable air of contentment around them, allowing all to feel endlessly calm.

As the solstice approached, our family assembled from Ireland and France to be taken under the wing of Amanda’s family and wait for the Midsummer magic to commence. It couldn’t have been more true to the stereotype. We ticked all the Swedish checklist boxes; red cabin on the water; being constantly surrounded by tall, blonde, gorgeous swedes (thanks to Amanda’s family); having Fika at every opportunity; doing the Lordagsgodis thing on a Saturday (buying pick’n’mix as your weekly treat on a Saturday); eating Smorgasbords of herring and salmon and other delicious fishy things I have no name for; collecting wildflowers in almost midnight sun and making them into floral crowns in the morning; good old fashioned fun with the whole community joining in egg and spoon races, sack races and lucky dip; homely hospitality drinking Schnapps while singing the special songs for midsummer; dancing around the midsummer pole; swimming in the cold sea; you probably get the idea…There are so few things done with such custom and tradition, it was beautiful to see and be a part of.

Midsummer has also been one of the few things marked on our calendar since the start of our trip. It marks the furthest north on our journey and also marks the start of the way home. So full of mixed feelings, excited to get home mixed with dread of this experience coming to an end. In Sweden, time has slowed down and the sun has stayed up, for long enough for me to remember that it’s the family and friends you surround yourself with that make the most memorable moments.