DESCRIPTION

As we left Norway, Bill stopped at the last sod-covered building near the border – a road-side pit-stop, "just to check out the architecture!" We were headed toward the east coast of Sweden and then up around the Gulf of Bothnia to Finland.

This part of Sweden was sparsely populated, with mountains, forests, and farms sprinkled here and there. We eventually came to the lovely town of Ostersund which is located near the premier Scandinavian ski resort of Aare.

Even though Sweden has this outstanding Alpine ski area, they have never been selected to host the Winter Olympics. They were the second choice for the 1994 games, and third choice in 1998. Undaunted, Sweden is making it's seventh attetmpt, hoping to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

DESCRIPTION

Our Basement Hangout

We arrived in Ostersund mid-afternoon – hoping to get settled in early. We tried three hostels and all were full. After waiting in line at the fourth hostel until it opened at 5:00 PM (we were third in a line that snaked around the hall), the young hostel clerk, wearing a shirt so electric we could see our faces reflected in it, roller-bladed into the office.

"Velcome!" he sang. "So sorry, full up!" Hot and tired, we started to walk away, ". . . Vel . . . there is the basement. No showers, mixed dorm. "We visualized a dark, damp, room crowded with sweaty backpackers. Desperate, we took it with a polite "Thank you." It turned out to be bright and cheery with a full kitchen and WC.

He gave it to us for $19 and didn't put any other travelers in with us that night. Scandinavian hostels are popular with European families, so they are often full, even in remote places. What a great way for affordable family travel.

Little Discoveries Everywhere

Our Fantasy Hangout – No Vacancy Delightful Pastry Decorations
Swedish Cupboard in Lovanger

Even the smallest towns in Sweden are filled with discoveries. We found this castle, created by third graders in the local library at Pieta, a small seaside town. Made with recycled materials – toilet paper tubes, popsicle sticks, and old jewelry – each tower window held a photo of one of the child artists, each wearing a gold paper crown strategically glued in place. Bakeries selling fanciful pastries can be found everywhere in Sweden. Here are cows, fruit and flowers in the forma of candy treats for hungry travelers.

Detour to Lovanger

Continuing up the coast, we detoured into the quiet town of Lovanger on Sunday morning, looking for a cafe, just in time to hear the church bells ringing the town awake. What a delight to discover this Swedish hostel, off the beaten track with a cafe serving fresh baked-at-your-table waffles pilled high with strawberry jam. This beautiful, old Swedish sideboard sat in the cafe, as a reminder of times past.

Outside, a miniature village church waited for giant Bill to repair the roof. A tiny vicar was ready to hire him! There was canine gathering at the time we were in Lovanger, with 500 golden retrievers and their owners. We saw the dog kennels, but heard nary a bark or howl. Well behaved – those retrievers!

Churches Come in All Sizes in Sweden

The First Modern Pedestrian Mall

In 1961, the town of Pitea closed this street to vehicle traffic, creating Sweden's first "gagatan", or "pedestrian street." The idea quickly spread so that now the main part of many Swedish towns have pedestrian only streets. The wide used-to-be streets are now parks where people stroll, sit, meet friends. We took these photos early in the morning, but a few hours later, the area was full of people, relaxing, shopping and riding bikes.

Looking West down the Boulevard Looking East to the Waterfront

Would this idea work with our car loving culture in Santa Cruz? We think so. City Council, let's do it! While walking about the Mall, we noticed the local hardware store, while not open on Sunday, had no need to put away the wheelbarrows, rakes, and shovels stacked outside. Trust and goodwill still prevail and thievery doesn't seem to happen as much in this part of the world.

Out and About on the Farm

Check Out Our Other Volvo

Yes, that's a Volvo tractor in the photo! And that's "Old MacTaggart had a farm, eeyii, eeyii, oh!" We made arrangements to stay on a small family farm, owned by Gunnar and Caroline (there's much more about their farm in the previous Veggie Gram). They call their farm, "Stormyrberget", since it sits at the base of "Stormy Mountain." Our cabin was located right at the foot of the mountain. It was converted from a 19th century farm kitchen that had a large wood fireplace for baking flat bread larger than the biggest pizza we have ever seen.

While we played at being farmers, Gunnar and Caroline worked hard at it. Through ingenuity and resourcefulness, they have created a good life by raising dairy cows, as well as growing and harvesting the grain to feed them through the long Swedish winters. They also raise sheep, pigs, and chickens, as well as log timber and rent out the small cabin to travelers. Be sure to take a look at the previous Veggie Gram written for our grandchildren.

Cabin on the Dairy Farm Supper on the Lawn
Sally Holding Up the Barn

Throughout the farm country of Scandinavia, we saw many old houses, sheds and barns like this one leaning over or with sagging roofs that seemed to be sinking into the ground. There's plenty of land, and apparently it's not worth the trouble to remove them. Eventually, they topple over This one on Gunnar's farm, still has years of life left as long as Sally holds it up!

The Elusive Cloudberry

The cloudberry requires such a unique habitat that it cannot be cultivated. It grows in the wild and can only be found in boggy areas, along a narrow band that stretches from northern Sweden to Finland. So precious are these berries, that those with knowledge of a wild patch, never reveal the location.

Tracking the Elusive Cloud Berry Harvesting the Abundant Blueberries

Gunnar and Caroline, however, who were too busy to pick berries, gave us the directions to the cloudberry bog on their property. We only found one immature cloudberry, which you can barely see in Sally's hand, but lots of wild blueberries, and tons of mosquitoes! Reluctantly, we said our goodbyes and headed north toward Lapland and Finland.


Veggie Gram Menu   Next Veggie Gram