The folks required lots of recovery time upon reaching Lund (a full day journey via taxi, ferry, commuter train, high speed train-with last minute platform change, bus). Our youngest (camp name Ebba) was still busy wrapping up her penultimate year at Katte but we squeezed in some small excursions close to home. Then on the long weekend, Bryant took us farther afield.
Ebba loves a picnic at the beach so we made a short trip to the strand at Lomma. Unfortunately it was undergoing restoration and cleaning, but we found a spot to sit and enjoy a little fika and fresh air. After a bit of beach combing, an ice cream and a stroll around town, we caught the bus home.
May brings blooming “rapsolja” fields throughout Skåne, which we admired on our way to Helsingborg. Mom and Dad also had some great views from the plane as it landed in Copenhagen.
We did a bit of exploring in Lund and made a day trip to Fredriksdal Open Air Museum and Botanic Gardens near Helsingborg. The day was blustery but not bad to be outdoors. There are some indoor exhibits as well as a great little cafe where we enjoyed lunch so much that we returned for fika!
Back in Lund Ebba gave us a tour around her school and I took the folks to see the Lund Food Hall where we checked if Holmgrens had any “rullepølse” (they only have it at Christmas) and the butcher gave me a free smoked sausage snack because they have a tradition that any child who brings a parent gets one, haha!
We checked out the spring flowers at the botanic gardens and around town, and suddenly it was time for the folks to return to Minnesota! An early morning storm complicated matters slightly but there was only a short delay, followed by a very uncomfortable speedy transfer at the airport in Reykjavik. Once the connection was made I believe the parents settled in pretty well for the final leg home where they had a hotel room booked so they could rest up before driving the final stretch home, adventure concluded!
As May turned to June, Bryant and Ebba went to fetch the eldest home from Visby. Ebba had tons of work to complete her school year, there were two big graduation celebrations “Studenten” to attend, and Bryant had major events plus travel, including a day trip to London, for IKEA. Here are just a few photos of those experiences!
Our upstairs neighbor, Bella, graduated from Katte but in the Swedish program, not the one our kids attend. Her family went all out and set up a big tent in the courtyard. The party was much like a typical celebration in the US, though there are lots of elements, like the truck parade, the running out, and the paper plate awards that give it a Swedish flare. And of course the captain hats which have an interesting history.
My children refused to let me take photos at the other Studenten, the one for our cousin Anne’s daughter, so instead here is a link to their post about it. It was fun to see other Danish relatives and the rest of Esther’s family, too. I think we are 4th cousins through my great-grandfather who was an uncle to Esther’s grandfather…or something like that! The next generation, two year old Iben, kept us entertained.
Bryant went to Visby to fetch the kid’s stuff home. She made the journey back by ferry and train after singing with her choir for the University’s graduation concert.
Time flies and here we are at Midsommar! This year Bry and I joined friends at their Sommarstuga in Malmö. With perfect weather, amazing food and great company we experienced the ultimate Midsommar. We weren’t able to stay for dancing Små Grodorna around the sommarstång but we did toast with shots of elderflower schnapps! The girls had their own celebration combining their two friend groups at the beach, complete with strawberry cake made by the eldest. So everyone had a delightful time. We also met Rhaenyra, the German Shepherd pup for the first time and got reacquainted with Lucy and Pasta. The menu included cheese pies, home smoked salmon, and the traditional herring and potato etc with fruit pavlova for dessert. Delish. We sampled yet another type of pickled herring, this one with sandalwood and cinnamon called Matjesill. I’m almost a fan of sill and really enjoy it twice per year!
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