"But, my good lord, I wot not by what power,--
But by some power it is,--my love to Hermia,
Melted as the snow, seems to me now
As the remembrance of an idle gaud
Which in my childhood I did dote upon;
And all the faith, the virtue of my heart,
The object and the pleasure of mine eye,
Is only Helena. To her, my lord,
Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia:
But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food;
But, as in health, come to my natural taste,
Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,
And will for evermore be true to it."
--Demetrius, A Midsummer Night's Dream, IV.i
It's happening. I'm falling in love with Sweden.
Remember how I was all, oh yeah, Sweden, nice guy, he doesn't beat me, whatevs. And now I'm like, Sweden! Mr. Darcy! Be my baby daddy!
I'm not sure exactly when it happened. There were moments over Midsummer that I felt Sweden was casting a spell, pouring some love juice into my eyes. Could Sweden really be this charming and beautiful? Why have I bothered traveling to other countries when I could have been here the whole time?
My friend's brother Sef and I drove up to Tällberg for Midsommarafton, or Midsummer Eve. This is traditionally better than actual Midsummer Day -- it's always a Friday and it's the heavier snaps drinking night. Midsummer Day, Saturday, is spent recuperating from your hangover. The Swedes are planners, and I like planners.
But oh, Tällberg! So picture postcard perfect! Some say Dalarna is the heart of Sweden, and some say Tällberg is the heart of Dalarna. All the blond children singing folk songs in embroidered caps and dresses, all the maypoles raised with big wooden chopsticks, the horses swishing their tails in the breeze, the birdsong, impressive Lake Siljan...it was like a Swedish dream.
SEF: Where are the cameras? Because this can't be for real, right?
Lots of ladies wore thick crowns of wildflowers in their hair. "Where can I buy one?" I thought. But of course there were none for sale -- you're supposed to gather your own and make one. American consumer FAIL.
You wouldn't believe how many wildflowers there are here. It's no wonder Carl Linnaeus created modern taxonomy -- he had a lot to work with. Purple and yellow and white and FREE, the colors running in wide, ragged stripes through the lush green fields. It's so incredibly fresh out there...like there's more oxygen in the air.
I managed to get rooms at the last minute at Hotell Långbers, which sits at the top of Tällberg. It was unbelievably dreamy. The bedding was delicious, the rooms were airy, with that Swedish country modesty I find so utterly charming. Their website really doesn't do justice to how absolutely gorgeous the place is. I booked the rooms on Booking.com for not much more than I paid for the vagrant's room in Rome. The place reminded me of Mohonk Mountain House -- so unpretentious, but utterly luxurious in a wholesome way. The morning after our snaps-soaked dinner at Hotell Åkerblads, we booked the hotel sauna and outdoor hot tub for an hour before the long drive. Heavenly.
And the view from my room! A craggy landscape of pointy evergreens, cut off abruptly by the glassy curve of Lake Siljan, which stretches all the way to the horizon.
Midnight sun at the top of Tällberg. How wonderful, and how strange that it feels so normal to me now.
Before I came, I thought I would spend my two weeks of vacation in August traipsing about mainland Europe, hitting all of the major cities. Now, I think I'll stay in Sweden. I'm trying not to miss it already. Who knew?
Flickr slide show: Midsummer in Tällberg
But by some power it is,--my love to Hermia,
Melted as the snow, seems to me now
As the remembrance of an idle gaud
Which in my childhood I did dote upon;
And all the faith, the virtue of my heart,
The object and the pleasure of mine eye,
Is only Helena. To her, my lord,
Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia:
But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food;
But, as in health, come to my natural taste,
Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,
And will for evermore be true to it."
--Demetrius, A Midsummer Night's Dream, IV.i
It's happening. I'm falling in love with Sweden.
Remember how I was all, oh yeah, Sweden, nice guy, he doesn't beat me, whatevs. And now I'm like, Sweden! Mr. Darcy! Be my baby daddy!
I'm not sure exactly when it happened. There were moments over Midsummer that I felt Sweden was casting a spell, pouring some love juice into my eyes. Could Sweden really be this charming and beautiful? Why have I bothered traveling to other countries when I could have been here the whole time?
My friend's brother Sef and I drove up to Tällberg for Midsommarafton, or Midsummer Eve. This is traditionally better than actual Midsummer Day -- it's always a Friday and it's the heavier snaps drinking night. Midsummer Day, Saturday, is spent recuperating from your hangover. The Swedes are planners, and I like planners.
But oh, Tällberg! So picture postcard perfect! Some say Dalarna is the heart of Sweden, and some say Tällberg is the heart of Dalarna. All the blond children singing folk songs in embroidered caps and dresses, all the maypoles raised with big wooden chopsticks, the horses swishing their tails in the breeze, the birdsong, impressive Lake Siljan...it was like a Swedish dream.
SEF: Where are the cameras? Because this can't be for real, right?
Lots of ladies wore thick crowns of wildflowers in their hair. "Where can I buy one?" I thought. But of course there were none for sale -- you're supposed to gather your own and make one. American consumer FAIL.
You wouldn't believe how many wildflowers there are here. It's no wonder Carl Linnaeus created modern taxonomy -- he had a lot to work with. Purple and yellow and white and FREE, the colors running in wide, ragged stripes through the lush green fields. It's so incredibly fresh out there...like there's more oxygen in the air.
I managed to get rooms at the last minute at Hotell Långbers, which sits at the top of Tällberg. It was unbelievably dreamy. The bedding was delicious, the rooms were airy, with that Swedish country modesty I find so utterly charming. Their website really doesn't do justice to how absolutely gorgeous the place is. I booked the rooms on Booking.com for not much more than I paid for the vagrant's room in Rome. The place reminded me of Mohonk Mountain House -- so unpretentious, but utterly luxurious in a wholesome way. The morning after our snaps-soaked dinner at Hotell Åkerblads, we booked the hotel sauna and outdoor hot tub for an hour before the long drive. Heavenly.
And the view from my room! A craggy landscape of pointy evergreens, cut off abruptly by the glassy curve of Lake Siljan, which stretches all the way to the horizon.
Midnight sun at the top of Tällberg. How wonderful, and how strange that it feels so normal to me now.
Before I came, I thought I would spend my two weeks of vacation in August traipsing about mainland Europe, hitting all of the major cities. Now, I think I'll stay in Sweden. I'm trying not to miss it already. Who knew?
Flickr slide show: Midsummer in Tällberg
Gah! Gorgeous! I have never been to Scandinavia, not a single part of it, and you're making me want to go! I love the Josef Frank pillow fabric.
Luisa, you must come see Sweden in the summer someday. You would love it.
Beyond beautiful! Love that simple, simple room. I've been wanting to go to Scandinavia for a while, and this only makes me want it more. Thanks A LOT, Ganda. xo
Listen, buddy, you know all you have to do is get on a plane and I will take you around town til your feet hurt. You obvs have much going on right now, but when the time is right, I will give you recommendations up the wazoo.
You know I was proposing Sweden to Kermit for our honeymoon, largely because you're there but also because what I know about it makes me love it (although how many non-white people are there? Unremitting blondness might weird me out). Anyway your post gave me chills. Um...you sure you want to come back to Bklyn?
You should see Sweden in the summer someday. It is incredibly genuine. This Swede was recently on Sartorialist: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/06/style-profile-sofia-hedstrom-nyc.html
She describes her style as "helg and ren", or wholesome and clean. That's how I think of Sweden -- wholesome and clean. Diversity is not Stockholm's strong suit, but I hear there are more brown people in the suburbs.
But the long walks in endless daylight, the bike rides through the huge parks, the lush diversity of flora, the people kayaking through the canals...it's definitely not Brooklyn.
I love New York, and I am coming back. It's dirty, it's loud, there aren't enough green spaces, but it's diverse, the people are fascinating and stores are open all night long. And most of all, it's home.
I suppose it's a Ginger and Marianne thing.