The Småland Experience

I look with surprise at my daughter and barely manage to keep a straight face. “I’m not sure darling, but I guess they are used to all the nature around them”. Mia sniffs her freshly picked flowers, sneezes, but seems satisfied with my answer and skips on to her sister. Emma and Mia have already spent the whole morning searching for the most beautiful flowers around our cottage. Sneezing moose? I think about Mia’s question and can no longer suppress my laughter. From the array of freshly-picked flowers, we build summery wreaths, while making plans for the afternoon. It is time for some action. And there is more than enough to do in Småland!

We are on holiday in Småland, a dream come true for me. Other than the time we’ve spent relaxing and spending time playing endless card games in our gorgeous cottage, we really haven’t sat still. Here, nature begins at the front door and we are thoroughly enjoying that. The girls are turning out to be true nature lovers and, during our hikes and bike rides, they are continuously searching for the abundant treasures from nature. As for me, I’m certainly happy with the breaks in between, especially when we take part in the Swedish tradition of “Fika”. It’s a tradition deeply embedded in Swedish culture that mostly involves eating pastries, drinking coffee and making time for a chat. The Swedish pastries belonging to this tradition are dangerously delicious. And Tom? He has rediscovered an old passion: his mountain bike… Biking the zigzagging paths in the forest is certainly not for me, but I’m happy for him to wear himself out enjoying this muddy hobby.

Tom comes outside with two mugs of coffee and carefully sits down next to me. His hair still wet from the morning swim, he turns to me and says: “You were right! “Your” Sweden really is amazing!” That Sweden is mine is a slight exaggeration, I think, smiling. My mother’s family has roots here, so, it was only logical for us to travel here for holidays sometimes while I was growing up. While this was many years ago, the memories of the wonderful Swedish summers have remained strong in my mind. This is exactly what I wanted Tom and the girls to experience. That’s why we are sitting here on a sunny summer’s day in Småland. The decision to choose Småland as a destination was an easy one. It is nearby by car from the Netherlands and the region offers everything we desire: The beautiful archipelago with idyllic islands on the east coast, the big lakes and the richness of green forests, hills, the typical red houses and above all… enough to do. I instantly fell in love, when I came across our cute little red wooden cottage, called a stuga in Swedish.

Tom was not difficult to convince, and we found ourselves mapping out our route the very same evening: A short ferry crossing between Germany and Denmark – making the kids happy – and, after driving across the impressive Öresund Bridge, a beautiful route through southern Sweden. Now, here we are. My bare feet are happily playing with the lush grass and I take a deep breath of the fresh air… Abruptly, I’m awakened from my daydream by a towel brushing over my face. “Muuuum, come on!” Emma shouts, as she races past me straight into the glittering

lake. Alright, time for the second swim of the day!