In Search of the Dalahäst - Dala Horse

We were up for a little touring around Dalarna today before the big Midsommar hurrah starts, so we decided to go in search of the Dalahäst which is made in the nearby village of Nusnäs. These chunky carved orange toy horses with white and blue bridles have become the symbol of Sweden through out the world. The humble Dala horse started as a way to use up wood scraps left over from furniture. I know my little baby loves to whiny and gallop a little toy horse along, and back when toys were more sparse, I am sure Swedish children treasured their Dalahäst. So we thought we would get the baby her own little horse with her name and birth year, to match the one her American grandparents bought for SwedeGirl on their Swedish trip the year she was born. So off in search of the not very elusive Dalahäst we went!

Through the pretty hills and lakes of Dalarna

To Mora for Lunch

Micheal and the Dragon, symbol of the triumph of light over darkness, appropriate symbolism for a sunny day near Midsommar

A sighting!!

Many Dala Horses, Plain

And Fancy

But who makes these little horses? The tomten?

We would have to go a little further than Mora to find out....

Carving

So many horses!

Prepping them for paint

Drying room

So many horses!

We found our perfect little horse for the baby, and they girls had fun.

Summer Solstice

We are far enough north that the sunlight never fades from the sky on this longest day of the year. There is a brief twilight between 11 and 2.

This is as dark as it will get

Reveling in the glory of summer is deeply a part of the Swedish psyche. The power of the sun is so palpable here, and it's season so brief. The Swedish flag, with it's yellow cross on a blue background, looks like a sunny summer day. Solstice is celebrated in Sweden with as much gusto as Christmas is in other parts of the world.

Midsommar will officially be observed on Saturday June 26th. We will be celebrating all week by helping decorate and raise maypoles, and then dance around them, all over Dalarna from Thursday on- in this village, at the town gathering place, and at the cultural museum.

But we still have plenty to celebrate this solstice day. We secretly made preparations for a family birthday party to honor the latest of our family to arrive in Sweden, AS, who turns 30 today. We are staying on her mom's family farm, which has been in her family for generations. AS spent all of her childhood summers here.

In Sweden, you start the birthday festivities by serenading the birthday person in bed. The whole lot of us sang AS awake, and brought coffee and sweet buns for all. As a little birthday gift to her, I will NOT post a picture of her in her PJs, all sleepy, being sung to by her whole family.

Then we picked wild flowers to make wreathes

The Party

It looks like the weather is going to be nice all week!

My girl and the Birthday Girl

SwedeBaby

Swedish Birthday Cake- Strawberries and Whipped Cream on White Cake layers with Jam.

The farmhouse we are staying in

Swedish Royal Wedding

Sweden is royally mad this summer. Yesterday Crown Princess Victoria was married to her commoner/ personal trainer boyfriend Daniel. So Stockholm went all out, and everyone donned their fancy hats. Like the rest of the commoners, we watched the wedding on TV and ate Folkets Bröllpstårta (click for recipe from Dansukker), the people's wedding cake, which is everywhere right now (photo from kaka.se).

Along with various the souvenirs of the royal couple.

The Wedding

So this is how Summer Begins

That's summer laziness, full speed ahead, to you.

The folks we made the beach home exchange with in January are coming to stay in our house while we head out to visit Farfar and the fam in Dalarna for Midsommar. The last few weeks have been full of getting finishing touches on the house... we have been there almost two years now. Which means we are essentially settled but have lots of nice details to fill in yet. You see your house differently when you have to get it ready for someone to open the kitchen drawers.

Getting the summer hammock up

Enjoying any bit of warm we get, the water balloon stash

Discovering the wonder of the garden hose

Wouldn't you know the sink faucet cracked when trying to replace a gasket the day before we left people to stay at the house. So while Swededaddy played plumber and installed a new faucet, the girls and I headed to the village pool. It was actually really nice, even though the day before I had sworn it was too freezing for me to think about swimming for another month at least.

Baby's first shot at the wading pool, she loved it!

It was an ice cream day

Finally headed out way later than expected, so we stopped at a Stuga/camp ground to over night. Sweden has these cute inexpensive cabins all over that make good spontaneous accommodations for road trips, so long as you are not traveling on a big holiday weekend when they will be prebooked. 500kr a night, and they had a restaurant that served decent food.

Last year we took the train to Dalarna, and I was looking out the windows thinking how great it would be to stop at some of the pretty lakes along the way. When this road trip turned epic, like the day trip that took three days, my wish came true. Careful what you wish for. The trip was nothing like planned, but good. Except for the all of us getting a cold part, and moving in slow motion.

Lake front camping.

Neat wood monkey bars

Sweden has lots of beaches, there is lots of waterfront on its many lakes. Great places to play with little people, as sand is always a hit and shallow water easy to manage and usually a bit warmer than the ocean. A nice way to break up a drive.

The Lake Front

Beach bums

Sticks, also always a hit

Us, on a ferry

Geraniums on the ferry

The stereotypes of a place should always be evaluated at a road side souvenir shop. As expected, Sweden is moose, trolls, vikings, and Pippi.

Oh Sweden!

Road food: smoked fish, strawberries, and shrimp.

Despite our best push, we had to face we just were still not there yet. We decided to overnight at a second stuga. SwedeDaddy and I were both feeling sick, and simply had no will to do an all night drive. This one was only 400 krs, and was bigger. You can make coffee and eat breakfast in the kitchenette before you launch again. But you have to bring your own sheets and duvet covers, which we had anyway.

Finally, day three of travel for a nine hour drive, we get there after dinner! We thought we might leave early Monday, and never left till Wednesday, and instead of getting there Wednesday night arrived Friday evening.

A three hour tour, a three hour tour.....arriving at last.

But where ever we went, there we were.

And now here we are, for two weeks, for Midsommar.

Finally free!

Yay!!!

And yep, that is a fleece suit.

Let the Midsommar Festivities begin.

Actually, I am hoping there will be just enough time for me get over my cold first.