Sweden holidays 2012 - Part 6: The last day, a family day

The last day..... Parts of my family came out to visit us at Gräddö for some fishing and BBQ'ing and, last but not least, the event that Danny had been looking forward to the most: Trying the fermented herring ;))) 

My niece's first time by the sea 

....we felt it was safer to have her in a floating west all the time ;))

Playing in the sand with grandma

Fishing 

Danny and Chris fishing and trying the Swedish "Snus"

Tony, Kalle and Josefina, enjoying the calm the sea has to offer.....

It's more lovely than normally to swim while being pregnant! Finally a place where the weight is not an issue ;)

Cindy

Lucky fisherman no 1

Lucky fisherman no 2

Lucky fisherman no 3

Lucky fisher(wo)man no 4! As you can see....a bit more fishing luck than during our fishing trip to Riddarhyttan ;))

....and they were all grilled and eaten

....together with lots of other good food!

Shrimps!!! My favorite =p

The whole gang, having dinner on the pier

Danny and Caroline, practicing their shrimp peeling skills =))

Since I have quite a bad back pain, I had to have my dinner laying down..... At least I made the most of it with a bottle of alcohol free sparkling rose ;)) A bit more festive than mineral water..... 

Blueberry pie for dessert 

Danny the brave, trying an old Swedish classic: Surströmming (fermented herring). Yiiaaaakes!!! I was expecting a shock reation, but funny enough, his reaction was simply something like "Happy I tried it....but I wouldn't try it a second time"!
Actually, I think the rest of us suffered more than Danny (this fish really stinks!!!) and we didn't even eat it!

Sunset that takes ones breath away <3 class="Apple-style-span" span="span" style="font-size: medium;"> 

Some of the men, sharing secrets at sunset ;)

Cindy up early the next morning =) 

Such a cutie =))) 

Our last breakfast on the little pier outside the cabin..... I miss it lots already and can't wait to go again next year!!!

xox

Sweden holidays 2012 - Part 5: A week in the Swedish Archipelago

Out of all the things I miss the most from Sweden living in Switzerland (not counting people), is the sea...... For me, no environment can really compare to the one by the sea. It fills me with such tranquility! I love waking up and falling asleep to the sound of the waves, feeling the sea breeze on my face, having salty baths and in the evening, having these baths after a hot sauna! ...and last but not least, I can't get enough of all the stunning sunsets!!

I guess you could say my feelings for the sea is comparable to what the Swiss feels about the mountains....

Here's the photo blog from our week in Gräddö:

The waking up view, just outside our cabin....not every day, but those with sunshine ;)

Serious sibling talk? ;)

Caroline and Chris, defying the water temperature! As you should in summer time in the Archipelago =p

Relaxing on the pier

A classic Swedish dish on the pier at sunset: Smorgastarta (a kind of sandwhich cake)

One of the many amazing sunsets

Chris and I

Caroline

A jump for joy!

Fires in the evening to enhance the atmosphere (and keep mosquitos away ;))

Splash

Danny reading his book on the pier outside our cabin

....we had visitors! Omar, Josefina and their son Mateo came out for the day! 

....and we had burger lunch =p

Chris

Caroline fixing her fishing rod

Danny

My mom and Kalle came out for a day and here we are all going in to the sea after a HOT sauna =)) Sooooo refreshing!

They brought freshly picked Chanterelles and we used them to make a pasta dinner.....

Maybe not entrely easy to see, but there is a seal passing by out there =))) This is actually the first time I ever saw one in nature like this.... Two years ago, I heard them but never saw them.

Yet another stunning sunset view.....

Just one more photo blog post to go on the topic of our Sweden holidays, which will be about our final night and day at the cabin, a kind of family gathering ;)) Coming up soon!
xox

Late summer holiday in Sweden

Back again in the city closest to my heart, Stockholm. This time for work purposes, but decided to come a little earlier to spend the weekend my beloved friend Aryan. I was just at home for 5 days in between and didn't even manage to completely unpack before it was time to pack again ;))


So the time we've spent in Sweden recently has been amazing to say the least!! It started with the baptism of my little niece Cindy (it was the first time I met her in person and it was such an incredible feeling!!) and seeing my family and ended up with 6 amazing days in the Archipelago. We found such a gem of a place there and will for sure go back again next year. Sweden in summer is truly remarkable and in my opinion, completely unbeatable!


I have wanted to do this post for quite some days now but am realizing it is simply impossible to write about this holiday! Too much to share and too many emotions to describe.....this is why I will instead do this with the help of some photos.



I hope you have all been enjoying your summers!! 
xox