Midsummer in the archipelago of Sweden

Per per my previous post, we already know a bit about midsummer and how important it is to the Swedes..  (any excuse to drink, hey? ;) )

We went back to utö and stayed in ålö from last Thursday to Saturday.  There were 3 couples and .. a single guy in the group.  The weather hasn't improved much since the previous trip there, considering it's supposed to be summer now, but when the sun comes out, oh my.. I could do a little dance and a little skip around the place.  No wonder people get sooo happy!

As we were travelling to the archipelagos, I met up with 6 of S's friends at Coop near our place to stock up on grocery (as groceries can get quite expensive there) and carry them via bus, train, bus & ferry to get to the utö where we had a taxi driver waiting for us to drive us to ålö.  That were a lot of transport hopping and .... a lot of grocery buying..  Great for building up those arm muscles, I say!

Sitting by the piers at ålö

Hej hej!!

It's been a crazy week for me here..

 Spent a few nights in ålö for the long weekend and then went back to Stockholm for a night and had to catch a late train on Sunday to Malmö..

... and we have started going back to school... To learn Swedish!!

 It's our 2nd day now.. And I've done a lot of 'sleeping' whenever I bring out my books to study back at the hotel. Sure brings back all those memories when I was in school and had to study all the time at home.. And I tend to fall asleep all the time!!

The big big difference here is.. There's no momma sitting there with a cane! *snicker*

 Will upload pictures later on our Midsummer!!

 Xx

Celebrating Midsummer in Sweden...

Midsummer is HUGE here in the Nordics.  It is the most important holiday in the year and most unique here - quite uniquely pagan?  It's usually celebrated between 19 - 26 June but the main celebration usually falls on a Friday.

I've only celebrated it once and I think S proposed during midsummer back in 2010  (the date tends to vary each year though)

So, midsummer is almost upon us and before I could ask 'what's so grand about midsummer'... S has made plans and booked for another weekend trip to Uto..  I get a lecture whenever I ask "What's so grand about midsummer???" As far as I'm concerned, it's just another excuse for people to drink more ;P haha  *ducks*

The last time we got into the Midsummer spirit, we celebrated it in Skansen (it's something like our Ballarat back in Melbourne.  Great place to visit to learn more about Swedish culture)..

A little bit about midsummer:  It consist of everyone (children, adults etc) dancing around the maypole.  While dancing around it, traditional music are played and songs are sang associated with the holiday.  (think Swedish songs, and me just miming and looking silly!) Some people adorn traditional costumes or crowns made from wild springs and wildflowers around their heads.  The year's first potatoes, herring, chives, sour cream, beer, snaps and first strawberries of the season are traditionally eaten.  Drinking songs and extremely important for this feast, and many of them drink heavily =P

Some history about Midsummer:

Because Midsummer was thought to be one of the times of the year when magic was strongest, it was considered a good night to perform rituals to look into the future. Traditionally, young people pick bouquets of seven or nine different flowers and put them under their pillow in the hope of dreaming about their future spouse. In the past it was believed that herbs picked at Midsummer were highly potent, and water from springs could bring good health. Greenery placed over houses and barns were supposed to bring good fortune and health to people and livestock; this old tradition of decorating with greens continues, even though most don't take it seriously. To decorate with greens was called att maja (to may) and may be the origin of the word majstång, maja coming originally from the month May. Other researchers say the term came from German merchants who raised the maypole in June because the Swedish climate made it impossible to find the necessary greens and flowers in May, and continued to call it a maypole. Today, however, it is most commonly called a "midsommarstång" (literally midsummer's pole).

In earlier times, small spires wrapped in greens were erected; this probably predates the maypole tradition, which is believed by many to have come from the continent in the Middle Ages. Others argue that some form of Midsummer pole occurred in Sweden during the pre-Christian times, and was a phallic fertility symbol, meant to impregnate the earth, but as there were no records from those times it cannot be proven, and this idea might just be a modern interpretation of the pole's form. The earliest historical mention of the maypole in Sweden is from the Middle Ages. Midsummer was, however, linked to an ancient fertility festival which was adapted into St. John's Day by the church, even though it retained many pagan traditions, as the Swedes were slow to give up the old heathen customs. The connection to fertility is naturally linked to the time of year. Many young people became passionate at Midsummer, and this was accepted, probably because it resulted in more childbirths in March which was a good time for children to be born.

Skansen 2010:  Flowers and leaves were decorated all over the pole before it gets erected in the middle of the field

This was S back in 2010.. so smug looking!!!  I love rummaging through past photos =)

Traditional wear

This little girl is all dressed in the Swedish colours.. so gorgeous!

Crowns around the head..  People were just everywhere... 

In all.. shapes... and sizes... *cough*

The traditional 'dancing around the maypole'

Would be interesting what we'll be doing this year.  We are going back to the cabin in Uto with 5 other people this time round.  Let's hope the weather is a lot better (I see rain this weekend!!! sigh!!  come on Sweden.. It's summer!!  Give us some good weather!!)

Until next time..

Happy Midsummer!!!

Xx

10 best ways to learn Swedish.. fast?

Good advise I think..  I'll need to follow this from next week onwards.. As the Swedes would say.. Lycka till!

10 good things to know about Sweden.. ;)

Interested to know more about Sweden?  This clip is so cute and so true..  It gives you some insight to what it is like living in Sweden..  Thanks to those who posted this first =D

Omg.. Hung over!!!

Ok.. I'm actually jesting!

Those who know me know how low my tolerance of alcohol is.. Back in my early 20s, where I was an all night party go-er (hehe I'm such a hoot! I really wasn't one ;p).. But you know at that age where you feel invincible. Finally finished university, moved out, found a job (finally a steady income instead of the $10 weekly I was getting from dad and the unpredictable income from my casual job at the Convention Centre) At that age I felt so invincible and so independent!

Anyhow I digress! Back to my all night partying and drinking prowess! I was given the nick name of 'bottle neck'... It really shouldn't be something I should write about! You know how I got the nickname?? Do you know those girly drinks ladies love to suck on all night - Bacardi breezer which came in assorted flavours.. My favourite at that time was watermelon..

Anyhow after one too many drinks and one too many late night hangouts with my work colleagues and friends at that time, I realised I wasn't much of a drinker. True, I'm one of those who nurse a drink all night.. But I had this ability of 'passing out' dead drunk with a beet root face after just a few sips (literally just barely clearing the bottle neck of the Bacardi breezer) *cries*

After all these years, the name still stung! But my tolerance seems to have deteriorate.. But to be honest, I'm mindful of how much I drink and only when my partner is around (with a pounding headache to boot, he's the best at giving me a head massage!)...

Unfortunately, I was at a Swedish housewarming yesterday by myself and had a little too much sip of these pear cider which was about 3.5% alcohol.. It was so refreshing and crisp! At least I didn't pass out! But it made me all happy, giggly and just all bubbly! Very champagne like I was!

I also made a mistake of having a cuppocino for dinner, basically after eating continuously from 2pm - 6pm.. And boy! I couldn't sleep till after 4am!

Woke up just slightly before 9am and with a pounding headache! Unfortunately my head masseur has left for his day job *sobs*

Should I say no more alcohol for a while??? Or no coffee???

I think I'm going to drag my sorry ass back to bed

Is this a yellow canary??

No... it's what I made yesterday!  Remember that yellow flower from my previous posts?  Well, this one has also been turned into a hairclip/brooch!

Yellow satin flower with 3 curled peacock feathers attached at the back and a pearl like and crystal button to complete the flower.

Haven't made much at all this week, which is disappointing..  Yesterday we had a party, and we are continuing the party today..  *sigh*  Why is it when we invite people over, I have to always end up cleaning after people?  At least these lot from yesterday were older and they know not to put their beer bottles onto our glass table!  I *hate* uncouth people who just bang their glasses/bottles on the glass table even though there are coasters just lying around...  Helloooo?  I bet they wouldn't have done it in their own home =P

hehe.. Ok.. enough whinging =)

Weekend coming up!  Yay!!

Xx

A flower and some leaves for you, my lady?

Remember the lot of yellow and red flowers from my previous post?

Well, I've decided to do something about them and turned one of them into this...

Red flower with green leaves (peacock feathers for luck) with a large rhinestone in the middle

I've added a barette and a pin at the back, so, should function as a brooch as well..

One down.. how many more to go? *sigh*

Fluro Colours.. Brighten me up please!

Does anyone remember those crazy neon colours - pink, green, yellow etc..

It was hugely popular in the 80s..  Think Madonna ..

For me, they reminded me of my High School and University years, where I would go crazy with all these neon coloured highlighters, but after too many 'highlights' in my textbooks with one too many neon pink and yellow, I started to cringe at the sign of them..  Neon colours reminded me too dearly of exams and textbooks!

Then of course there's night clubs and raves, where people go crazy with neon bracelets and neon sticks.. I didn't mind them then.. I mean the colours ;)

I know I'm a bit late, but boy!  Fluros are coming back to the runways and boy are they looking mightily classier than what I remembered..

Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier - bright canary... no wonder all cats love canaries!

Monique Lhuillier - a bit nana-ish but I quite like this..

Collette Dinnigan

Acne - I think this is shockingly blinding.. You wouldn't get lost during the winter months!

Napoleon Perdis is getting into it..  but fluro makeup is plain scary or what?

and I guess I'm getting into it as well...  Those ribbons I got bought a couple of months ago (which I was so so so disappointed with as the colours were different to what I thought they originally look)....

Yellow and Red flowers.. Made these a couple of months back and haven't done much with them...

Orange, Green and Blue... Sigh.. 100 yards of each.. Anyone wants a dress made from ribbons??

Xx

Spending time in the archipelagos - Utö and ålö, Sweden

With Sean's friends coming over from London to escape the rain and cold.  We thought we'll show them the highlights of Stockholm and perhaps spend a couple of nights at the archipelago as we heard Utö is absolutely beautiful during the summer.

We definitely showed them the highlights of Stockholm.  All the rain and cold for 2 whole days straight!  We went out late partying at Berns and came back home at 6am in the morning.. but that's another story altogether ;)

It was a struggle getting up the next day and catching the ferry to Utö.  We decided to catch the 1pm -ish ferry to Utö and rang up a taxi to take us all to the ferry (instead of catching the train and bus)

It was fairly cloudy the day we left Stockholm and to be honest, I was worried about it being all rain and wet while we are out there...

Dark dark weather to match my dark dark soul...  

Restaurang Himlen, Stockholm's Skybar

It's been really busy for us these past few weeks...  Firstly, a few days in Tuscany, then a week in London and most recently S's friends were here for the long weekend and we spent two nights in Uto.

I'm just so exhausted and missed our home and my spot on our couch very much.  So, first thing first.. I'm comfortably sitting on my spot on our couch as I type this *beams*..  Ahh bliss!!!

I guess we have better enjoy the peace and quiet for the next couple of weeks as we'll be spending the Summer holidays at Malmo learning.. yep!  Swedish!!  I know, finally right?!!  Please wish us luck!!

While S's friends were here, there were loads of going out, and basically showing them what Stockholm has to offer (it's a pity the past weekend they were here, Stockholm was having loads of rain!!  So, not too fun!)

One of our highlights, well.. My highlight anyway, is the dinner at Restaurang Himlen.  I guess the good and the bad with Stockholm is, you can't really find any skyscrappers here, so, this is basically one of our 'highest' view.. where you could see the whole of Stockholm.  (pity it was pouring and misty when we were there ;))

We have been here a few times, but mostly for drinks where it gets really packed each night.  This time around, we booked the sitting area for 'dessert' with the thought that we'll have dinner at Pelikan (for their Swedish meatballs!), which unfortunately was a no go as when we arrived, they were fully booked!  Thankfully for fall back plans, right?!

Absolutely love the ambience and the food and not to mention the drinks.  While some of them piled on the alcohol, I opted for the mocktail which was really tasty and refreshing!  The food were delicious, but slightly on the pricier side

Normal people capture themselves and their friends, posing, smiling in front of the camera..  Me?  I opt for either food... or the ceiling!

But ain't they pretty??  Beats any boring 'smiling faces' pictures right??

Strawberry Dream Mocktail - Strawberry, lemon, sugar and soda!  (68KR) and that's Sam, giving me the 'WTF are you doing, woman!' look hehe =)

Bread and butter..

This main was seriously to die for!  Tenderized rib eye (was so juicy and tender although slightly salty, which is understandable as this is Sweden.. but OMG..  I could eat the whole plate!) served with truffled potato puree (so smooth and creamy!), truffle french cheese (melted), grilled vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower and onion)  and tarragon butter sauce.  There were also pieces of sausages which were really good - 375KR

and dessert was Rhubarb with chocolate, hazelnuts and peach ice cream - 95KR.  The display was gorgeous, and I love the bits and pieces of hazelnuts strewn across the whole plate.  Needless to say, I polished up the whole plate.

I'm just wiping off the drool off my face at the moment..

Until next time..

Xx