Winter Wonderland Sweden

I'm not sure what to add. The photos speak for themselves... We spent our last 48 hours of our Sweden visit over New Year in this incredibly charming village Järvsö, only 3 hours+ drive north from Stockholm.  Lets put it this way, all my kids wanted to move there!!! And me too! That is how much they loved it. Luca Bo entered the hill when the lifts opened and I didn't see him until they closed after the last run. I strolled around in the cute village, looked at the beautiful Swedish houses, dreaming away of living in one... Preferably with a big veranda... Oh yes. A big glassed in veranda on a red house with white corners... Geraniums on the window sills in summer, fairy lights in winter...

Hot crépes and chocolates has never tasted better than on the hill by a burning fire. Being outside all day gave us all rosy cheeks and the crisp air filled us with energy. We stayed in the cutest little red cottage with bunk beds. Just perfect. Our surroundings looked like a picture from a fairy tale... Driving back to the airport through this divine landscape actually felt like driving through Narnia. I would love to come back for a longer visit. So much more to see, to do, to experience. So tasteful. So traditional. So refreshing. I'm not surprised by the slogan used to advertise this location: "Järvsö - Always. Beautiful. Nearby. " It sums it up. We will be back, I'm sure.

Kärlek
Annette

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New Year in Sweden

We arrived around 5pm and our cottage could almost not be seen through the pitch black darkness. Did you know sun rises around 9.00 am and sets again around 3.00 pm in the area around Stockholm, Sweden in the end of December? The days are so short... I had forgotten how dark it gets in winter. 

The cottage was damp and cold, frost bitten, and even though my brother had turned on heaters a couple of days before, it was still a bit chilly inside. I quickly discovered that the water filter was broken so we had no water in the house. So typical. Not a great start... While the kids set the table for take out pizzas,  I walked down to my brother's place and filled up bottles with water for brushing teeth, doing dishes and filling the tea kettle with. I was annoyed, needless to say... I thought: "This is it. I'm selling this place. It is more work than joy." But after Nelly Bo lit up the fireplace and we all cuddled up in the bed sofa, watching a movie on our lap top, I once again fell in love with this place. With or without water, we had a wonderful two days of just chilling. Sleeping late in the mornings, going for long walks and hanging out in silence. Just all different from home where everyone tend to return to their own rooms and shut doors. Here you have no choice but being together. It is so small. We played cards, read magazines and books and watched movies at night. Before leaving I filled out my 5-year diary as usual, taking notes of the weather, the problems and the activities. It is always fun to look back on in the future.

Next stop was my younger brother's place to enjoy a New Year's dinner, chatter and champagne bubbles. All the kids were gathered and within seconds the activities in the house were in full swing; cooking, baking, slime making, racing tricycles, wrestling, holding snakes (!!! not me!!!), chasing cats,  nibbling on treats, drinking wine, sneaking a hug from my Mum, laughing out loud over and over again, eating, talking some more, watching fireworks in the pouring rain... We had a lovely time and ate wonderful food prepared by my brother Thomas. It was a tired bunch that withdrew into beds in the wee hours.

Next time I'll share our third stop on this trip: Winter Wonderland in Järvsö. That will blow you away... It certainly wowed me. So so pretty...

Kärlek
Annette

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