Pallarpfest 2011

After leaving Örebro we traveled south to the town of Eksjö, in Småland.  Sweden is divided up into cultural regions so to speak, and Småland is where our family is from.  It is also the home of Astrid Lindgren (creator of Pippi Longstocking) and Ingvar Kamprad (creator of IKEA).  Eksjö is a beautifully preserved wooden town with buildings dating back to the early 1700s.  We stayed at a hostel located in the middle of the town, a textile production building from the 1800s.

 

This was the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at, we even had a lovely canal right outside our window.  Our family had essentially taken over the hostel, and the kitchen area was large enough to fit all of us.

 The town itself is small and charming, with a nice main street filled with shops and restaurants.  We took many strolls in those few days, and Mattias took these shots during a 6AM stroll with Magnus.

            The following day Magnus was kind enough to drive my mom and Alvin to the Glasriket, or glassblowing region.  Swedish hand blown glass and crystal is famous for its artistry and quality, and Småland is the home Sweden's glass industry.  Here's a typical open country road.

 

They chose Kosta Boda, since it's one of the largest producers, happens to be our favorite, and there's a seconds outlet associated with the factory.  No rails keeping you far away from the kiln here, just you and the artists.

 
I wasn't there but I think they were making vases that day.  Check out the little girl trying her hand at molding molten glass.  This would never happen in the states, too much liability.

 After wards they went to the museum and shop.

 That night we had all members of the Karlsson family together for the first time since summer 2008.  It was so nice to hang out, make fun of each other, and drink.  We didn't stay up too late though, we had to rest up for our big family reunion that was happening the next day.

 For all the rain we got in the week prior, this one perfect Swedish summer day made it all worthwhile.  The day of the party was gorgeous, putting all of us in the mood to celebrate.

 

Pallarp is the name of the location of our reunion, and how it got its name I don't know.  Here's what I do know:  The main house used to be a rest building located near the railroad tracks (where Sune worked his entire adult life).  When this building was being torn down, Sune and a group of friends saved the disassembled parts and re-erected it next to this small lake in Småland.  The building and surrounding area are owned and maintained by Sune and the original group, an association of sorts.

We were greeted by this beautiful family tree, crafted by Kerstin.

We all took a few moments to soak in the sights, it was really breathtaking.

 It didn't take very long for us to hit the water. 

I was in charge of crafts, so I brought a tie-dye kit and some face paints for the kids.

Magnus had plenty of people to play with.  Here he is with his second cousin, Oskar.

There were many ways for the kids to burn energy, even a trampoline.

 









After all that play, it was time for us to gather around the table for fika.  Here's the definition from Wikipedia:
"Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a break, most often a coffeebreak, with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family. The word has quite ambiguous connotations and can mean anything from taking a break from work or other activities, to going on a date - always including something to eat accompanied by a drink, such as cookies, cakes and even candy. This practice of taking a break, typically with a cinnamon roll or some biscuits or cookies, or sometimes a smörgås or a fruit on the side, is central to Swedish life, and is regularly enjoyed even by the government."

 

Kajsa had a few wonderful words for our guest of honor, Sune, and thanked everyone who traveled from near and far.

 

Then we all gathered for a family picture.

Before dinner we had a nice game of Tug-o-War, followed by more relaxation by the lake.

It wasn't very long before we were called to the table for a fabulous potluck dinner.

Magnus captured this amazing picture at sunset.  No Photoshop here, this is as peaceful as it gets.

Once the sun set and the kids were in bed we got straight to business.  Party!  There weren't many pictures taken of the partying that went late into the night, we were too busy having fun.  Let's just say there was a whole lot of acoustic karaoke, cheap American whisky, and most importantly, laughter.

 

The majority of us went to bed at 3AM, mostly camping out around different parts of the house.  Poor Mattias was up at 6:30 with Linus.

Pallarpfest was epic, to say the least, and definitely a day that I will remember.  It's so rare to be with your entire family, and even more rare when you are a mix of 2 very different (and geographically distant) cultures.  While getting there and traveling with the kids was a lot of work, the experience was more than worth it.

Sommar i Sverige: Part 2

After our weekend in Borås we went north to the city of Örebro, where Kerstin and Magnus have an apartment in the city center.  Magnus x2, Mattias, and I drove, while the rest of the crew (including my mom and Alvin) took the train.  Here we are at one of the most beautiful rest stops I've ever been too.

In a little more than 3 hours we rendezvoused at the apartment.  There was sunshine so we immediately ditched our stuff and went for a walk around town.

Here's the city hall (I think) and a bridge that takes you to the city's castle, Örebro Slott.

There was an outdoor art exhibition going on, hence the giant upside down bunny in the town square.  The rule is, if the sun is shining the kids get ice cream.  Yes, the sun is that rare.  And no, it's not a real rule.

Örebro Slott, with one of the sculptures in the mote.  I really thought those were real seals in the water!  We even found a couple of native Swedish monkeys in the trees!

Lille Magnus really loved all the extra attention from his cousins, Uncle Alvin, and Lola.

The following morning we celebrated my 31st birthday the Swedish way-- with the whole family waking me up with singing and gifts. 

We even got to eat Princess cake for breakfast. 

Shortly after, we walked into the city's park, which was voted one of Europe's most beautiful gardens a few years ago.  It was so serene and lush, a tranquil space in the center of the city.

Then we continued into Wadköping, a little historic area filled with wooden buildings from the 18th century.

 This was my mom's very first time in Europe, so I think she especially appreciated how well preserved these old buildings were, along with the cobble stone streets.

 

We ended the visit with fresh bullar (cinnamon buns spiced with cardamom) and a visit to the playground.

 

For my birthday dinner I was treated to a traditional Kreftfest, or Crayfish Party.  We've been doing these back in Cali for years, but this was my very first Kreftfest in Sweden.  These critters used to be abundant in Swedish lakes, but populations were decimated by overfishing and some kind of plague.  Today, they are imported from Spain and China.  To do the crayfish party properly 1) you must drink a good amount of ice cold Aquavit, 2) you should have some other kind of filling side dish (them suckers are tiny!), and 3) ideally you would be outside celebrating late into the evening sun.

 

 For the non-seafood lovers of the group, we got another Swedish favorite-- Kebab pizza.  It is a thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, beef kebab, topped with lettuce, cucumber, and tomato, that was invented after a large influx of middle eastern immigrants came to Sweden.  You can also top with with a garlicky yogurt sauce for good measure. 

 On our last full day we walked over the the city's "Children's Island", a small amusement area for children that is open during the summertime.

 

You had to pay 10kr (about $2) for a "ferry ride" to the island, about 100 feet away.

Once there, you can rent peddle cars to drive around the city.  They even had little electric cars, which Linus loved to drive.

Every 15 minutes a little train goes around the island, a trip that takes 10 minutes.

Then the same dudes that operate the train walk over to run the little handbuilt carousel, which also goes every 15 minutes.

It started to pour right after this photo was taken, so we decided to take the long way home by foot rather than wait for the "ferry".  Just after we crossed the river I saw a sawboard sign that said "Fresh Fish & Vegetables" pointing to a tiny boat docked at the end of the bridge.   We met this fisherman (who looks exactly like you would imagine a fisherman to look like), who had live Gös that was filleted on order.  Magnus insisted this was an amazing fish so we bought enough for everyone for dinner.

The result?  Broiled gös with dill and breadcrumbs, potatoes, and sauteed summer squash.

We are stateside now and dealing with some serious jet lag, accompanied by the demands of 2 jet lagged munchkins.  It might be a while, but check back for the next post on (seriously) one of the best parties I have been to in my life-- the Hartman family reunion a.k.a. Pallarpfest 2011.