North of Örebro lies the region of Bergslagen, once heavily mined in the Middle Ages for iron. Today, the region is known for its well preserved wooden villages and tranquil nature. Kerstin was able to find a summer house to rent-- a small house with a smaller cottage that slept up to 10, complete with sauna, canoes, and a trampoline.
The lake was serene with small islands you can paddle to, popular for campers on multi-day canoe trips. Our waterfront had a small dock the kids could fish from, as well as a floating deck. They enjoyed the independence, we enjoyed the relative quiet while they were marooned.
There was plenty of down time for card playing, reading, napping, and occasional screen-time. (Side note: Internet time was fully sanctioned as Mattias and Magnus were trying to run a business from half way across the world.)
The nature was incredibly pristine, and I was most struck by the absolute silence. Aside from the occasional bird and gentle breeze through the birch trees, we were the only ones making noise. On the map we were a tiny speck of a lake, amongst hundreds of lakes that dot the landscape. Many afternoons we went on nature walks along the gravel road, and on one walk we caught a few frogs and made a temporary habitat.
Magnus left no rock unturned, and under one rock found this skink.
There was also plenty of time for foraging: wild blueberries, raspberries, and chanterelle mushrooms.
Linus caught a fish unexpectedly, an aborre (or European Perch), just by casting out a hook with a little dough bait. When he hooked it there was a few minutes of commotion since Mattias and I had no idea what to do! Once cleaned and cooked, Linus proudly ate his catch at dinnertime.
We also had the opportunity to take a few day trips. The town of Grythyttan had a well preserved wooden town, a playground where Anders got his first bloody nose, and historic mill.
On the way home we stopped for a short hike around Knuthöjdmossen, a bog with hundreds of tiny tarn (lakes) that support breeding red-throated divers. The scenery was nothing short of magical.
Very little grows on the bog, so plants adapted by catching the insects that dwell in and around the calm waters. A little bit of a plant geek, I was delighted to see carnivorous plants in the wild.
Anders collected bits of plant material to make some sort of nest, but was devastated when I told him we couldn't bring it back to San Francisco.
The following day we chose a short hike to the highest point in the region, Kindlahojden. There was a bit of drama finding our way there (due to my distrust of Google Maps in rural or sparsely populated areas) and I flipped out on Mattias. For the record, I was totally wrong. Nevertheless we made it there in one piece and found our way to the trail head.
None of us was prepared for the awesomeness of the nature there. Literally the biggest ant hills we've ever seen, unique species of moss and orchids, tiny forest frogs, all had us stopping every few minutes with wonder.
Late one evening, after a hard day of wrangling three rowdy boys, Mattias and I took a quite paddle on the lake alone. The silence of nature and a serene landscape was all we needed for a perfect date.
Our week in the country was the reset we all needed. The simple rhythm of our days: drinking coffee with a view, swimming followed by sauna, preparing and eating meals together, and fireside chats with wine, highlighted how much we enjoy togetherness in close quarters.
