Today, it was decided we would visit Skansen. The weather report was very encouraging: blue sky, sunshine, only a few degrees below zero. Perfect Skansen weather. And, you’ll never guess, but for once the day lived up to the report.
Speaking of weather, the situation in Southern Queensland, according to Lauren, has become a scene of apocalyptic nightmares. Trees down, power lines everywhere, zombies starting to appear, that sort of thing. A lot of her reports came as she and Jason were leaving the mountain while Fi stayed home. The fact that Fi had two blokes starting her generator may have had something to do with it.
We couldn’t decide whether the above was a euphemism or not, so let’s just leave it at that and move on. So, returning to Sweden…
Unusually, the train was late. Not unusually, we weren’t told why. But we eventually arrived at Stockholm Central not long after 11:30 and headed to Fabrique. Obviously. It’s not like I can leave the train and just walk by. It’s almost as if thin tendrils of cardamom vapour drag me in by the nostrils, directly off the street.
As well as in order to satisfy my inner need to repeat the same thing over and over again, it was important that Denise had a delicious cardamom bun on her final full day. Which she did. Mirinda, being a bit contrary, had a toasted sandwich. She said it was delicious. I will never know.
Speaking of food, at the other end of the day, we ate at the big restaurant in Skansen. I had meatballs which, were a bit better than the ones I’ve had recently but, I’m sad to say, were not as good as mine. Or the ones from Meatballs for the People. Obviously.
Mirinda, unusually, had fish and chips which featured a big pool of what we first thought was very pale mushy peas but turned out to be an excess of some sort of minty sauce. Denise, meanwhile, had a rather sloppy hamburger that was bigger than her hands. Actually, I think she wore more than she ate.
But enough food…well, apart from the Best Saffron Bun of 2022, which I sampled at one of the little serveries in Skansen. It was exceptionally good, though it did leave me wondering where I could get my hands on the Best Saffron Bun of 2023.
But, Skansen…
I’m not going to rehash everything I wrote about Skansen back in April 2021 (you can follow the link and read it if you want) especially given how different it looked today. Obviously there was lots of snow but, also, lots of people.
Back in 2021, the pandemic was making a difference to things like Skansen so not much was open. Also, not many people were about because of the general paucity of tourists. While you could see how amazing it would normally be, the experience was only on the surface.
Not today, though. There were lots of people, mostly in family groups, roaming around, giving the place a Babbel like feeling. There were also some buildings open, encouraging people to visit, stalls selling food, drinks, stuff for children; the whole site was alive. It was wonderful. There were even open fire pits, ready prepared for people to grill their sandwiches or toast their marshmallows.
Best of all, though, Seglora Church was open.
The building originally came from a parish in Västergötland. Its construction dates from around 1730 and was abandoned when a new church, built of stone, was erected in 1903. While the falu red building is impressive on the outside, the true beauty lies within.
It was rather crowded, so I pulled up a pew and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Revealed, above me on the barrel vaulted ceiling, was an amazing wall to wall fresco.
A beautiful place. They held a St Lucia concert here, which we all agreed would have been amazing. It appears that you can also get married there.
At popular open-air museum Skansen you can find the picturesque church Seglora – especially popular for weddings! The church’s roof and walls are made out of wood and painted red, giving it a unique look. Seglora Church was built in 1729 -30 and has resided at Skansen for a 100 years, and before that it was located in Seglora parish in west Sweden. Throughout the years it has become one of the most popular churches in Stockholm for weddings. The traditional musicians at Skansen can be hired to play at the beginning and end of the service, and you can also hire a horse and cart for your arrival or exit.
Stromma, Hop On Hop Off bus, available online at: https://www.stromma.com/en-se/stockholm/blog/guide-to-most-famous-churches-in-stockholm/
Another Skansen highlight (among so many, I have to say) was the special Winter Lights displays. Featuring not just lights but also music and, if you were lucky, a tiny dancing boy who was entertaining as well as cheeky.
There is so much to see and do at Skansen that we’ll be returning many times in the future. And at different times, too. Each season sees different attractions. It is such an amazing place.
Sadly, and this is entirely the fault of my wife, I didn’t get to see the Snus and Match Museum. I reckon it will be up there with the Watermelon Museum in Beijing and, perhaps, even reach the heady heights of the Lawnmower Museum in Trerice.
The day quickly drew in, and, given the convenient closure of the above museum, we headed for the exit and then the tram stop. We were joined on the tram by about 700 other Skansen visitors, including, oddly, an Italian woman who looked the spitting image of Bev when I first met her…if Bev had had strawberry blonde hair, that is.
While it was all a bit squishy, the three of us did manage seats and we were soon shuffling across to central station for the train home.
What an exceptionally delightful day. I think it was a perfect way for Denise to spend her final, full day with us.
We heard no further news from the Mountain though, with Fi’s generator running hot and summer storms upsetting phone signals all over the place, it wasn’t surprising.
