Gorgeous kittens in Rismyrliden, Sweden

Going through my travel photos from our visit this past summer in Sweden, I came across these kitten pictures from Rismyrliden, Sweden. It's an old-time farm in the woods of northern Sweden, where visitors can see how people used to live in this part of the country, once upon a time.

My kids love visiting this place, and it's pretty easy to see why.

We also saw this absolutely beautiful cow:

I just feel that she's the supermodel of cows. Just look at that face!

Find out more about Rismyrliden on the official website!

Little adventures with my traveling kids in Västerbotten, Sweden

When we're away on holidays in Sweden, we always head out on excursions and adventures around the area. There's lots to see and do where we spend our summers, and you can read about some of our adventures this year here on the blog.

However, there are also smaller adventures going on every day, right on our doorstep. Here are some of those little adventures.

Finding a bonafide five-leaf clover in the grass. I could hardly believe it when my daughter brought this over. She just spotted it, right in the lawn and plucked it out. It's currently being dried, and will be mounted on the wall!

Enjoying the calm and the scenery on the lake in Mjödvattnet, outside Skellefteå. My son really loved relaxing on my aunt and uncle's raft. It was a sunny day, and the water's edge was populated by tiny water-striders running along on the surface. A great day, especially as long as the mosquitoes stayed away...

Admiring my aunt and uncle's door-knocker. Best invention ever, according to my kids.

A trip to "Hällorna" (roughly translated: "the smooth rocks") in Burvik, Sweden. This smooth rocky shoreline is a favourite picnic spot for locals and tourists. There are great views of the water and surrounding coastline, and over by the docks there's a great space for swimming. It can be reached by boat or by walking from the road.

Catching a baby pike off the dock. My daughter likes to catch (and eventually release) little fish from the dock, but this year was a first: she managed to catch several baby pike! They looked exactly like miniature versions of the adults, including that long, crocodile-ish snout and mottled green-grey skin!

Swimming! The water wasn't exactly warm here in Burvik when we arrived: 14 Celsius! But, the temperature can change pretty quickly depending on the weather and the currents, and towards the end of our stay it was 18, 19 Celsius. The kids love splashing around and jumping in from the dock. They even tried out the Swedish sauna a few times, though they weren't quite convinced that it's a good thing to sit in a super hot and steamy room for so long...

Great adventures with my kids in Västerbotten, Sweden

Our trip to Sweden has been a lot of fun, as usual, this year. None of the crazy heatwave weather we had last year, but some very enjoyable days, and a lot of fun activities.

We are just outside Skellefteå in the county of Västerbotten in northern Sweden, and here are some of the fun things we've experienced so far!

"Loppis"

Flea markets, auctions and second hand-shops of all kinds are a big thing in Sweden, especially in summer-time when you can see signs for "loppis" (flea market) almost everywhere: some more larger and more established places, while others are smaller ventures in people's yards or houses. You can find a lot of junk, and some treasures at a loppis! My daughter found this gorgeous necklace at the small "loppis" in Bureå, Västerbotten, Sweden. '

Bjuröklubb Nature Reserve

We also visited Bjuröklubb nature reserve. This is a great place to visit: there's an old lighthouse at the top of the cliff, there's a café, historical landmarks, trails, and beautiful views of the water from almost every angle. In the harbour near the lighthouse, there's a place to buy fresh and smoked fish from a local fisherman, located on a small boat. A highly recommended treat: the smoked prawns!

Björn Larssons Krukmakeri / Pottery

On the road to Bjuröklubb, you can also find a fantastic pottery shop: Björn Larssons Krukmakeri.

This local craftsman makes gorgeous cups, bowls, platters, and other items.

His small shop is worth a visit all on its own: the kids got to pick a shard of pottery each to bring home! I bought a new tea-cup and have been enjoying my morning tea even more since!

Fällfors

Fällfors is a small community near Byske on the coast of Västerbotten. It's located right on the river, and salmon fishing has been important here for a very long time.

There are two sets of fish-ladders to help the fish navigate the rapids and get up river, and once a year the local fishermen show off some old fish-capturing techniques here. The water is shut off for a portion of the fish-ladder and the salmon trapped in the pools are then taken out with a fishing-net. It's no longer used for large-scale fishing (only two salmon are taken out to demonstrate how it used to be done), but it's pretty exciting to see the huge salmon up close and personal!

There is also an old power-station to visit, with turbine and gauges still intact!

4H in Moröbacke

The local 4H organization in Moröbacke, just outside Skellefteå, is a great place to visit if your kids like animals. It's called Lilla Lyckan, and there are lots of different kinds of rabbits, pigs, goats, sheep, and ponies to be looked at and petted.

Rismyrliden

Another fantastic place to visit with kids is the old-time farm in Rismyrliden.

There are cows, sheep, goats, piglets... and a variety of old, traditional farm-buildings to visit and look at. You can learn how tar was made and how the houses were constructed. You can buy locally made dairy products, and taste some home-made bread and waffles in the small café. There's even a small gift shop with locally produced arts and crafts (and ice-cream!).

If you ask my kids though, the best thing about Rismyrliden are the kittens: this year there was a black one with a white "gem" at his throat, and a fluffy black and white one with a jaunty tail! You don't pay a cent to get in and enjoy the farm, but it's all powered by volunteer work and effort, so buying a coffee or ice-cream, or a bag of Rismyrliden-tea is a nice way to show your appreciation!

Finally, a reading tip from my kids:

If you're looking for a funny and heart-warming picture book, you can't go wrong with Guji-Guji, by Chih-Yuan Chen. It's sort of a twist on the old "ugly duckling" tale, and it brought laughs and smiles for my kids.

Jet-lagged in Sweden

A couple of days ago I arrived with my kids in Sweden for our summer-visit. It's been wonderful as always, even though we are battling jet-lag: my daughter was up at in the middle of the night on the first night, and slightly later in the middle of the night on our second night. Still, we're not complaining and are trying to take the edge off the jet-lag beast with some naps: it seems to be working, and hopefully we will be "sleeping in" until 5 or 6 am in no time!

Coming over on the plane I had my first ever "blogger-fame" moment: I sat next to a lovely couple on the Reykjavik - Stockholm flight who recognized me from the website, and had been taking notes here for the trip with their 6 month old (a very charming little guy, I have to say!). Huge thanks to the lovely Swedish/Canadian couple (you know who you are!) for giving me the thrill of being recognized and appreciated! Also big thanks to my kids for behaving on that flight....

Here are some very early morning pics from our location in northern Sweden:

 

10 things my kids love about Sweden

Around this time of year my kids usually start dreaming about our annual summer-trip to Sweden. We've been traveling from Vancouver, Canada to Skellefteå, Sweden pretty much every summer since they were babies.

Even though they don't really look forward to the actual journey itself - we usually end up with 3 flights and about 20 hours total travel-time when all is said and done - they do love going to Sweden. Why? Well, here (in no particular order) are 10 things they love about Sweden:

The boat

Both my kids, but especially my son, are absolutely in love with my parents' motor-boat. Can't say that I blame them!

The beach

The small beach right outside my parents' cabin where we stay in the summers is a little bit of heaven on earth. Sand, water, rocks, sun. What more do you need?

Photo via Wikimedia.

Picking blueberries in the woods

We are usually lucky enough to be around for at least some of the summer crop of wild blueberries. The kids love heading into the wood with a pail (and mosquito repellent all over!) to pick the berries.

Piggelin popsicles

My daughter is obsessed with these green popsicles (flavour: tutti-frutti). It's a classic popsicle in a country that is pretty obsessed with ice-cream and popsicles: Piggelin has been around since 1972!

Leos Lekland

This indoor adventure playground with slides, trampolines, and all kinds of other games is a favourite with my kids. It's especially good for rainy days, or if we're visiting in the winter instead of the summer.

Gröna Lund

This huge amusement park in Stockholm was a big hit with my kids last summer. Read all about our visit here.

Rismyrliden

This old-time farm located in the interior of the county of Västerbotten is a lovely place to visit in summer. There are farm animals, old farm buildings, a small café, home-baked traditional bread for sale (if you're lucky), and best of all (according to my kids): kittens!

The baked goods

Visiting a "konditori", Swedish for patisserie or bakeshop, is a must if you're in Sweden. My kids love picking a treat from the shelves and trays filled with cakes, cookies, and glorious pastries. Lilla Mari in Skellefteå is a great "konditori" to visit if you happen to be in town.

View from Hotel Kung Carl in Stockholm.

 "Staying in a hotel"

We don't always stay in a hotel when we're visiting Sweden, but occasionally we do spend a night or two before heading home in a hotel in Stockholm. My kids seem to think this is a pretty cool thing. Buffet breakfast, and strange new beds with strange new bedding: awesome, right? Read about our stay at Hotel Kung Carl.

Mormor and morfar

Hanging out with grandma and grandpa are of course the biggest reason why my kids love Sweden. It tops my list, too.

Visiting the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm, Sweden

On my most recent trip to Sweden with my kids in July this year, we spent a few days in Stockholm and for the first time the kids got to visit the grand amusement park there: Gröna Lund. Like any visit to an amusement park with kids it was both tons of fun, and rather exhausting. The weather was amazing: blue sky and sunshine, and actually rather too hot (something that doesn't happen often in Sweden!). The temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius by midday, and that made it quite a sweaty visit with a serious need for cold drinks and sunscreen!

Gröna Lund is an old amusement park: it was originally founded in 1883, and features attractions and rides ranging from an old-school carousel and bumper cars, to the crazy-looking rollercoaster "Insane" and the 80 meter tall "Fritt Fall" (Giant Drop).

The rides and attractions for smaller children are all found in a separate section of the park, making it easy for families to find their way around. In this section, my kids thoroughly enjoyed rides like the carousel, the Tea Cups, "Lyktan" (Family Free Fall Tower), the Flying Elephants, and the kiddie rollercoaster "Nyckelpigan" (The Ladybug).

The kids going all the way up "Lyktan".

They also had a great time on some of the more "grown up" rides in the other part of the park. The dark and (moderately) scary ride on "Blå Tåget" (Ghost Train) was a favourite, and my son had a lot of fun on the Octopus as well. Since the kids seemed to be enjoying some more "daring" fare, I decided to take them on "Vilda Musen" (Family Coaster), a roller coaster I remembered from my own childhood visits to Gröna Lund. The ride was a big hit with my 11 year old son (he was just mad he couldn't go for a second ride right away), but my 7 year old daughter was in tears afterwards: not one of my better parenting moments. Her comment when I asked her if she didn't enjoy at least PART of the ride: "The first hill up was fun, after that it was all horrible".

Riding the Tea Cups!

We also bought special tickets for the "Spökhuset" (Haunted House) with real, live people dressed up as various frightening creatures and monsters provide the scares. However, we only made it past the threshold before my son decided that he had enough: we had to make a quick exit out the way we came! Too scary for younger kids (just as the signs warned us). Oh well. Maybe next time.

The children also enjoyed the clown's performing in the open areas of the amusement park: juggling and riding unicycles. They had some tasty-sticky cotton candy, as well as waffles from one of the local restaurants.

Since it was such a hot day, spending time in lineups was a bit of a chore, but we managed it. We didn't try any of the games, but my niece managed to win a giant (and I mean giant) box of chocolates. They were a little worse for wear by the time we headed home because of the heat!

All in all, we had a terrific time at Gröna Lund, and I suspect the kids will want to go back next time we visit Stockholm!

• Check out Gröna Lund's website for more information.

• Gröna Lund is located in the Djurgården-area of Stockholm. It's easy to get to, and on this visit we got there using the "Hop On, Hop Off" boat, which meant we also got a great view of downtown Stockholm. Check out the details for the "Hop On, Hop Off" boats and buses here.