Finding North

Ah, Midsummer. The second biggest holiday in Sweden ( after Christmas ) and the one I had been eagerly wanting to experience for the past six years. I know, quite the buildup right? And so far in life I've learnt that the bigger the expectation, the bigger the fall. So to ensure that disappointment didn't swallow me whole on this most gracious day, I tried to lower my anticipation and just tried to enjoy it as best as I could.  We opted for simplicity and decided to follow my boyfriend's family to Bonnstan ( the old Church Town ) to watch the celebrations. I wanted a real, authentic feel of what this day was really about and I have to say that it was as traditional as it gets, with the big pole in the center, a lot of singing and, of course, dancing.  Midsummer is all about greeting the arrival of summer, whilst celebrating life, light and fertility on the longest day of the year. Originally, nature was seen has having special powers that would ensure good heal...

Swedes take their gardening very seriously. And the main attraction in any garden could only be - the flowers of course . Now that winter is behind us, there are bright and colorful flowers everywhere. Nature has been incredibly generous and everything has been in full bloom for a few weeks. Which means that no self-respecting swede wants to be left behind when it comes to their pride and joy, oh no. The sun, the Spring and the ( mild ) heat are like blessings that need to be treasured and preserved, since we all know they're not going to last very long. It is like a very fleeting, passing moment and before we know it, it's gone as fast as it appeared. I should tell you I don't know much about flowers, neither their names nor their specific properties, but I do know that I love to smell them and above everything else, how they look. Their aesthetic brings me so much joy, I could just stare at them for hours at a time. So when my boyfriend's dad invited me to join ...