LearnSweden Blog

Magnolia

By Per Svangren

We were at the botanical gardens in Lärbro. There we saw a fantastic Magnolia.

 The pink and white colors of the flowers were fantastic and beautiful. So we bought it, brought it home, planted it and then just adored it.

 

 It is so beautiful and it spreads it's beauty all over the yard.
People that came during Rute Rear Ute just stopped and smelled it, adored it and just love it, as we do.
Hopefully the flowers will still be there when we come back to Gotland again,  next weekend.

  

Spring Flowers

by Per Svangren

It has been so cold this spring. It started well, with some warm days. But then the cold came back and all the spring flowers which had start blooming..... stopped. All one could see were the blooms.

  

 But now it is warm and all over Gotland you find, vitsippor and blåsippor and there are lot of them. You can see them together or apart. You can see them together with other flowers such as tussilago, gullvivor or vårlök.

  

What a perfect moment it is just sitting in the grass, surrounded by all those flowers and have a cup of coffee and a new baked cinnamon bun from the bakery in Rute.

 

Rute Rear Ute

by Per Svangren

Once a year nearly all the houses in Rute takes bring out all of their unwanted stuff and sell it. This flea market is called Rute Rear Ute. People from all over the island come to Rute and walk around the village to shop for things they didn´t know they needed. Then there are those of us who love selling the things we no longer need and bring in a little coffee money to boot. 

So everything gets exchanged on this day and so we all are a little happier. We did sell a moped, a lot of glasses, traffic signs, toys, and books.  We met a lot of people and we had a great time. At the end of the day, we were 2000 kronor richer. Not bad for selling things we just had lying around the house. 

 

So Where Have We Been?

By Per Svangren

On the Ferry to Gotland

Four days break in Sweden as it is Kristi Himmelsfärd. Thursday was a red day, meaning people are off work and school, then Friday, klämdag, a day between a red day and weekend, so many people take a vacation day from work. And then it is Saturday and Sunday and most people are free from work. So most Swedes have four days for a vacation.

For me it means Gotland. So Wednesday afternoon after work, we went to Nynäshamn and took the ferry to Visby and Gotland. It is a trip of 3 hours and 15 minutes. Today the ferry was completly full, which is 1500 passengers. The trip was calm, as it often is and 3 hours will give us time to eat, watch the movie, read  or work a bit.

 
Food is for us homecooked food we brought with us. The food on the boat is not so good and too expensive compared to what is served. So a home made salad with some sandwiches is perfect together with hot strong coffee. Todays movie was ”This is it” with Michel Jackson.

Sunny days will be perfect for sitting outdoors on the deck to watch islands and houses first and then the open sea.

 When coming closer to Gotland you see the old town Visby getting bigger and bigger until the boat is in the harbour and we can drive our car out from the boat and head towards our goal, Rute.

   

Kreativ Blogger Award

  
 

Julie from Swedish House has awarded the Learn Sweden blog a Kreativ Blogger award. Julie and I became fast blogging friends when we both discovered that we have a love for red houses in common, besides other things.

Part of the Kreativ Blogger award says that you have to tell people 7 things they may or may not know about you. So here it goes:

1. I have three children. Two girls aged 20 and 17, and an 11 year old boy.

2. I'm a concert pianist. I've played music all of my life. I studied music in Austria for four years. Two years in Vienna and two years in Salzburg.

3. I've visited over 30 countries. Travelling is one of my favorite things to do. Luckily, my love of travel and my music have worked hand in hand to let me view this planet up close and personal.

4. I love to knit, craft, and sew. I love really anything which has to do with creating.

5. I speak 7 languages, two of which are Arabic and Japanese.

6. I love old things. Antiques, vintage, attic treasures, whatever you want to call it. If it's old, I'll love it.

7. I can yodel. While I  was growing up in Oregon there was a Swiss restaurant. At 16 I became a singing hostess there and befriended an accordian player who could also yodel. She taught me how to do it and it's been a fun skill to pull out during parties. It's a real ice breaker.

Julie, thank you so much for awarding us this piece of kindness. As tradition dictates I must now name a few other blogs with a Kreativ blogger award. Here are my picks. Please visit them and enjoy them for yourself:

• Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods
• Fröken Skicklig
• Med nål och träd
• My Scandinavian Retreat
• Marmalade Moon
• Mousy Brown House creating, crafting , and collecting
• The Swede Life