I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Sweden to visit my brother and his beautiful family during the Summer of 2016.  It was my first time seeing my nieces--in person--since they were born so it was a very special visit for me. 

Nature 

I was really excited to touch down on Swedish grounds. The country is beautiful. My brother met me at  Stockholm Arlanda Airport and from there we started the trek to his home in the city of Falun, a municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden. Little did I know that Falun was A WHOLE TWO HOURS AWAY from Stockholm.

Let's just say that they technically live on a farm. They laugh when I say this, and I am slightly exaggerating, but I think its safe to say that it's a farm if I see chickens and horses in backyards. Regardless of the amount of animals that I was surrounded by, I had the most amazing time in Falun and with my niecypoos. The countryside has a pretty serene charm to it.  I was able to bond with them and that is what truly made it awesome. 

I even hiked... yes, I did. I know. Me? 

We followed a trail and the view from the top of the hill was breathtaking!  Imagine super blue water, sparkling from the rays of the sun. The photos that I took do not serve justice. 

This was the view from the top of the hill. Isn' it gorgeous. Wow, I really miss Sweden now. 

 Also, a side note--Swedish trees are beautiful. They remind me of the trees in Twilight that Edward called Bella a "Spider Monkey" on. HAHA. No, but in reality, I could not stop talking about them.  I believe the trees are called Scots Pine. They are super skinny, tall and bare leaves at the top.

Actually, after speaking with my brother, he thinks Falun's "management"[ or whatever they are called, landscapers?]  maintain the trees like that.  #management

In Sweden, I also visited Falun Copper Mine & Museum which, in 2001, was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Falun mine produced 2/3 of Europe's copper needs that helped to fund Sweden's wars in the 17th century. Finally, we took a trip to Sundborn to visit the  Carl Larsson-gården, an icon of interior design and family life in Sweden. 

Midummer in Sweden

The highlight of my time in this country was getting to experience Midsummer on June 24th.   

Midsummer or "St. Johns Day" is a period of time centered around summer solstice. Apart from Christmas, Midsummer is the most important holiday on the Swedish calendar.  It is considered to be a time of magic and anything having to do with nature was thought to have special power. Gathering flowers to weave into wreaths and crows was a way to harness nature's magic and ensure good health throughout the year. 

 A successful midsummer is a never ending party that involves flowers in the hair, folk in traditional clothing dancing around a pole and singing songs while drinking schnapps. 

The Midsummer pole is decorated with greenery and flowers and is actually a new tradition of the Swedish Midsummer.

Finding my Husband 

The magic that permeates from the history of Midsummer also extends to the realm of romance. For unmarried girls, such as myself, it is said that if you pick seven (or nine) types of flowers and place them under your pillow, you'll dream of your future husband. 

Needless to say that night I did not dream of anything besides the insides of my eyelids... 

I wonder what this means for my future husband?...Let's just leave that part alone.

I adored my time in Sweden, visiting family. I could not have had a better introduction to the country. 

Additional photos from my trip 

Safe Travels, 

Chadia