Today we celebrate Midsummer Eve in Sweden - nowadays (since the 1950s) always on a Friday, followed by Midsummer Day (public holiday) on the Saturday. The Eve is not formally a public holiday, but is essentially treated like one, as that's traditionally the day of the main public celebrations - like folk music and folk dance performances, and dancing games for children around the Midsummer Pole. (Cf maypole traditions in Britain.)
Most people prefer to celebrate midsummer either in the countryside or at the coastside. It's definitely not a city festival. For those who remain in town, the public celebrations are held in parks on the outskirts rather than in the city centre.
For my own part, it's been many years since I last took more "active" part in any midsummer celebration; but if the weather is right, and I feel up for a long(ish) walk, I do like to go and have a little peek at the event in our Museum Park, up on a hill near a lake that is also kind of a bird sanctuary. There are no buses that go all the way there though - and on weekends, from where I live, none that will even take me half the way. (And just now, non part of that way at all, any day of the week, because of some major roadworks still going on.)
But we were blessed here this year with rather perfect weather for Midsummer Eve: Sunny without being too hot, and no rain. So I decided to take on the long walk. On my way there, I took "the shortcut" - which instead is partly very steep, though. First, it includes climbing this footbridge over the railway:
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| (46 steps up and nearly as many down on the other side) |
Crossing a major road (on the pedestrian crossing on the right); and then through an underpass under the motorway.
Then to the right from this roundabout.
Walking on along the left side of the lake...
And a bit further on, up a very steep hill to the left. Alas in this photo the path comes out looking almost flat, but I can guarantee that's an illusion! (Luckily I found a bench half way up where I could rest for a few minutes...)
The park was crowded, and the music and dancing games for the kids had started, and I did not get anywhere close to the midsummer pole. This photo (above) was taken holding my phone way up over my head and just hoping for the best!
I did not actually hang around in the park for very long, as there was nowhere (comfortable) to sit... I did rest for a little while on a stone wall near the old church, though.
Signs said the café was open but I deemed it a rather hopeless mission to try and get anything from there (not to mention anywhere to sit down and consume it). So I did not stay very long (perhaps half an hour), but walked home by a different route. I'll save the photos from my way back for another post. (All in all I was away from home for a bit over two hours. Most of that time on my feet, though, which made it feel longer!)
Gosh, I think I would have been exhausted after all that. Here, I just caught a bus into town to go shopping before the rain came!
ReplyDeleteJayCee, I was indeed tired when I got back home, but as I could then just rest, that didn't really matter...
DeleteYay you for all that walking/standing! And I loved how you took photos along the way so I could appreciate the beautiful day and scenery (or highways). An excellent outing, and well deserving of a rest!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming along, Barbara! ;-)
DeleteI have never seen a footbridge like this! I do love the roundabout!
ReplyDeleteGinny, that footbridge has been on my blog before - as I tend to want to brag about it every time I've climbed it! (lol) It may have been a couple of years or more since I last did, though...
DeleteI know that effect very well, when you take a photo of a steep path or slope and it looks almost flat in the picture. You had great weather for the walk to the park, but without somewhere good to sit and so many people around, it was sensible not to hang around for long. A rug and a small picnic would have been nice, but it‘s not much fun on your own.
ReplyDeleteMeike, sitting on the ground is really not an option for me these days. (Even sitting on a bench without a backrest is not included in my concept of "proper rest" now...) And I did not want to carry much, so only brought a bottle of water (as I always do in summer). I knew it was going to be crowded in the park, so I had a sandwich before I left home - and bought an ice cream elsewhere on my way home.
Deleteno way i could do that. and maybe not even when I was our age. good job. what happens if you get there and just can not walk back. do you have taxi or uber to call if that happened? its a lovely walk and glad you did it but i would never try it. i don't even drive to ours because the crowds and traffic make me crazy
ReplyDeleteSandra, yes, I could call a taxi if needed. (As far as I remember, so far I've rarely done that except in connection with health care or hospital appointments etc though.)
ReplyDeleteWhat perfect weather to celebrate Midsummer. You did well to join in the celebrations and walk home afterwards.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol. All I did while there was to look on for a little while - but it was a good day for that :)
DeleteI should know this post off by heart because I've read it (and enjoyed it) two (or is it three) morning's running. I obviously got distracted (which is par for the course with me). It looks like community spirit is alive and well In Borås. I was thinking how. lovely it would be to be part of that and then I realised that I never go to similar events here. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteThanks for returning, Graham :) Not really a fan of crowds, I usually just circle around the outskirts of these kinds of events with my camera... Being able to take photos (and then share them) still kind of gives me a "reason" to at least go and have a peek, though! (Maybe an inherited instinct from my grandfather who was a journalist/photographer??)
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