Quite a few old mills here and there in Sweden have been preserved by turning them into cafés and tourist attractions. This one at Vänga, a half hour drive or so to the north of Borås, still produces some flour to be used and sold in their own bakery. Their popular café also offers options for a light lunch, so we went there for lunch on Saturday (3 August). We sat on the small terrace to the right (overlooking the stream) and had a piece of pie + salad. (They also have tables outdoors across the stream.) Afterwards we went for a little stroll around the place. We've both been there before, but it's one of those places that it's always nice to return to in the summer.
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| Vänga Kvarn (kvarn = mill) |
They also have a souvenir shop where they sell various arts and crafts.
I did not buy anything, but it's always fun to have a look...
And the same goes for the rusty old objects on display outside...
Cows were grazing in a field across the road.
A picturesque place, and I doubt I could have resisted the apron with the vegetable print - it looks great, as do some of the other things in the shop.
ReplyDeleteThe cow having a mud bath was obviously not keen on having her picture taken :-)
PS: That one lady in a dress, hands on hips, appears to be very keen on having her picture taken, instead!
DeleteI can imagine you in that apron, Meike! As for the lady with her hands on her hips, I did not even know she was there in the background until I saw the photo afterwards... No idea whether her expression had anything to do with us taking the photo or not!
DeleteYou have noticed that she is on another photo, too, haven‘t you? Half hidden by a tree.
DeleteYes, Meike, I know. I took that other photo of the stream shortly before the one on the bridge. We were walking on one side of the stream. She was walking on the other side. (I think I may even have waited a second or two so as *not* to include her in that photo - but was evidently only half successful.) When we reached the bridge, I stopped and turned round and handed my camera to my brother, asking him to take a photo of me with the mill in the background. I suppose the woman on the other side may even have stopped to wait and let us finish our photo session before crossing herself. Whether we met her on the way back I can't recall. On the whole we were probably of as little interest to her as she to us.
DeleteI noticed the lady with hands on hip, she looks like she might be aggravated. I like the looks of the old mill and cows and the outside views.. my favorite thing it the copper kettles. looks like the weather was cooperating.
ReplyDeleteSandra, yes, the weather was "cooperating" just fine all week, except for one rainy afternoon (but that was forecasted, and we adjusted our activities to that).
DeleteOh my gosh, the little knit gnomes! And the snail! I would have gone bankrupt with the spending. The place looks so well kept up. But what is up with that lady behind you with her hands on her hips! She looks very disapproving! What a snoop!
ReplyDeleteGinny, while in that shop, I was actually thinking "Ginny would love this..." :)
DeleteAwesome that they reused it as a cafe, I would be sure to buy a little knick knack like one of the snails.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I was tempted by the little houses on the tray in the background - but as I couldn't think of an obvious place for them in my home, I did not buy any...
DeleteSuch a lovely countryside vibe
ReplyDeleteThanks Ro. I don't normally get out into the countryside much - so I tried to make the most of having a chauffeur at my beck and call for a few days... ;-)
DeleteLovely to see a photo of you Monica. I, too, noticed the lady in the back ground and she definately looks disapproving, though goodness knows why! It looks as though she was following you for some reason, as I spotted her behind a tree in the photo after the bridge. Perhaps she thought you knew one another and was annoyed that you hadn't spoken!
ReplyDeleteThe arts and crats in the café shop look interesting but these days I resist the temptation to buy anything that I don't need. I'm trying to de-clutter - rather unsuccessfully!
Carol, my brother snapped two photos of me there on that bridge, only seconds apart. On the first one, the lady in the dress is not looking our way at all. I think she's probably just admiring the view, or waiting for for someone. (I wasn't really thinking about her when I chose which of the two photos to use for the post. But with all the comments mentioning her now it would be even more confusing if I changed the photo!)
DeletePS. She was not following us. If anything, I suppose I might be accused of stalking her with my camera - but that was not on purpose!
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