Small Town Charm

 (Tuesday 6 August)

The last full day that my brother was here, we made a somewhat shorter day trip. I had in memory an outing several years ago with my aunt and uncle + a friend of my aunt's. That time we visited an old cotton spinning mill that is nowadays a museum; and afterwards drove on to a small town not too far from there for lunch.

This time, with my brother, we started by driving to the small town (Kinna) for lunch at the same café (I had checked online that they were still in business); and visisted the museum on our way back.

We parked the car behind Kinna Church, and walked across the churchyard to the café, which (as I recalled) was across the street from the church tower.

 

(This church was not open for tourists either. I checked on the way back...)

Another charming old house ▲ close to the charming café ▼

The café, Skrädderiet (Tailor's Workshop), still looked very much like I remembered it. Inside, it's a bit like a 'tardis', with a number of rooms with individual decor - and in summer, they also make good use of their garden at the back. As did we, this time!

 

Checking my blog, I find that the last time I visited this place was 12 years ago, in June 2012. And memory served me right: The place really hasn't changed much since then. If you like, you can check out my old post here. 

(I'll save my new photos from the cotton mill museum for a separate post.)

 

Old Mill Café

 

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.

 

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...

 

 

The old copper kettles are not for sale (I think) but just for decoration.
And the same goes for the rusty old objects on display outside...

Cows were grazing in a field across the road.

 

Up On the Mountain

The town of Gränna is situated between the shore of Lake Vättern, and a steep mountain (berg) raising up to the east.

The sloping square where we parked the car; looking in the direction of the lake.

Turn around, and there’s the mountain.

Somewhere up there, I knew there would be tea and sandwiches waiting for us (i.e. a  café), but how to get up there? Well, as I definitely did not feel like trying the steep wooden staircase that Per spotted, we had to get back in the car, consult our Google map guide, and go for a little detour by car… It was worth it!

Gränna church tower with the mountain in the background.

View from up on the mountain. Church tower on the right.

The café is situated in an open air museum park with old buildings.

Detached small but robust buildings like these were used for storage of food etc.

Not a church belltower, but an old town hall belltower.

Another kind of bells…

Linking to:

Friday My Town - In the Café

I thought I'd show you some more photos from inside the café in the Museum Park, which I took while sitting there waiting for the rain to stop the other day. They keep an old-fashioned homelike style indoors as well as outdoors. As for the menu, they chiefly serve home-baked cakes and waffles, with coffee or tea. (But I think you might also be able to get a sandwich on demand.) The café is only open on summer afternoons and sometimes on special occasions.

 A collage to remind you what the Outdoors looks like.

 

 What the café may lack in physical sitting comfort (be prepared for straight-backed wooden chairs and benches), it makes up for in authentic old-world and hand-made atmosphere. 

I had my cup of tea (and a shortbread cookie) at this table by the window, from where I could look out over the lawn and old church - and the weather situation...

On the opposite side of the room an equally charming table and window, overlooking a small kitchen garden at the back. Pelargoniums on the window sill is still a "Swedish summer classic"... They come in a variety of colours and shades from white to red, but these tall pale pink ones would be the kind that we call Mårbacka pelargoniums, named so because it is associated with the country estate Mårbacka which was the home of the famous Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940, and the first female author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909).

"Home, sweet home"

Wall tapestries with various proverbs and sayings were popular back in the olden days - and often connected to home and family happiness.

"Happy is the house in which love spreads its light."

(In Swedish it rhymes!)

"In every home, even if poor,
a happy mind can bring happiness indoors." 

(Hooray - with a bit of a twist I was able to make that one almost rhyme in English, too!)

 

 

Friday My Town: Summer Drinks

(My drink is Tea, whatever the Season!)