Seventeen Years ago Adam met a delightful family from Sweden, with whom he spent many enjoyable days over the course of two visits. Below, he shares his story of their meeting and speaks of the importance of friendship while traveling.
The proceeding day we drove the short distance to Falkenberg. Oh, illustrious Falkenberg, how many times have I heard of your beauty, your myriad pleasures, but mostly your well-loved dentists, Henny and Rutger Rothman.
Adam was not embellishing; Henny and Rutger were fabulous. They welcomed us into their home with a warm embrace, and we settled down to three days of constant laughter. Henny is an unparalleled home chef, and Rutger, a born storyteller. Our first meal was Swedish Meatballs, and were nothing like the cardboard flavored version IKEA tries to pan off on us unsuspecting non-Swedes. They were rich in flavor, and moist throughout. Henny then carried out Adam's favorite desert, Jordgubbstarta, a concoction we call Strawberry Cake. Sweden is known for its to-die-for strawberries; they are smaller and sweeter than the norm, and are ripe in June and July. There is quite a berry culture in the country, and you can gather a bounty from their forests throughout all the summer. During our time there we picked blackberry, raspberry and lingonberries, but we found a great guide to other types here. I'd be remiss if I did not mention that the forests are also full of many varieties of mushrooms. Don't be too jealous, but while there we also had a mushroom pie made from Henny's last foraging efforts.
All of the meals were eaten in accompaniment to Rutger's anecdotes. He poked fun at their Viking heritage by often referring to the mythical practice of senecide, ättestupa, and insisted that we would love the taste and smell of surströmming, rotten fish. Some label the surströmming as the worst smelling food in all the world, and although we pride ourselves on being adventurous, we passed on the opportunity to try the delicacy.
Rutger may like to tease us about eating rotten fish, but he loves his farm, and you would too if you had the opportunity to visit. He has his own small herds of Scottish Highland Cattle and sheep grazing in his fields. Except these are not any normal fields. Rutger's hobby farm encompasses a grave of forty Iron Age standing stones, four round barrows, and two burial mounds. It doesn't end there. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was not purely inventive. He based their love affair on the old Norse Legend of Hagbard and Signey. Hagbard's Burial Mound is located on part of Rutger's pastureland. I know, some cows have all the luck.
The Rothman's live in the picturesque town of Falkenberg. If traveling between Malmo and Gothenberg, I would recommend stopping for the afternoon or evening. We greatly enjoyed walking the old town, tullbro, stopping to enter St. Laurentii Kyrka. The inside of this small Protestant church is painted with light pastels, creating what may be the most peaceful and friendliest ambience I have encountered in all of Europe; it seemed to me rather befitting a loving and generous God.
Do you see the ship hanging from the rafters? This is called a Votive Ship, and is found in many coastal churches throughout Scandinavia. The tradition of these model ships started in medieval times and were generally given by captains or ship builders as a prayer for safe passage. In more recent times, it has come to be a representation of one's personal journey though life in both calm and troubled waters.
Our time in Falkenberg would not be complete without a game of Kubb, a cross between bowling and chess that may have originated during the Viking Age. Whatever the truth of its origin may be, it is a leisurely game best played with good friends and a belly full of Henny's home cooking.
*Planning a trip to Sweden? Feel free to use take a look at our Sweden Board on Pinterest!
We first traveled to Steninge, a small seaside community where Kerstin and Anders live during the summer months. It was wonderful to finally meet Adam's friend, and her two young children made us wish ours had stayed so cute a little longer. After almost a month of being on the road, we devoured their homemade meals and basked in the luxury of real beds and tables. All her linens were white, as befits a seaside home, and there is nothing I like more than swathing myself in crisp white linens while drifting off to sleep. Although Steninge is not a touristed area, there were forest walks and beautiful sea views to keep us satisfied.
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| Having a chat on top of a Viking Burial Mound |
What looked to be an easy put-put course in a neighbor's backyard, turned out to be a challenge far beyond our skills. Thankfully, two year old Jacob was happy to give us a short lesson.
The proceeding day we drove the short distance to Falkenberg. Oh, illustrious Falkenberg, how many times have I heard of your beauty, your myriad pleasures, but mostly your well-loved dentists, Henny and Rutger Rothman.
Adam was not embellishing; Henny and Rutger were fabulous. They welcomed us into their home with a warm embrace, and we settled down to three days of constant laughter. Henny is an unparalleled home chef, and Rutger, a born storyteller. Our first meal was Swedish Meatballs, and were nothing like the cardboard flavored version IKEA tries to pan off on us unsuspecting non-Swedes. They were rich in flavor, and moist throughout. Henny then carried out Adam's favorite desert, Jordgubbstarta, a concoction we call Strawberry Cake. Sweden is known for its to-die-for strawberries; they are smaller and sweeter than the norm, and are ripe in June and July. There is quite a berry culture in the country, and you can gather a bounty from their forests throughout all the summer. During our time there we picked blackberry, raspberry and lingonberries, but we found a great guide to other types here. I'd be remiss if I did not mention that the forests are also full of many varieties of mushrooms. Don't be too jealous, but while there we also had a mushroom pie made from Henny's last foraging efforts.
Rutger may like to tease us about eating rotten fish, but he loves his farm, and you would too if you had the opportunity to visit. He has his own small herds of Scottish Highland Cattle and sheep grazing in his fields. Except these are not any normal fields. Rutger's hobby farm encompasses a grave of forty Iron Age standing stones, four round barrows, and two burial mounds. It doesn't end there. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was not purely inventive. He based their love affair on the old Norse Legend of Hagbard and Signey. Hagbard's Burial Mound is located on part of Rutger's pastureland. I know, some cows have all the luck.
Do you see the ship hanging from the rafters? This is called a Votive Ship, and is found in many coastal churches throughout Scandinavia. The tradition of these model ships started in medieval times and were generally given by captains or ship builders as a prayer for safe passage. In more recent times, it has come to be a representation of one's personal journey though life in both calm and troubled waters.
Our time in Falkenberg would not be complete without a game of Kubb, a cross between bowling and chess that may have originated during the Viking Age. Whatever the truth of its origin may be, it is a leisurely game best played with good friends and a belly full of Henny's home cooking.
*Planning a trip to Sweden? Feel free to use take a look at our Sweden Board on Pinterest!
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