On to Sweden!

We had a relatively early start on Sunday morning. Copenhagen was hosting an Ironman competition and we had hoped to avoid it, but no such luck. Lots of streets were blocked. Eventually our very able bus driver, Jens, managed to get us to the Øresund bridge that leads across the sound into Sweden. Soon the Swedish border police had checked our passports and we were on our way.

Crossing into Sweden

 Almost immediately, I could tell that Sweden was different from Denmark. The landscape was more rugged, less manicured than Denmark. As we moved further north, we began to see hills. Something that you don’t see in Denmark, which our local guide liked to describe as “flat as a pancake”.



Our first stop was Sofiero, once a royal residence, but now a  museum and more importantly a park and garden. We had a wonderfully informative local guide

Touring the gardens of Sofiero

who gave us a great tour of the gardens, because there are 10 in all! The sun came out and it was a beautiful day for a tour. Sofiero stands on the Swedish side of the Øresund Sound; and, across the water on the Danish side, you can see Elsinore Castle, of Hamlet fame.  The tour was followed by a splendid lunch in the villa. The restaurant has a great reputation, and I can see why. We all had the same thing- a green salad with some confit chicken, a wonderful piece of fish with local vegetables, and mixed berries and cream with a crispy cookie. Then it was back on the bus.

Our destination and overnight stop was Toftaholm, a country manor hotel in the Swedish region of Småland. We arrived in a light rain and were quickly shown to our rooms, which were very quaint

My room at Toftaholm

and old-fashioned. There was time to explore the grounds a little before our next event – a greeting and history lesson by the current owner and then a “folkoloric” presentation. The history lesson involved lots of family intrigue and quarreling. The “folkoloric” presentation turned out to be a performance by a local folk-dancing troupe and musicians. They were quite good and engaging performers. The last number involved audience participation; and, despite my efforts to hide, I was chosen. My partner took me firmly in control and made sure I did what was expected – and nothing else! Anyway, it was great fun.

Yours truly with the Swedish dancers

Dinner followed in the hotel’s restaurant; and, once again, the food was outstanding – not overly complicated, but just solid with excellent use of local ingredients. The standout that night for me was the rhubarb crisp, with rhubarb ice cream! Who would have imagined?

My rhubarb dessert