Toasting the day with a glass of Norwegian snaps: Thomas, Caroline, Malin, Giorgio and Robert.
Nici setting the midsommar lunch table.
Roger serving up a welcome drink of champagne.
To me, there’s no better Swedish holiday than midsommar. Sure, it’s a long holiday weekend and that’s always good, but more than that, this day celebrates the start of summer and long days of light and there’s no better way to describe it then joyful.
We celebrated midsommarafton or midsummer eve on Friday with our traditional party at Nici and Roger’s house on the water. Although the day was cool, it was sunny and we stayed outside. As always, our group was international and we had Swedes, Norwegians and Germans together with one Italian, one Australian and me the American. We started the afternoon with the traditional midsommar meal of pickled herring in several varieties, boiled potatoes, Vasterbotten cheese and hard bread. And keeping with tradition, all the food had to be accompanied with shots of Norwegian snaps – a strong, vodka-like drink – and drinking songs.
After playing some kubb – a Viking lawn game where you knock down wooden blocks with wooden sticks – we hung out and chatted for a while. Then we had pasta al forno – Italian pasta by Giorgio, sausages and bread straight from Germany, Australian rissoles and salad. This round was accompanied with wine and some German snaps. We took a break again and then much later, we actually made room for dessert – Australian pavlova and Italian panna cotta. Yum. Only then did we let the food coma set in.
After dinner: Tone, Aron, Thomas and Caroline.
Giorgio, Robert and Nici. Loving the sun.
Giorgio serves up his pasta al forno.
Robert and Roger man the bbq.
Norwegian snaps: Gammel Opland.
The international dessert mix: pavlova and panna cotta.
Roger and Aron demonstrate the snaps dance.
Sunset on midsommar. This was about as dark as the sky got.
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