Beaches and Rotten Fish

When I visited the north of Sweden this summer I experienced two very Swedish things, a skärgård and Surströmming. The first is a cluster of islands, an archipelago. Sundsvall has a skärgård located off it's coast and we visited one of the islands in the morning and had a picnic. The weather was perfect so we spent most of the day just hanging out and relaxing. The water was a bit too cold for Magnus and me but the kids took advantage of the opportunity to do some swimming.

After we packed up the boat, we cruised around the skärgård and I took some pictures. I don't know if it was the cold water or the swimming, but the kids took a minute to fit in a nap.

After spending the day on the water, what could be better than a fish dinner? How about a fish dinner that consists of rotten fish!! That's right I said rotten fish, Surströmming. If you are unfamiliar with this particular Scandinavian delicacy then take a minute to pause from this post and google some youtube videos of people (Americans) attempting to eat it or even just get near an open can. Definitely worth a look so that you understand the magnitude of what you are about to read and yes watch.

When I got the invite to visit Sundsvall this summer one of the first things I asked Magnus was if we would be able to get our hands on a can of Surströmming. He then told me that his parents loved to eat it, and he was sure it wouldn't be a problem at all. So, sure enough, it was all set up for me to experience a proper meal of Surströmming. Lucky me, this particular day was actually a very important day for Surströmmors, this was the day that the new batch for the year was released on store shelves. The town has a big picnic on the North mountain and they all eat Surströmming together. Everyone decided that this would most likely be a little too overwhelming for my first experience, so maybe next year.

Here are a few pictures of the evening. Swedish Schnaaps, the table setup, and the Surströmming itself.

The videos speak for themselves. I was really excited to get an opportunity to try Surströmming and I was in good hands throughout the whole experience. I loved how they kept coaching me the whole time. "Take beer. Now take schnapps! More beer! Bread! Take more beer! See it's delicious!!" Well I don't know if I agree with the delicious part, but it was definitely something. Luckily there was a backup/safety plan for dinner, hamburgers!

I had so much fun on my trip to the North this summer. It really has changed my daily habits and outlook on things here in Sweden. I can't wait to see and experience even more of this beautiful country!!!

Here is a picture of Magnus, Ebbe, and Viola. Thanks again guys, I will always remember my week with you all in the North!