Hej from the Tennessee Swedes: Bastubåten

Father's Day in the U.S. Is the same day as Father's Day in the UK. Our British friend Tom planned a secret outing for his father who was visiting that day and invited us along. We went out on a bastubåten, a sauna boat. It's probably been the best new-to-me activity I've done since coming here.

There were 10 of us in all. We climbed aboard the boat and it headed out into the lake. We rode around a bit then dropped anchor.

The front of the boat has a little patio area. The middle room has hooks and benches for storing stuff. The back room is a sauna. There was a digital display showing the temperature in the water, 61, in the air, 63, and in the sauna, 150. We took a minute, settled in, and enjoyed the boat ride. Then we went in the sauna and got warmed up.

After sitting in the sauna and getting super sweaty hot, it was time to run out and jump in the water!

I thought I would never do anything like this ever. I hate being cold and it sounded like about the coldest thing you could do. But it wasn't like that at all. Sure, there was a shock to your body when you jumped in, and sure you couldn't stay in long at all, but once you got out of the water, your whole body went tingly. It was the best sensation. It was warming and massaging and made you want to do it over and over!

We had lunch on the boat, boated around the lake some, and, of course, kept making use of the sauna.

We were out on the water for 3 hours. After the boat trip, we drove to Per and Marriane's house. They have retired to the south of France, but they still have a house here in Sweden. Marriane is all about unique design and hosting guests. They have the cutest little farm house and every corner, shelf, and wall is decorated. Her style is very shabby chic, with exactly what you would expect from a quaint European house. The backyard is beautifully organized with tables in the garden area, as well as a large grassy open surrounded by trees for privacy.

No detail is too small. There were flowers of all shapes and sizes everywhere. In one corner there was a pile of old terra cotta pots, which placed by most people would look like a pile of trash, but in this cute garden added style.

The house inside was quite small, but super cozy. She useS open shelving in the kitchen, so the dishes serve as decoration. When it was time for cheese, she served it in an old trunk, how clever.