TIP-TO-TIP: SUNDBORN, GÄVLE, HÖGA KUSTEN

After a delicious breakfast on the terrace in the sun, we said goodbye to Trollnäs and headed over to Sundborn for a tour of Carl and Karin Larsson’s home and gardens. It’s one of the most visited homes in Sweden and Carl Larsson one of the most beloved artists. His wife Karin was an artist as well, painting and textiles, but was very much overshadowed by her more famous husband during their lifetimes. The gardens and water were lovely, and the house super interesting, but we were not allowed to take photos inside, which was a pity because the house was FILLED with their art, painted on walls, doors, furniture, and her textile patterns (way ahead of their time) were everywhere on pillows, throws, tablecloths, etc. Many of his paintings depicted his wife and children in the house and gardens and they are still preserved nearly exactly as they were, even though part of the house is still occupied by family. The mural on the wall of his studio was amazing, and I wish I could have taken a photo! I can’t even find a good one online. 🙁 Tours go every 15 minutes in both English and Swedish and they were fully booked the entire day, on a Thursday. It must be a madhouse on weekends!

After leaving pretty Sundborn, we drove to the outskirts of Gävle, and had lunch at Mackmyra Whisky Village, where Mackmyra whisky is produced. You can’t actually buy their products there (though you can do very expensive half-day tours) because alcohol in Sweden is only sold through the state-run liquor store. I had a steak sandwich which was simply amazing. We bought some whisky candies and continued our trip.

Our destination for the evening was Höga Kusten, the second world heritage site we visited. It’s a beautiful rocky archipelago and the bridge is amazing, leading right over to our cliffside hotel. Here’s what Wikipedia says:

“It is notable as an area for research on post-glacial rebound and eustacy, in which the land rises as the covering glaciers melt, a phenomenon first recognised and studied there. Since the last ice age, the land has risen 300 meters, which accounts for the region’s unusually tall cliffs. The High Coast is part of the Swedish/Finnish High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exceptional geology and unique example of isostatic rebound.”

We had dinner in the restaurant and then went out and climbed around the cliffs behind the hotel, which included (non-functional) waterfalls, pools, and a huge playground on several terraces. The sun was up until after midnight, and the light was amazing. We were nearly halfway up Sweden at this point!

Carl Larsson’s drawing: Flowers on the windowsill. Reminded me of Martin watering his million plants. 🙂