Sater to Stockholm journey

Sater to Stockholm travel July 2019

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So we are off to Sater, a small town in Dalarna, a region/landscape 1.5 hour drive North West of Stockholm. Thanks to motorway a large part of the drive we managed the 360 miles in 7 and a bit hours including a lunchbreak. My farther's family has strong links to the area and although we did not live there we spent many a summer there. My grandfarther managed an ironore mine at Bispberg, 4 miles outside Sater.

As we were ahead of time we called by Vikmanshyttan where we used to have a summer house . The new owners have removed the tall hedge and a few apple trees and are in the process of putting their own stamp on the house. Rightly so.

                                         Care facilities by the lake in Vikmanshyttan

We met up with our old neighbour and his new partner for a lovely evening of drinks – hot. The following day we laid flowers at my parents grave before exploring Sater and surrounding areas, including Bispberg.

Miners cottages nowadays modernised to year round homes or holiday cottages.

While in Bispberg we saw a sign for 'vaxtkafe' or plant-cafe so we drove down the little lane. Found the cafe but no trace of owner or staff. Instead there was a sign saying: selfservice for either the cafe and the plants displayed along the lane

Payment through Swish or cash in the box. Swish is when you pay using your mobile delivering the money to the mobile number that is displayed!

                                            Swish or money in the jar

                                          Fantastic wild flowers at the self service nursery                                          

Then it was time to drive to Borlange town, less than an hour to the North West to have afternoon tea with my artist cousin Margareta and to enjoy her fabulous garden. She travels abroad now and again to pick up interesting plants.

As a 'traveller' you eat out most of the time. It it striking that, whilst exclusive restaurants exist in Sweden, I am sure, the overwhelming output is represented by pizza and burger type restaurants. Kebab places are quite common as well. In Sater we found an eaterie offering the above but also good greek food. In the summer months nearly all restaurants offer outdoor eating making the most of a relatively short summer season.

Next stop on our travel was a visit to my brother Svante and his family who live 1.5 hour's drive north of Stockholm. On the way there we briefly stopped in Avesta where there is a 8m high 'Dalahast' and as we discovered these considerably smaller versions used to direct traffic in the parking area. Then we took a shortcut towards their house. Well it might have been a shortcut in miles but definitively not in time, although you are driving through deep forests mixed with big fields of various kinds and a few small towns. So we did not mind.

As Svante and family were in the process of moving house we only stayed for 4 hours before visiting my cousin in Uppsala. All this meant of course that we were late for the final destination of the day but luckily our friends did not mind.

In previous years the four of us have met up at various interesting towns in Sweden. This year however we journed out together from their home to the small town of Norberg. Why there? Well it has a fabulous cafe, worldfamous within Sweden!, set in an oldy-worldly building (it opened in 1916) which burnt down a few years ago. It has since been rebuilt in the same style. The cakes are to die for.

In addition to that the town is situated in a region full of iron and coppar mining and foundries.

Above part of the Engelbergs bruk, previously an iron works foundy and today a Unesco world heritage site, and, below, a railwaybus, still in service on the local line. I can remember them being used in Lapland 1956! or is my memory playing games with me?

We lunched at Mans-Ols, a restaurant by a big lake, i.e. beautiful views. If the lunch offers did not appeal to you , you could, as I did, have a sandwich absolutely heaving with shrimps, egg, salad and mayonaise. The cold lager was an added bonus.

At breakfast on the veranda the following day squirrels, red, entertained us by hanging upside down stealing the birdfeed!

We also visited the small town of Sigtuna where we lunched outdoors protected from the winds and the blustery water by a glass wall. In Sigtuna we found this old telephone kiosk used as a book stall where you can take out a book as a loan and also add books.

One of the days we drove to the southern part of Stockholm to visit a friend of the family. As Stockholm always seems to be in a state of rebuilding the roadsystem it is easy to loose your way. Much to my surprise and relief this time it was quite straight forward.

Lunch was in a converted Alfred Nobel factory. Thankfully they had removed all the explosive stuff replacing it which coffee machines and food stuff. We did eat lunch there but took the coffee at her flat. Well actually in the courtyard of the building which had sofa groups on the grass for the residents to use. The building is named Mack after the intials of the four people who lived/worked there and developed the first automatic self metering petrol pump in Sweden. I, and most Swedes,have always referred to petrol stations as 'mack' without knowing how that term came about. So now I and you know.

Now full of modern flats.

We also visited my old school friend, Lasse, and his wife, Inger. So after having sorted out the world politically we were treated to supper by the sea in a new fashionable area which once was used by AGA (in the UK mostly famous for the invention of the AGA cooker). Lasse also enlightened me as to the route I should have taken to reach them, using tunnels not oldfashioned overland roads. But of course! So next day when setting off back to Halland we knew of a road tunnel that took us from the very east of Stockholm right under its centre to the western bypass, I imagine 2 miles long, saving a awful lot of time. They have started building a different western bypass using a 13 miles long tunnel!

Next we are off to Estonia, but that is another story.