Honey Anyone?

Arriving at Sorunda after a 20 km bike ride I noticed a couple of honey jars on a table by the side of the road. Next to the jars was a note explaining that you could buy a jar for 100 SEK, and pay using Swish on your smartphone so that is what I did. It also said on the note that the busy bees that made the honey belonged to Ida Bille Larsen so now you all know that.

Himmerfjärden

Walking up the Vårdkasberget hill in Sorunda a while back, together with one of the usual suspects, we took a bit of a gamble weatherwise. It was 5C and a bit windy. And to make it more interesting it snowed on and off for the couple of hours we were out on this chilly afternoon. And it was our first visit so we didn't really know how to get there as there were zero road signs, but we finally made it after missing a few bumpy gravel roads at first. The top two photos show the first glimpse of the Himmerfjärden bay after a short trek up the hill. Shot just meters from the "vårdkase" in yesterday's post. The third photo shows the Hörningsholm castle at the Mörkö island that I have shown you a couple of times already this year. It sure is good to have a decent zoom lens on visits like this one. The rest of the photos shows a farm at Grödinge, a couple of small islands, construction at a power plant, the ferry at Skanssundet, and also the hill at Mörkö that I showed you a while back, Kalkberget. As we sipped our coffee taking in the views we decided to come back later in the year for a Summer evening visit.

Phryctoria

On the top of the hill at Vårdkasberget in Sorunda, you will find a gravröse, a type of cairn. It is a prehistory grave. On it stands this "vårdkase". Or phryctoria. Used to relay messages back in the day when there was an imminent danger. It must have been quite a sight back when the Vikings sailed up and down the Himmerfjärden bay here one thousand years ago. This one is four meters high, it is the only one in the greater Stockholm area. I will show you more of the view from up here tomorrow.

A Saab Midsummer

Midsummer is a genuine Swedish tradition so I decided to photograph a few Swedish cars during the celebrations at Sorunda. Top photo shows a 1958 Saab. Second we see a Saab 96 from 1975. Third photo shows a Saab 99 also from 1975. Sadly out of business since 2012. But soon we might see some news about NEVS.

Arriving in style

The Midsummer celebrations at Sorunda always feature a few classic cars. Top photo shows a 1955 Lincoln Capri. That was my favorite of the day. Second photo shows a Chevrolet Bel Air Sport from 1957. Third snap is of a 1941 Mercury Eight.

Midsummer at Sorunda

Visited the Prästgårdsparken in Sorunda during the Midsummer celebrations. They have a very different take on how the "Midsommarstång" should look like. It's a tradition that dates back many years. Didn't stay for the dancing this time so this is as traditional as it got. But I did enjoy a bite of the famous Sorundatårta, a pastry with a very secret recipe.

Church Details

Out on a drive with the usual suspects we made a pit stop at the convenient store in Sorunda. And while the suspects enjoyed their chicken sandwich sitting on a bench at the 900 year old church I decided to go for a walk around the cemetery and take a few snaps.

The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man made an appearance at the market in Sorunda yesterday. He was hard to see of course but all of a sudden there he was. Nearly naked but because he was wearing a pair of jeans I managed to track him down. But as soon as he saw me he froze and didn't move as long as I stuck around!

Men and their animals

Visited a market in Sorunda. It was a fine Summer day. The park where the local historical association can be found was packed with people looking to buy and sell locally produced food and what have you. I also spotted these two guys that seemed to be popular with kids and photographers of all ages. The goat man wins because of his outfit.

Top Secret Recipe

This is Ann Wahlfors and Lena Kristiansson. And possibly Ann's daughter, I forgot to ask. All three girls took part in the traditional dancing during the Midsummer celebrations at Prästgårdsparken on Friday. Lena is the chairperson of the Sorunda Handicraft group and she told me a little about the old Sorunda Dress. Ann, also known as Sorundann is a weaver, but more importantly she is a baker, and she is one of the few people in the world that bakes the famous Sorunda Cake, three of which you can see here. The recipe is a well kept secret. Every farm has their own design of the cake. The recipes are handed down and kept by only a few family members, but I do know one thing and that is that there's lots of butter in the cake!

The Midsummer Dancers

As promised here are a few photos from the Midsummer dancing at Prästgårdsparken. The first dance must have surprised everyone. The dancers, all wearing the very old Sorunda regional dress suddenly started moving to the sound of Cotton Eye Joe! But after that the more traditional songs took over. The people you see here are all members of the Sorunda Hembygdsförening.

Erecting the Midsummer Pole

A few photos of the ceremonial erecting of the Sorunda Midsummer Pole at Prästgårdsparken on Friday.
On the first photo you can see Lena Kristiansson and Maria Landin dressed in the Sorunda regional dress explaining for the local fire fighters how they are going to raise the Maypole without too many accidents.

After lifting up the uniquely decorated midsummer pole the fire fighters made a slow 360 turn on the lawn and nearly hit a woman who was on crutches and a bit slow to move away!

Then, with some more help from Maria the pole was positioned in a hole in the ground and slowly erected.

Finally pointed wooden splinters were used to secure the pole and when the job was done the fire-fighters got a round of applauds from the massive crowd. Tomorrow I will show some dance photos.

The Sorunda Regional Dress

Obviously I had to shoot a few portraits while attending the Sorunda Midsummer celebrations. And what better way than to show you two members of the homestead society dressed in the regional dress, the Sorundadräkten. Top photo shows Lasse. Amateur photographer since 1952. You can see some of his photos at Fotosidan. He shoots with a Pentax and has a number of new and old lenses to choose from. His granddaughter who is thirteen has also taken up the hobby. After this portrait in front of the Midsummer Pole (that was still on the ground), we walked over to the homestead society building to take photos of the famous Sorunda cakes (I will show you those in a day or two. Lasse is one of the dancers that performed here later in the day. They shocked everyone with their opening song. We all expected a traditional Swedish tune, but they gave us a dance number with Cotton Eye Joe!

Second photo shows Maria Landin. She is the chairperson of the homestead society. She's also an archaeologist from Stora Vika (a village with many Stone Age finds), and works as a antiquarian for the Nynäshamn municipality. I have met her before, and if you would like to know more about Maria press here. The regional dress is well documented and goes back many centuries. The one Maria is wearing is a mix of styles from various villages around Sorunda and the dress has changed a bit over the years. More Midsummer photos to come.

The Sorunda Midsummer Pole

It's Midsummer. The most important tradition in Sweden. All over the country people have been dancing around the Maypoles. And now in the early evening everyone is eating and drinking and the sun is still shining. I took a 20 km bike ride in the warm weather down to Sorunda in Nynäshamn, to have a look at the celebrations at the Prästgårdsparken. Over the next few days I will show some photos from my Sorunda visit starting with a few close-ups of the Midsummer Pole before it was raised .The Sorunda Midsummer Pole is very different from a traditional Swedish Midsummer Pole. It is decorated with a few different symbols, including hollow eggs for good future fertility! And also with Lily-of-the-valley leafs that are picked ten days before Midsummer. Some more info about this tradition can be found at Sweden.se

Café Grindsjön

This is Annika who I met yesterday. Since April she runs the Café Grindsjön, close to Sorunda in Nynäshamn. It's very popular with bikers and cyclists. I took her photo for the 100 Strangers project and enjoyed a sandwich while talking to her. Two guests arrived on their horses and when they rode off I had to take a photo of that. Inside the cafe you can look at art and have a look at an old typewriter that once belonged to Annika's great grandmother the famous author Moa Martinson.

Bike Ride

I enjoy long rides on my bicycle. When I feel like a 40 km ride I often head for Sorunda. There's not much traffic on these roads so it's a great ride. There's a few lakes in the area, perfect for a cooling swim! There's some Viking remains and even a Viking village close to Ösmo. And if you like rune stones, Sorunda is the place for you, they have at least twenty stones! Last summer a new cafe opened and it quickly became a hit with all cyclists, me included. I always stop for a coffee or a meal. And another good thing, if you get tired, head for the nearest commuter station, you can take the bike on the train (unless it's rush hour).