Summer Home in Sweden

The summer house is part of the Swedish psyche.  Sometime between June and August, Swedes en masse abandon the city to spend time at their summer homes.  We were able, for example, to acquire our first apartment because our landlords departed on a seven-week vacation that included a stay at their summer home.   So what does a Swedish summer home look like?

We were thrilled when an opportunity arose for us to visit a summer home.  Actually, the offer was to live in the summer home! Wow!  We had a few days of imagination-filled daydreaming, but after a studied review of the situation, we decided to stay with our more practical, intown lifestyle.  We were able, however, the visit a summer home.

The summer home belongs to our landlords to be (Oct 2011 – Oct 2012).  We are aligned in age and life temperament with Per and Monica and seem to have formed a trusted bond at our first meeting. We like to think this bonding differentiated us from the other couples that were also being interviewed as potential tenants.  The relationship is partially based on a confluence of mutual support.

Per and Monica are renting their apartment because they are setting out on their own adventure to sail in the Caribbean for a year.  Finding trusted tenants was an essential element of their planning.  We needed a place to live. Helen most likely sealed our compact when in response to Monica’s concern about finding a home for their cat Millie she chimed in, “I would love to have a cat back in my life!”

When Per and Monica realized that we needed “bridge housing” from the middle of August until mid-October, they offered their summer home as a potential option.  A few days later, Per drove us to their summer home in Värmdö, a 45 minute drive east of Stockholm.

The home is situated in a heavily wooded area with an awn-covered patio overlooking an inground swimming pool. The inside of the home reflects the simple elegance of Swedish design with light colored hardwood ceilings and floors, light-filling windows, a sauna and an inviting ambience throughout.  It would be wonderful to have lived there, but Jay’s work requires his presence in town and a car, which we don’t have, would be needed to complete simple tasks such as food shopping and errand running.

Our visit to Värmdö included a walk to Nordic Yachts, the largest marina in Northern Europe.  The masts of hundreds, if not a thousand, sailboats filled the bay.

Over a wonderful meal of grilled chicken, corn, roasted potatoes served with wine and beer and topped off with strawberries and cream we discussed our concerns about the summer home and thanked Per and Monica for their gracious offer. 

After dinner, Monica drove us to bus stop where we caught public transportation back to a Stockholm. We were tired from activities of the day, but thankful for the wonderful opportunities and adventures that seem to be part of our new lives in Sweden.