At Our Summer House on Blidö

After a few days in Stockholm, I am now at my family’s summer house on the island Blidö in the Stockholm archipelago. For you who are not so familiar with Sweden, it might be interesting to know that it is very common to own a summer house somewhere out in a rural area and preferably by the sea or a lake. These “houses” are more often small cottages, either remains from a time when Sweden was an agrarian/fishing society, or built in the 30s and 40s as small summer get-aways for workers and their families. Some of them are without electricity and not rarely, water is collected from a well or a tap outside the house. Instead, they are surrounded by wilderness and the sea, which makes us feel like we have everything we could possibly need, even though we lack many of the usual comforts of modern life. And just to clarify, after four months in a mountain village in rural Guatemala, I am not romanticizing this kind of simple life. I know that it is hard and that there is little dignity in living in such conditions when ensuring a sufficient income is a daily struggle. But for a few weeks per year, I do appreciate having a place like this, in sharp contrast to urban America, to get away to!

2 Thoughts.

  1. My Fathers family come from Blidö, the Sundberg family. I have been to Blidö many times but in 2007 I was able to find my grandmothers little cottage where she lived 1911 (Alfhild Sundberg). Now I am trying to find if anyone has made a cd of pictures of peolpe from old Blidö. MariAnn

    • The name doesn’t sound familiar to me but I will try to ask people who might know. My family has had our house there since the mid 1940s so they remember the older generations, but at the same time, Blidö is a very big island. If I hear of anyone who has old pictures on CD, I will contact you. Have you tried with the Blidö Hembygdsförening? (http://www.bshf.se/) Good luck!

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