Friluftsfrämjandet

More långfärd on the sea!



Last weekend I went on a skate tour with the group Friluftsfrämjandet. We skated past small fishing villages, saw a seal swimming in the open water, and explored endless coves and bays. It was more 'dream come true.'











Friluftsfrämjandetis a leading outdoor recreation organization in Sweden, promoting friluftsliv for all ages in a nature and activity based approach. It is interesting to note that while activity is the focus point of this organization, the organizational ideas indicate just how these activities are connected with a strong philosophy:

(in translation) Our longing to be out in nature grows ever stronger, there are deep roots in us as a part of our culture and our legacy. Nature is a recovery place that gives us balance in our often stress-filled and sedentary lives (Friluftsfrämjandet, n. d.).


As early as 1957 the organization became actively involved in outdoor and environmental education with the arrival of ’Skogsmulle’. Skogsmulle is a mythical forest being, a character developed to lead children and families on outdoor adventures based on curiosity and love of nature. Friluftsfrämjandet in contemporary Sweden continues to play a strong role in environmental and outdoor education. For example, beyond Skogsmulle, there are a number of programs offered by the group including an outdoor approach to preschool, “Ur och Skur.” The description of Ur och Skur includes the following: (in translation)

Ur and Skur is a unique way to approach school and the preschool environment. The children are outside almost the entire school time. The pedagogy builds on happy awareness and curiosity and teaches children to see the connection in nature. The program is also built on promoting the use of all of the child’s senses. Ur and Skur is based on experience based teaching and friluftsliv to reach the intended outcomes. (Friluftsfämjandet, n.d.)

A great example of the 'community' aspect of this organization is my friend Maggan...not only does she help out with Skogsmulle, but she has become a volunteer ski instructor for beginning skiers...it seems to be much about individuals sharing their love of nature and active, outdoor pursuits with others.


Needless to say, I have become a member of this interesting organization..hopefully, more ice adventures ahead!

Långfärdskridskor

Incredible ice. I have been very lucky with ice in my life, as in ice skating! From small Minnesota lakes (most notably dear Eagle Lake) to the BWCA to a frozen Lake Superior. It may be the ephemeral nature of good ice, but it ranks as one of life's finest things...to float across a frozen lake is true pleasure. Now I can add the sea to my list of ice experiences. I skated on the sea ice south of Göteborg (Kungsbackafjörd)...a bit of a dream come true...endless ice, skating around islands, in and out of small bays...complete with the sensation of rollers (waves under the ice)...amazing.

Då genomströmmas hela ens varelse af ett välbehag som med intet annat kan jämföras: blodet pulserar friskare genom ådrorna, vinterluften förlorar sin bitande kyla, och förvandls till ett behagligt smekande kring panna och kinder…Viktor Balck, 1888.

Translation: Then the whole being is filled with a feeling of joy that cannot be compared: the blood pulsing strongly through the arteries, the winter air losing its’ biting chill and transforming to a delightful caress on the forehead and cheeks…A quote from 1888 in reference to prolonged winter ice-skating on a frozen lake. (Tordsson, Isberg & Myren, 1984, p.126)

Långfärdskridskor...'backcountry ice skates'...grab a rope, ice spikes (for climbing out of the water if one falls in), a long spike for testing the ice, an extra pair of clothes, a thermos of something warm and fika in the pack...recipe for a great day.

Vinter in Sverige II

I feared that a return to Göteborg would mean the end of winter for a while, as I have been warned that this is not a winter city given our proximity to the sea. And yet, my weather luck is holding, we are in the midst of a lovely winter here in Göteborg.

(Kerry likes Sweden!)

I had the real luck of getting to share some of it with Kerry, Peter and Amelia. Hikes in the city forest, an excursion to the sea, a hockey game, repeated visits to the 'famed' Göteborg Fish Church were my favorite events of our time together…well, actually the favorite aspect of having them here was having family to fika* with…eat dinner with…just be with.

*Swedish coffee-break. Usually at 10ish and again at 3ish. Sometimes accompanied with a treat (like semlor for example…the creamiest, cardamumiest treat imaginable..these pictured below were made by Maggan). Fika is not take your coffee and get back to work or keep moving, fika means stop, relax, talk, break and enjoy a little.

Today I skied. Marie invited me to the forest North of Stenungssund (Bredfjället) and her timing was perfect…I think it would have been too empty to be in Göteborg without my Donars family, thus I readily accepted the invitation, hopped on a train with my skis and headed North. Getting on the train was especially fun today given that many of my fellow travelers carried skis or långfärdskridskor (backcountry or distance ice skates...more about that in my next post...). A solidarity of friluftsliv! And, the skiing was outstanding--over bog and through frost and snow encrusted forest, lovely. Thanks Marie och Per Ulrik!

Getting out on skis made me think of my last ski--I took the tram to a Göteborg park (Skatås) and skied the maze of trails...the tram trip and walk took 1.5 hours round-trip...sitting on the tram helped me consider how much I use my car for recreation. Further, I was reminded of the commitment it takes to get 'out' it takes in an urban environment. I got to thinking about how I try so hard to limit my car use for everything with the exception of recreation! Thus, friluftsliv (or 'nature-based outdoor recreation') may be one of the most resource heavy parts of my life: hmm, it's good to consider where we consume... Even today, I traveled train most of the way, but the final 15 miles was a car trip--a car trip straight to heaven...

A few more pictures of winter adventures around Göteborg...

Vinter i Sverige

Sometimes I wish and wish for things knowing of course that I have no chance to influence the outcome. I do this often with the weather. Even though I know better, I constantly wish for snow (usually for skiing), for iced-over lakes (skating), for rain (for the garden), for a dry weekend (camping)... This year, as much as I wanted a snowy Christmas, i.e. WINTER, I was more focused on Kerry and the kids coming. I wasn’t preoccupied with wishing for winter. The good news, however, is that I got both…Kerry and kids safely arrived and ever since their arrival we have had a wintery time of it! Postcard winter…snow up to our knees, cold down to ~27 C (-17 F)…winter.












We spent Christmas with Familjen Eiserman in Ljusdal and I can say that Ljusdal has never been more beautiful as it was buried in snow. With very little wind, the snow hung on every branch and every fence and every thing! We found good ski trails for classic skiing, the local ski hill was ready for downhill action and we even found some idyllic backwoods exploring (snowshoes would have been handy here!).



































Maggan, as usual was generous and welcoming and served up feast after feast (the short version: a lot of moose and fish). We had time with Jacob, Alex, Eve, Ulrik, Robin, Viktoria and Tobias—we felt quite welcome and hope to have the chance to host any or all of these fine folks in Duluth some day. We owe Alex big-time for both his hospitality and his bedroom.


















After a week in Ljusdal, arrived in Stockholm after a rough day of travel…trains down, hours of waiting for a bus, slow roads…a three hour trip turned into a 6 hour marathon…but we hit the ground running and managed to catch the Dali exhibit at the Modern Museum. The highlights of Stockholm for me were sharing the city hall “Stadshuset” with family—a building that interprets the entire city…





































And the fireworks…Kerry and I did something unique, we stayed awake until long after midnight on New Year’s Eve! We sat on a hill in the middle of Stockholm with Peter and Amelia (and 9000 others) and watched the city explode with fireworks.


It was magical, yes, magical…the moon was peeking through the clouds, a light snow was falling, the temps were cold so everyone was bundled and the snow sparkled...we were in a big park with a band playing--the night was so alive...Fireworks and drunk Swedes everywhere! A memorable event…arrived back at our room after 1 AM tired, cold and very happy.

I’m finding it hard to be in a tight family after so much time alone. It is wonderful to have my Donars family with me, but an adjustment. From “Mr. Alone” to "Mr. Social"--a week of people, tight spaces and constant movement. I only got real grumpy once (I hope it has only been once?)—I walked right past the hotel in Stockholm during our “long day”…it took a korv (hot dog), mashed potatoes and salad and senap (mustard) all wrapped in tunnbröd (thin roll bread) to get me back on track (a favorite Swedish street food).

I have not touched, nor even looked at my schoolwork for a week, probably the longest time since June, given written exam prep all summer and my intense efforts since Aug. I have reached a low point with the Doc process. I’ll leave it at that. Don’t know how to pull out, but I’ll give it a go soon. I have to as it seems to be all about time right now, if I don’t get my first couple of chapters approved soon, I will lose much of my Swedish opportunity…

Made it back to Göteborg late on New Year's day. A light skim of snow is all that is left from the hearty pre-Christmas snowfall. I have been warned that this is not a winter town…back to wishing for weather that I have no control over? No, I’m trying to be more realistic about that…I wouldn’t, however, mind enough cold to freeze the big lakes for some long distance skating. Anyhow, it may be some time before I see scenes like this again: