RÄTTVIK: A VACATION FROM OUR TRIP
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 20, 2022
- 7 min read
Dalen-Hökolsberget • Nils Olsson: Dalahästar • Lake Siljan
A vacation and a trip are two very different things:
Vacation: A period of relaxation in which “real life” such as work, school, and day to day tasks are suspended. There are limited to no obligations and time is no longer relevant. Common activities include sunbathing, swimming, resting in a hammock, reading, etc.
Trip: A journey or excursion, especially for pleasure, that includes several of the following: Logistically intricate, highly active, exploration heavy, culturally immersive, continuously moving, and/or schedule-oriented.
Thus far, Joelle and I have been on a trip in Europe, and we are ready for a short vacation (3 nights and 2.5 days). Our brief switch from trip to vacation is evident by Joelle’s proposal our first night in Rättvik: “Hannah, I have a crazy idea…what if we don’t set an alarm for tomorrow?” Let the vacation begin! (This results in 11 hours of sleep with an 11:00am—but in bed until noon—wake-up.)
Dalen-Hökolsberget
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Our Airbnb is very close to—if not in—Dalen-Hökolsberget, a nature reserve. Our host family informed us that if we turn right out the driveway and go up the (steep) hill, there are lots of hiking trails, and we decide to explore that on our run (or should I call it my chase of Joelle?). We make our way up the hill, turn left onto a gravel driveway, and cut into the trees after finding a trail map (today, we follow orange). The path is uphill, narrow, and uneven, with rocks and tree roots littering it; this is definitely a hiking trail, not a running trail. The lush greenery, however, is very enjoyable. For me, this quickly turns into a run-hike crossover, as I hope to avoid another wipeout. Impressively, Joelle runs it no problem, and I send her an occasional text to see where she went: “Did you get popped out on a gravel road with 3ish directions? Left, right, or up the hill? If so, which way did you go?” Begrudgingly, I start up the big hill, assuming that is the direction she chose, and I am right: “Up the hill. Totally worth it. I’ll be up here when you get up.” At least it is worth it, I think.
This hill is definitely worth it. We are at the top of the mountain, overlooking town and Lake Siljan. The sun is shinning bright, making for beautiful views and a gorgeous day. Turns out, this is a small ski resort–Rättviks Slalombacke & Sommarrodelbana (although not a good one, according to our hosts). Joelle picks some flowers, including daisies (her favorite); then, we leave the orange trail and run (well, I walk) straight down the front of the mountain. There is what looks like an alpine slide down the mountain as well, and near the bottom, there is an RV campsite (it seems RV-ing Sweden is relatively common, as we have seen campsites in most the towns). A left at the bottom of the mountain takes us through the neighborhood streets and back to our Airbnb.
Nils Olsson: Dalahästar
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The Dalecarlian (Dala) Horse is a painted wooden horse and one of the most famous symbols of Sweden. It originates in the Swedish province of Dalarna, and today we visit one of the factories where they cut, carve, and hand-paint the wood to make beautiful and unique horses. We drive about 30 minutes from Rättvik to Mora, where the factory is located, and outside there are several large painted horses with kids playing on them (yes, we play on them too). Entering the factory, we first see a large saw that a man is using to cut wood: “The outlines of the wooden horses are sawn in the bandsaw and they are delivered for carving in local homes.” Lining shelves and filling large buckets are hundreds of horses—all different sizes—waiting for the next step in the process. Another room in the factory is where puttying the horses and dipping them in paint occurs. Finally, there is a room for decoration painting, where artists add the intricate designs to the horses’ base paint. It is an impressive process all completed by hand.
The gift shop has many horses available for purchase, including several sizes and colors. If you do not see all the work going into each horse, the price would probably be shocking. There are also horses at various stages in the process available for purchase, so you can carve or paint your own. Naturally, this is the option that appeals to Joelle—she cannot pass on the opportunity for a craft. There are some kits available for purchase: One with two cut but uncarved horses, a carving knife, and bandaids; and one with a carved horses, paint, and paintbrushes. Joelle wants to pick the first but does not like the price, so she assembles her own kit by buying a cut but uncarved horse and the cheapest ($4) carving knife (we already have bandaids if those become necessary).
The other shops in the small square are also for Dala Horses, although these do not show the entire process. One of them, Joelle points out, has free Dala Horse painting for kids, to which I respond, “ooohhh what time? Oh wait…we are not kids…”
Lake Siljan
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Formed by a major meteorite impact 377 million years ago, Lake Siljan is the sixth or seventh largest lake in Sweden and home to the longest dock in Scandinavia because the water is shallow for so long, preventing boats from docking without a lengthy dock. Evidently, it is also a popular vacation spot: The sand beach and grass by the dock is packed with people enjoying the warm, sunny day. Joelle and I find a nice, sunny spot in the grass to enjoy our picnic lunch. Then, it is my nap time and Joelle’s horse carving time. She carefully shaves the wood and makes impressive progress (no bandaids needed).
We cannot visit the longest dock in Scandinavia and not walk down it, so we make the half mile trek to the end. It is wild how shallow the water is for how far out we are on the lake—a very kid friendly area. All down the dock, people swim—wade—around it, and at the end, people jump off into the now deep water and sunbathe on the wood. We start by sitting and watching others jump into the water, verifying it is deep enough while getting up the will to jump into potentially cold water. Joelle reminds me, “it can’t be that cold because those people have been in there awhile.”
Time to jump! We go to the edge nearest a ladder to climb out, and there are four teenage boys deep in a planning process. What are they doing? Based on their motions, it looks like they are trying to get the courage to do a backflip off the dock. I look off the edge and determine it is an easy flip because we are so far above the water. Joelle tries to convince me to do the flip they all seem to be debating, but I give them a little more time. Evidently, they were intricately planning a TikTok video (that includes a flip). Joelle and I both jump several times, including two flips from me. My first impression: “This is cold.” My impression on the next three jumps: “This is so nice and refreshing!” Joelle’s impression: “The water feels good!” Definitely worth jumping in, and the sun quickly dries us as we lay on the wood.
We love the lake so much that we return for a half hour on our last day; we could spend days here just at the lake.
Neighborhood Run
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Our last day is supposed to be the hottest of the year in Rättvik—87ºF. When we leave for our run, the sun is shinning beautifully. Wanting to avoid the large, steep hill, we run across the mountain toward the bottom of the ski run, settling for a smaller hill. Suddenly, the sky turns, and it starts raining. Then it starts raining harder. We are getting drenched but keep running; it is not cold, just wet. When the road turns to a steep, snowshoeing hill up the mountain, we turn around and run back through the neighborhood. The sun is shinning bright again, the rain a faded memory. In an attempt to avoid the hills and Joelle’s attempt to run with me (running ahead and then looping back to pick me up), much ground is covered multiple times: “You know how your small intestine can be unraveled into 13 miles? That is what this run is going to be for me.” Later research clarifies that human intestines can stretch to 26 feet, not 13 miles, but the idea is there.
A Little R&R: Movie Night(s)!!
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A vacation has rest and relaxation, which for us usually includes a movie night or two (or in this case four movies):
Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between
Mamma Mia!
Footloose
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Host Family
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Our hosts—Pierre, Dana, and Jonatan (their 16 year old son)—are excellent, and we really enjoy getting to know them. The Airbnb cabin we are staying in is just below their house, so we get the chance to interact with them quite a bit. Here are some highlights:
Pierre is a Senior Analyst for SAS, and he informs us the company reaches an agreement with their pilots, ending the strike just a few days before our flight to Norway (but after we purchased bus tickets). It was interesting getting his perspective on some of the current events (and naturally I ask a little about his analyst work).
They are kind enough to welcome us into their home to do our laundry (which was desperately needed before leaving for Norway), and this gave us extra time to chat with them.
Jonatan is entering high school (called gymnasium), and in school, he learns about English politics, including American politics. He is impressively knowledgable on the U.S. political climate and engages Joelle and I in discussions about it, asking our views. This post is not the time or place to unpack American politics, but our conversation is summarized by his response to my question regarding what it is like to watch the American political events unfold internationally: “It is fun to laugh at.”
On our last night, Jonatan brings Joelle and I a big bowl of fresh, bright red strawberries just picked from the vine it their backyard. They are the best strawberries we have ever tasted. So fresh and juicy.
If you are ever in Rättvik, we highly recommend staying with them! Here is their Airbnb listing.
We cannot believe it has been a full week in Sweden; it went so fast! Alas, our Swedish adventure has come to an end. This is definitely a place we look forward to visiting again.
Stockholm 2024! 🇸🇪