Midsummer by the Sea

June 19 + 20 (Killingsands Havbad)

Our plan for midsummer is the same as for any other occasion: there isn't one. I have been researching online for a few days, but I worry that everything optimized for SEO will be overcrowded. We’re also considering just staying in Umeå and seeing what happens in the city, but there's a push to go further north. Besides, the classic idea of midsummer does belong in nature, right? The weather is supposed to be nice, and I see that there are beautiful spots along the coast by the beach. On a whim, we set off and stop by a supermarket on the way. The factor that has stuck in my mind during all my research (a quick Google search) is the focus on family and quality time together. In Sweden, midsummer is the summer counterpart to Christmas, and that's our guiding principle now. Typically, there are potatoes with dill, herring, salmon, and strawberries with cream. We loosely follow this tradition, leaving out the fish, forgetting the dill, and ending up with no strawberries. Nevertheless, our shopping haul is large and festive; we indulge in asparagus and peaches. In the parking lot, we meet a Berliner who is armed only with a bike and a tent, traveling from Helsinki to Malmö. He finds it distinctly more diverse and populated up here in the north than all of Finland has been so far. His story aligns with that of the two Swiss people we had taken along a few days earlier. Only the evaluation is different; this city dweller clearly wants no contact with cities of any kind here and found the wilderness calming. The Swiss, on the other hand, seemed happy to have escaped Finland and the endless forests.

The first place we find is an absolute hit; since we arrive in the afternoon, no one is there yet, and we have a choice of spots. Even though midsummer does not actually coincide with the summer solstice, the days are extremely long, and the nights are very bright; we want to make the most of it and go swimming in the sea at midnight. To pass the time, we want to get moving. Unfortunately, there are no hiking trails, so we just walk a bit along the road and discover more campers on the other side of the beach. Then it's time for our feast. We cook everything in the van and then carry it in the basket to the beach. There are picnic tables ready, and besides us, there is no one else there. Henry initially thought I was joking with the suggestion but then willingly packs everything up, and we happily enjoy the wonderful view of the sea together. We lie down for a moment before we want to swim and drift off to a happy sleep, full and content. Oops.

The next morning, we wake up pretty late, and I am a bit disappointed by this performance. Despite the brightness, we regularly sleep deeply and long while on vacation. We decide not to mope but to explore the surrounding area first and then just catch up on the swimming later. Upon reaching the sea, dipping my big toe in the water gives me goosebumps all over my body. I can't let the shame of not having swum yet sit lightly on my shoulders, so I simply step in, one foot at a time. Henry watches me incredulously from the beach and takes a few photos. The water is so cold that I have to actively remind myself how to breathe, and after a few strokes, I come back to shore to wrap myself in a towel. Henry, quite enthusiastic now, also wants to muster up the courage, so we go in together again. It’s easier for me because my body is already slightly numb all over, but Henry is going in for the first time and is experiencing the same thing I just did. Back at the van, we immediately break in the outdoor shower – now we can check off two points from the bucket list :) The water doesn’t get warm, but compared to the Baltic Sea, it’s quite pleasant. We warm up in the van and throw a small feast with the leftovers from the previous evening. This is the life.