Two times three equals four

"That's when Rasmus had a revelation about what it meant to be a vagabond. In a single, enlightening moment, he realized the wonders of this new life. He could do exactly what he wanted. He could eat and sleep and wander, as it pleased him. He was free, divinely free like a bird in the forest" (from Rasmus and the Vagabond).

We have landed in the Småland region, or rather, immersed ourselves in the world of Astrid Lindgren. We are completely in love with this part of Sweden. Vast landscapes interrupted by fairytale forests covered in moss and ferns, and the lovely, well-kept properties with the typical Swedish red houses and farms. (This Swedish red comes from the time when large quantities of iron ore were mined. The waste product, red sludge, was used to paint their wooden houses. This had the advantage of keeping the wood weather-resistant, protected from pests, and retaining warmth inside the houses).

Yes, and now we are on the road just like Rasmus and the Vagabond. Enjoying and wasting time, experiencing and being and doing as we please. And suddenly, we felt the urge to dive into the world of our childhood memories. "Come in or stay outside, as you wish!" called Pippi. "I won't force anyone" (from Pippi Longstocking).

After a heavy thunderstorm, we arrived briefly in Vimmerby, the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren. Unfortunately, time (or fortunately) has not stood still here, and we found the town charmless, which prompted us to quickly move on. Fortunately, as it turned out. Because if we had found a cozy café, we would have surely stayed and missed out on something. On a whim, we drove to Katthult farm. This is the farm where Emil was filmed. The farm is still run by a family and is open to visitors. It was fantastic. Our imagined pictures from the texts and the film of this rascal suddenly merged with reality. Everything was there: the pigsty and horse stable, the family house, the outhouse where Emil once locked his father, the flagpole, the red gate, and of course, the woodshed with the many carved wooden figures, when Emil had once again gotten into mischief. "Mischief doesn't have to be thought up, mischief takes care of itself" (from Emil of Lönneberga).

The next day, we set off early to immerse ourselves even more in the childhood memories from the stories of Astrid Lindgren. We decided to visit the Astrid Lindgren's World in Vimmerby. Okay, it's a paradise for children, and okay, we were probably the only ones without small children, but hey... "Freedom means that you don't have to do everything the way other people do" (Astrid Lindgren). This little world was incredibly lovingly made. The first thing we headed to was Villa Villekulla from Pippi Longstocking and Mr. Nilsson. After a short visit, it was already time for the first theater/musical of Pippi. We continued through Mattis Forest to Mattis Castle. Here, with the help of a theater, we got to relive how Ronja grew up in the castle (with a tremendous bang, the whole castle actually split in two!). Through the Wolf's Glen, we reached Bullerby and continued to Katthult. There we experienced how Little Ida also wanted to get into mischief, how Emil stuck his head in the soup bowl, and his sister hoisted the flagpole. Through the Cherry Blossom Valley, we then arrived at the Hedgehog Valley, where we marveled at the reunion of the Brothers Lionheart. Although the musicals were all in Swedish, we found them very successful, and we could laugh along and remember the stories that were read to us. We definitely thought that the

world was worth a visit. And the best part was that none of us had an accident, no one had a tantrum because they didn't get ice cream, no one had to go to the bathroom during the performance, and no one cried because the other stuck out their tongue at them.

"And I stick my nose right into the summer wind and know that at any hour, I'll find an adventure - summer is the most beautiful time of the year, in winter I always think of how warm it was in summer" (Pippi Longstocking).