We were so delighted to be invited to spend time with friends during Sweden's annual midsummer holiday. It's very much a rural festival, as city-dwellers escape to the countryside to celebrate the longest day of the year. So we, too, found ourselves in the Skåne countryside, near the south coast. For midsummer itself, we went to the most southernly point in Sweden to partake of traditional foods (salmon, potato salad, strawberries), and traditional singing and dancing around a maypole. Afterwards, there was a barbecue and games of Kubb and still more strawberries, deep into the long, Scandinavian evening. The days

We left our trusty vehicle behind for the journey to Stockholm, since we were going out and back again. So after a short flight, we arrived at the most northerly spot of our trip. Despite the extremely bright evenings causing havoc on the kids' sleep schedules, we had a wonderful time in the city, and felt like we could have stayed at least a week longer. It was welcoming, pretty, and had plenty of interest for all age groups in the party. After some pampering for Father's Day, we explored Gamla Stan, the old town. We spend a few hours