Out to the summer cottage

Winter has just relaxed its iron grip. No more frozen feet, dripping noses and windscreens that have to be laboriously scraped free of snow and ice. The meltwater runs in bubbling rivulets over the footpaths and down the forest slope behind the house. Ice-cold drops fall from the roof into your hair and under your collar.

But what does it matter? Spring's here!

Now Swedes come to life again after six months of torpor! Expectations are enormous. Time to live again! Time to do everything we can't do otherwise! The whole nation is struck by the same intense, irresistible desire: Out to the cottage!
Swedes find their roots in their cottage in the countryside. Away from the stress, crowds and compulsions of everyday life, they can relax here and enjoy the song of the birds, the whirling mating dances of the butterflies and the fresh delicate greenery of the trees. Along the cottage walls, the snowdrops and crocuses push up their first pale green shoots. How will those bushes do that we planted in the autumn? Have the mice gnawed up the roots again?

There you can find relaxation and silence. Slinging your hammock between the birches and then gently swaying as you listen to the rustling of the wind in the treetops - that's life.

But just being lazy is not much fun for the puritanical Swedes. First they must earn their right to have a nice time. The cottage must be made presentable. It must be repaired and painted. And there's no time to lose raking up those half-rotted autumn leaves and tidying away fallen branches and other garden debris. Old, withered or diseased plants must be thrown out and replaced by new ones. A keen study is made of this year's plant catalogue from the nursery. They throw themselves into this labour of love with lawn-mower, saplings, spade and fertilizer. The creativity is unbounded!

And then - at last! June and July have arrived and it's holiday time for most Swedes. Cars are packed to the brim with kids, food and drink, summer clothes and toys. An overloaded procession of cars winds its way out to freedom! Bikes and surfboards are tied to the roof racks.

The summer is a time to go visiting. It also gives Swedes the time to be themselves and indulge their playful side. The croquet clubs are dusted off, and the badminton gear is unearthed from its hiding place. Herring and new potatoes, the most Swedish of summer food, are brought to the table out in the sunshine, and chilled aquavit is poured into small pointed glasses that mist over at once. In the evenings the barbecue is lit and soon the smell of steak and sausage is everywhere - but why is it never done just right?

Of course, not everybody has their own cottage. But most people have friends or relations they can visit - invited or not. There are many alternatives. A common one is to rent a cottage, if possible by the water, for a few holiday weeks, instead of having a house of your own that has to be paid for and looked after all year round. And the many cheap, high-quality youth hostels are also popular, whether for a longer stay or just one night. It's easy to make friends in the collective kitchen or in the garden.