Midsummer is probably the biggest and most important party of the year for Swedes. Originally a hedonistic fiest where people drank and made wild love to receive a good harvest, midsummer of today is not that different

 

We rented a cabin up in the Galilees, in a farming village close to Tiberias. Here the four of us (Femke and me, Lotta and Anna) had our own patio, perfect for the outdoor dinner. On the table were sill (pickled herring, a small fish), smoked salmon (the gravid lax was not available) with a special sweet mustard sauce, boiled eggs, and dill-boiled potatoes. To this you drink beer and snaps, which is spiced vodka. I spiced our snaps myself, and it ended up being very popular…

 

To create the right mood, despite the extreme heat (close to 40°C in the shade), we played Taube, Bellman and other typical Swedish music. Nice!