Capturing Sweden: A Family’s Journey Through Heritage and Nature

In June 2024 my family and I visited Sweden for the first time. My grandma’s (Mormor) roots are from Nynashamn, which drove our reasoning for the trip and allowed us to create new memories in a beloved place of hers. Mormor moved to the UK after meeting my English grandfather. She reminisced, “I met GG (what I called my grandfather) in October 1963 at the International Centre in Stockholm, where I and a friend went frequently to socialise, dance and practice our English.” Following my grandfather’s month-long visit, she continued, “I worked my three months notice, and by that time GG had found me a job with a family in Highgate. He lived in Hampstead, so I was close to him. I had taken the job for a year, but after three months we got engaged. We bought our rings (gold bands) in a smart jewellers in Bond Street and took a taxi to where the car was parked and GG couldn’t wait so we exchanged rings (Swedish style) in the taxi!  We then drove to Essex where we bought a little house! What a day! We planned to get married in August the same year, 1964. We had our honeymoon on Gotland, near Visby. I was 23 when we met and 23 when we married.” 

Our journey began in Nynashamn, a place my grandmother hadn’t visited since 2015. While she reconnected with old friends, my family and I took a train to Stockholm. A visit to Gamla Stan, the old town, was called for, to admire its 17th and 18th-century coloured buildings and cobbled streets. By dinner we returned to Nynashamn, where the warm midsummer sun cast a golden glow over the harbour, illuminating the red homes on the opposite island. 

Our final day in Nynashamn began by exploring the coastline before attending the town's midsummer celebration. This involved raising the midsummer pole in customary clothing, and several dances, the most recognised being "the frog dance", which my grandmother had sung to us the night before. The locals' beaming smiles were contagious, setting the tone for an idyllic day. 

Following these few days of nostalgia, it was time for my family to take the ferry to Gotland where we stayed in Visby for a couple of nights. The mist on our first day created an atmospheric backdrop for discovering Gotland’s surroundings. After a hot cup of Swedish coffee we headed to Furillen, which was a limestone quarry until 1970 and became a nature reserve in 1995. Next we travelled to Digerhuvud, where the coastline is marked by striking columns of rauks.

After a final ferry journey and a drive through vast fields and towering pines glazed by the orange sun, we arrived at Dalaro. We spent our time relaxing and enjoying the sea views, including a morning kayak. Inspired by the sun’s golden tones I knew that I wanted to capture it on our last night. 

On our last day, wishing we had longer, we managed to fit in a stop on the way to the airport to Tyresta National Park. My brother and I walked through the woodland, where I soaked in my last moments in Sweden’s nature.

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