My summertime Öland

Anna Lindsten

Stockholm, SE

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Northern Öland, an island and a county in the south of Sweden, is one of my happy places. My family and I have spent almost ten years in a row there now, it was love at first sight. It's the garden, the cottages, the barns, the beaches, the sea, the landscape ... Evening bike rides between corn fields, or getting fresh cranberry scones from the bakery in the mornings, our dog trying to "rescue" all of us as we swim and play in the sea. Whenever the gray northern weather strikes, I imagine myself walking on the beach, sun set and the sound of the waves.

The golden deer is the symbol of the flag of Öland, and nightingale is the county's animal. The small island just outside of Öland, called The Blue Maiden, is thought to be a magic place in Swedish folklore, it's where the witches were believed to meet up ...