| After travelling to Stockholm on your own, your Guide picks you up in a van to begin the tour. There will be a maximum of 5 tour members. The first day will be spent traveling west through lake country to the border between Närke and Värmland, where we will stay on a rustic farm for 4 days. Sights may include a pristine national park, 1000-year-old churches, working canal locks, and old castles. Activities on Thursday and Friday will include an excursion into the woods of Värmland, meeting local musicians and folkdancers, visiting museums, and sampling local traditional cuisine. Saturday is the National Fiddle Festival (riksspelmansstämma) in the city of Örebro, with musicians from all over Sweden participating. There will be concerts, jamming, workshops, and dancing. Traditional folkcostume will be worn by many participants. Sunday we travel north to Dalarna. The change in landscape will be quite evident. We will probably be staying on a farm outside of the picturesque town of Leksand. During the next few days we will visit local musicians and dancers, the art museums at the homes of painters Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson, unique churches with spectacular artwork, the family factories for the famous Dala Horses in Nusnäs, Europe's most acoustically perfect outside theater, and much more. Wednesday is the great fiddle festival in Bingsjö, with thousands of participants enjoying music and dancing all day and into the night. Thursday we travel farther north to the province of Jämtland. With the backdrop of high mountains and broad valleys, we will experience the land of folklore. See how the Sami (Lapps) live, see ancient stone-age rock carvings, look for the "Storsjön monster", the Swedish cousin of Scotland's famous Loch Ness resident. Saturday, our last day in the far north, will be spent at a small but wonderful fiddle festival, highlighting the special style of traditional music of the region. Sunday we head to the East Coast, and have a chance to explore nature and the maritime cities by the Baltic Sea. Monday will include one more session hosted by local musicians and dancers Tuesday we will sightsee on the way back to the Stockholm area. You will be dropped off at your point of continuation, for travel further on your own, or for the trip home. -OR- You can continue for another week, staying at an old steel foundry's elegant grounds in the province of Uppland. Activities for one more week will include excursions, sightseeing, music, dancing, museums, and more of the great experiences from the main tour. There will also be another music festival, as well as a day spent in Stockholm. If you are interested, you can also come along for an extra week at the beginning of the tour, featuring the chance to experience a genuine Swedish Midsommar celebration! |
Itinerary
Stockholm-Värmland-Dalar
na-Jämtland-Hälsingland
na-Jämtland-Hälsingland
