Hindås

Today we enjoy the freedom of, for once, not having to change Airbnbs, drive or go shopping. Since yesterday we have been staying in a modern loft with a balcony and a lake view in Hindås, about 30 kilometres east of Gothenburg, and we are here for three nights.

The morning does get off to a slightly stressful start, though. We learn that after our arrival in Switzerland we will have to go into quarantine for 10 days and won’t even be allowed to get vaccinated during that time. At this point the Swiss federal government has Sweden on its list of countries with an increased risk of infection. Anyone arriving from there who is neither vaccinated nor recovered has to go straight home or to other accommodation. A negative test can end the quarantine early, on the seventh day at the earliest. The rest of the day, however, is relaxed.

We treat ourselves to a delicious breakfast and go for a walk in the surrounding area. Hindås lies on Västra Nedsjön. For a long time people here lived from hunting, fishing and forestry. When the Gothenburg-Borås railway built a station by the lake in 1894, the village began to grow. At the beginning of the 20th century many people from Gothenburg came here for fresh air and relaxation, and with cross-country skiing, ski jumping and skating Hindås became known as a winter sports resort. During the 1958 World Cup the Brazilian national team stayed and trained here, and with the 17-year-old Pelé it went on to win the tournament, beating Sweden 5-2 in the final. There is a lot of forest around the village, and from the station the Vildmarksleden trail runs about 40 kilometres to Skatås in Gothenburg.

A nice path through the forest takes us to the sandy beach. It almost feels as if we were at the seaside, but the smell of salt is missing. As it is a rather overcast and windy day, the lake is rough too, and the waves stir up the bottom. Along the shore this turns the water brown. We would rather not swim in it, as we would be sure to come out of the lake covered in mud, but it still makes an interesting photo.

In the afternoon we have a few calls with family and friends, after which we treat ourselves to an aperitif on our balcony overlooking the lake.

We have truffle and habanero chilli crisps with a non-alcoholic mojito. As you can’t buy proper alcohol in the shops here, we have to make do with that. The strongest thing grocery shops in Sweden are allowed to sell is beer of up to 3.5 per cent alcohol by volume, known as folköl. Wine, spirits and stronger beer are sold by the state-owned Systembolaget, where a little over a week ago in Åre we bought the small bottle of rosé prosecco for Annina’s birthday.

Afterwards we have delicious tortellini in a spinach, cream and cheese sauce with Pulled Oumph! Stripes.