Posts Tagged ‘huskvarna’

Peppermint Twist

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

grannaSpent a delightful time on the lake enjoying the city of Granna (please realize all these swedish names have dots, dashes,hooks,and an alphabet we wouldn’t recognize).

One hundred and fifty years ago, a little widow and her daughter came to this city of well-to-do people living by a lake and experimented with what she knew best: candy. She came up with this hard taffy and added a colored and flavored stripe. A few more experiments later, and we have the peppermint stick.  I do not know who put a crick in it and called it a candy cane.  After awhile, her daughter took over the prospering business, and then the granddaughter.  The city wised up and now everyone in Granna makes Peppermint sticks (and many other flavors) I bought some of several flavors (about 6″ long).

just-made,whiskey flavored!

just-made,whiskey flavored!

They have a beautiful location on the lake, where we had a Father’s Day Dinner of really good smoked salmon (caught on the lake) and a swedish potato salad. Finished off with an ice cream cone! It was almost as good as gelato.

We are staying in Huskvarna…think power yard tools, and sewing machines.  They even own Viking. The town has a Fabric Museum–I think I’ll pass.  They have quite an industry here, but then you never know what surprise waits around the bend.

Sailing Away To Lake Vattern

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

volvoraces

Saturday morning found us checking out the waterfront in Stockholm one last time before heading to Lake Vattern and our quaint pension in Huskvarna.

Volvo is sponsoring an around-the-world sailing race (ie Americas’ Cup size ship).  It started last October in Spain, then Boston, Rio, China, Singapore,.. etc…Stockholm!  All the ships raced in on Thursday- past ,and will take off on their brief, final leg to St.Petersburg in a few days. We got to see the ships, the sponsor tents, and many in-route videos. Amazing, and we were there!

Now we are in this little town, on a lovely lake (second biggest in sweden) in this little hotel run by this cute couple (early 30’s) who met in Australia, she is Korean, but both raised in sweden. They have converted this home on main street into a 20 room inn by themselves with lots of sweat equity and talent. Glad we could be here 2 nights and get to meet them.

They steered us to a great place to eat (they called several restaurants to see if they were open with the holiday)   TwinCities Restaurant“.  This restaurant has a story too.  Twin boys born in Minneapolis in 1981, one is kidnapped by the nurse but declared dead to the mom.  They run into each other 23 years later and the nurse is sent to jail, Mom goes into a mental hospital, and the boys start restaurants in cities that are twins.  Also Dallas/Fort Worth.etc they have 12 now. weird