This Weekend In Rättvik

So, we've been hearing about this huge market a few hours north in beautiful Rättvik for years now. The Swede's parents go every spring with family friends Ingvor and Roland and last year even their son, Per, who The Swede grew up with, came along. This year they added us to the roster and started pumping us up about it several months ago. Per, for example, raved that there was anything you could want at the market. "Socks... everything possible!" he enthused. We were skeptical. If there was everything possible, why were the socks the first thing that came to mind? Turns out we misunderstood. It was more like "SOCKS (and everything possible)" as in socks for sale right and left, literally as far as the eye could see, and some other stuff in between. Jamie got fourteen pairs for twelve dollars courtesy of Mama Swede. I think we're set for awhile.

As for the everything possible, there was lots of fried food to be eaten, plastic toys for placating ones child, and one I LOVE JUSTIN BEIBER hat to be purchased for someone by his less-easily-humiliated American wife. Oh, and a carnival train ride that was so fun that I had to pry a hysterical Jamie off of it one finger at a time.

We also snuck out of the market for a bit to go to a nearby dairy farm's annual spring cow release. See, the cows are indoors all winter and they get really excited to come out when the weather warms up. So excited, in fact, that they do enthusiastic kicks and dances that nobody would want to miss so the dairy invites folks to watch and provides milk and cinnamon buns and plenty of other farm animals to pet as part of the event. It rained a little but even so we loved it and decided then and there to make it a family tradition. In fact, the whole weekend was unforgettable and I'm pretty sure we're going to have to do it again next spring. If for no other reason than Jamie's feet will surely grow between now and then.