Little adventures with my traveling kids in Västerbotten, Sweden

When we're away on holidays in Sweden, we always head out on excursions and adventures around the area. There's lots to see and do where we spend our summers, and you can read about some of our adventures this year here on the blog.

However, there are also smaller adventures going on every day, right on our doorstep. Here are some of those little adventures.

Finding a bonafide five-leaf clover in the grass. I could hardly believe it when my daughter brought this over. She just spotted it, right in the lawn and plucked it out. It's currently being dried, and will be mounted on the wall!

Enjoying the calm and the scenery on the lake in Mjödvattnet, outside Skellefteå. My son really loved relaxing on my aunt and uncle's raft. It was a sunny day, and the water's edge was populated by tiny water-striders running along on the surface. A great day, especially as long as the mosquitoes stayed away...

Admiring my aunt and uncle's door-knocker. Best invention ever, according to my kids.

A trip to "Hällorna" (roughly translated: "the smooth rocks") in Burvik, Sweden. This smooth rocky shoreline is a favourite picnic spot for locals and tourists. There are great views of the water and surrounding coastline, and over by the docks there's a great space for swimming. It can be reached by boat or by walking from the road.

Catching a baby pike off the dock. My daughter likes to catch (and eventually release) little fish from the dock, but this year was a first: she managed to catch several baby pike! They looked exactly like miniature versions of the adults, including that long, crocodile-ish snout and mottled green-grey skin!

Swimming! The water wasn't exactly warm here in Burvik when we arrived: 14 Celsius! But, the temperature can change pretty quickly depending on the weather and the currents, and towards the end of our stay it was 18, 19 Celsius. The kids love splashing around and jumping in from the dock. They even tried out the Swedish sauna a few times, though they weren't quite convinced that it's a good thing to sit in a super hot and steamy room for so long...