Saturday, June 23
The museum, 14:00
We got up late, had breakfast and headed for the traditional midsummer dance. On the way there we joined the long line of cars who were being breathalysed. We were 16th in the queue, and only one of them failed the test. According to the news on Irma’s phone 22 people died last night, mostly falling from boats or, as Irma put it, “drowning in half a metre of water”.
Like everyone at the dance we queued for finnish pancake and coffee, or grilled sausages and water. Then we nodded and chatted, and watched as the three accordianists, gave way to the folk dancers and their fiddler. This year there is a slightly different line-up but the dances remain the same.
The dancers will in turn will give way to Pär Sörman, a genuine Swedish folksinger who has been here for the last three or four years.
As we are walking back to the car we will start to feel rain. Within an hour or so the sky will be dark and the rain will be torrential. For some reason we will decide that this is a good time to get the ferry and have a drink at Tirmöbaren.
There we will meet an international crew who are sailing a replica Viking boat from Sweden to Russia, to prove it can be done. Later still the girls will arrive to collect us.