14.30 You arrive in Furudal. You pass the Tempo store, Hillboms Bistro and the bakery Snitths. You turn left and then on the Näset Timmervägen to the right. Plenty of pine trees: now you understand how Furudal (pine valley in Swedish) got its name. After a sharp turn, you see a familiar farm emerge: Näsets Marcusgård. When you have parked your car. Your host Mireille shows up to welcome you.
14.45 It snowed today which will show you a Narnia world as soon as you enter the forest. Right now it is freezing (-8 °C ) and a bit icy, but your host Willem has scattered stones.
14.50 At the beginning of the forest we follow a path to the left and there right up the hill stands your Oddis Öga (or the Eye of Oddity). Your host tells you why it’s called that way and where it comes from.
Your hosts show you how you can put the table down so to create your bed for the night. That your bedlinen is waiting for you under the couch in front of the big window. We already made the beds for the kids. The stove is burning and the floor heater warms your feet. In the corner, you’ll find a little electrical heater, so you slip watching the fire all night. But beware: if it’s suddenly really cold, like -25 °C, you will wake earlier and have to light the fire anyway. But tonight dear guests, this is not to be expected.
A homemade forest map with all its secrets lies ready for you to go explore and did your kids already know about the little doors in the woods?
The moment we all look out of the window, something moves in the tree. Something red and something black… one, no two, no four squirrels chasing each other.
15.00 We walk back to where the car is parked. There you will find the Fähus, your second home for today. Here is the toilet, kitchen, and a living room where the children can run or watch a movie. And what about playing a record on the record player? Here it’s also warm and cosy and you can even stay here when it is suddenly too cold in the forest. You unpack your things and explore a little.
15.45 You have booked a torchlight hike to the village and together with your hosts you leave for the village centre. We walk over white meadows and a piece of forest. We look like a row of hobbits with our lights. Your hike is not too far, so your children don’t get bored. And at the end, you get rewarded by the welcoming lights of Snitths bakery.
16.15 We put out our lights in the snow. Inside the cosy Snitths bakery, it smells delicious and you choose a kanelbulle (Swedish cinnamon bun) with coffee. The children choose hot chocolate with whipped cream. After your snowy hike, sitting in front of the fireplace feels extra nice. Kärsti, the baker sits with us a while and tells you about the roots of the bakery.
17.05 We walk back to Näsets Marcusgård and talk about plans for the future and ways of life.
17.35 You decide to stay at the Fähus and bake pancakes. The children are watching a movie. After dinner you choose a board game to play tonight in the Oddis Öga.
19.30 You all go to the toilet and then leave for the Oddis. It has cooled down for real, and the stars sparkle above your head. There, in the dark on the hill, the light of the Oddis shines at its best through the beautiful windows. You light the stove: cosy. You are happy to find enough wood for a whole night.
20.00 When everyone is comfortable, you answer some questions from the homemade discussion box that is on the side table. You are surprised how everybody has her or his own thoughts about life. At home, you don’t make time to discuss questions of life that often. Then the board game. Some snacks and drinks turn up from your bags, and you will continue playing for hours. You notice how imported it actually is to relax together and to pay attention to each other without things that have to be done. Time flies by. The stove no longer needs heating, it is even a little too hot.
11.45 Time to go to the bathroom again. One of you is now preparing the large bed and when everyone is back in the forest you can go straight to your beds. It is not completely dark when the light is off, after all, those stars still shining outside.
8.30 You wake up. It snowed a little, but right now the sun shines. You brought some coffee along in a thermos to start the day with and you look out the window. The squirrels are playing tag again. The sun makes the most beautiful reflections in your house. That is exactly what it’s beautifully shaped windows are designed for.
9.00 You go outside and enjoy the view. The forest is reflected in the outside of your cabin. You make the first tracks in the snow and discover that an animal with hooves has been close to your hut tonight.
9.15. You arrive at the Fähus. A winter breakfast is waiting for you there. You put on music and take it easy. Go with the flow.
12.00 After saying goodbye to your hosts you leave for a visit to Furudals Retro. Before you leave, you buy a knitted hat for yourself: with Ore design (the area Furudal traditionally belongs to is called Ore).
It will never go exactly like this, that depends on all of you, what you like and need and the weather. But our gift to you is an environment to slow down and to do nothing and not feel guilty. At Näsets Marcusgård you can just let yourself do nothing, play music, gaze at the stars, listen to the sounds of nature, play a discussion game and let your minds go where it will without guilt or expectation. The results afterwards will surprise you.
We recommend:
- Bring good shoes, suitable for the forest (it can be cold, wet, slippery or snowy).
- Bring warm clothes, warm nightwear but also warm outerwear suitable for the countryside (it can cool down at night).
- There are eateries in the village, during the weekend the opening times are somewhat longer but during the week there are fewer options. You can use the kitchen in one of our apartments. Note the supermarket closes at 19:00.