Lapland

[Olof_imp]

Epilogue. A friend we met in Saxnäs invited us to their cottage north of Västervik, so we found ourselves merely washing up, repacking and servicing the bikes before we were back on the road again. This would only be a three day trip, so the luggage was significantly lighter. So far we'd managed to stay dry for 99 % of the trip and the forecast looked good, so we challenged the Gods and left the rain gear too. After a few hours of beautiful B-roads we arrived at our overnight stay, the Grimsnäs mansion right on the Swedish US immigration trail.

Grimsnäs


In total 1,3 million Swedes moved to the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The migration peaked in the decades after the American Civil War (1861–65) due to an combination of population growth, crop failure and other hardships. Most immigrants became pioneers but some ended up in the the cities, particularly Chicago. The migration tended to follow certain routes and one of them goes straight through the Grimsnäs mansion. We strolled along the route which is still possible to discern, took a photo of the sign and then enjoyed their beer, moose steak with Swedish cheesecake and cloud berries.

The US migration trail sign post


The Grimsnäs mansion home made beer


Dinner