As we looked out over Lake Siljan at midnight during our first night in our Rattvik cottage, we experienced the solitude and beauty of summer in the Dalarna region in the heart of Sweden.
When morning dawned, we could see spectacular clouds over the lake. We certainly could not have a more perfcct place from which to enjoy the week ahead, culminating in the festive Midsummer celebrations next weekend.
As we walked down the gravel road to the lake, wildflowers were abundant everywhere we looked.
Maia and Sage dipped their feet in the chilly water for the first time. We had the entire area to ourselves. This day turned out to be a relaxing day to enjoy our Swedish cottage and the town of Rattvik nearby.
Maia and Sage dipped their feet in the chilly water for the first time. We had the entire area to ourselves. This day turned out to be a relaxing day to enjoy our Swedish cottage and the town of Rattvik nearby.
Wednesday featured a journey north on winding roads to Orsa Bjornpark, northern Europe's largest bear park. It didn't take long to realize that this park was built on a mountain, and in order to view the many kinds of animals there, we actually had to climb that mountain! Yes, there were paved pathways to make it easier, and overlooks along the way provided unique views of some of the animals.
Some of the animals displayed in this park are Kamchatka bears, brown bears, foxes, wolverine, lynx, wolves, Siberian tigers and polar bears. 
When we reached the crest of Tiger Mountain, we discovered a small cafe near the top of the ski lift where we had a snack and looked out at the distant mountains, lakes and valleys.
The Bear Park is located in the middle of wilderness--90,000 square meters of large forests, swamps, and rocks have been enclosed to keep animals and visitors apart, yet to be close to one another.
One fun attraction was a simulated arctic setting where the kids could sit atop polar bear models, pose as eskimos and run around to their hearts' content.
Swedish ice cream (Glace) was something we all enjoyed throughout our time in this country!
In the parking lot we discovered large piles of snow for the polar bears that were great fun to climb!!!
