Grönaberg

Grönaberg is an old soldier's croft (soldattorp) — a small but very special house that once consisted of just one or two rooms, and today is individually furnished with great attention to detail and fully equipped.

You enter through an open porch with benches on both sides (a cosy place to sit even when it rains) and step into a small, invitingly pink-painted hallway. To the left, a door leads to the blue-and-white bedroom, furnished with a mirror, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers, plus a double bed made up from two single beds (90 × 200 cm). A wonderful old tiled stove warms it beautifully in the cooler seasons!

The door to the right opens into the living room, which also has a tiled stove. A gloriously soft sofa and two rocking chairs make a cosy seating corner. By the front window stands the games table with four chairs, and beside it a shelf full of ways to pass a rainy day (children's books and novels in German, Danish and Swedish, an assortment of board games, a box of Lego and other toys).

For the curious there is also a chronicle of Sweden's emigrants (many people emigrated from this region, and numerous local heritage associations — the so-called socken — explore the topic in depth), along with historical notes on the house and its surroundings. Among them you'll find the first volume of Vilhelm Moberg's work on the subject. Garden lovers, too, will find something to browse.

The living room is also home to our daybed — perfect for lounging or reading by day, and at night a comfortable single bed with a soft mattress (90 × 200 cm).

From both the blue-and-white bedroom and the living room you reach the eat-in kitchen. It has a large window onto the back garden (the morning sun streams in at breakfast) and, with a lovely old bench and four chairs, invites you to share a meal together. The kitchen was completely redone in 2013 and is fully equipped with a large fridge-freezer, an electric cooker with oven, a toaster, a coffee machine and a kettle, plus plenty of counter space for cooking together. Pots, pans and crockery are provided in ample supply.

From the kitchen, a hallway leads to the bathroom, which — in charming, typically Swedish style — was likewise completely renewed a few years ago. You'll find a shower with curtain, a washbasin, cabinets for toiletries, a toilet and a washing machine.

A staircase with a handrail leads upstairs. At the front is a small cuddle-and-play nook with Lego. Along the right-hand wall of the landing is a sleeping berth for one adult or up to two little ones (mattress 90 × 200). At the front we have an open room with a chest of drawers and a sleeping loft for two (futon 160 × 200), and at the back another bedroom with a small stove, chests of drawers and a double bed (originally handmade, from the 19th century) with bedside tables (2 × 90 × 200).

In the garden we have many apple trees and berry bushes, a large fire pit, hooks for the hammock, garden furniture and deck chairs, a picnic table for eight, and plenty to discover. There are (old) bicycles, and our little boat Eulalia rests on the Åbodasjön.