Even a Cold Can’t Stop Me from Looking Forward to Astrid Lindgren’s World with My Grandchildren
🇸🇪 SvenskaAstrid Lindgrens Värld
Despite my cold, I can’t stop looking forward to our trip to Astrid Lindgren’s World with my grandchildren next weekend.
This cold simply refuses to listen. I haven’t been able to take my morning swims for several days, yet it stubbornly stays in my body. It might sound silly, but that’s exactly how it feels.
Instead, I’ve been resting, watching TV series, and repotting a few flowers in the greenhouse. Small steps, small movements, and never more than I have the energy for. It’s frustrating because this isn’t really me.
I’m the person who loves starting the day with a swim in the lake. I enjoy getting the house in order before the day begins, and I’m always finding little projects in the garden. But not right now. These days are filled with short moments between coughing and resting.
I don’t like it, but I have to accept it. Acceptance doesn’t always mean liking the situation. Sometimes it simply means stopping the fight against something you cannot change.
Soon LVL² Will Be Rolling Towards Vimmerby
Hopefully I’ll feel much better by next weekend. Then we’ll take our motorhome, LVL², and head towards the deep forests of Småland and the town of Vimmerby.
That’s where we’ll meet up with the grandchildren and their families before spending the day at Astrid Lindgren’s World.
It’s been three or four years since our last visit. I don’t know what the older children will think, but I’m sure the younger ones will love it. Especially little Hugo.
Every Trip Starts with Planning the Food
At home, the planning has already begun.
Not just planning the journey itself—but the food.
What should we cook today?
What do we need to buy?
What should we pack for lunch?
What makes the perfect picnic?
What will we eat while everyone is staying in the cabin?
There are always so many questions, and somehow planning the food becomes part of the adventure itself.
We’re making picnic sandwiches with meatballs, some with sausage and egg, and I think a few will have mackerel as well. During our trip to Norway we bought ten tins of mackerel. It almost became a collection.
We also bought a jar of pickled cucumber for little Alfred. We gave it to him last Friday, and he was so happy.
Then I asked him if he liked cucumber.
”No,” he answered.
We couldn’t stop laughing.
But Alfred already had a plan.
He wanted to take the jar to Sebbe’s parents because they were having meatloaf for dinner, and maybe they would enjoy the cucumber instead.
Children’s logic is wonderfully simple.
Astrid Lindgren’s World with My Grandchildren Is Waiting
Our tickets are already safely stored in my phone.
We’ve paid for everyone’s entrance tickets, while the others will take care of their own accommodation, ice cream, sweets, and anything else they want to buy during the day.
Now there’s only one thing left.
I hope this stubborn cold decides to leave before it’s time to head for Vimmerby.
Memories from Astrid Lindgren’s World with My Grandchildren
What I’m looking forward to most isn’t actually Astrid Lindgren’s World itself.
I’m looking forward to watching another child discover it for the very first time.
Alfred and Miss Prysselius
I still remember our previous visit.
Alfred was little back then.
The biggest moment wasn’t a ride or one of the theatre performances.
It was meeting Miss Prysselius.
When she stopped to talk to him, his whole face lit up.
Afterwards he kept saying,
”Miss Prysselius talked to me!”
To him, she wasn’t an actress.
She really was Miss Prysselius.
There wasn’t a single doubt in his world.
It’s one of those memories that still makes me smile.
And perhaps that’s why I’m looking forward to this trip so much.
Emilia Became Part of the Story
I also remember how Emilia experienced Astrid Lindgren’s World.
She didn’t just watch the performances.
She became part of them.
She sang, danced, and copied every movement as if she belonged in the story herself. She completely forgot that there was an audience watching.
That’s probably the most beautiful thing about Astrid Lindgren’s World.
Children don’t need to be convinced to believe.
They already do.
For a little while, Pippi, Emil, Ronja and all the other characters become completely real.
Alfred had his magical moment with Miss Prysselius.
Emilia found her place in the songs and performances.
Now I hope Hugo will create memories of his own.
Hugo’s First Visit to Astrid Lindgren’s World
Now it’s Hugo’s turn to discover the world of Astrid Lindgren.
I wonder what his face will look like when he walks through the gates.
What will he say when he sees Katthult?
How will he react if we meet Tengil’s soldiers in the forest?
Will he hide behind us or bravely step forward?
Will he understand that they’re actors, or will they feel completely real?
These are exactly the moments that make me love being a grandmother.
Not because I get to visit Astrid Lindgren’s World again…
…but because I get to experience it through the eyes of a child.
It’s almost like visiting for the very first time myself.
Children step into stories in a way most adults have forgotten.
For a little while, everything is real.
And we adults are lucky enough to borrow their world.
I hope the day will be filled with laughter, curious questions, little hands pointing in every direction and memories that will stay with us long after summer has ended.
Reflection – Astrid Lindgren’s World Is About More Than a Theme Park
Life can almost come to a standstill while still moving forward.
My body tells me to rest, but my mind is already planning the future. Perhaps that’s what gives us hope—to have something wonderful to look forward to, even on the days when we don’t have much energy.
The older I get, the more I realize that it isn’t really the destination that matters most.
Astrid Lindgren’s World is a wonderful place, but twenty years from now I don’t think my grandchildren will remember how much the tickets cost or exactly which day we visited.
They probably won’t remember what we packed for lunch either.
But they may remember something else.
That Miss Prysselius spoke to Alfred.
That Emilia sang and danced together with the actors.
That Hugo stood completely still when Tengil’s soldiers walked through the forest.
The older children may remember something different—our conversations, the laughter, the picnic, the ice cream, and simply spending time together as a family.
I also know that this trip isn’t for everyone.
Simon and Katja won’t be joining us this time, and neither will Carro or Alex. They’re adults now and probably have different interests than spending a day at Astrid Lindgren’s World.
And that’s perfectly okay.
Family doesn’t mean that everyone has to enjoy the same activities.
It means finding moments together that suit each person.
There will be another adventure with them another time.
That’s what I’m really looking forward to.
Not simply a day at Astrid Lindgren’s World.
But a day that will one day become a memory.
The kind of memory that the children might tell their own children about someday.
Perhaps it isn’t the places that hold a family together.
Perhaps it’s the memories we create together.
A Question for You
What family memory from your own childhood has stayed with you throughout your life?
Read More
If you enjoy reading about everyday life, family, motorhome adventures and simple moments that matter, you might also enjoy these posts:
- Our previous visit to Astrid Lindgren’s World, when Alfred met Miss Prysselius and Emilia became part of the performances.
- Vimmerby and our family adventures.
- A day in the Wild West at High Chaparral, where the grandchildren searched for gold, rode the train and danced with Lucky Luke.
- Our latest motorhome adventure through Norway.
- Why my morning swims mean so much to me.
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