So last year Sweden's National Day (June 6) fell on a Monday making it a long holiday weekend the first weekend in June. This combined with perfect sunny weather pretty much sealed the deal to be out in the archipelago once again. I was invited out to my friend's boyfriend's summer house out on the island of Muskö. Muskö is located on the southern part of the archipelago and is home to about 900 permanent residents year round. In order to reach Muskö, you drive under water through tunnels for three kilometers in order to reach the mainland. At its lowest point the tunnel, reaches 66 meters below sea level. Alternatively, you can take one of the commuter trains and then a bus in order to reach this island.

One unique fact about Muskö is that there is that during the war, an entire military naval base was built under a mountain and underground. During the construction about 1.5 billion tons of rocks were removed in order to build the base. On the island you will find a cafe and restaurant as well as a hotel and a small grocery store. Although the nature and countryside is very beautiful on this island, filled with wild flowers, meadows and bird life, I must say the only thing I felt like doing that weekend was laying around and taking it easy. Most of my time was spent outside visiting with friends, barbequing, and going down by the sea. In the spot where we were lying out, there was an outdoor sauna for those who enjoy getting very hot and then jumping into the chilly sea (wasn't the peak of summer quite yet). On the Saturday many of us decided to do the sauna for a few hours in between jumping into the water to cool off. A perfect way to relax before dinnertime!

On Sunday, I decided to leave the beautiful island of Muskö and join one of my closest friends, Carin, in the island of Torö where her dad's family has had a summer house for years. Thankfully Torö is very nearby and I was able to get a ride halfway there from a friend and then waited by the side of the road to be picked up by Carin and her mom to spend the day and night in Torö! It felt very exciting to continue on to a new destination in the archipelago. So away we went! I must admit I do not know so much about the island of Torö, except that I loved it, besides that it is a popular place for kite surfing and it is one of the few places in Sweden where you can surf. There is also a nature reserve, with parts of it belonging to "Pebble Beach."

Carin's grandfather built the original summer house, which stands alone on top of a rock and has an extension for eating. Once his family grew and he began to have children of his own, there was a need to expand for everyone to fit. So her grandfather and his kids built another sleeping area, which you can see from the pictures and is shaped like an L. Several rooms were built "camp" style so that they could fit many beds in each room. Our room was no different, I am happy to report it felt very much like a summer camp! Thanks to all the rooms that were built, Carin and her cousins spent many summers here enjoying the nature and beautiful location.

Talia Klundt is the Europe Editor for Wandering Educators

The Archipelago Series:

Stockholm's Archipelago: Finnhamn

Stockholm's Archipelago: Fjäderholmarna

Stockholm's Archipelago: Muskö and Torö

Stockholm's Archipelago: Nåttarö

Stockholm's Archipelago: Sandhamn

Stockholm's Archipelago: Utö

Stockholm's Archipelago: Vaxholm

All photos courtesy and copyright Talia Klundt