Weekend Adventure in Vimmerby Sweden 2

This weekend was supposed to be Mariah’s special escape weekend. I think we achieved that. Mariah loves Pippi now more than ever. Mariah got to actually meet Pippi and play at Villa Villekulla (Pippi’s house). She got to ride on Pippi’s pony and play at Emil’s Farm. There was even a play hotel with slides to exit the building. We ate dinner at Lotta’s Kitchen which is a pasta place right in the heart of Astrid Lindgren World (Värld). While eating dinner, we were accompanied by a wild bird that flew into the front door. It didn’t actually land at our table or any tables. It chased it out. We decided after dinner just flew in and then the waitress to shop at some of the little places in the park. We only purchased one souvenir, a book “Do You Know Pippi Longstocking” in English of course. There was a big obstacle course that Mariah enjoyed. It was called Don’t Touch The Ground, a play on the game Pippi plays don’t touch the floor at her home Villa Villekulla. A local sculptor and artist in Hjorted Smaland Sweden, hand carved all the animals out of local solid oak. These were in addition to all the real animals that were there to see too.

Just a little bit of information about the park. Astrid Lindgren’s World is a storybook setting come to life, with lots of fun things to see and do. So much in fact, that it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. The theme park dates back to 1981 and last year the record for the number of visitors was 352,000 just during the summer season. The park features many of Astrid’s best loved settings including Katthult, Bullerbyn (Noisey Village), the house of Karlsson, Matt’s Fort, and Troublemaker street. Here you can meet Pippi, Emil, Karlsson on the Roof, Mardie, Rasmus, the Brothers Lionheart, and other children’s favorites face to face. They are portrayed by a team of around 70 actors who play and sing in character. Also, at the park is Little, Little Town. It is a scaled model of the Vimmerby as it was in the 1930s when Astrid Lindgren grew up. It is built child-friendly for exploration.