There are lots of Swedish foods that my sister, Sally, and I love.  Very close to the top of the list would be the Swedish waffles.

As we were driving through the Kingdom of Glass, a hand lettered sign that said  Waflår had us hitting the brakes and making a u-turn.  We were in the small town of Lessebo, and from a little house adjoining the city park we bought waffles.  In Sweden, waffles aren’t for breakfast, they’re dessert.  I’m not going to argue with that!

While we were eating, we noticed a really colorful maypole at the far end of the park.  Every maypole I’ve ever seen was covered in birch leaves, but it was quite clear that these weren’t birch leaves!

We learned from the woman selling waffles that Lessebo is home to a paper manufacturer.  In fact, they’ve been making handmade papers since 1693!  The plant was just across the street from the park.  So, what could be more perfect to use to decorate their maypole!?!

The wind was really blowing, and the sound of the paper rustling was magical.  As you can see, it was huge!

The next day, we were at the Smålands Museum, and what should they have in their lobby–a miniature version of the Lessebo maypole!

Life is good in Anna Lena Land!