I am now in Ranea (pronounced Ron-ee-o), 33 kilometers away from Lulea (pronounced Loo-lee-o) and near the Arctic Circle, where my husband Sven is in recovery from a nasty fall and fracture of the femur. What does Ranea have to offer? First, a picturesque village with mature birch trees lining the cobblestoned streets. What I like best? The bakery. Rebecca Pettersson founded it a dozen years ago. Now she bakes with colleague Regina Niemi. The selection changes daily and a steady stream of customers stop by to purchase the delicious pastries. From left to right in this photo we have at the top dumlekladdkaka, kanelbulle bakelse, kramig toscakaka. The next shelf houses kramigbladbars paj, kladdkaka m. passions tryffel, and morotskaka. (I think that’s carrot cake.) Below left to right, we find bountyrutor, gradd tarta, and tosca mazarin. Tosca mazarins are particularly yummy. Marzipan tartlets. I asked Rebecca if she ever creates a Budapest, Sven’s absolute favorite. She does! And now she intends to make it for tomorrow. How cool is that!
