Relaxing day in Nykyrka and Motala

Very low key day. I woke up early, then took a morning nap. We then looked around Motala with Per, bought groceries, found some sights in Motala and basically got our bearings. Pat made spaghetti for dinner, and also a cake for today's strawberries. As I probably mentioned before the next door neighbor is the largest supplier of strawberries in the area. They are equal to Michigan strawberries, and the growing season is longer because of the long long days of sunshine. This is a very weird experience. It is now 9pm and complete daylight. The sun is high in the sky, and a around 11pm it will begin to get dark, but more like dusk. I woke up at 3am and it was completely light. A soft light, but still light. It is very hard to get accustomed to. Right now there is no moon, so it will be interesting to see what happens if/when there is a full moon. Wednesday we wil be headed for Stockholm to spend the night and take Per and Inger to the airport for their trip to Ann Arbor. Ken and Hillary will be coming in Thursday.

Motala is a pleasant town, small, but prosperous looking. Everything in Sweden is neat and clean, and we have noticed no poverty yet.

Oh, at night we watched t.v., watched "Foleys War". i mention this because several people i know who may read this blog love this show, and now we see why. Yes, it was in English, we were watching the BBC channel. it is interesting to enter the lives of this lovely couple, we feel like we are residents here. a different experience.

It is always interesting going to grocery stores in other countries. We are feeling very comfortable here. Inger and i took our nightly walk. We are sleeping well.

Oh, i have discovered the chamber pot! This lowers my anxiety ten-fold!

First Pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1/Sweden2008

here is the link to our first pictures from Sweden. More to come.

day 2---Catching on to the vagaries of the swedish keyboard

We slept long and hard, til 8:30! Per and Inger had a Swedish breakfast awaiting us, we had their great coffee, and cereal with their yogurt, toast with a wonderful jam--blackberry and current, and an excellent cheese. They don't eat this every morning, but it was a special breakfast for us.
We then drove to Vadstena, the home of Saint Birgetta, one of the oldest towns in Sweden. We had a wonderful lunch at the Barn 206, with huge open faced sandwiches. Delicious! We then drove around that charming town as well as another nearby one, named Skänninge. These charming towns all abut Lake Vattern, and are very picturesque. We saw part of the Gota Canal at a place where there were 5 locks, operating for the boats that were there.
Later, we napped, as we are terribly jetlagged. Then, Inger and Pat took a walk and Per and Dan had a whisky.
We are really enjoying ourselves and feel so comfortable with this very generous, friendly couple. i wonder if people on our webiste, Homelink.org, all tend to be adventuous and so open minded.
Some observations about Sweden---mostly all the houses are red, with some others being yellow. You can't tell the old ones from the new ones--the one Per and Inger own is 400 years old'---because they are made of wood and continually renovated. This is a peaceful, tranquil countryside, as i noticed on my walks.
Had another great dinner, fresh salad, potato salad, and grilled pork. with aquavit, and much wine. Much fun. Oh yes, fresh strawberries!
i have to add my liking for the Swedish computer, it has keys we donät have that i keep hitting by mistake. Here they are: ö,ä and Ö,Ä.

Entering the Land of the Midnight Sun

Our trip to Sweden was reall quite pleasant and routine. Per was waiting for us at the airport, and it was nice not to have to worry about driving or getting a train. The three hour ride to his house was also uneventful. Sweden reminds us of Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, or Ontario. Very unpopulated, lots of open space. Deer, Moose and Elk are all in the area. When we arrived at the house Inger was waiting, and we unpacked and had coffee. Dinner was Salmon, potatoes and peas, with Strawberry cake for desert. Very nice. We are also meeting the cats, Lisa, Mya, but Figaro is very sceptical!
Our accommodations at this point are in a 400 year old barn. The guest room, is quite nice, Per built it himself. When they leave for the U.S. we get to move into the house. Our hosts have been very accommodating and we have hit it off right away. The house is over 400 years old and the oldest house in the town of Nykyrka (New Church), which is a little settlement of about 500 people about 12 k from Motola. W took a walk after dinner to visit the village and the surroundings.

We have to add a note about the guestroom, which we find very cozy, and are liking. To get to it, we have to walk up a steep flight of narrow stairs, accessed most easily by walking sideways. Also, there is no bathroom, so if we need to use the facilities during the night, and anyone who knows either of us know that we do (!), we have to climb down the stairs to use the toilet. Pat was nervous about the stairs at first, but quickly adapted, and we also don't mind the mid-night walks!

We also must note the experience of the sunlight. At midnight, when we made our midnight potty run, it was the darkest part of the night, and still, quite light out. Fascinating to us.

We are enjoying our hosts very much.

Retirement

Well retirement time is here. Friday we will be leaving for Sweden and will be posting on this spot. It should be fun. Keep up to date with our trip.

Retirement has come. It seems quite weird to not have an office. I have spent all day organizing my home office, and I think I have a handle on things. I am mostly packed for Sweden, and have to go in two days this week to finish things up and meet with my successor. I must say I have been overwhelmed with well wishes from people. Cards seem endless and very generous gifts. I feel like my work has been appreciated.

Now off to Sweden, where our new friend Per will be waiting for us at the airport. We will have computer access most of the time, and also have our cell phones.

Here is a good link for Swedish news http://www.thelocal.se/
and another link to keep track of time http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239