Swedish Hospitality

Hello everyone,

I know it's been a little while but that will all become clear in my email "Return to England". First, I will cast my mind back to a few weeks ago in Sweden.

Flying into Sweden was quite a treat. After days of grey skies, I felt like Neo and Trinity in Matrix 3, when they fly above the clouds and are greeted by the glorious and blinding sun. I was also taken aback by the scenery and the sheer number of lakes around Stockholm. Very beautiful.

My friends live in Eskilstuna, about 1 hour from Stockholm. As I didn't arrive till 11pm, we didn't do much the first night apart from talk and have a few drinks. Sweden has the most amazing cider! In all sorts of flavours. I know you think cider comes from apples, but you'd be wrong, you can also make it from lots of fruit, berries and plants. MUCH better than English cider.

Unfortunately, for the week I was there, Rachael had an incredibly busy time at work, so Emil was landed with showing me around - castles that are really manor houses, mazes that are really small pebbles in circles and the biggest crispbread section of a supermarket that I have ever seen!

We went to Stockholm for a couple of days and, amongst other things, I saw the Swansen the excellant open air musuem - historical representation of buildings, businesses, life, a almost perfectly preserved "Pirates of the Caribean" style ship which only stayed afloat for about 1 hour and sunk on it's maiden voyage out of the harbour. They pulled it up a few years ago. Amazing to see, gutted you couldn't actually walk all over it : (

The changing of the guard at is nearly as impressive as Buckingham Place. Emil used to be in one of the bands so talked me through it from a different view point. Todays band was mounted. Quite impressive to watch someone riding a horse, in formation, whilst playng the trombone.

We also visited an ice gallery. Made to look like a section of the ice palace (which is built every year), it was freezing because they have to chill the ice or it will melt. There were some groovy sculptures too. The ice is completely clear.

One evening in Stockholm, we were sitting outside a pub when Emil's stepdad walked past. He had a handlebar moustache so I thought he rocked.

Stockholm is a stunning city, and set around the archipegilo of which I only saw a little of, it serves to make the city even more spectacular.

However, for me, the best times were just hanging out with Rachael and Emil, cooking up new dishes in their kitchen and trying to save their cat Molly.

Rachael and Emil had gone to collect Rachael's Dad from the airport, so I was left to my own devices. Unluckily one of these devices was opening a window, through which Molly, promptly and unoticed by moi tried to escape. When I did notice, she'd crawled along the ledge outside another window and was shaking frantically as she tried to work up the courage to jump 2 floors to the ground.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo".

Not being very good with cats, I tried to entice her back in by putting some cat food into a frying pan, leaning out of the window and holding it out at arms length in the hope she'd jump in and I could pull her to safety.

Molly had other ideas.

I was just about pulling my hair out when I realised she was standing next to a window which actually opened. So I just opened that window instead.... oops!

Sweden is great for wild food - strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, mushrooms. We went berry and mushroom picking. It was great fun. Rachael and I had to dig up potatoes for sunday dinner. I love doing stuff like that. They gave me some wild mushrooms to take home, and thankfully customs didn't explore my bags too carefully!

I was also lucky enough to go to a free rock concert with Emil. Rachael acquired tickets through work, but couldn't go herself as she was working. It went on for hours, sitting in the gardens of a manor house, picnic, couple of drinks. Music was eclectic. The lead guy was an amazing piano player but the show included some comic sketches that I didn't get (why did they feel the need to talk Swedish?? I ask you?!), and dance/music scenes - rock n roll, jazz, swing, as well as a load of rock too.

I had a great time with Rachael and Emil. Tried to convince them they should visit Africa for a diving trip, but not sure if I succeeded... ; ) Just have to wait and see.

So it was that on the 1st August 2005 I left Sweden and finally set foot on British soil again, but that is in my next email!

Kx

P.S. I am sad to say that NO-ONE noticed the (...deliberate) mistake in my last email when I mentioned visiting Stockholm, Denmark. Luckily geography lessons are now available on-line at.... oh, who really cares? ; )