June 3 (Sunday)

So it's been a long but also easy first day of traveling, getting to my friend Carola's in the south of Sweden (Bjärsjölagård - it's a small village about an hour's drive north and east of Malmö). Flew in to Copenhagen, noting the row of large windmills out in the water for producing power, which I don't remember seeing the last time I came through, and then directly from the airport to a train to Sweden.

Coming through the south of Sweden I was struck by how lush and green everything is. It's all farming country down here - gently rolling hills with wood and stone farmhouses. The weather is cool, only about 10° C (50° F), and by the time I got to Lund it had started to rain. It's amazing how the rain is not a problem when you are traveling. Cities that have medieval winding streets look just as charming and intriguing when they're all wet.

Even though I haven't stayed in this part of Sweden before, the language and customs are all comfortably familiar. In between my freshman and sophomore years at college I studied at a folk high school outside of Stockholm for a year (folk high schools in Scandinavia are like technical or vocational schools for adults with an informal emphasis). So my Swedish is coming back in fits and starts - I'm understanding most everything, but am having problems getting the words from my brain to my mouth. This is a good place for me to begin my journey, reaching back to my past and yet eagerly awaiting new experiences.

But for now there is a bed with clean sheets all made up for me, and I shall journey first to the land of dreams.

June 7 (Thursday)

The week is flying by here in the south of Sweden. Yesterday Carola and her fiancé Mattias and I made the pilgrimage to that epitome of Swedish shopping, Ikea, which was a lot of fun. We thought that was an appropriate activity for Sweden's National Day <g>.

Today we'll be going to Lund, which is a smaller city than Malmö, but which retains much of its medieval feel, so I'm looking forward to being able to wander the narrow, winding streets with Carola and Mattias.

I managed to find a friend of mine, Nils, in Malmö - I knew him from the year I studied in Sweden (1984-85). He and his wife will join us in Lund later in the afternoon for coffee. I haven't been in touch with Nils for at least 13 years, so there's quite a bit of catching up to do!

I'm enjoying the conversations with Carola about our lives as much as I am enjoying seeing the countryside and the sights here. This is hospitality of the richest kind, where Carola hasn't simply opened her house for me, but also her heart and I am deeply grateful.

Tomorrow will be my last full day here, then I'll return to Copenhagen for one night and a little bit of time for sightseeing there. After that it's up to Stockholm, where I'll be staying with another friend from my year here, Beverly, who was the English teacher at the school I went to. She's originally from the States, but has been living here in Sweden for over 20 years. Then Mom will be joining me a few days later in Stockholm and we'll have a few days together there before we head over to Helsinki.