Photo on Sunday 2013-27

I found this sign in a bookshop in Kristianstad, Sweden. And because you have to relax (especially on a Sunday), I thought it would be quite fitting. I don't know whether you will be able to read it properly though, so I have put the instructions below as well!

1. Place [poster] on FIRM surface.

2. Follow directions in circle.

3. Repeat step 2. as necessary or until unconscious.

4. If unconscious, cease stress reduction activity.

Autumn in Sweden

Why do geese pull up one leg when they sleep?

When they pull both up, they fall over!

The autumn colours were starting and against that beautiful blue sky it was just stunning

Geese in the South of Sweden. Many more expected, either to stay for the winter or to move further South. I wonder whether Nils Holgersson was with them!

They tasted yummy. Very sweet. 

I didn't try this one. 

Natural Christmas decoration.

Sweden is really beautiful!

Our massive plane! Ahem...

I had been to Sweden once before. Two years ago the World Jamboree (scouting) was held near Kristianstad in the South East of Sweden and me and 24 other Dutch buses made our way over the Bridge from Denmark to Sweden to drop our scouts of and pick them up again a week later. I loved the countryside and it was actually the first time I wondered whether I was making the right move in moving to Canada (which was still my goal at that time). Because it was so beautiful there and I guessed (correctly) that Norway would be equally and more beautiful. 

Well, it's a bus wouldn't you know!

So, when I was invited to come to Sweden with my new-found Norwegian friends, I said yes. Even though it would be a stretch financially. Once in a while you have to be a bit reckless after all! I allocated an amount I could spend according to the other expenditures coming up and on September 25th the five of us flew to Kopenhagen. Which is in Denmark. From there we took a train to Malmö (Sweden), another train to Simrishamn and then the last bus to Kivik. 

Church in Simrishamn

Thursday was a bit of a lazy day. Exploring the small village of Kivik, getting the first round of shopping in, seeing some of the many apples. Friday we headed back by bus to Simrishamn to do more shopping and in my case also sightseeing. The weather was great, the town was quaint and picturesque and I took lots and lots of photos. 

Kivik is located at the Östersund
The sea between Sweden in the North and Germany/Poland in the South

Saturday we stayed in Kivik. Saw the unveiling of the tableau (see last Sunday's post), did more shopping at the market and I took more photos. Sunday was another lazy day, although I did go for a lovely long walk, coming back with some real nice chocolates. Monday was another bustour, this time to Kristianstad. More shopping, more sightseeing, more photos. Tuesday was yet another town: Ystad. A town I loved for its... well... everything really. The shops, the buildings, everything! More books, more knick-knacks and more photos. 

Streetart in Kristianstad

Our last full day was another day spent lazying about. I went for a long walk in the afternoon, saw more apples, ate some blackberries, photographed a snail and in the evening I tried to pack my suitcases. We left at ten on Thursday to make our way back to Kopenhagen to catch our direct flight to Haugesund. Normally they would have a bit of a stop in Malmö to get some more shopping done, but this time they decided to do that at the airport. Where I had had enough, grabbed some lunch, plugged my ears and got out my new book about a hundred year old who climbed out of the window. 

Monastery in Ystad

It was a lovely holiday, but I must admit I was glad to be home again. On my own. To rest my brain before going back to work again on Monday. 

Retail therapy

I love those types of signs!
This one found in Ystad

Don't get me wrong: I love shopping. Put me in a bookstore and pick me up a couple of hours later and you will probably have to search for me and my pile of books. Artsy, knick-knacky shops are great too. But I am not too fond of clothes shopping. Two reasons: I have enough clothes and I need larger clothes which most shops don't have. 

And yes, they did sell hats!

So, when I was on holiday with four other women and we were going places, I got bored real soon by going in and out of clothes shops and shoe shops. Especially when it was almost the same shops in every town! I went ahead, looking at other shops. Bookshops, artsy, knick-knacky shops. I was tempted to buy more copies of Pride and Prejudice (I think I have four), but resisted. I was tempted to buy beautiful artsy things, but resisted. 

It's water and bread (with home-made jam) for a few months now!

Not always though. I actually had to buy another suitcase to get everything home! I think I got 8 books, a milk jug and sugar bowl, lovely red coral and silver earrings, two small serving trays and a host of other small things I don't need (although books are something a person needs. Always). 

Meeting up with my friends for tea/coffee, lunch/dinner
This was not one we went to, but I liked the sign

The average town does not consist of lots of bookshops (two if you are lucky in a smallish town) and artsy, k-k shops. Which meant that my shopping was fairly limited. Which in turn led me to use my camera. On the buildings, on the art, on the surroundings. I walked lots, saw more and in the end came back from my holiday with over 500 photos! I promise I won't show all...

Photo on Sunday 2013-26

As you know I spent about a week in Sweden. In Kivik on the South East coast of Sweden to be precise. We were there during the apple market or apple festival and saw a lot of apples. Not only growing on the trees that were in and surrounding Kivik, also in the apple orchards around Kivik and even pinned to a large board! 

Every year there is an artist who makes a painting with apples. In other words: she/he uses only apples to make a piece of art. This year was no different and the photo above was the art made for this year's marknade! I heard a lot of people saying there was something missing though...

Photo on Sunday 26

I am in Kivik right now and this weekend is the annual apple festival. Which means apples everywhere. The apple I show you is one that just grows on a tree by the side of the road. It doesn't seem to have an owner, so anyone can take and eat it. 

Away

I go to Sweden and take with me:

knitting, camera, book, baby, walking shoes, lbd, red shoes, cosy pj's, thick socks, recipe for apple pie. 

I hope to be coming back with:

all of the above, a lot of great memories, even more photos and perhaps some other things I don't really need but are always great to have. 

I don't know whether I will be able to blog a lot. We will find out together!

In the mean time I leave you with a photo of me and my friend C who was here over the weekend. 

Photo on Sunday 2013-17

Two years ago I drove 40 Dutch scouts from the Netherlands to Denmark and then on to Sweden for the World Scouting Jamboree. Great fun. And I remember that while I was driving through the south of Sweden, that it was a beautiful piece of the world. And why, if that part of the world was already so beautiful and Norway would be even beautifuller (yes, yes, I know), would I want to move to Canada? Those were my honest thoughts. Albeit in Dutch. Of course. 

Well, I moved to Norway in the end. Where it's beautiful. But in September I will be back in that little bit of Sweden to enjoy it some more. This time courtesy of my new friends who have invited me over for a girly week. So, an older photo this week of the landmark tower of Malmö. Where I think we will be flying to. And I hope I will get some more and clearer shots of this tower and lots more besides!

Human

Wow, two days of early starts really makes your head hurt. At least it does mine! But everything went smoothly, despite some confusion at the start, some more confusion at the end, a driver who forgot to take the turning towards Malmö and some drivers who didn't have a clue how our coaches worked!

I was picked up early Saturday morning by my colleague to go to work. I then drove to the next pick-up point to pick up two more colleagues and then we drove to the main pick-up point to be picked up by the coach that was going to take us to Sweden. I did manage to get a front seat (I can get sick in the back) and even managed to get about an hour and a half of sleep somewhere. When daylight started, so did the road works, but because it was still early it was also quite quiet on the road so we didn't loose much time over that.

The Twisting Torso Tower of Malmö (Sweden)

We arrived early in the afternoon and then there was the debate of going to sleep first and then for dinner or dinner first and then sleep. I opted for the second choice (I think I came up with it, but that might just be me being very bigheaded) and in the end most of us did. Me and my three immediate colleagues went to a small Italian restaurant and after a very nice and tasty meal we went back to our hotel. I took a few photos along the way and was in bed by 4.30pm.

The church in Kristianstad (Sweden)

Even though the room was absolutely boiling I was one of the few ones who actually got a good amount of sleep in: around 8 hours! So I was quite fresh when we had to pick up our troops at 2am! Yes, another early start, but since so many had to leave that day, an early start was probably for the best. As soon as my troop was on, they went to sleep and most of them never saw any of the films I played for them. I was in the second group to take the ferry crossing towards Germany and arrived at the changing location at about 11.15am. Which is where I said goodbye to my troop, was presented with one of those sew-on badges and went to the hotel.

We left the hotel again at a quarter past nine at night and I was home at 1.30am this morning. Forty-eight hours after leaving. What a weekend!

Oh nice!

As you may remember I brought a troop of scouts to Sweden last week (via Denmark). Well, that troop (and hundreds more) will need to go back home again this weekend. Originally the plan was that they (the Dutch contingent) would leave Sweden around 10am on the Sunday. But due to the large number of troops all leaving or wanting to leave, they have pushed the time up to 1.45. AM!!! Which also means it's no point going to bed today, since I will be picked up extremely ridiculously early!

We will be staying in a hotel in Kristianstad in Sweden which is about a 20 minute drive to the Jamboree and from there we will be leaving for Denmark and Germany. In Germany there will be driver's change: we go to a hotel and the new (and fresh) driver will take them to wherever they came from in the Netherlands.

Am I looking forward to it? I am not sure...

PS: for some reason my blog won't let me add photos from my computer: it keeps saying security alert! Very annoying and that's why you see Viking Mara again. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Home again!

Did I ever tell you I hate traveling on a coach? When I'm not driving that is? Well, I do. Just so you know!

The floor in the bus!

Yesterday morning I was in the first of four groups to pick up the Dutch scout troops to take to Sweden. I left on time at 08.30am and arrived at the World Jamboree at 12.15pm. Everything was so well coordinated we only had to wait for two minutes before I was able to drop them off. They left my coach in a right state, but with all the rain and muck and mud of the past week, I was prepared. And since I was in the first group, I had a lot of time before the last ones would be there to actually clean the coach. At least brush the dirt out and make it look presentable again.

The toll bridge from Sweden to Denmark

We then had to wait for all the coaches to arrive, which took about four hours and finally at a quarter past four, all the drivers (bar two who were staying behind to look after the coaches) piled on one coach and left for the Netherlands. We passed through Sweden at a good pace, seeing coach after coach filled with scouts from all over the world. We then had to cross the toll bridge and tunnel to Denmark and came back to familiar territory again.

There was a train on the ferry!

We kept driving through Denmark until we reached the ferryport of Rodby (with the diagonal line again). We knew we were late for our ferry (it had left twenty minutes earlier), but managed to catch the next one, so we only lost half an hour. From Puttgarden (the German side of the ferry), we drove towards Hamburg, which I completely missed, since I slept my way to Bremen. We had a short stop to switch drivers and then drove on towards home. Our pick-up driver had to wake up extra early, because according to the planners we were about 2-3 hours early! We just thought there was no point hanging around for nothing!

I made it home at five in the morning and was in bed half an hour later. My own bed...