Loved Sweden. I spent 1 week with my cousins in Gavle ( pronounced Yavle ), 40 km north of Stockholm, and then 1 week in Stockholm.

Larry Teeland is my Dad's cousin from Alaska. Larry's wife is Jan and his son is Sam. I really enjoyed getting to know them better. It was a crazy time because Sam had graduated from high school two days earlier and high school graduation is a big deal in Sweden. We spent a lot of time visiting and I enjoyed staying in one spot and resting. I am too old for this travel, youth hostel, stuff!

Sweden's Mid Summer is only second to Christmas as holidays go. It is a big deal. Everyone leaves the city and heads for their summer homes in the country. Mid Summer has it's roots as a pagen holiday, I am told, and was to celebrate fertility - growth of the crops, etc. Larry let me know if I am way off base here. It is now very similar to our Thanksgiving, a time for family, and they have a special emphasis on the kids. On Mid Summer Day ( or Eve ), every town gathers in a park and they raise the May Pole. It is a 40 foot pole covered in vines. The women also go into the forest to gather flowers for their crowns ( wreaths ) which they wear on this day. There is a band which plays folk songs ( We knew the band members, by the way. ) and everyone dances around the May Pole. This part is really for the young kids, but the adults really get into it to make sure it is special for the kids, and I am sure they remember the good times they had doing this while kids. They act out the words to the songs, for example, they act like frogs, play the violin, and iron, just to name a few, depends on the words in the song. It was very cool, and the location was right on the water.

Then . . . the night is for the adults. I went with Larry and Jan to their friends' house on the water. It was absolutely georgeous and the dinner was great. You start with about 5 kinds of herring and you make toasts with Schnapps. They sing a song before the toast, then you drink, and immediately after you sing another quick little diddy. Basically saying "Smooth", but more creative. Then you have salmon as the main course. It was great to be part of the tradition.

After Gavle, Per Wiklund from Synplicity, picked me up and drove me to his place in Stockholm. He was very nice to let me stay at his place for the week. I got a much better feel for Stockholm that way and took more time off from the youth hostels. Thank you Per. We went out 3 nights. Also saw the Fast and the Furious 2. Don't know why I had to put that in here, but it was really cool. I had to see the Stockholm nightlife and I even bought some "going out" shirts and shoes. The last night was the best. There is this boat in the harbor called Patricia's which has 3 dance floors. We partied on that boat from 6:30 pm until 6:00 am. You start out by sitting on the deck and you have a great view of the harbor. Also hung out with a bunch of Per's friends and they were very cool.

Stockholm is georgeous because it is surrounded by water. It sits on 14 islands. It also has many beautiful buildings, lots of spires. I mostly walked around the city in the day and spent some time at a few of the great city parks. Saw the neighborhood where one of ABBA lives. Looked like Portola Valley believe it or not. Stockholm also has a great Old Town which sits on the harbor. I saw a ton of the city by walking and riding the subway. Riding the subway is a great way to see the locals.

Scandinavia was fantastic. I am very sorry to leave it behind. The women are soooo pretty. The guys are good looking too, so now you can not say I am sexist. The people were all extremely nice. I enjoyed learning about Scandinavia and I am getting a good perspective on how the U.S. is viewed from abroad. Scandinavia is as close to an ideal place to live as I have seen. They are big believers in the social safety nets such as healthcare and other welfare benefits, things the U.S. tries to privatize, however they have managed to pay for it collectively. Therefore, you know they have been quite industrious since WWII. However, they do seem to be a sort of cross roads. The EU is a big topic of discussion, and whether they should move closer to it. Closer integration will mean less of a welfare state. I am getting too serious. It was a blast! I think I will go back and find myself a Scandinavian wife, if one will have me!!!