We finally started taking pictures:

The Nordiska Museum was a wonder. Presenting culture and social mores through exhibits of table settings, fashion, jewelry, furniture and more.

After spending a full day (7 hours) at the Nordiska Museum we spent a day on the road down to Falkenberg in Southern Sweden to stay a few days with Cousin Lena (from the Westberg side, but not the av Klint side.

Cousin Olof was kind enough to drive us from Stockholm to Gothenberg where we met Lena and her daughter Tyra at the southernmost of the two IKEA in town. Olof left us after a walk around town and being sure we were safe at Lena’s house. The next day, Friday, we joined Lena at her school. This past week was a time for projects: twice a year the students devise or sign up for something non-academic but related, such as putting on a musical, working with fabrics or dyeing yarn from herbs and barks, geocaching. I think I now have to get an app for geocaching since it’s something one can do outside but alone. Don’t have to involve or even see anyone else to enjoy it.

Then we wandered in Varberg, home of (you’ll never guess) a castle! Also the home of the “bog man”, a medieval man found in a nearby peat bog, wonderfully preserved.

So, the Varberg castle and fortress was built at the end of the 13th century and was, I’m sure you will all remember, the home of the Norwegian Princess Ingeborg Hakonsdotter and her husband the Swedish Duke Erik Magnusson.

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Near Halmstad we drove along the coast with wonderful walking paths out to the water.

Then Lena delivered us to Olof on Sunday afternoon for more genealogy. She has researched the Gotland family back through the 1600s

Olof prepared a welcoming smorgasbord for us.

And on Monday off to Erik and Asa.

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And on Tuesday to Denmark to Frederiksborg Castle. 15th century castle and home of the crazy King Christian VII (subject of the movie A Royal Affair).

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This morning we refueled Caryn and put her on a plane from Angleholm to Stockholm and to infinity and beyond.

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Then we moved on to the important things: looking at composting toilets! They have “big box” DYI stores like our Home Depot, one of which we visited. More later. I have a brochure (in Swedish) that we can all read.

We also stopped at a tire repair shop to see why Olof’s tire had lost air:

Then Olof and I came home for a quiet day. We have both had a bit of a cold, so we worked on the genealogy connecting us to Lena…..

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…and watched some BBC. And kept eating smorgasbord and drinking tea.

Olof frequents an on-line auction every other Tuesday and had found these for me. So me, I think!

Today we have lunch at a preserve with ponds and walking trails. But the real reason we go is because it is Thursday: pea soup and pancakes day!!!