Chapter 5 - Farewell and New Paths

The last two days were unbelievably beautiful. We completely relaxed, did a lot of reading (books!) and simply enjoyed the atmosphere.
The night before last, we grilled and had a campfire, but unfortunately no one joined us.
Yesterday, Björn fulfilled André's wish and provided him with large pieces of wood that he could chop himself with his axe. Now the good Hultafors has finally been inaugurated. It was exhausting but very fulfilling; André was proud as a peacock afterwards.
We watched a few boaters and then prepared everything for the fire again. This time I started it with charred birch bark; unfortunately, there’s no proof photo of it. And our titanium pot was put to use; I warmed up the remaining noodles in it. André had another bratwurst. It’s just so much fun to 'cook' outdoors over a fire.
A little later, Rieke and Björn joined us again for a final chat, and we heard a few stories about how bold and cheeky some guests can be. But for the most part, they are decent and the two are still enjoying their third season. When a few raindrops fell from above, Björn checked the weather app and said, 'a massive rain area is approaching us. I’d say in about 3 minutes.'
Exactly 3 minutes later, it poured down in buckets! The meadow was suddenly underwater. We hadn’t wished for such an abrupt end, but what can you do?

This morning we treated ourselves to fresh rolls for breakfast one last time before we packed our things and got ready to leave.
After a heartfelt farewell and the promise that whenever we return to Sweden, a stay at Nya Skogsgarden is guaranteed, we were back on the road after 3 days.

A few kilometers later, we reached the Norwegian border, which you could only notice by the sign at the roadside. Shortly after, there was a notice that we were on a toll road, but we left it right away.
Since I had again found a spot for the next few hours or night in advance, we followed the instructions on the GPS and soon found ourselves at a parking lot with a beach where camping is allowed.
Here there is a small wooden cabin with a panoramic window and a fireplace, where one could certainly make themselves cozy in unpleasant weather. But today the sun is mostly shining at 20°C, so we might take a little hike through the nearby forest. The free-roaming cows right by our spot probably thought that was a good idea too.
Said and done. So we walked once again over wooden walkways, little streams, past mushrooms and berries, and surely not quite legal fire pits.
Now and then, the path led us to the lakeshore where we could observe stand-up paddlers.
When we returned to the car, the cows had left their shady spot under the trees and were now on the opposite side in the grass or on the road. Okay... that’s how it goes here in Norway. An animal can always be standing on the road. I’ve read about that a lot.
We are now enjoying the sun by the lake, and I’ll be researching a few destinations for tomorrow. Let’s see what Norway has to offer.