Sweden.... our country

Sweden: Sweden welcomes us with sunny weather. Yay, we're here. Since we were here 2 years ago, we already know southern Sweden and declared it super great 2 years ago. Everything is allowed here, which is otherwise forbidden everywhere else. Wild camping, collecting wood, making campfires, walking through other people's properties and fishing without a fishing license. We think the so-called everyman's right is really great. We quickly found a great spot by the sea. 3 other Swedish motorhomes are also enjoying the great free spot right by the water. Once again, we are completely overwhelmed by the many inputs all day and fall into bed early. The next day we set out to find a cheap campground. We want to stay there for a few days. Washing clothes, showering, refilling water for Knut, emptying the toilet. A nice place in the countryside on Lake Västra Ringsjön in Småland is quickly found. 12 euros per night and showers for free, you can't complain about that. (until we realized that we paid a whopping 20 euros for 2 loads of laundry and 2 dryers - I was briefly in shock). But oh well. Fresh laundry and a fresh bed are worth gold. Nevertheless, I have to mention this place commendably. Very nice with small apartments built into the slope like in Lord of the Rings, available for rent. Totally cute to look at. After two days of lazing around, we are drawn back to the sea. (Before that, a detour - you won't believe it - yes, back to Bauhaus).... they will soon know us by name there, I believe. I can't charge my laptop. Converter too weak. I need a new one.... because no laptop.... no blog :( Said and done... I got one for 30 euros. But now let's go to the sea. The East Coast of Småland is calling.

In between, we made a detour to the small university town of Lund in Småland. Impressive architecture. Red brick houses as far as the eye can see and 3/4 of the population are students. I think we were the oldest in town.

In Nogersund, we find a great spot in the harbor in a totally romantic little fishing village. 4 euros per night with a shower... we don't say no to that. And we promptly let ourselves be hoodwinked by the vending machine (everything was only in Swedish). Insert Visa card... and suddenly 4 days were booked!! Hey there!!! We only wanted to stay for one night... but oh well. It's nice here. We'll stay. Furball Amy is happy. And a comment from my dyslexic bunny... I frequently spelled Mercedes with a Z!!! What a no-go (apparently!?). Kilian tells me with horror in his eyes that Mercedes is spelled with a C. So I officially apologize to all Mercedes fans..... It won't happen again :)

We continue along the east coast in the midsummer weather. We visit Karlskrona and continue to Kalmar. It's really great there. There is a castle to visit. In the 13th century, a treaty between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden for the alliance was written there. A great medieval town that you really have to see. Even we, as city sceptics, were impressed. After that, we continue, relaxed towards the north. I have to mention here how relaxed Swedish drivers are. There's no pushing, no flashing, no trouble. Everyone is totally relaxed on the road. Some German drivers could learn a thing or two from them. In the evening, we once again find a spot just as we wish. A swimming lake with a sandy beach, bathing pier, toilet, and barbecue area all to ourselves. It couldn't be more idyllic. Nearby, Michel from Lönneberga lived. (Do you remember? Yes, exactly the cheeky Michel from the children's series in the 70s) We want to go there tomorrow. Bring back childhood memories on the Katthult farm. But first, let's stay here. Make a fire. Kilian takes out the fishing rod for the first time. I'm optimistic... will we catch our first self-caught fish today? After 2 hours of fishing for branches from the bottom, I decide to put 2 schnitzels on.... Good things apparently take their time. In the evening, we take a walk around the lake. We'll need about 1 1/2 hours. After a short time, a large white-gray fur animal appears in the forest and stares at us. I almost faint. I instinctively reach for my belt. Yes, I have a knife (because I really want to fight a wolf with a knife!!) Quickly grab a stick as well. The adrenaline is high. The animal stares at us. Is it real? Are there wolves here? We slowly walk backwards towards the fire pit. Always keeping an eye on the animal, which suddenly wags its tail... I see a collar... it's just a dog. A big white shepherd dog. In the middle of nowhere. If he only knew how scared we just got. He seems to notice it after all, because suddenly he's gone. What a relief.

The next day, as I said, we visit Michel's former home. Really beautiful. I feel like a child again for a moment. Then we continue to the Norra Kvill National Park. We drive many kilometers through the forest on sandy roads. It hasn't rained here in ages. We leave a huge trail of dust behind us here. The national park is great. Nothing has been changed here for over a hundred years. The many boulders are covered in moss, there are old dead trees everywhere. The trees that are still standing are huge. Truly impressive. You could imagine a dwarf behind every stone. A super nice quiet forest! We drive back towards the coast and realize that the forest drive has left its mark on the bus. Everything, really everything, is covered in dust. We have to clean Knut. So we go to a small campground and take everything out of the bus. It's time for a big clean-up. Our Swedish neighbors look at us with big eyes. Hippies in cleaning frenzy?! They probably think the Germans are crazy. But nobody knows us... so who cares. Next door, we meet a nice lawyer from Berlin. She has been on the road for over a year with her dog and still has at least 1 more year ahead. I guess you can see... others do something like this too... I have to brag a little to all those who stayed at home. We are currently experiencing the blooming of magnolias and cherries here. It has been going on for 6 weeks now... we are following the bloom... for weeks... and I think it will continue for a few more weeks. We are experiencing the longest bloom of all time.