First day, straight away an accident... (01.08.2018)

Today, after breakfast, the actual road trip started for me. So, happily and excitedly, I got into the car around 9:30 AM and set off for the day.

First, I drove to Karlshamn. I arrived there after 1 hour and 30 minutes and looked for a parking spot. I explored the city and bought some food for lunch. Karlshamn wasn't particularly special, but the short stop was still nice.

At around 1 PM, I continued my journey to Karlskrona, where I will also be staying for the night. After a short break for lunch, I arrived at the campsite. I found a nice spot partly under a tree to set up my tent. However, it was initially difficult as the ground was so dry. (I had forgotten to bring a hammer for the tent pegs.) So, I asked other German campers if they could help me. They were very kind, and in no time, my tent was set up.

I thought about how the rest of my day should look like and decided to buy a new hammer so that I wouldn't have to rely on others. I drove to a Biltema, where you can buy all sorts of things for DIY and more. There, I found a suitable hammer. On my way back to the campsite, I also went shopping for dinner.

When I wanted to drive back to the campsite, suddenly the road was closed. So, I found another way through small side streets. While driving in a 30 km/h zone behind a woman in her car, she suddenly stopped. I was a bit confused as she just stopped in the middle of the road, so I waited. Suddenly, I saw her reversing, and then it happened. She had driven into the driver's side of my car with the right corner of her car... Great, the first day has already started off on a bad note! We both pulled over to the side to not obstruct the traffic. We both got out of our cars, and the woman, who was around 20 years old, said something to me in Swedish. I just looked at her questioningly and told her that I don't speak Swedish. She then said in English that something like this had never happened to her before. Well, now it has happened... So, I insisted on calling the police. It is important to know that here in Sweden, a patrol car won't be sent if no one is injured. So, I had to report it over the phone and provide all the necessary details. The police will then make a report, and everything will be handled through the insurance companies. The woman and I exchanged our names, phone numbers, and license plate numbers. Then everything was settled.

The woman continued driving as if nothing had happened, and I felt the shock settling in. So, I drove to a parking lot and had to calm down first before calling home to explain what happened. I still can't believe that the first day started like this. Luckily, I can still drive, so my car door only has a few dents and paint damage, but it's still very annoying.

After calming down, I found my way to the campsite.

There, I made myself a salad and enjoyed a relaxing evening.

Today's distance traveled: approximately 215 km