Summing up the end of the vacations

And so we're back in Sweden and today is my last day of vacation. I'm probably one of the lucky ones with no anxiety and desperation when the vacation is on the way out. I have had four lovely weeks and I feel loaded with new energy. The trip to Spain was as good as usual but surprisingly more active than it use to be. We got back to Gothenburg the night of the 19th and the next day I was on a train to Malmö (Skåne) to meet up with my family (the Swedish one). Mum and dad had traveled down to Malmö by car almost a week before. Martina and the girls joined a few days after that.

When I arrived to Malmö I wondered around the city astonished by the nice impression that the city gave me. I picked up a city map and saw a lot of things before I met the rest of the family.

Malmö is full of cosy small backyards like this one

...and interesting stores like this one

We headed home to Mattias' flat (Monikas' boyfriend) before we went to a restaurant where his mum (also called "Maggan") was wating. It was a very nice dinner that turned out to be a birthday party for all the lost birthdays through out the year. Martina and I got a facial treatment for the next day. Jippie!!!

"Princess" Matilda on her way to the ball

Maggan and Maggan

Dad, Monika and Martina leaving the restaurant. My dad with paper crown on his head!!!

The three princesses posing in front of what I thought was a plastic spaghetti pile (there was a festival in Malmö and here and there you could see some art on the street. My mum informed me that this was probably a giant "Spättekaka" (typical from Skåne))
The following morning Martina and I sneaked out and got almost an hour and a half for ourselfs. We had a "luxurous" breakfast and strolled around the city before it was my turn of being treated. It is sooooooo relaxing and you feel how your skin gets renewed.
My suggestion for activity of the day was a trip with "Rundan" a touristic boat that takes you around the canals of Malmö (I was surprised, I didn't know that there was so much water IN the city centre).

Our guide at "Rundan". You can see the University building in the background

Turning Torso from a very long distance. The architect of this building is the world known Santiago Calatrava from Valencia (Spain)

Monika and her friends Petter and Anton worked on the publicity for the festival of Malmö. Perhaps this is one of the texts of Anton.

Martina left with the girls around 17pm and then the rest of us: mum, dad, Monika and I started to move towards Älmhult, Småland (where Monika actually lives). After visiting a boat store and the grocery store we steered the to cars (my parents in one and Monika and I in the other one) northwards to Småland. It was wonderful to be able to sit down and talk to my sister without any external interruptions. Hmmmmm, after only 20 minutes the car started to make weird noises. After 30 more minutes we realized that the car didn't feel well at all and we decided to tow the car the last 32 kilometers. What an adventure, my dad and I in the towed car, the rain pouring down and dusk. When we finally got to Älmhult and Monikas' little rented house the magic weekend continued without any more incidents. We had a wonderful weekend together with walks in the beautiful nature, morning and evening dips in the lake (brrrr pretty cold but sooo good), delicious food (we had a crayfish party on Saturday), good wine, reading, resting etc...

Monika rowing on the seven seas. Her little house can be seen in the background. It houses one bedroom, living room, a small kitchen and a bathroom. What else can you want?

Oh yes, of course you a want an "adult cupboard" filled with good stuff

Family portrait in the woods

I learned that Monika is scared of cows. Could this be her only fear??? The stick is to scare the cows or perhaps hit them if they come too close.

The calm lake just before the evening dip. 1o degrees in the air and perhaps 18 in the water.

But as everthing else the good things come to an end and on Sunday night mum, dad and I drove up to Gothenburg. They continued to Östersund the day after.

This last week of vacation has passed by quickly but I feel that I'm preprared to go back to the routines.