Trönö

The days run together. Sunday. At home we would be having coffee with Meet the Press, Face the Nation and George Stephanopolis. Here, we have coffee with sugar cubes, muesli and fil and smiles with Solveig and Birger.

We rush off to Elisabeths for Internet and work for Karli. Hans will go back today to Gävle. We have been watching on the news about the BIG goat they have erected for the holidays there. As tradition, they burn it. I doubt if it will make the news back home, but it definitely is all over the airwaves and newspapers here.

While Karli is working, we go to this local shopping center, Coop, ICA and Lindex, etc. We shop around just to see the Swedish products. There are so many interesting items. For instance, they sell sparks here! And a little appliance that is a countertop appliance that is a combination of a convection oven and a 2 burner stove. There is one whole aisle just for birdhouses. Candy and cereal aisles dominate as well.

We find it difficult to use our credit card everywhere in Sweden. Smaller shops do not seem to have the ability to process our card. In Sweden you use a code word, much like our pin numbers. But our pin numbers do not work in the system so we always instruct the clerk that we must sign for that reason. Showing your ID is always required. Most places are set up so we sign for the transaction. Larger stores like, ICA, IKEA, Hemköp, Hand M, and most restaurants, are able to let you sign and all is OK. However, if the store only has the system set up for the pin numbers only and not for signing, you are stuck. In that case, you go find an ATM and get money out. ATMs accept our pin numbers. ATMs are plentiful so we were never without a solution.

We have coffee at the cafe within the center. Since the custom of Fika is a tradition for all of Sweden, we can always count on a cafe close by that serve wonderful pastries, cafeteria style with self serve coffee. Often they serve a daily special for hot food. Hot food begins at the noontime meal. You always see a rolling tray rack at the side. Swedes clean their tables and put their trays of dishes on the rack. Oh, one more thing, if you order from a server rather than the cafeteria style, you have to ask for the bill. They do not bring it automatically, like here in the U.S. I do not think they tip here either. We have asked several relatives and they say no tipping.

We pick up Karli from her study time at Elisabeths and head for Trönö. It is further than we think. We follow the signs to Trönö and then Tygsta. We think we have without a doubt gone too far and once again, find ourselves at Gösta and Astrids road!

Besides Gösta and Astrid, Stig and Sonja, and Inger and Ungve are there. Janne and Eva come later. Janne comes in with ice crystals on his hair, they walked from their house in minus 7 degree weather!

Creme Fraiche and lax paj for appetizer.

Dinner is fabulous, just like the company. Moose, potatoes, peas and carrots, cabbage salad, green salad and persimmons are the meal. We eat at 2 tables. Karli of course socializes then goes to their study to work on her paper. It is sad that she has a major assignment that is the culminating project of her class due after the vacation! Reading a classic Swedish novel is hard enough but writing an analytical paper with a thesis in SWEDISH seems incredibly difficult! She has such high standards for herself in the U. S. and those standards are just as high for her studies here.

We have glass with hallon (ice cream and raspberries) and cookies and coffee. Since we have arrived the conversation has been of politics, Obama, social issues, woodpiles and rock walls. I can pick up the main ideas of the dialog and of course, Arvids part of the whole thing. It is great fun. We take a photo of all of us.

Forgot to say that we were missing Marianne tonight. She has back problem that started on Christmas. She is in the hospital in Hudiksvall. We will drive to see her on our way to Östersund. We of course, are missing Lennart as well, who passed away this year. What dear people these are. This was a special evening with special people. The Trönö relatives and so great. We could never come to Sweden without visiting in Hälsingland for this reason. If McCain had been elected, Hälsingland would have gained 2 more inhabitants, namely us! The people here and the way of life is just about perfect. Thank you Gösta and Astrid for your wonderful get together. Looking forward to some of you coming our way again. Marta and Ray hope so too! I will send the photo of all of us together to them.

We snatch Karli from her studies and head home. The snow is absolutely glistening. It is uncanny how much it sparkles. I wish we could capture it on film.

We find Solveig and Birger in the living room in front of their big screen T.V. We watch a movie this time: First Wives Club with Swedish subtitles. Solves the language barrier! Tomorrow we go to Ellas!