Pio Country Club Halmstad

... it to Sweden!!! Kenny decided that as we had not got any stamps in our passport in Denmark, he would try to get a stamp for Jasper in Sweden. Success with baby in tow! The Swedish Customs guys said they didn't do this normally however we weren't to tell anybody. I think Jasper being all cute broke down their tough exterior but I still think they thought he was slightly nutty!

As we arrived in Sweden, the weather started to brighten and the rain stopped ...

The weekend has been so relaxing! It's my first time to go to a Spa-hotel and I thought it was liberating to be able to go around wearing robes ;) massage, gym, sauna+freezing cold ocean+hot tub, swimming pool and the food was delish... I really have no complains at all!

... the wheels that we were going to use for portages and a small drysack with all the stuff that we needed throughout the day (stuff like chocolate), the waterproof speaker + iPod and waterproof camera. It took us ages to put the tent up for the first time in about a month but it was amazing to sit around the camp fire at last. 8th July - This was the first full day of canoeing. It wasn't nearly as exhausting as I though it would be.

... and generally relaxed as hell. Fantastic. We'll stay here until Saturday when we take an overnight train to Berlin. Of course some of you will immediately recognise that Halmstad is the home town of everyone's favourite Swedish pop band, Roxette. It's surrounded by beautiful forests and coastline, all of which we've been chauffured, chauffeured, driven around to see. None of this, of course, makes for an interesting blog entry.

STOCKHOLM The Ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn was fun. Leaving Malmo was no small task. We do not use maps, we sort of head in the right direction and then stop and ask for directions. (I know how this goes against the grain if you are a guy) but it seems to work. Eventually we found the highway and it was a very beautiful drive. Seems that Sweden is flat in the southern part, then has trees and ...

We've gotten snow for the past few days, which adds a level of difficulty to our task. For one, nasty, uneven terrain lies in wait under a smooth blanket of snow. Each step has the potential to send your leg to the bottom of a 12" deep pocket of water, or into a hole between roots and rocks. So walking around can be a challenge, particularly when carrying a ...

... which is rare as well. I had my first 'close call' today. I was rooting a tree which is the process of cutting a fallen tree loose from it's root cluster. These root clusters can be up to 20 feet tall and consist of roots, dirt, moss, ice, etc. When you cut through the tree, it falls to the ground and the cluster either stays vertical because itäs frozen in place, or it will fall one ...

... museums or anything, just a good example of a typical Swedish city. I took a jaunt south to Varberg, where I heard there was "some of the best surfing and windsurfing" in Norther Europe. It was a beautiful day and I was ready to surf! The town is small and pretty cool, lots of outdoor hikes etc to offer, but once I eventually found the bay for surfing...I was disappointed!! there were windsurfers, but the waves were definitely not for surfing.. oh well.

... of few chairs, a stove, and a cat. A girl with parsnip-coloured hair came in and laid a bill of fare before us. There might have been the some thirty or forty articles named in it; but as they were for the most part things I'd never heard of, I asked my companion to make the selection, having full confidence in his judgement. He selected a very long word, called it out, and added an order for bread and potatoes. In a short time the aforesaid girl brought in two plates, on ...

... the tan. We followed Tadek's instructions - train followed by ferry. We looked around the ferry and noticed that the Scandies were drinking gin in a can. I had to try some!! David bought some for me and I was hooked! Gin was my new best friend. Goodbye Sangria! I staggered off the ferry into an awaiting bus. Luckily it was going to Viken. We got off the bus and the heavens opened. Bugger! We hadn't had rain since Korcula! We managed to find the accommodation Tadek had booked ...