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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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On through Sweden to a small town called Tanumshede. We drove for approximately 5 hours; the time flying as Jeanette and I caught up on the last year and a half. The land was very rolling and interspersed with charming little farmhouses. We stopped a couple times for snacks or fuel and it was a good opportunity for me to listen to the local language. Swedish sounds rather different from Danish to my American ears, even though there are many similarities in the languages. Swedish is rather singsongy and rises and lowers in pitch, much like a Mozart concerto. I also noted the differences in the cars. Cars in the US tend to be designed more for their look, then for any practical means. They are sleek and generally small, or boxy and huge with large tires as if to intimidate. Here, the cars are mostly small, but there is more space from their generally boxy appearance. They seem rather funny looking to my eyes, but are rather practical. It's rare to see a pickup truck here; I've seen 2 so far, both of them were pickup trucks for construction sites. I have yet to see any automatics.
We arrived at the Bed & Breakfast early evening. Nestled in between rocks and the forest, there was a large, Victorian-looking home with two barn-like buildings around it. These outer buildings were set up as rooms and suites for the patrons. Ours was a cute little building, right up against the rocks on it's own. When you walk inside, there is a decent sized bathroom with a stand up shower, then a small living area with a sink and a stove and two chairs, then a separate sleeping area with two beds. We settled down for the night, watching a movie on my laptop. There was even wireless Internet there!
The next morning, we headed out early after a nice breakfast inside the house, to catch the morning ferry to Norway. The ferry is a nice opportunity for locals to take some time from their commute and buy duty-free goods as well as socialize during the two hour sail. While my friend napped, I wandered around the boat, caught between wanting to stand outside, the wind and sea spray in my face, or inside where the shopping and people were. I settled on a mixture, back and forth between the two.
From the landing, it was about 4 hours, winding through beautifully carved rocks, jutting from every possible corner, hill, or mountain. Carved by glaciers millions of years ago. I have yet to drive more than a minute without seeing beautiful rocks in Norway. There are tons of huge, jagged quartz veins tearing through the rocks everywhere you look, as well as mica-rich rocks that glitter as the headlights strike the faces of them.
And then, we arrived in Lillesand. An adorable little village, all white, on the harborside.
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Tessarosa512 says:
I'm glad to hear you are having so much fun and doing so many very cool things! The ferry ride sounds absolutly wonderful and reminds me of the time I was on a ferry in the San Juan Islands...