It hasn't been easy to get Mom to help me with my story, because now Mom got a book that completely mesmerized her. The author is from her puppy town and the story is about a woman's life and struggles to live in Northern Sweden from 1896 to 1985.

Not only does she read the book, but she also found (according to her) the best yarn store in Sweden and couldn't resist starting a project

So now you understand how neglected I've felt right?

Anyway, today I put a big guilt trip on Mom so here we are at yet another marina by the Baltic Sea and it's so peaceful and quiet here so she promised we'll stay two nights.

With mixed feelings, we left her Puppytown and started the drive south on European route E4, which passes from north to south along the coast from the border with Finland, with a total length of 1,590 kilometers (990 mi)

Mom says this is the most boring road in the world, she says she knows every bend, hill, dip, house, lake, village town tree, and bush ..................well those last ones may be a slight exaggeration. 

Usually, as of lately she never stops in the towns but decided to change that and see if there have been as many changes in these towns as in her hometown. 

The first stop 121 miles south was Örnsköldsvik, It's a natural harbor and archipelago in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area. It is well known as an exporter of pulp and paper products and heavy machinery goods. It has a strong environmental record and is the "testbed" for ethanol-powered cars.

Traces of human activity in the Örnsköldvik area date back to the Nordic Bronze Age.

Main Street was exactly the same, and the ski jump tower is still there, the park is the same

The cranes at the harbor looked the same as did the statue of the “Peasant sellers from the North”

The Bank is still there, but Mom was wondering what they do there now because almost no one uses cash in Sweden anymore.. we found a free coffee stand and somebody must really like cheeseburgers here

Sit down in the sun and have a cup of coffee it's on me, says the Chef 

This apartment building has been here a few years and is impossible to miss as you drive south. This architect must have had a very playful day. Most balconies in the North have glass enclosures so they can be used on cooler days. 

We call them  "senior incubators"

We parked at the marina in the middle of the city and had a very good night 

Early morning fog 

The following day we only drove 75 miles but made a stop at The High Coast Bridge. It was at the opening in 1997 the world's ninth-longest suspension bridge, with 1800 meters. (5900 feet) The bridge is also one of Sweden's tallest structures with bridge piers extending 180 meters above the water. 

This is a sure sign of fall, it's rowan berries, and like with lots of wild berries, the bitter, astringent taste is said to be improved after frost, which helps make the fruit sweeter. Rowan berries should not be eaten raw as they are highly astringent, diuretic, and laxative due to high levels of sorbic acid. They must be processed/cooked for human consumption. fresh rowan berries have historically been used as a laxative.

Sundsvall is our next stop, which is not only dominated by the pulp and paper industry,
The city has burned down and been rebuilt four times. The first time, in 1721, it was set on fire by the Russian army during the Russian Pillage of 1719-1721.

Swedish industrialism started here when a sawmill bought a steam-engine-driven saw in 1849. The first large Swedish strike was the "Sundsvall strike" in 1879. The industrial heritage makes social democrat sympathies more prevalent in the Sundsvall region than in Sweden as a whole.
In 1888 on 25 June, strong wind and dry conditions contributed to two city fires in Sweden on the same day. On this day both Umeå and Sundsvall caught fire. The Sundsvall fire was the largest in Sweden's history. It is presumed that the fire was caused by a spark from a steamship. After the fire, the decision was to rebuild using stone. Sundsvall's center was later nicknamed Stenstaden (the stone city). One advantage of the new construction was that within three years the town was arguing that it should be allowed reduced insurance as new rules had been brought in that applied to wooden towns. One disadvantage was that after the fire only the better off could afford to live in the centre

A personal favorite is the Hirschska house and on top of one of the towers is a dragon that was supposed to protect the city from fires

The dragon later served as inspiration when the municipality added colorfully painted dragons  placed along the streets to represent the different businesses. I liked the policeman

A natural meeting point "See you at the statue!" The classical Sundsvall landmark is the Statue of Gustaf II Adolf which was placed here in 1911.

It says we are proud of our history but most of all we are curious what the future will bring

 Vängåvan fountain, nestled in the park with the same name, was completed two years before the fire of 1888 and later restored. An intricate creation referencing Sundsvall’s natural timber resources, it features a slew of animals including bears, dolphins, and lions. The distinctly non-Swedish family of animals (aside from the bear) is a nod to Renaissance symbolism.

On top of this building, Mom noticed a very interesting sundial. It was cloudy so she couldn't tell if it showed the correct time.

This city has many gorgeous pots with beautiful plants that unfortunately will not last much longer when the cold winter sets in    

The beautiful old train station has now become a restaurant and a new modern one has been built a block away

Once again we were parked at the city marina and had only a few steps to get into the main street

look at this stone dog I met on our morning walk, he made pawprints before he got stoned?

After the morning walk, we drove 185km (115 miles) to a very small fishing village and once again parked at a marina.

Hopefully, Mom keeps her promise to stay here for two nights but tomorrow will tell.

It's very nice here lots of great walks and from what I can smell a very nice fish restaurant.

Mom is boiling potatoes now, so I guess we are eating in tonight 

Life is great 

Henry

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