This morning we're back in the town where I after the long flight finally got to get out of my bag and see my friends. We now have my papers Mom forgot in the suitcase, and later today I'm going to a veterinarian to get my passport.

My buddy Ove took my picture and if I may say so I'm very handsome.

Yesterday we parked under a gorgeous chestnut tree at a camper park. These are not the kind of chestnuts we eat, they aren't even related to real chestnuts, but are called so because of the similar seeds and fruits.

It has become more challenging to park boondocking in Sweden now. Despite the "all man right" law that Mom always praised so highly there are signs like this everywhere now.

Mom says it must be because too many people have taken advantage of that right so now you see signs and rocks like this to stop you from parking for the night. 

Oh well, parking at campsites gives you all kinds of service and it usually doesn't cost more than between $20-40 a night.

We stayed here because we wanted to see a friend of Moms that have classes to teach dogs to find mushrooms in the forest.

This clown is following us everywhere we go in Sweden, he sells icecream

Mom's friend Helena came with her Wilma, a very well-behaved lady and a not as well behaved Basse.

we went for a nice walk together and Helena had treats in a tube? it's a soft cheese and it's yummy. I'm hoping Mom learned something and buy it for me.

In the evening we went for a walk around this very small town which looked deserted. The population is 1900 so maybe that's not so strange. we took a walk through the town to see the many beautiful buildings from the late 1800s.  The town hall on the square in Malmköping is a beautiful landmark building from that period.

I had to run and check this out, it looked like one of Mom's paintings, it wasn't

In the morning we continued North and stopped to see a lady Mom knew from a long time ago. Mom knew Margaretha loves this fermented fish in a can, so Mom stopped and bought a can and all of the stuff that goes with it,

Let me tell you how that fish stinks.................nope I can't it's absolutely gross  so gross I decided to stay in Lucy

Well, that wasn't entirely true, I had to stay in Lucy because Margaretha has a cat that does not like dogs............What's wrong with Swedish cats????

After that lunch, I and Mom kept driving North and it was pouring rain all day long, but we made it to the city and our friend's place.

In Sweden when there's roadwork they put up a temporary light instead of guys standing around with a stopsign.

high tech huh?

They had fish for supper here too, but this one didn't smell bad and I did get a small taste, not bad but not a favorite. I was happy to see beer on the table but not as good as at Kevin's house........this beer was too strong tasting for me.

Mom says I shouldn't have any because I'm seeing the vet for my passport.

HA ha, what is he going to say about it? 

It's still raining and it's really becoming tiresome. Looking at the weather rapport it looks like it's going to get better closer to the weekend. We sure hope they're right about it because June 6 is Sweden's national day and a day to celebrate outdoors. 

Mom says if this keeps up we'll head down south as soon as I have my passport in my little paw.

Wet kisses to ya all

Henry

Good Monday morning, 

Yesterday was mothers day here in Sweden so there were pink cakes on the table, and as usual, I was right there looking for a taste. 

The pink stuff was strawberry mousse and pretty good, I could have eaten a whole one on my own but of course, I didn't get one. all I got was a tiny spoonfull .........

At noon we went to visit the youngest girl in the family that Mom stayed with as a puppy. There was so much to explore and yet another place where I can roam free...................I'm really starting to appreciate living in this country

 we also stopped in Karlsborg and the fortress which once upon a time was the reserve capital of Sweden.

Today, the fortress is a living defense facility, a residential area, and a very popular visitor destination.

When Sweden lost Finland to Russia in 1809 King Karl XIV Johan commissioned the construction to be a central defense with several purposes. In peacetime military equipment would be stored in the fortress. In wartime, the royal family, the government, The Riksbank's gold reserves, and the crown jewels would be kept safe here.

The fortress was a self-sufficient community with housing, schools, hospitals, and bank branches, protected by water from two sides.

We didn't go here, looked like there could be some scary stuff down there

most of the roads inside the fortress are cobblestones ...........it's regular round rocks that are almost impossible to walk on and it's a good thing Mom doesn't wear heels or she would have been in an ambulance by now.

almost home we stopped at the house where this little guy took me for a ride in his Volvo............I'm not sure why HE was afraid  I should be the one afraid since he was driving without keeping his hands on the steering wheel

He showed me his bouncy tent but didn't look very interesting to me

Back in Lucy for another good night of sleep and Mom cleaning everything, we are now ready to pack up and drive to the next place to ??? I guess I  find out when we get there

I have to say goodbye to Morris now, we didn't exactly make friends and that wasn't my fault he was a little stuck up if I may say so.

The weather is gorgeous blue skies and sunny and 60 degrees 

All is good

wet kisses to ya all

Henry

Yesterday Mom and her friend were bored just sitting inside looking at the rain so we went for a sightseeing ride.

First, we stopped a Stjernsund Castle which stands on a headland at the north end of Lake Vättern.

The trees lining the road up to the castle are impressive

Stjernsund Castle, with its clean lines, white plaster facades, and magnificent four-columned portico, was completed in 1808. The park was redesigned as an English landscape garden.

It is built in a restrained neoclassical style, it has unusually well-preserved interiors from the 1850s when the royal family owned the castle. We didn't go inside though 

In 1860, Stjernsund was sold to the Cassel family, who started a model farm, known for its cattle breeding and especially the Swedish Red-and-White breed (SRB). The last private owner, Augusta Cassel, died in 1951 and left the castle and its contents to Vitterhetsakademien. In 1965, Stjernsund Castle and its park were declared a listed buildings under what is now the Historic Environment Act

This is Mom's dream house and location

Many old houses have this kind of intricate scrollwork. Loosely translated it's called  "a carpenters happiness"

There is a chicken farm here now and a place to buy farm fresh eggs

They had a really old Volvo in there too, but I think the girls were more interested in that limo that stopped by to buy several flats of eggs.............who takes a limo to boy eggs? really?  

The sun almost made it for a few minutes...............we all cheered

Kullängsstugan is a timbered cottage that was built in 1693. The house is a good example of a dwelling house for a well-to-do framer during this time.

the old water tower in town is being rebuilt into apartments 

Next, we stopped at "Hembygdsgården" which was inaugurated in 1933 and consists of a number of houses that have been moved there from the areas around Askersund.

In one of the logs the year 1752 was carved but the house is believed to be even older because of certain building techniques it's believed to be from 1500

This is the customs house 1622 GustavII implemented a toll of 2% on all merchandise coming into the city

In this house lived a basket weaver with his wife and 13 cats................I bet was quite crowded in there and nowhere to hide

this is the chimney of the blacksmith home

Me and Mom are taking over the commanders house

Living in this place was all kind of really strange animals that I'd never seen before, none of them seemed very friendly to me so I ignored them. 

I really wanted to meet this pretty girl but she was so young and it was her first day away from her Mom so I wasn't let near her. Mom said it was because she wasn't vaccinated yet ...................oh well 

We had plans to drive today, but Mom's friend came up with yet another idea about a place to visit so we'll stay put another night.

I'll tell you all about that tomorrow.

Now it's bedtime 

wet kisses to ya all

Driving North and as we're turning into a very small village I notice a smile on Mom's face, but also sadness?

This place is called Olshammar and is another of Mom's puppy places with 237 inhabitants in 2015 and probably fewer now.

It's located on the west coast of Vättern and was one of the first areas in Sweden where industrial activities such as sawmills were started and is the livelihood of the village.

Olshammar is one of the oldest industrial areas of Sweden. There were brickworks here already in the 13th century. The mansion was situated further down into the garden, towards the south.
The brickworks was in operation up until 1922, an epoch of nearly 700 years. Munksjö AB bought Aspa Bruk in 1917 and started the construction of a sulfate factory, which is still in operation........when the wind is right it doesn't smell so good here 

The adjacent Olshammarsgården is the birthplace of Werner von Heidenstam, a poet and Nobel Prize winner. Here is a small museum in the poet's birthplace. If you walk around with a guide you can visit both and take a look at the boat museum next to the church

here is an eco-park with 250 islands, where canoes and boats can be rented at Aspa Boatclub. You can make a wonderful walk in the nature reserve. Take a dip in the crystal clear water of Vättern something my Mom will not do because she says the water is freezing.

you can also walk the ancient routes through Tiveden's mighty primeval forests, where the monks and the local inhabitants went before us.

Here you will also find great nature along the cliffs of Lake Vättern or in the forests around Lake Fagertärn, the origin of the red water lilies.

As we were walking along I finally understood the sadness on Mom's face. Here are 3 people that have been part of Mom's puppy years that she can't hug or talk to anymore.

In Sweden, it has become customary not having a stone on your grave, instead, their ashes are strewed in a place where you can place a flower, sit on a bench and reminisce about years past.

This place is so well raked it's almost like you don't want to walk on the paths to mess up the gravel

Behind the manor, there are "the twelve apostles", twelve huge lindens.
The lindens were planted in the 1820th in the shape of an arbor. From about 1860 the trees were allowed to grow freely. When it was noted that the arbor then consisted of twelve trees, they were named "the twelve apostles". There will always be just twelve. If any tree goes bad, it will be replaced by a new one.

Many beautiful manors with adjacent stables bear witness to once upon a time bustling commerce here. They are now turned into catering halls for weddings and other big events

As much as Mom hates smoke, she couldn't help wanting to get a whiff of the caretaker's pipe because again it triggered some puppy memories. Pipes tobacco does smell better than cigarettes but is still not very healthy.

In the afternoon Mom and her friend went into town for food shopping while I watched Lucy ( which means napping)

It's only about a 20 min drive and they soon came back with shrimp and a bunch of other stuff that I didn't get to taste much of.

Mom introduced making patty melts and after reading a magazine recipe they made grilled cabbage..............good stuff they said but I got nothing because Mom said my stomach was a little upset????? I haven't noticed ?

This town called Askersund will also get invaded with tourist as soon as it get a little warmer and the vacations start.

Rhododendrons are budding and soon flowers will be huge

The swallows are a sign of spring and and their tweeting is wonderful but very difficult to catch with a camera since they are expert acrobat flyers.

peeking into this old boathouse it was obvious they had taken over the place as their home..............poop everywhere 

Everything is really great we're both loving every second of being in the country and where a dog can roam free............well almost free. Apparently, some wild boars had visited the garbage cans last night, and Mom said I do not want to meet them head-on. 

I'll end today's rant with a translated poem by Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam (6 July 1859 – 20 May 1940) a Swedish poet, novelist, and laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1916. He was a member of the Swedish Academy from 1912.

He was born in one of the gorgeous manors.

"Ensamhetens tankar" (Thoughts of loneliness)

I long for home since eight long years.
In sleep itself I've felt longing.
I long for home. I long wherever I go
- but not for people! I long for the ground,
I long for the rocks where as child I played.

all is well, wet kisses 

Henry

When we arrived at the Swedish town nearest the Norweigan border Mom bought the medicine I have to take before crossing. For that, I had to see a veterinarian to get confirmation that I actually swallowed it.

This is the grin on Mom's face as we arrived at this town ??

I was of course wondering why and as it turned out Mom had a summer job on a steamboat here as a small puppy

She recognized the place where "her" boat used to anchor but so much has changed. She did ask some old men about it and was told that the ship does not exist anymore?  (I wonder how old Mom really is?)

The Scandic hotel is still there on top of the cliffs, but a much more modern boat is anchored where "Moms boat" was

When she lived here the shrimp boats came in from the sea at 5 am and she remembers meeting them and getting the treat of fresh warm shrimp as they were cooked on the boat on the way in. The seagulls that are looking for the shrimp heads are still here as loud as ever.

We parked and I found a kid with the freshest tastiest ears I ever had.

Now we need a veterinarian for me, and Mom is searching through Lucy to find my papers and as forgetful and scatterbrained as she is, she finally realized my papers are still in the suitcase left at my favorite place up north.

Yippeee I'm glad we're going there to see my friends and be free again..................

There's of course a chance that no one will know or want to see my papers, but Mom does not want to take a chance, so we turn around going North again.

Lucy is giving us trouble again, she's not being fed the correct amount of diesel (Mom's diagnosis)so she's coughing and spitting and can hardly make it up a hill. She really wants us to know how little she appreciated being left alone for 3 years.

We stopped at a gas station and Mom bought a bottle of cleaning stuff for the tank and after a while, it did the trick.

I wish Lucy could be more forgiving and accept we couldn't come sooner

She's still keeping us warm and dry though

The ice-cold wind and all the rain is not fun even though Mom bought me a really nice raincoat...........

We stopped and had supper at a rest stop and slept great as the rain hitting the roof is lulling us to sleep 

Continuing north we stopped at yet another place Mom lived as a puppy and here we got an expert looking at Lucy and he said she's ok now.

Mom's friend has a cute cat that I wanted to meet but she didn't exactly welcome me?

Her friend Birgitte had  lots of goodies in her fridge, and she's sneaking me a lot of them when she thinks  Mom isn't looking

Now I get to run again but everything is soaking wet and it's cold 

It's raining cats and dogs says, Mom????  I'm looking around and have no idea what she's talking about???? all I see is wet wet wet cold cold cold rain

We went to bed early again listening to the rain on the roof which is the best sleeping pill according to Mom.

It's now 7 AM and we see blue skies and gorgeous sun.........................AMAZING 

It's not supposed to last, so we better get out and take advantage of it while it lasts.

Wery wet kisses to ya all

Henry

Good morning all, yesterday we arrived at Grebbestad a small fishing village on the west coast. The population is around 1500 but during the summer months, it increases tenfold. 

The town is also the harbor where the majority of Norweigan lobsters and oysters are landed

We're only 2 hours drive from Oslo Norway and we're both hoping the rain will stop but it doesn't look promising.

After parking at a gorgeous campsite (so Mom can do laundry) we climbed up on the cliffs for a view over the North Sea

 
    I love the bed under the roof it's a great spot to keep an eye on everything. There's a window on each side so no one can come close to Lucy without me knowing it. Mom thinks it's good that I warn her but she says it's ok if people just walk by..........from my point of view I'm not so sure I still let her know by growling a little.

Many people live here all summer and have built patios around their campers. Unfortunately no one was home here 

many have gorgeous gardens and lots of flowers grow wild. Mom's favorite Lilly of the valley that she used to pick as a puppy is now protected.

Kerstin's flower pot interested Mom, easy to make and could sell for???? 

Because of all the rain, we left camp and drove to a shopping center only 10 min away to fill the fridge  

I had to stay in Lucy which is ok with me now since this is my home and I feel very secure.

there was a candy store with 450 different candies to pick and fill a bag. Mom used every ounce of willpower and walked out without buying.

Outside was a stand selling strawberries from Belgium. Mom ignored them at first because they looked so small, but the guy reached out to make Mom taste one and she said they were the sweetest berries she ever tasted. 

I too wanted to taste but wasn't impressed I spit mine out.

there were some really cool statues at this mall

Back at the campsite, we took a nap. Mom calls it reading a book but that lasts for about 5 min. and then she's napping with me too.

Around 9 pm it finally stopped raining, so we decided to go for a long walk to the town that seemed completely deserted

  .

on the walkway, these words are printed, translated to "we share space and get along here" 

It's hard to believe that in a few weeks this place will be completely packed with tourists

a gorgeous wooden boat that sails around the archipelago with tourists

this house is for sale, and we peeked in the windows and noticed it's just a shell, in other words, a handyman special.

fishermen boats and their nets

 the temperature doesn't invite a swim. Mom says she would never swim in the North sea anyway.....too cold for her

We got back to camp around 11 and we both went to bed and slept very well as always.

Mom is still undecided about what to do because of the weather but I do think we'll be in Norway next..

Malkom is guarding town but I think he need to move around more, stuff is growing on him

all is well wet kisses from Henry

It was time to say goodbye to our new friends and continue our trip. Mom's plan about driving Norway north has changed and we'll head south instead because it's cold as hell now. We sleep extremely well with me under the covers breathing hot air on Mom, but it stinks getting up in the morning. Lucy has a heater that works well, but Mom doesn't want to sleep with it on since she's a little worried about propane.................(.there have been horror stories in the news)

We drove through lots of farmland before we got to the big road. Plenty of rapeseed fields that are bright yellow and gorgeous, but don't smell so good.

Rapeseed, also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains appreciable amounts of erucic acid. Canola is a group of rapeseed cultivars that were bred to have very low levels of erucic acid and are especially prized for use as human and animal food. Rapeseed is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and the second-largest source of protein meal in the world.

It's also used as diesel fuel, either as biodiesel, straight in heated fuel systems, or blended with petroleum distillates for powering motor vehicles. Biodiesel may be used in pure form in newer engines without engine damage and is frequently combined with fossil-fuel diesel in ratios varying from 2% to 20% biodiesel.

Lilac is also flowering and the scent is so strong it makes Mom's head spin

we stopped at a parking place for RVs in a small town called Trollhättan

There are many beautiful walking paths along the channel so we walked for hours despite the soft rain, which later cleared up and got sunny. 

the dandelions manage to grow without much dirt.

we are walking by Göta Canal which was one of the largest civil engineering projects ever undertaken in Sweden. The canal stretches from Sjötorp on Lake Vänern to Mem on the east coast. It has a length of 190 kilometers (118 miles)and a total of 58 locks. Of this distance, 87 kilometers (54miles) were dug by hand. 

The Göta Canal was largely built by 58,000 billeted soldiers from 16 different regiments. During the 22 years building was in progress, about 60,000 men, including a company of Russian deserters and a number of civilian workers, worked a total of approximately 7 million man-days, each of 12 hours. Most of the canal was excavated by hand using iron-shod wooden spades. Work mainly consisted of digging, blasting, and dressing stone.

This means you can go from Gothenburg to Stockholm without having to sail around the tip of Sweden.

Göta Canal is one of the largest construction projects ever in Sweden.
Charter: King Karl XIII greenlighted the project
Commissioned by: Baltzar von Platen
Constructions started: 1810
Completed: 1832

As early as the sixteenth century, the renowned Bishop Brask of Linköping proposed a canal across Sweden from the Baltic to the North Sea. Plans for such a waterway were discussed many times before Baltzar von Platen finally transformed them into reality in the early 19th century

On 26 September 1832 Göta Canal was inaugurated at Mem (a small town with access to the Baltic Sea)amid great pomp and circumstance in the presence of King Karl XIV and his family

Throughout the 19th century, the Göta Canal continued to be a very important transport route for both goods and passengers. However, the canal never achieved the long-term importance that Baltzar von Platen had expected. The railways, and later on road traffic, gradually took over its role. Instead, the Göta Canal later became one of Sweden's most popular and well-known tourist attractions

I thought for sure I would have to drag Mom up these steep hills, but she did ok despite a lot of huffing and puffing 

Mom got so nervous every time I wanted to look over the side? just because she's scared of hights it shouldn't mean I have to be scared too?

The chestnut trees are flowering, not sure if it's the kind we eat though

These statues were called "Italian night"? not sure how the artist came up with that? All of them seem to have gotten used to cold temperatures in Sweden except one of them since he got his cape on.

 well, we're now waiting for a friend to help install the faucet and then I have to go to a veterinarian? 

Mom says I need a passport before we can leave Sweden..................I hope it doesn't hurt.

All is well

wet kisses Henry

Good morning all, it's incredible how well we both sleep in Lucy. The temperature is down to 47F and lucky for us, the heater works great. (maybe Lucy will be kind to us the rest of the trip)

For lunch, Mom fried some blood pudding and it didn't look that great, but it really was. Normally they are served with bacon but Mom doesn't want to fry bacon in Lucy because of the smell. Lingonberries goes with everything says Mom

in the evening it was bbq time and Mom was invited to have moose steak and according to her, it was delicious.  She totally forgot about me but felt guilty later and gave me some treats. 

Don't understand how she could forget after all I've done to keep her warm?

The games continued and Mom was confident her team had done great. there was another quiz and the finale was rubberboot throwing. 

   as it turned out they came in fourth due to a smaller mishap with the boot throwing.

The evening turned out great lots of laughs and saluting with glasses held high

I thought it was mostly noise and looked for my own entertainment and found this guy with the most delicious ears. 

I gave him a good licking as deep as I could get my tongue.

Unfortunately, Mom didn't drink beer this evening so I didn't get anything to wash it down with.

Today we're saying goodbye to our new friends and we'll be driving to the closest city from here to buy Lucy a new faucet ................................after that, she'll be completely healed..................

Hopefully

All is well Henry