Sweden, Day 9: Bollnäs, Gävle, & all points between

Today was a holiday in every sense of the word. Our Swedish colleague, Åke, picked me up at 9 & we headed first up a 'mountain' (not exactly what we would call it in BC but everything is relative). Somewhere near the top we went for coffee at a sort of lodge, which looked like it could have been situated (except for all the signs in Swedish) anywhere in rural/remote Canada. There was chain saw art, rustic furniture, stuffed owls, various types of fur traps, & the inevitable candy that looks like moose droppings. Upstairs the coffee bar menu was so incredible that I took a picture. I can't check the camera at this moment but I can remember off the top of my head that the list included roast beaver, bear sausage, & something to do with reindeer. Åke & I split a sandwich that included smoked moose heart. I am not making this up!

I have been quite surprised at just how 'wild' Sweden can be. All of the animals listed on the café menu (& many more) are found in the Swedish bush. The lodge had a couple of maps with differently-coloured pushpins to indicate sightings of the various species. It was amazing to see not only how many bears have been sighted in the area but also how significantly the sightings have increased in recent years. Apparently one can also see wolverines, wolves, foxes, lynx, & some sort of grouse that looks as big as a wild turkey.

After fika we headed back down the hill & took the highway to Gävle. Gävle is a city of about 120,000 & is the economic centre for the province of Hälsingland. We checked out the museum, walked around town a bit, & went for lunch. Afterwards, we idled back to Bollnäs on the old highway which follows the coastline more closely. Later we took a quick (quick!!!) spin around the Ljusnan area & in the evening our whole Bollnäs group met at Annalise's place for supper.

I can't remember the last time I played the part of the tourist like this. It really was fun. Tomorrow we head to the Komvux in Bollnäs so it should be a bit more like work.