Sweden Road Trip 2006- Day 7

This morning was a slow morning. That is one of the best things about this trip- the slow mornings. We actually did not manage to get out of there until after 10. It was more my fault really. I forgot the keys to the hostel, so I was stuck outside for about 15 minutes. I could see M doing the dishes in the kitchen, but she never looked out the window. The Kivik youth hostel has been one of the best ones thus far on the trip. I could see coming back in the summer for a week in this area, or at the very least a very long weekend.

We headed south along the coast for a little while. The sea was actually there today, since the wind had finally died down. This whole area seems to be really nice, which is pretty surprising. I do not know anyone who has lived in or even travels to and around Skåne. So I was not sure what to expect. Part of me thought that it would be beautiful, after all we are traveling along the coast. The other part of me thought that it would be ugly, since that is all I have heard (not from M). Parts of today was not the prettiest on the trip, very flat and boring, but other parts have been some of the prettiest I have seen in Sweden.

One of the towns that we passed through was the town of Sjöbo. It is interesting what different towns are famous for. This town is famous for the fact that the Swedish Democrats are popular. I am not sure how popular they are in a percentage, but I would say about 20%. The Swedish Democrats are known as the fascist political party here in Sweden. They are more popular in Skåne then any other part of Sweden, not sure why that is.

Sweden, as most countries, has a true dialect for different areas. I am no expert in it and neither is M. I can usually guess an area- north, south, east or west. Skåne has to be the easiest though. They speak normal Swedish with a potato in their mouth. By far the most difficult to understand for an immigrant. The other dialect which is very distinct, but until this summer I had never really heard a true one is the Dalarna dialect. We listened to a radio program this summer with a Swedish explorer from Falun. One of the first things that I asked M was if he was an immigrant. She was quick to point out that it was in fact a Dalarna dialect that he was speaking with and not a immigrant one.

Other then spending quality alone time with M and N, the national park today is my favorite. It has been called the “Grand Canyon of Sweden” in our Swedish travel magazine. The canyon was very cool, but it is no Grand Canyon. So far this trip, we really have not seen any color in the trees. Today that changed. The forest was a blend of yellow, green, brown and red. The park felt as though it would be perfect in the fall. I am sure that it would be nice anytime of the year, but I am guessing that it is the prettiest during this time of year. I could totally imagine coming back here every fall for a long weekend if it was not so far. The national park was actually crowded. It is the first place that we have been to thus far on the trip that we were not the only people there. Kind of nice, but at the same point it has been nice being the only ones there.

Tonight’s hostel is really nice. We are alone, of course. The house is used as a nature school in the summer. It is well decorated and seems to be very nice. The convenience to the park does not get any better. All one has to do is cross over a little stream and you are there. Also, it has a TV in the room. Not the best thing, but it is still kind of nice (M hated it).