The journey

Something looks a little fake about this picture, doesn't it? I will let you in on a little secret about it. But first let me tell you about why I love it. Beautiful fall colors aside, I love this picture because it was taken in Trollhättan, Sweden. It was our first big trip together when we were just dating, and we had so much fun exploring Sweden and Norway together! I remember the moment vividly. We were at the top of a channel in a lock system - you can kind of see some water next to my head, that was a level or two down from where we were. Just as our friend Tom was about to take the picture a small gust of wind blew my hair into my face, so I quickly tried to brush it away before the camera clicked (you can see my hand behind Mark's shoulder, which wasn't quick enough to beat the camera.)

The trip came about because Tom, a good friend of Mark's from college, was on a long assignment in Sweden for work. It worked out perfectly: Tom welcomed visitors and offered to let us stay with him, and we were excited for the opportunity to see him and visit a few Scandinavian countries while we were at it.

During our 10 day trip we took a few days to do Norway in a Nutshell, an informal tour of the country which allows one to "experience the scenic Bergen Railway, the breathtaking Flåm Railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the narrow Nærøyfjord and the steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva." (Got all that?) Basically, it's a chain of train, bus, and ferry rides that take visitors to some of the most beautiful areas of the country where they can stay to explore, or hop onto the next leg of the trip. Time- and money-wise, we did it as economically as possible by scheduling the longest train ride for nighttime and only spending up to a few hours at each stop. We each had a backpack with a change of clothes and minimal toiletries; Mark had the camera and I had my journal. Some favorite moments include stopping at a grocery store along the way to pick up some bakery bread, local cheese, and sliced ham for a picnic on one of the shorter afternoon train rides; taking a ferry through the magnificent fjords; the scary bus ride up a treacherous winding mountain road on a rickety bus with fellow visitors from all corners of the globe.

This trip is also the first time I ever attempted driving a car with a manual transmission. How many people get to say they learned to drive a stick shift in a brand new Saab convertible in the Swedish countryside with two really awesome guys? It was on a weekend road trip the three of us took to Stockholm, where we visited the Vasa, the royal palace, Gamla Stan, and more.

While Tom was at work one day, Mark and I decided to visit Läckö Castle . We hopped on an afternoon train, then took a bus - which was a city bus that also happened to be taking local elementary school kids home, so an added benefit was taking the "scenic" route. As much as I loved the touristy stuff, I also really enjoyed seeing how and where the residents lived. Tom's flat was in a rather urban area on a river and had many tall buildings but little green space, while this bus took us by fields and farmhouses where you could see for miles. Both were beautiful and interesting in their own way.

While boarding the bus we had asked the driver if he was going to Läckö, pronouncing it "Lacko" as most Americans might. We soon found that he didn't speak English, and that we were horribly butchering the name of this castle. After some confused looks and repeated attempts, I think Mark showed him the word written down somewhere and he said "Ahhh! Lahckuhhhr." We both tried repeating it, but he shook his head and said it again. "Lahckuhhhr." Mark and I looked at each other, "Lacker?" Anybody listening in to the conversation must have been thoroughly amused at the tourists trying to pronounce this word, thinking they were getting close when really we were probably a million miles away from being close. He was a nice guy, and gave us a motion when we finally made it to the appropriate stop for the castle. He motioned that it was just up the road, so we started walking. And walking. And walking. It must have been a few miles before we even saw it, but with Mark it was an enjoyable hike. We stopped at one point to say hi to some horses near the fence just a few feet from the road, and took another picture that I really like (can you believe this was so long ago that we were using a film camera? That one hasn't been scanned in yet.) Long story short, by the time we got to the castle, it was closing for the day. Bummer! But I still see this afternoon as a highlight of the trip, because Mark and I were enjoying each others' company and having a good time.

It's all about the journey, not the destination, right?

So back to the picture at the top. The beautiful September colors, the scattered clouds in the Photoshopped sky...yes, it's the sky that's fake. It was a beautiful day, but the sky looked gray and bland so Mark found this sky and worked his magic. Not too shabby, if you ask me! Although I personally like the picture either way, because really my favorite part is that we're together.