The weather has been horrid. Rain, rain, go away, ciaralira wants to play… We stayed Monday and Tuesday night in Vaxjo at an odd little hotel that locked the door at 6. Tuesday was spent in the Emigrant Museum, which was short on exhibits but made up for it with an impressive research library. My mother searched the records for her ancestors, while I read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle. It was much, much shorter than I remember it, but just as good. I read it in about an hour, and was faced with the prospect of five more days, including another loooong plane ride, with only one more book. Ack!

The drive from Vaxjo, on the eastern side of Sweden, south to Karls-something-or-other (left), along the coast west to Lund, was lovely. We had lunch in the aforementioned city of Karl, famous for its 17th century naval architecture, and while its coastal views were nice, it didn’t stand out in my mind like Stockholm and Lund did. Lund was a beautiful university town full of bikes and cobblestone streets and old architecture, pretty little pedestrian thoroughfares and cafes and fashionable shops. We stayed in another funny little hotel with a tiny room and a bathroom in the hallway, that served breakfast in bed.

At dinner my mother struck up a conversation with the couple at the table next to us. They were architects and were able to tell us about the repressive planning regulations that keep Sweden so rural and picturesque. Apparently they plan for the good of the whole at the expense of the individual, but it looks a hell-of-a-lot nicer than American sprawl. I, as usual, contributed little to the conversation. My mummy told me never to talk to strangers. Ha!

Tags: Lund, Sweden, travel, Vaxjo, Vaxjo Emigrant Museum