Scandinavian Road Trip - Days 34-39: Visiting Friends

After 5 weeks on the road, sleeping in the car most days, rarely staying in the same place for more than one night, and covering nearly 6500 kilometers across the wilds of Norway and Sweden, we all needed little vacation within a vacation. This rest came in the form of visits with two sets of friends in Sweden. First, we made a surprise visit to our friends from Singapore on whose island near Stockholm we had stayed on last year en route to Latvia. We paid them a surprise visit, arriving unannounced on their dock and calling out and waving to them, hoping that they would spot us. Our few days on the island, Svanholmen, were fantastic and the boys had a chance to play with their old friends, giving us the chance to sit and rest and enjoy the World Cup final by the water -- a very unique experience! From there, we drove a couple hours west of Stockholm to Norrkoping and the tiny, historic lakeside village of Hultsbruk, known for its 300 year old axe factory, to visit some friends we met in Latvia who had just moved back to Sweden. Again, the few days here were amazingly relaxing giving us the chance to chat with these friends while Rai and Ko played with their friend. Spending a few days like this was a great way to finish up our trip and get some rest before returning home to Latvia. It also gave us a chance to appreciate Sweden in a different way, something that we are grateful for.