March 2019: 06 June 2013

06 June 2013

The month of June is the beginning of summer and has the longest day on the 21^st. This is the month of which I was born back in 1946 on the 9^th of June. It is also “Father’s Day” month. But most importantly it is the month which we have planned for one year.

Last year I asked Dawn and I talked about visiting her sister Constance Christine Taow in England and then travel to Sweden to visit with our relatives we have never met. As a result of all the planning it took effect this month. In addition, Sarah Taow, Dawn’s niece also planned to visit her mother the same month. In combining our trips we added Scotland to the itinerary as well. And I might add, we were delighted with Scotland.

Sarah and Christine met up with us as Dawn and I flew into Edinburgh the same day they arrived from England. We were in Scotland for three full days. The history and lore came to life as we visited the Edinburgh Castle, Mansion, and other parts surrounding the major city. Golfing was also a must since this is the country that gave birth to the sport. Dawn and I were within walking distance of Portobello Golf Course from the Straven Guest House by the bay.

The Witchery Restaurant , the double decker tour bus, the Britanica (Queen’s boat), the Scotsmen in kilts, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Abby and mansion were terrific. Plus the people are friendly and helpful where ever we traveled. This was a great adventure.

Next we flew back to England to stay with Christine on Lakenheath AFB. We spent a week in the home of the Willies. They were on leave to the states. So we made ourselves comfortable in their home. Great quarters for AF officers family. While in England we toured the area of our residence. Dawn and I would visit places while Christine worked. We spent a day walking the Lakenheath Fen.The entire area was once a swamp. It has been drained with the help of the Dutch. The peat moss soil is so rich the crops are amazing. One day we drove to Cambridge and rented bicycles. We biked through the town with thousands of others as well as traveled through the country side on the well-developed bicycling trails. Unfortunately, Dawn discovered that biking through a cattle crossing can be dangerous. She injured her left jaw as her head hit a steel post when her bike tire got stuck in the crossing.

Christine had purchased ticket to the ballet “Swan Lake” in London. We drove to Cambridge then caught the train to Kings Cross in town. Before the ballet we visited the London Natural History Museum and Art Museum. Amazing places!!! We walked right by the LDS church in the center of town. We stopped to talk the couple missionaries. How fun!! Then off to the ballet. How wonderful!! I would have never guessed a ballet could be so enjoyable. The troop were so professional, the orchestra so polished. This was a great experience even though we got home very late.

Time passed quickly and we found transportation to Heathrow airport and on our way to Sweden. Two days in Vosteras were remarkable. David Setherberg and Edit Juhlin met us at our hotel (The Best Western) and planned our visit for two days. Related to the Lundblads, these folks were amazing hosts. We had a meal with the family that evening and walked home to our motel. The next day early we met up with Peter and Helena, friends of Edith. They hauled us around the area to ancient burial grounds of the Vikings and then to lunch at the university grounds exclusive restaurant (memorial to Carl Von Linne). Later we toured the city with detailed tutoring of the ecological system of recycling and heating the town. The Swedes are so far ahead of us in this area. We visit the school where Helena teaches next to a 16^th century cathedral. All in all it was a most memorable visit.

The next day were picked up our Renault Hertz car and off to Galve. Traveling through Uppsala we stopped to find a distant relative of the Lindblooms. Barabara Gustavson was certainly surprised and alarmed at first when we introduced ourselves. She had no idea we were related. With the help of a young man interpreting for us she finally realize the connection. Then we arrived in Galve late afternoon at the Best Western hotel, to find a note from the Lindbloom relatives. We met with Hans, Christina and Ingrid later for dinner. How delightful to know these folks had connections with the family in the US so many years ago. Just a work about Gavle, another beautiful city in Sweden, we found Sweden to be absolutely beautiful. The streets are clean and the trees and flowers are beautiful. There is always water channeling through the cities.

The next day we drove over 5 hours following the GPS in our car to Lysvik near Norway. We went through forested areas of little population. Lysvik is a beautiful small town on the lake side. There we met Morgan Setherberg..David’s father. He is an accountant and his wife a nurse in Torsby. Morgan spent two days with us visiting the Brita & Göran Larsson. She is a direct descendants of Per August Lundblade. We visited Tossbergsklatten lookout, the Ski Tunnel and the Setherberg’s summer home. The next day we toured the Selma Largerloft home (Nobel Prize for children’s literature.) She may be related to our family. We stayed in the Selma Largerloft Quality Inn in Sunne. This was a highlight in our visit to Sweden.

The next day (#5) we traveled through rain and winding roads to Norrkoping for a night’s stay at the Presidential Hotel. There we met up with Ingrid Gustavsson a relative of Brita Emilia Nilsson Peterson. She was delightful and so informative of life in Sweden. We spent the next morning touring Norrkoping. A fabulous city along the beautiful river which coursed through the town.

Finally we finished our tour of Sweden in Stockholm. The Nordic Sea hotel is right in the center of old Stockholm. We turned in our car rental and zoomed back to town riding the fast train from the airport at Arlanda. Early morning before returning to our final motel in Arlanda, we rode the Red Bus Hop on and Off touring as much of Stockholm as we could. We visited the Nordic Museum, the Nobel Prize theater as well as shopping downtown “Old” Stockholm. All in all it was wonderful.

Finishing our trip with travel back home took 24 hours of flight and layovers from Stockholm to New Jersey to Denver and finally back to Idaho Falls. Two days of jet lag put us back to some resemblance of normality. Never to be forgotten this trip has been a highlight in our travels.

Golfing in Edinburgh Scotland