Camping in Motala

...was both fun and maybe a little bit of a bad idea. The only reason I say it was a bad idea is because I've now been suffering with a cold for over 2 weeks and it just won't go away! It's one of the reasons I've not been able to post something in a while, but enough about the bad part let me tell you about the fun part.

In Sweden there is this rule/law/saying thingee (not exactly sure what to call it) that they call "every man's right" which basically means everybody has the right to go anywhere in the nature and camp, hike, etc. and no one can stop you. It's a fantastic rule that enables a person to really enjoy all the naturally beauty the country has to offer.

So my friends and I had been speaking for weeks about using this right and going camping somewhere in the forest or near a lake or something. It took us a while to arrange the logistics like tents, transport and such, but eventually we had it all planned and we were off. When we started planning we were close to 9 people going, but by the time it came to actually going we were down to 4. Which was fine as seeing we only had 2 small tents and 1 car. Now that I think of it I wonder if that is why the rest chickened out? Anyway Henning, Thomas, V (His girlfriend who's name I still can't pronounce or spell) and I set off in Henning's car to Motala, a small town about 45Km from Linkoping on the banks of the 2nd biggest lake in Sweden.

Going to a holiday town in the beginning of September has both its dis- and advantages. Advantage is there is no one else so it's quiet, but as a disadvantage there is no one else so everything is closed and not just closed, actually boarded shut! We found a perfect little spot in a picnic area in a pine forest on the shores of the lake. It was a beautiful spot and wasted no time setting up camp so that we could just sit and enjoy it.

One of the main reasons we wanted to camp so badly was that we wanted to make a fire and braai. Which is exactly what we did, however, we had planned on being 9 people and so we had food for 9 people! Now that I think about it wasn't really a problem because it meant the 4 of us ate like kings! We had German sausages, steaks, ribs, melted Camembert, salad and we didn't even touch the potatoes! It was fantastic just sitting in the forest eating, drinking, joking and listening to music, I think there was even singing at one stage!

I think we were having too much fun and someone must have gotten a little jealous because we soon had some unexpected visitors. Two people with torches and police on their clothing arrived to say that they had had complaints of a bonfire! A BONFIRE! I almost started laughing because our fire was barely large and hot enough to cook our food! They quickly realized there was a mistake and left us to our Bonfire which was the cause for much amusement the rest of the night. The rest of evening was uneventful and before I knew it I was falling asleep under the stars next to the Bonfire...

Next morning we all awoke very stiff as ground is hard no matter where in the world you sleep on it! Surprisingly our bonfire was still burning and we decided to eat our breakfast for 9 and once again we ate too much. It was during this breakfast that I think I made my big mistake and went for a quick dip in the lake! It was freaking freezing and my entire body went very very numb. It was the coldest water I'd ever swam in, but now at least I can say I went swimming in Sweden!

The rest of the day we spent exploring the town and drinking loads of coffee at a coffee shop on the square. This has become a favorite past time of mine of the Swedes, with them calling it a 'fika'. They can spend hours just sitting drinking bottomless coffees, eating cakes and chatting. The Swedes really love coffee!

I really had a good time camping and even though I'm now sitting with the consequences I'd do it again in a heart beat. Which is probably why I've spent the last week getting in touch with the Scouts in the area and I can't wait to go to my first meeting, but more about that at a latter stage.

Hej då