NÄR FAMILJEN BLIR VÄNNER OCH VÄNNERNA BLIR FAMILJ
A blog post from Alex for a change.
July was another top month in Sweden. This time not because of the good weather, the beautiful nature or the goofy behaviour of our four-legged friends, but because of multiple visits from family and friends... or friends and family... the difference is sometimes too small to see with the naked eye.
The first Sweden visitors in July were my former boss, valued colleague and especially good friend Stephan, his wife Ellen and their three sons. They stayed with their camper at the Härreboda Vildmarkscamping near Urshult, about 260km from Alingsås. So on July 10th we headed to Urshult together with the dogs. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted and treated to a delicious lunch followed by a brisk walk in the beautiful nature. Even the cloudburst, ten minutes before we got back to the camper, could not spoil the fun. Certainly a very successful day.
Stephan, Ellen and their sons.
The first to arrive in Alingsås were Heidi and Frank. Not only my cousin and his wife but also two of my/our best friends, fellow Kiss fans, fellow motorcycle enthusiasts, ...
They arrived here on July 12th, but the story of their visit started on May 25th with a WhatsApp message from Heidi. The short summary: “I want to surprise Frank with a visit to Sweden”. And what a surprise it was! For weeks he assumed they would go away for a weekend together. On the morning of July 12th, just before they had to leave for the airport, he was finally told that the “weekend” would last 10 days and that the destination was Sweden. The surprised look in his eyes (yes, it was filmed 😊) was priceless.
What do you think? Is Frank happy or not? ;-)
What followed was a fantastic week with nature walks in and around Alingsås, a day on the island of Marstrand and a visit to the candy cane village of Gränna and the nearby island of Visingsö. All this alternated with a visit to Gothenburg and pleasant dinners in our rental house or in a restaurant.
Heidi at Skallens Lighthouse (Marstrand)
Visingborg caste ruin (in the back, off course) ;-)
The top moment for Frank (and for me too 😊) was undoubtedly a dinner at the Gothenburg restaurant “2112”, founded by Björn Gelotte and Peter Iwers.
Björn Gelotte is known as the lead guitar player of the Swedish metal band In Flames, founded in 1995. Peter Iwers was bassist with “In Flames” since 1999 but left the band in 2016.
The restaurant is best known for its excellent burgers and an interior that rivals the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
Frank-in-flames ;-)
Unfortunately, these 10 wonderful days also came to an end on July 21st, putting a small damper on the celebrations surrounding our National Holiday.
Even before Heidi and Frank left for Belgium, we welcomed Heidi and Peter. Heidi and Peter were accompanied by their friend... Peter... Are you still following with the names? 😊
We met Heidi and Peter a few years ago as fellow members of the non-profit organization WACA (War Against Child Abuse). Both them and their (and now also our 😊) friend Peter are real Sweden fanatics. In addition to WACA, they are also members of a Swedish motorcycle club with headquarters in Enköping.
All three of them arrived here behind the wheel, Heidi that of the camper and Peter and Peter on their Harley Davidsons! Do you see the connection? 😉
They made a two-day stop here before continuing to Enköping.
Two days of nice dinners, nice chats, sometimes a small glass (too much 😊) and especially a nice motorcycle ride and visit to Trolhättefallen.
We are already looking forward to their next visit!
Trollhättefallen - Trollhättan
Oh, and for the Dutch speaking people: “Allen die willen met Harleys rijden, moeten mannen met baarden zijn…” :-D
Heidi, Peter and Peter left here in the morning of July 22nd and in the afternoon Rick and Marielle, accompanied by Rick's son Daan, came to delight us with a short but very pleasant visit.
I met Rick in 2011 in Kabul where we both worked at Kabul International Airport (KAIA) in the international coalition, Rick for the Dutch Defense and I for the Belgian Defense. This marked the beginning of an already 13-year friendship of the Low Countries together with Rachel, Sarah, Katleen and Mieke, the other members of our KAIA club.
After a nice dinner and a hearty breakfast, they could continue their journey through Sweden and Norway.
Friends reunited!
Finally, Jack and Ellen ended this top month on July 30 with a two-day visit as part of their trip through Sweden. The end goal was to visit their son who has been living in Stockholm for several years.
Just like Rick, Jack works for the Dutch Defense. I met him in 2022 during our joint deployment in Lithuania. We worked there as the Dutch and Belgian Public Affairs Officer for the international brigade in the context of the NATO mission Forward Land Forces. This brigade in Lithuania, together with 4 similar brigades in Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Romania, defends the eastern border of Europe against a possible Russian threat.
Upon their arrival they brought bright sunshine, so after a brisk walk to Lake Ören it was time to light the fuse, or rather the Ofyr. That marked the start of a pleasant evening. The next day they also explored the beautiful Marstrand and on August 1st I could accompany them for a visit and a delicious lunch at the Nääs Fabriker complex.
Where there’s food, there’s Alex. Or is it the other way around?
In the meantime, we are already looking forward to our next visitors in about two weeks, but more about that later!
The Four Musketeers. <3