Church in Aros.
The Sunday before my planned departure from Sætre in Norway was a lovely sunny day. I visited church in the small nearby town of Åros. The church building is a lovely timber log one, very cozy and warm. After church I went to the beach for coffee with my brother and an old age pensioner. This old man, 91 years old, loves to take a dive preferably every day. Due to various handicaps, he needs help with that so a dive is a treat nowadays.
Three men at the beach.
In order to try and show my gratitude for the lengthy stay with them, I took my brother and his wife out for dinner.
On Monday I prepared for my departure. When all packing and clearing was done I was physically ready to go, but I still had to write and publish my diary. When opening my mailbox I learned about the decease of my most valued 44 year old second cousin. This message urged me to write a lot of extra e-mails and would certainly influence my activities this week.
Around 16:00 o’clock I left, through the Oslo fjord tunnel and down along the E6 towards Gothenburg. Two hours driving and half an hour rest is the advice, so I left the E6 somewhere random. I ended up close to the waterfront at a site with church and congress centre. Walking in the direction of the waterfront I came across a sign, telling about a prehistoric site with burial mounts from a thousand years B.C. The site had not been signposted before and I thought: this is the right way to preserve historic sites, without expensive hotdog stalls and souvenir shops. After some walking and picking nice smelling apples from underneath a tree in a well maintained lawn, I continued my journey.
Prehistoric site
I passed Gothenburg and a number of other places, wondering about the E6 passing so close to the shores of the Skagerrak and the Kattegat. At the beginning of the evening I started to look for a place to stay overnight. In Kungsbacka I found the right place, a large parking lot for commuters close to the “transport centre”. The parking lot was nearly empty, probably because most commuters had come home already. It was already dark when I walked into the town centre to find a nice square with a number of restaurants and terraces occupied by sufficient people to make it pleasant. At one of the terraces I took a table and ordered a meal with grilled salmon and a beer. It tasted very well and the price of €25 was surprisingly low: value for my money was my thought.
Kungsbacka travel centre.
The next morning showed the real purpose of the parking lot: over crowded with drivers looking for an empty spot. I took my time for breakfast and after that, left an open space for a lucky late commuter.
Bridge/tunnel combination between Malmo and Kopenhagen.
The Tuesday I travelled from Kungsbacka, to Malmø, across the bridge/tunnel combination towards Denmark and further on considering where to go now: via Rødby-Puttgarden ferry or across the bridges (where I had been involved in the construction) between the Danish islands. I decided for the latter, just to see these bridges again, even though I knew it was the longer way and a pretty dull road through uninspiring scenery after the passing of the bridges.
Quiet village in Germany with commuter service across canal.
From there I entered Germany near Flensburg and continued to Hamburg. In the neighborhood of Bremen I decided to take the way home via Groningen, but I did not know which sign to follow. A German couple at a resting place showed me their book of maps telling me I had to go via Oldenburg and carry on following the E22 and E28. Close to Oldenburg I left the road for another overnight rest. At a restaurant/motel for truckers I used a very good meal for only €12,20, watched some soccer on TV and went to bed there, parked behind the restaurant thus protected against the noise from trucks and traffic.
Amersfoort with road works.
The next day, Wednesday, I drove home to Amersfoort to find the entrance to the premises totally overthrown and blocked by roadworks including new traffic lights.
At home I unpacked, reported to my fine neighbor and contacted the husband of my deceased cousin.
Forrestry result Heap of timber for paper industry.
On Thursday and Friday I returned to the daily grind, did some shopping, walked the dogs and rang the workshop, because the temperature of my car engine showed abnormal behavior, staying well under the usual working temperature.
Crematorium in Almere.
Saturday was a sad day around the cremation of my second cousin. Only very few relatives were present, apart from the direct close family. Most of the attendants were colleagues and friends of the couple, including people from the USA and Italy.
It was a pretty busy week all together.
My diary 