ooh, me sweaty nads !!

It was a lovely sunny morning when we set out today. With a breeze on our faces and smiles in our hair we were prepaired for anything the world could throw at us! So it didn't. We had a very enjoyable ride through some swedish pine forests (where else would Ikea get all the wood for that oh so indespensible shelving unit and TV holder !) with almost no traffic. Lots of bloody hills though! Up and down like the Asyrian Empire (or a whore's draws, whichever analogy floats your boat!). My leg is still twingeing a bit, so I am using the really lightweight gears to get up the hills. Can be a bit tiring.

Big excitement of the morning was finding a grass snake on the road - I think it was confused, and it was very nearly squashed! (I`ve attached a picture, and will link to a short video of it legging it as soon as I can )

We had a pick-nick lunch today, as the really quaint looking café that was the only place to eat in the tiny village that we stopped for lunch in (Backaryd) was shut on Mondays! Typical! We made do with some supplies from the garage/supermarket opposite. There's only so many pickled herring in mustard sauce sandwiches that I can eat ! accompanied by baby pickled gherkins (actually it was a lot more enjoyable than it sounds).

More pine trees and hills for the early afternoon and red or yellow painted traditional Swedish houses, of which we have seen many on our trip so far.. Then it started to rain, again! Nice and cold and wet by the time we got to Emmaboda ( a slight change in our route due to there being no accommodation in Lessebo).

Emmaboda is very much an industrial town, based on the paper industry. We have passed several paper mills recently.

Had a nice dinner in the hotel that we are not staying in, along with a few beers, before retiring to the room to consume a few more beers (everything round here shuts at 10pm!)

Marly leaves us tomorrow and will be missed greatly, as much for her supply of Green & Blacks chocolate as her interesting conversation, map-reading skills and witicisms. We wish her a safe and enjoyable trip home on the overnight train to Cologne.

So another day`s cycling tomorrow (surprise, surprise ) to the very nowheres-villle Idaho little town of Kråksmåla - pronounced 'krocks-smaller'. ( Mr Stefan's aunt has a place there, and Ben has enjoyed a fishing trip or two there). Apparently there isn't even a pub there (I'm tempted to take Mr Maunder's advice and turn around ), but I have faith in supermarkets and my cycle friendly bottle of duty free Danzka Vodka, which comes in a lightweight aluminum bottle!

Until tomorrow ......

# posted by neil @ 10:58 pm