October 2017 - Sweden

photo of church in Bollnäs and  birthplace of my great great grandmother Brita Ersdotter in Alfta

31 October 2017 Tuesday - Stockholm Sweden
Happy Halloween! Returning my hire car and staying at the airport before early morning flight.

30 October 2017 Monday - Norrkoping to Kista Sweden (173 kms)
Most of my travels here have been on the back roads but today on the very busy E4 with heavy traffic through Stockholm. Now on North side at Kista Science Center (pronounced sheesta), the Nordic silicon valley. Walkabout at the very busy Galleria mall full of so many nationalities!

29 October 2017 Sunday - Karlskrona to Norrkoping Sweden (345 kms)
Daylight savings time ends here.......cold windy day for drive North.

28 October 2017 Saturday - Tyringe to Karlskrona Sweden(160 kms)
Starting my journey back to Stockholm via the coast road......with more rain....then sun and cold and wind for walkabout of the World Heritage site Karlskrona, one of fifteen in Sweden!

27 October 2017 Friday - Tyringe Sweden
Another very rainy day so spent some time this morning at the library and an afternoon walk to suss out the only other accommodation in town (Möllegården B&B)....much prefer this hotel with private bath.
I have found that there is a television reality series called Everything for Sweden (Allt för Sverige) that reconnects Americans with their Swedish relatives.
And because of the man that I met on Monday, I have connected with another cousin in Iowa who has sent to me heaps of photos!

26 October 2017 Thursday - Tyringe Sweden
Morning visit with Olle and Gunnar at the Tyringe Museum. This museum depicts the history of Tyringe where August Bergman in late 1800's started the spa and a machine making industry. Gunnar also provided for me even more information on my family and we found that we are related. I found the houses in Tyringe where my ancestors lived and then a walk in the park of the Radium Springs. Tyringe was famous destination for the healing waters of the spring during the last century.
This hotel has been quite busy during my stay (bicyclists when I arrived and a dog show this weekend) but tonight I am the only person here!

25 October 2017 Wednesday - Tyringe Sweden
Another rainy windy day! Visited the Västra Torup cemetery for the fourth time looking for my great great grandmother and finally found her. There are no maps and I thought that Claes or Eric would know the location. The family story is that Nilla went to the USA with three of her daughters (one being my Johanna) when her husband died but she returned to Sweden because she missed lingonberries and that she wanted to be buried next to Nils her husband.....but they must have run out of room because she is on the other side of the cemetery from him!
Afternoon visit with the local historian and he showed me more of the family farms.

24 October 2017 Tuesday - Tyringe Sweden
....now to spend a day digesting all that we saw yesterday!

23 October 2017 Monday -Tyringe Sweden
What a wonderful day and the rains stopped for our tour of my great grandmother's homeland. My mother's second cousins Claes (who lives in Vittsjö about 35 kms away) and Eric and his wife Ulla (who live in Hölliviken about 100 kms away) drove me to all the local sites: Finja church, Hovdala Slott/castle, the churches and cemetery at Ignaberga, former home of Eric's parents at Attarp, former home of Martin and Nelly at Troedstorp, former home of Kristina at Strandböke, former homes of our families at Misterhult, the church and cemetery at Västra Torup and the renovated farm of our ancestors at Lilla Tockarp.

22 October 2017 Sunday - Tyringe Sweden
Another very rainy and foggy day but decided to explore the villages which I will see again tomorrow with my mum's second cousins. First to Västra Torup church and cemetery where many ancestors are buried, then to Misterhult where they lived, then to Röke where others were born, then to Hörja where my great grandmother was born. I stopped to use the loo at the Hörja cafe and found a very large second hand store in the back, called loppis (flea market), but found nothing that I needed! Then to the larger city of Hässleholm where I finally found a petrol station that was attended......most of the smaller villages may have a petrol station but you must pay by card because there is no attendant and I prefer to pay cash.

21 October 2017 Saturday - Ulricehamn to Tyringe Sweden (230 kms)
Will switch gears and focus on my mother's grandmother's family (all my previous visits in Sweden have been to my mother's grandfather's side of family). A very rainy day on the roads via routes 157/27/E4/117/21 south. Several people had recommended staying in the bigger city of Hässleholm but the two hotels there received bad reviews (noisy in the city with heaps of roadworks) so opted for a former sanatorium in Tyringe. Quite lovely but the hotel rooms are in a newly constructed block building and the older building has been converted to apartments.....but they did loan me a laptop so that is great!

20 October 2017 Friday - Ulricehamn Sweden
Spending another day in Ulricehamn.....a rainy day so doing research at the library.

19 October 2017 Thursday - Ulricehamn Sweden
The sun is shining again (but very cold  and wearing my new warm jacket) so a bit of walkabout in Ulricehamn then visit to the library for more research at their genealogy room....they have so much information here on the families of Sweden that you cannot easily find in the USA.

18 October 2017 Wednesday - Månstad Sweden
Gun-Marie, my newly found friend in Alfta, was able to connect me with a woman in Månstad who is part of the heritage center there. I was able to meet with Matts and Catharina (they live in Göteborg), great grandson of the brother (Hans Andersson) of my great great grandfather (Johannes Andersson). Matts is second cousin to my mother. We had a wonderful day with lunch at the Church in Månstad (they serve soup every other Wednesday so good timing for my visit) then a walkabout at the cemetery to find gravestone of Hans Andersson and then to the house where my great great grandfather was born.

17 October 2017 Tuesday - Orebro to Månstad Sweden (210kms)
Rain, wind and colder today (needed both my new down jacket and rain coat).....overnight in the small village Ulricehamn on lake Åsunden north of Månstad since there is no accommodation in Månstad. This area is known for its textiles. A long walk around the town and up the hill to the recreation area; they do quite a bit of skiing here in winter (World Cup January 2017). Found the library also has a genealogy section with a computer that has several Sweden databases on it and heaps of books and microfiche and binders, but all in Swedish!

16 October 2017 Monday - Alfta/Bollnas to Orebro Sweden (310 kms)
Back on the road heading south to find my roots in Månstad, home of the father of my great grandfather who lived in Alfta....will take two days to get there on the slow roads.....but today is a gorgeous sunny day and it is warmer so I do not need my new down jacket. Overnight in the seventh largest city in Sweden which was too big for me....and the Scandic was not as nice as the one in Bollnäs.

15 October 2017 Sunday - Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
Happy Birthday to me! Taking a day off from genealogy and spent a few hours walking around the lake...no wind today so the reflections on the water were wonderful.

14 October 2017 Saturday - Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
Trying to decide when to move on to Månstad, home of my great great great grandfather Andreas Jonsson and his wife Maria Sveningsdotter. Gun-Marie has made some connections but there is no place to stay in this village so will need to find a place about 30 kms away. Everyone here states distance as Swedish Miles which is equal to ten kilometres!

13 October 2017 Friday - Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
Friday the thirteenth!
Finally the sunshine has returned so morning walk to the big church where a funeral service was just ending.....then research this afternoon at the genealogy section of the library....hopefully they will open today at 1.

12 October 2017 Thursday - Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
A very rainy windy and cold day for a walk! Visited the bookshop to get book of driving maps of Sweden to help with the remainder of my journey then to the InterSport shop and found a nice orange down jacket for a good price because I may need something warmer before I leave at the end of October. Enjoyed a wonderful mocha coffee at Waynes, the Starbucks of Sweden. The genealogy section of the library is posted as open from 1-4 and yesterday the woman said see you tomorrow.....but she had forgotten that the library was closed on Thursday....very frustrating when someone tells you something is open and then it is not. Decided to visit the church because the info center told me they were open 9-4 but when I got there they were also closed.....the sign says 11-1....oh well.....

11 October 2017 Wednesday Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
Visited Halsingland Museum in Hudiksvall, about one hour drive northeast, where the curator Lars Nylander gave a wonderful tour of the tapestries (dated about 1500) that were found in my great great grandmother's home in Alfta in the 1960's by the current owners the Hanser family. I spent time in the afternoon doing research at the genealogy section of the library

10 October 2017 Tuesday Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
Maybe a day of rest since Gun Marie has kept me very busy for the past several days....but no, not a day of rest! I visited the birthhome of my great great grandmother Brita Ersdotter (built early 1700s). It is now owned by the Hanser family and they gave to me a wonderful tour...the walls are still painted with the original artwork of the 1800s when Brita lived there. His grandfather bought the home in 1902 and they have been living there since 1960s. When they were doing remodeling, they found a piece of art from the 1500s and it is now in a museum where I will visit tomorrow. I then met Gun Marie for lunch where she called the Halsingland Museum and booked me an appointment with the curator.
Weather has been sunny but now rainy.

9 October 2017 Monday - Alfta/Bollnas Sweden 
What a big spread for breakfast at the Scandic Hotel and all organic.....you put caviar on your hardboiled egg and pickles on your liver pate and yummy but very salty anchovies....what a very different feast! Then shopping at the grocery store which is always a treat for me since all is so different.....they have tubes of caviar and other edibles.
Evening event at the Heritage House in Alfta where we will honor Agnes Anderson and meet all the rellies.

8 October 2017 Sunday - Alfta/Bollnas Sweden
Morning meeting with the guys who scanned the 20000 photos of Agnes then I moved to hotel in Bollnas (about 20 kms east) then evening event with presentation of Bishop Hill IL....although all in Swedish. Gun Marie has been a wonderful guide of Halsingland and knows so much about my family even though she is not related. She has been working in tourism and genealogy for many years.

7 October 2017 Saturday Alfta Sweden
Visited Heritage Museum where Agnes Anderson, sister to my great grandfather, has photography exhibit(collection on dibis dot se)....wonderful! Then visited UNESCO world heritage sites of decorated timber farmhouses after visit to coffee house in Edsbyn and chat with the locals!

6 October 2017 Friday - Alfta Sweden
We visited Gavle, home of Gevalia coffee. I walked the town all morning while Gun Marie had a meeting then we visited the village of Hogbo, home of brother of my great grandfather and Segersta where they filmed Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (bridge scene).

5 October 2017 Thursday - Stockholm to Alfta Sweden (260 kms)
Beautiful autumn colors for drive north to homeland of my mother's grandfather Anderson! Gun Marie fetched me for afternoon visit to Emigrant Museum for Erik Jansson who founded Bishop Hill in Illinois....then to a place on the water where he burned books...then to former home of Mr Celsius on a hill (the name Celsius means mound). I am staying at a very small (and only) inn in Alfta but it lacks many amenities, like good internet and television and is very noisy.....they are full for a conference this weekend so will move down the road to the fancy Scandic Hotel.

I am driving a brand new 2018 black Volvo V40D2 which has all the bells and whistles, it knows the speed limit and warns me in advance with a bell of the speed cameras which are everywhere and has lights on door to tell me that vehicles are passing me! It is diesel and petrol is about .13 per gallon......8 krona on the dollar or .123 US dollar per Swedish krona.

4 October 2017 Wednesday - Stockholm Sweden 

3 October 2017 Tuesday - flying to Stockholm via Vienna
Not much internet access for next month.......

2 October 2017 Monday - Warrenton VA
Getting organized for my travels....gorgeous day in Virginia

1 October 2017 Sunday - Arlington to Warrenton VA
Drove the slow road back via Fairlington where I lived and Wakefield HS where I went to school....Wakefield has been torn down and rebuilt a few years back.