Day 3

Day 3:

We had another late morning. I think the jetlag still hasn’t worn off yet. I woke up around 2 or 3 am and had trouble falling back asleep, so when 8am came around, it was easy to roll over and ignore the alarm. Instead, I got up around 9:30. We had a simple breakfast of eggs and toast before heading out to explore the grounds. It was still a bit windy and rainy, but it was much better than it had been yesterday, and we were willing to get a bit muddy.

Geared up with rain jackets and boots, we set out into the woods that surround the grounds. The trail we chose to the left took us first down to the other property where Liz used to live, but which is now owned by another man who has renovated it. We were only able to glimpse the outside, but it looked like a magnificent place. The pastures surrounding it are used for cow grazing in the spring and summer, but the cows had been moved elsewhere for winter. All along the trails, we encountered hunting posts: small wooden towers camouflaged with branches of evergreen trees. We learned that there is to be a hunting party tomorrow. Deer and wild boar better run! At one point we thought we heard the squeal of a wild boar in the distance, but we saw nothing.

After a while, we took a path deeper into the woods and went on a miniature hunt for a special rock Nicole used to be able to find when she played there as a child. There were rumors that Vikings had hidden in the woods, and that a very distinct “V”-shaped notch on a rock was proof that they had been there. We climbed a few hills searching to no avail, but what we did find were gorgeous views of small streams, ponds, orange and red leaves and valleys beyond. Walking through a tall evergreen part of the woods, I almost felt as though I was entering a Tolkien adventure.

Only a little while after our return home and a brief attempt to dry off, Nicole’s dad, Karl, and his daughter Carolina stopped by to pick us up and take us to visit the college town of Lund. Karl was a fantastic guide. He was extremely knowledgeable about everything from architecture to history to food. The first thing we did after arriving in town was find a place to eat lunch. My grilled chicken, potatoes and salad were all delicious. For dessert, we had Swedish pastries. Here are a few of them:

 

Next, we went out to explore the town and get a glimpse of Lund University. We stopped into the Lund Domkirke, a beautiful Catholic church with an astronomical clock and crypt within. A baptism service was going on as we entered. The church was beautiful, and it gave a small glimpse of what is surely to come in Rome.

Astronomical Clock

Astronomical Clock

Crypt

Crypt

Crypt

Crypt

After visiting the church, we wandered around the Lund University campus for a while, exploring the student center, the library, and a few historic buildings by famous architects. The wind was starting to pick up again, so what would have been a pleasant day turned out to be quite cold. A few times the wind was so strong that I thought it would simply carry me away. It nearly succeeded with a poor dog we passed on our walk.

We finished our tour of the town from the safety of the car, but I couldn’t resist braving the wind for a few shots of the “Turning Torso” by Santiago Calatrava. It really is impressive up close, and despite the wind, I think it would be an awesome place to live.

We were going to have dinner at Karl and Carolina’s house, but the wind was supposed to become dangerously strong by 19:00; dangerous enough to making driving perilous, so we stopped briefly for some champagne and a quick tour. Kristen and I had a chance to meet Elizabeth, Nicole’s stepmother, and Gustav, her stepbrother. The family had recently done renovations to the house which were gorgeous. They put in a new living room with asymmetrically pitched ceilings, they replaced their old fireplace with a smaller, cleaner and more efficient one, they have a beautiful kitchen with a large island in the middle, a patio, and glorious lofted bedrooms upstairs. I’m jealous!

After making it back to Liz’s house safely, we had a quick dinner, some more cake (although we weren’t able to finish it), some amazing raspberry ice cream, and we played a few card games before packing and going to bed. With the wind the way it has been, no one is sure how long we might need to get to the airport on time in the morning, so we are playing it on the safe side.