Start: Helsingborg
Finish: Angelholm
Distance: 17
Total: 1970
What a nice day I had for my first full day walking in Sweden. Let me tell you about it.
I got on the road this morning at 8:15 after a good breakfast at my hotel in Helsingborg. The weather forecast called for rain starting at 10:00 and lasting for about two hours. When I walked out the door it was sunny and in the mid-50s. After about an hour, I was out of town and walking on a bike trail close to the freeway. Then it started clouding up and the wind got up. I took a look at the radar with my phone and it looked like I was about to get wet. I sped up and just made it to a freeway overpass where I stayed for 30 minutes until the rain stopped. After that there were sporadic light showers but not enough to get too wet.
My route took me through mostly farmland and there were small farming communities every few miles along the country road I was on. The Swedish countryside is beautiful and the people take such good care of their homes and property. Even the farmers keep their equipment in tip-top shape. A few days ago in Denmark I saw a man who had been using his combine to harvest wheat. He had his shop vac out vacuuming the wheat and straw off the outside of his combine. Also their tractors are always clean and well kept. I’m just impressed with the tidiness of Europe and Scandinavia in general. And one other thing I’ve observed especially in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. At crosswalks, no one ever walks across the intersection until the signal says pedestrians can cross. Seriously; I’ve seen pedestrians stand at an intersection for 3-4 minutes waiting on the signal to change for them to cross and there’s not a car anywhere in sight.
Tonight I’m staying in a very cool town on the North Sea coast of Sweden. And I’m in the nicest hotel. It’s called the Hotel Lilton and it’s been owned and run by Yvonne Nilsson for 32 years. She’s the nicest lady, and you can always tell when there’s a lady in charge. There just seems to be that added little touch that makes the difference. Also, she was nice enough to do a load of laundry for me so she gets my vote for Innkeeper of the Year.
Tomorrow I continue on up the coast. There’s suppose to be rainy weather coming up in the next few days. I’ll have to play my schedule by ear. I’m still two days ahead so I could sit out the rain if need be. That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. JB.
