Have you ever used an outhouse that smelled like a spruce forest? Well, I thought my nose-to-brain connection played tricks on me when I had to go to the „thunderbox“ at a remote badplats, and found this:
Usually, you’d better hold your nose when you enter. But this time I found the outhouse not only very clean and well equipped. It actually exuded a fragrance like a bubble bath.
Someone with a sensitive nose must have poured a load of bath salt into the pit. What a cute idea!
This is one of the many nice memories I’ve taken home from Sweden.
A rewarding experience
Yeah, it was a great trip! But after six weeks in the bus and almost 10.000 kilometers on the road, we both felt it was enough.
The weather didn’t play along anymore and we were not ready to change to bed and breakfast and the town culture.
Germany welcomed us back with sunshine and temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. This came almost as a shock after nights in the van at 8 to 9 degrees.
Meanwhile, we have gotten used to it and enjoy swimming in our Bavarian lakes with luxurious water temperatures of 22 degrees.
So, what are we missing?
If I want to put it in one word, it’s stillness.
While Germany seems to be crowded, noisy and hectic, Sweden switches back a gear. And the further you get away from the big cities and the tourist places, the more relaxed and calm the country appears.
You can find beautiful places in nature, where you are all alone and the only sound you hear is your own breath.
For people like us this is just awesome!
Feeling like Pippi Longstocking
We will also miss the lakes and the romantic Bullerbue style villages that come with the traditional red wooden houses, the original churches, the stone walls, the flowery gardens and lush green meadows.
And this certain „Pippi Longstocking touch“ that makes you feel you are free to do anything you like in a cozy, friendly and safe environment.
