SWEDISH SOJOURN, Day 1, June 20

Well, it is now about 27 hours that I have been awake. My eyes are burning, I am tired beyond belief, but happy and content in Uppsala, Sweden. Jenny Lehman and I started our odyssey by driving to Carollton to leave her car with a friend who took us to the airport. We flew, without incident, to Chicago O'Hare Airport on AA, then switched to the international terminal there via a sky link and security checks, passport checks etc. We then boarded a flight to Stockholm and flew through the night, with a flight path that took us over the southern tip of Greenland, Iceland, over Aberdeen, Scotland, Kristiansund in Norway and then into Arlanda Airport in Stockholm. The passport line was long, but picking up the luggage was a breeze, and we came out to a greeting by Agneta, our guide, and the bus driver Haakon. We were still missing two travelers who were stuck in Kopenhagen. They were not going to get in until after noon, so we went off to see one of our sites of the day until then, albeit on shorter shrift. It is one of the finest baroque museums in the world, and is on a peninsula in Lake Malaren. It is a creation of the nobleman and collector Carl Wrangel. It has a wonderful collection of art and decorative art, but its finest moment is the unfinished ballroom that still stands as it was left in 1670, when it was abandoned by workmen. Afterwards we had to go back to Arlanda Airport to retrieve the two passengers coming in from Kopenhagen. They eventually arrived, and we were off to our next venue, Uppsala and a look at its university buildings, the great Uppsala Protestant cathedral, the gardens surrounding the university, and the pedestrian zone cutting a swathe through the old part of town. Afterwards, we ended the sightseeing by viewing the Viking burial mounds of Gamla Uppsala, the church and stave-church-like belfry closely, and the restoration of the old murals in the church. It was a gorgeous day, and in a late afternoon sun we traveled to our hotel, the Park Inn by Radisson Uppsala. We went up to our rooms and had a short hiatus before indulging in smorgasbord, including fish and lots of salads. Sorry I am writing so cursorily today, but I am bushed and have to cut this short. Hope all of you are well. More when I can think straight tomorrow. As ever,