After the all the excitement of the wedding, we took a train (and a bus) north to the Dalsland area, where Karl's uncle Lars-Otto has some amazing property. It was our first visit to what some call Little Sweden, since the area's geography is a miniature of the country as a whole: lakes, fields, mountains, rivers, and lakes.

In addition to Lars-Otto and Gunnel, we had a delightful visit with the Swedish-French contingent: Anna-Mia, André-Marc, Theo, and William. We also made the acquaintance of some neighbors who own a farm, which provided Lilly-Karin the opportunity to spend an entire day with chickens, sheep, and more dogs.

Lilly-Karin also tried her hand at fishing for the first time, landing a sizeable (and tasty) perch. Elizabeth braved the not-quite-warm water and swam the length of the lake, and then some (a good 3 km).

We took the opportunity for a side trip to see a portion of the Dalsland canal, and watch them raise the bridges for the tourists who sail along the more than 250 kilometers of waterways in the region. Some of the older bridges must still be moved by hand.

On our last day, Karl caught a serious head cold, which made the flight back something of a challenge!

Next: Gratuitous pictures of animals