Today (Wednesday) was a day off of work so I ventured into the small town nearby. It's a 10 minute busride, about 10 km from the camp. There are free buses every half hour so the wait is not bad.
It's a nice small town that is one of the UNESCO sites where sustainability is being tried on a large scale. Everywhere you go there are signs that illustrate how energy is being captured and the environment is being protected. The first stop today was a lucky stab - having seen a small map of the town, I went west to what I thought would be the river. It is actually a marsh much like what you would find in South Carolina - except with fresh water. They recently built a nature center in the middle of it on piles, elevated above to avoid disturbing the habitat below.
Inside are exhibits and a cafe, outside is an interestingly designed ampitheatre for talks. Of course I felt obligated to purchase one of their desserts and a Coke. This park area also has a large rose bed with other native flowers and plants. Before venturing on, I rested my sore feet under a tree and found myself waking up 20 minutes later. The cool breeze here is quite refreshing.
Next was to enter a very old church nearby and heard a singer rehearsing. She was of course singing in Swedish and was amazing, filling up the large space with sound. After walking around the outside, I headed for the commercial area.
My real goal was to eat something very familiar and comforting. I've had my fill of Swedish food for a long while so a Quarter-pounder and fries from McDonalds was just about right. On the way there, I made sure to pass their market square to buy a pint of raspberries.
Last night was the "alleged" reception for Bob Mazzucca at 6 PM as published in the IST area. Not so. There was a reception at 5 and a few words at 6 PM from the WOSM head. I stayed long enough to get some Apple cider and to have my photo taken with Tico Perez - the National Commissioner. I wanted to ask him how his tent was suiting him. (I'm sure they all stay in hotels off site.)
Another alleged rumor yesterday didn't occur. The King of Sweden was to make a walk-through of our store. The Swedish manager showed us a photo to make sure we recognized him in a scout uniform. He apparently is a regular guy and camps outside. Since Sweden only has 9M people, there's not the mystique of the British royal family.
Tonight is a party for all three food service teams. "Rumor has it" that we will be taken in buses off-site for liquid refreshment. I take nothing here as fact until it happens. Hope it won't be too late as I work at 6 AM tomorrow.
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