August 12 - Alingsas, Sweden

Tuesday August 12 – Alingsas, Sweden
Alinsas at 9:00am is asleep. The shops are closed and there is no traffic. It's a weekday, it's not a holiday, and the whole town can't be on vacation... The town and surrounding suburbs, if that's what you would call them, amount to about 15,000 people. After that it's farmland, rolling hills, lakes, and little villages of five or six homes spaced apart by ¼ to 1 mile. It is quiet and peaceful in the country, and reminds us of Minnesota. That explains why a lot of Swedish immigrants settled in Minnesota.
At 10:00am the shops open, cars drive by, and people scurry around. Lots of bicycles. The town is awake.
I'm winding down and starting to think about returning home tomorrow. We already have our train tickets back to Copenhagen – we were able to get them on the internet – without a pin number.
The train we're on is probably an express. There are limited stops, and it is fast, smooth and quiet. We watch the countryside which looks similar to the Willamette Valley of Oregon zip by. It is overcast and drizzly today, and looks like it will continue until we get back to Copenhagen. I've been reading a book and dozing off. An announcement regarding the next station is made on the intercom. I don't understand a word, but her voice has the typical sing-song intonations. I tell Claudia it reminds me of the Swedish Chef on “The Muppet Show” - we both chuckle.