Andersons on a visit

Thursday evening I went to my mother's place by train and bus. I needed a hair cut and since my mother has talents in that direction, she did it.

Friday morning we went grocery shopping and in the afternoon I drove off to Kristianstad to meet the Andersons. They arrived by train from Stockholm at 2 PM. Mark and his daughters Keira and Alexa (and I) were shown parts of the town by Tommy, who was the chairman of the Centennial committee two years ago. We visited the Holy Trinity Church which is right by the train station. It was built 1618-1628 on the order of the Danish king Christian IV as a cathedral with very high windows. Tommy, whose wife is one of the ministers there, had the key to the treasure cabinet and brought out beautiful pieces of silver, chalices, cups and also a large Bible printed in Denmark 1633. Afterwards we walked in the center of town and did some shopping, before we went to my mother's place. For dinner we had quiche, one with broccoli and one with turkey. Dessert was icecream with forest raspberries and cream. Very tasty.

Saturday we started at the fleamarket store in Åhus, but didn't really find anything, so we continued on to Glashyttan. The art glass was colorful and rather expensive, but worth a look. Downtown Åhus we had a baguette at a bakery and then the Anderson girls went horseback riding at the local riding school. Keira got a yellow fjord-horse named Flora, and Alexa got a brown larger horse. During the hour they were away on the trail ride, the rest of us went to the east side of the marina to look at the rich people's boats and an occasional fishing vessel. We also walked over the bridge to the west side to view the rich people's riverfront houses and some of the old buildings. When the girls returned from the trail ride, we went back to the house to rest. I took the opportunity to go swimming in the ocean - the first time this season! It was fun to jump in the waves. In the evening we went to the Rökeriet restaurant for the seafood buffet. It was a nice meal, several kinds of salmon, crab, fish soup, shrimp and more. We all agreed that the music entertainer (a guy with a guitar) would have needed some more practising, though. After the dinner we drove a round in Åhus, down past the marina to the hotel facility known as the Chanterelle. It's right by the ocean. We walked out on the pier and viewed parts of Åhus in a light rain.

Sunday we had an early start. At 8 AM we left in a miserably rainy weather that continued on and off for the rest of the day. We went to Norra Strö - the origin for the Andersons. The Sunday service in church was early, and we had to be there some time before to view the mural paintings and tell the tale about the old wooden chair. Mark and I attended the sermon, which none of us really could understand. It's beyond me why they can't make it easier for normal people to comprehend. Two children were baptised also, so the whole event was rather noisy. After this we drove a few rounds in the parish, visiting the ruins of my ancestral home, for instance. We had lunch at the golf club in Färlöv. It's by the 18th hole where there is a pond. We watched several (soaked) players hitting the ball into the pond. After shopping some in the store there, we went home to Mats, who is the current owner of the Anderson family house in Övarp, Norra Strö. Mats and his shy cat were waiting for us and we were invited for coffee. We accepted this offer, especially since it rained so much. We sat in his kitchen for quite a while, eating cookies and talking about the family matters. Even though Mats is not related to the Andersons, he is very interested in the history of the house. The next stop was the local historical museum, just a few hundred meters from the house. We had quick look at the exhibit on the second floor and the school classroom. I dropped the Andersons off at the hotel in Kristianstad in the afternoon and drove the car to a certain parking space and left it there. I then took the bus to the train station and two different trains home again. My mother, who had spent the day in Helsingborg (she has a summer pass too), picked the car up later and drove home to her place.

The Andersons are still in Kristianstad, exploring the neighborhood. I hope to see them in Lund tomorrow, so that I can show them the sights here.