Educational exhibit

Last week the weather was very nice and I made a few excursions. Tuesday I went to Copenhagen. The main reason was to see the exhibit on the White Buses at the National Museum of Denmark. The White Buses were Red Cross-vehicles that went from Sweden and Denmark to rescue Scandinavians from the German concentration camps in 1945. The operation was made possible after negotiations by Swedish diplomats. 17 000 people were rescued on these buses, not only Scandinavians but also Jews. In particular, a large group of Jewish women from the Ravensbruck camp were rescued. When these women arrived in Sweden, they were interviewed about their experiences. These documents are housed at the library I work at. The drivers, doctors and nurses that went with the White Buses were volunteers. It was very dangerous as the war was still going on. The exhibit was well done and it gave horrifying details about the situation in the camps you really didn't want to know. Very educational, and very necessary for the present generation to learn about.

Wednesday I made a stop at the library to use the technical equipment. My colleagues spotted me and gave some remarks, but they are used to seeing me even when I have vacation. Thursday was a long day. I had to do laundry at 7 in the morning and managed to get it done by 9. Went by train to Båstad, which is a seaside town on Skåne's northwest coast. I went there for a reason - this is where my great grandparents vacationed almost every summer for more than four decades. The place where they stayed was a well-known hotel, but it was torn down years ago. All that remained was a plaque with a photo of it. I walked along the beach, mostly in the water, and enjoyed the lovely weather. The schools have started so there were almost no people there. I had lunch at a cozy cafe and then walked past the church where my grandmother was confirmed in 1931. Had a look through the expensive shops with upscale clothes' brands and then decided on an ice-cream at the marina. The return trip was long, as I first took the bus to my favorite mall outside Helsingborg. I thought the views from the bus (following the coast south) would be nice and I was right. At the mall I didn't do much, only had an early dinner. Returned home by bus and train in the evening.

Friday I went to the summerhouse and got to see the results of the renovations. My mother was happy about the floors but not the wallpaper. There was nothing wrong with the colours, but the craftmanship was not done well. She has complained but I don't know if it can be fixed. Saturday it was time for the annual Play Day at Furuboda. My mother and I volunteer every year. She got a tough assignment at the cafe, selling cookies and ice-cream. I got an "easier" task helping out at the gocart event. My job was to put helmets on the kids who wanted to go for a ride, and then also get the helmets off. It meant that I knealed down a couple of hundred times that day. I could feel that very much the next day. But I have to say it was not so tiring as last year. It's a fun day with lots of activities for the kids and we are happy to help out. The rest of my visit at the summerhouse was spent mostly solving crossword puzzles or relaxing in the reclining chair on the terrace. My father stopped by one morning to let me listen to a recording my great grandfather made in 1951, singing a Swedish song. Someone he knew had a recording device. The quality was not good but it was interesting to hear his voice. The weather was very nice at the beginning of my vacation but now there are rainstorms and high winds. I returned home today.