Travel

In southern part of Sweden, there is a small beach resort called Falsterbo. This little beach resort became popular at 1904 when the railroad came to town and with that also the summer tourists. In those days particularly, Falsterbo had an air of sophistication. If you spend your summers there you play golf or you go the beach; apart from that, there is really not much else to do. The main reason for Falsterbo’s claim to be the "Nordic Riviera" is the endless long and white sandy beaches with crystal clear water. The sand on the beaches is so fine that in the past, it was exported all over the world to be used when manufacturing hourglasses.
A peculiarity in Falsterbo is the widespread use of what Swedes would call "badhytt": a free translation would be "bathing cabin" (see enclosed picture). Here people keep their swim wear, bathrobes, chairs, maybe swim goggles etc. But most importantly, they use the cabin to change their clothes and to change from wet swimwear to dry swimwear. This will play an important role later in the blog.

I have had the privilege to spend practically all my summers in Falsterbo and this is something I really enjoy. In fact, I have just ended a three week vacation there. Over the years, I have been able to study different people’s way of enjoying the sun in Falsterbo. For example when you go to the beach, do you sit in a chair on the beach or do you use a towel directly on the sand? Some people bring a truckload of stuff e.g. beach tennis, inflatable boats etc and others are minimalistic and bring simply a towel. If they’re feeling excessive, they might bring a book. Many people have the habit of eating on the beach and bring for this purpose large coolers that can serve lunch to 15 people, while others bring a thermos flask of coffee and some biscuits.

I belong to the group of people that lie directly on the sand. I might bring beach tennis and a parasol but not more than that. I love to eat on the beach and put a lot of effort into preparing nice lunches for me and my children. I never wear wet swimming shorts. And it is here the problem begins.

The majority of visitors on the beach are clearly not experienced or sophisticated sun bathers. These days, few people change swimwear having had a swim; they simply sit directly on the towel with their wet swim shorts. Young boys even use underwear beneath…After a while, the towel is wet and sandy so it is no longer comfortable. So what do these people do? They stand up, take their wet and sandy towel and shake it vigorously in the wind, without no regard for wind direction or other people. So where does all this sand end up? Well in many cases, it ends up in former friendly beach neighbours’ eyes, in their well-prepared lunches or just in their coffee. Everyone that has dropped a sandwich on the beach and has tried to eat it afterwards knows that this is a truly unpleasant experience.

Now to the crux of my little blog entry. How can I avoid getting sand in my lunch in the future? Well, I can start educating the masses in how to shake a beach towel.
There are some basic rules: 

1) Always sit on a towel with dry swimwear – not wet.
2) Check the wind direction and estimate the wind speed carefully.
3) Estimate the distance between you and your beach neighbours.
4) Drag the towel carefullly on the sand until you have reached your optimal shaking position.
5) Shake your towel with a charming smile so that your neighbours recognize you as a friend.

If you follow these simple steps, I will gladly welcome you to enjoy summer in Falsterbo, the Nordic Riviera.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Right now I am sitting on the Amtrak train from Washington DC bound for New York. It has been a long day with meetings, the temperature reaching 26 c and with a humidity level reaching 80%. Unusual circumstances in early May. Even though I have had a good and interesting stay in US it feels good to go back to Sweden tomorrow after 6 days. All good so far. The WiFi connection on the train works perfectly and it allows me to read the news. Top story today is the, by now, famous ash cloud - it's alive.. again and it is moving south! Somehow I just got a feeling that this ash cloud has a personal "vendetta" against me for some unknown reason. It is following me where ever I go. It allows me to leave Sweden in good order but it wont let me back in. At lest not the easy way.

On thursday the 15th of April I took the morning flight to London. When I landed at Heathrow I found out that we where apparently the last plane that landed on Heathrow before the airport was shut down. I was scheduled to take the morning flight back the very next day. As you understand, this was not the case. I was being held hostage in London for the whole weekend until my employer managed to get a buss that could transport me and other colleagues that also where stranded in London back to Sweden. Being held hostage in London over a weekend is maybe not the worst place to be trapped in, just imagine North Korea or something in that direction. But when you have plans you want to get home. The question now was - how badly do you want to get home? 30 hour bus drive did not sound attractive at all, given that the airport could open any minute. On the other hand the airports could remain closed for the next few weeks - no one knew. I got on the bus and did my time. It went better than expected, but I don't want to do it again.

So what happens if I get trapped in New York? Just playing with the thought of taking the bus to Nebraska, over to Russia, stopping in Moscow and then continue to Stockholm is exhausting. That trip will last for a month or two! The alternative could maybe be a cruise ship of some sort, that sounds a whole lot better. Still I just want to get on my plane tomorrow and get home. So please ash cloud, I have done my time let me go home.