Sweden 2006 — Jack and Linda Hoeschler

Saturday, June 24, 2006 - LLH & Ranheims arrive in Göteborg and are picked up by Bo Beckman, my Kungälv hospital nigh nurse. We stay at the apartment of Ingrid, Bo's mother in law (she is in Småland). After a quick shower, Bo takes us into town; Bo Beckman and David Ranheim, Göteborg overlook, across river; Kronhuset. Built in 1643 as an armory is now a music school on a square with old buildings housing craftsmen; Lovely old part of the city.

Sunday, June 25 - We go downtown & first tour lovely old park, Trädgardsföreningen, a horticultural park; The park borders the canals.

Ranheims before a wilting Midsommar's Pole; Nice trellising screens glass park building; Whole sections of Göteborg, wooden apartments; Bo drives us around other sections of the city; Sahlgrenska, site of my surgery, Bo also shows me the accident site (at my request); We meet Barbro Larsson at the Kungälv Hotel where we will give our party July 2.

Monday, June 26 - We pick up Jack and a car at the airport, then head east to Småland; We stay at Bo's lovely summer home until Saturday, June 30. A week of relaxation and adventure; Sjomester, Bo's beloved Småland home, Askeryd Parish; Swedish banner flies beautifully; Al fresco dining center at Bo's; We walk through tall forests to get to Bo's lake.

Bo's guest cottage, privy & shed; A real throne!; Thursday was shower and laundry day; Stones suggest an earlier attempt at homesteading and farming; Living room, Bo and Jan have restored cottage to 1920s vintage.

Dining area, site of good food & fine conversation; Chef of the week; Cozy breakfast nook.

Västra Lägern, Bo's gorgeous lake; A good looking barn close to Bo, owned by the Count; We hunt for a spot for David to get a treat; Eksjö, lovely wooden building with parish church behind; Eksjö is one of Sweden's 3 famous wooden towns.

Tuesday, June 27 - Bo arranges a surprise tour of Winderquist homesteads with reporter Göran Engström; Lena Britt shows us her Karstorp timeline (church is Bälaryd); Åkersberga - On Karstorp Farm; Åkersberga - Sven Widerquist &Lovisa Dahlberg home 1855-1894. Ludwig Widerquist emigrated from here in 1869; Åkersberga farmhouse marker; Syreda Farm, Flisby Parish; Bo Beckman & Dr. Per Richardsson & LLH.

Per's home, main farm house on Syreda farm; A timeless view of the lake; Per shows me Valmina's deed transaction (1893 & 1902) for Syreda land; Hydan Lägenhet, cottage Valmina Widerquist built, moved to land she bought in 1892, on Syrena farm; Per shows original stove. He was born in this cottage where Lovisa died 1895.

Per's mother fancifully painted walls & this stove; A barn on property of Hydan Lägenhet, moved here later by Per Richardsson who loves to collect and restore antiques and old buildings; Catherinaholm, Lovisa Dahlberg & her parents lived here, moving here in 1838. Gustaf Dahlberg died here Dec. 1849. Anna Maria Eckerberg died here Dec. 1856.

Smedstugan. Anna Maria Eckerberg, Lovisa's mother, was born here, April 1781; A stolen glance inside Smedstugan; Utility shed with view of mill behind & to right; With Bo; Göran Engstrom, reporter.

Mill on Smedstugan farm & stream; Ängsberg cottage. The Dahlbergs lived here from 1820-1838, on Herrestad, farm owned by a Count; Häljarp, Brita Johansdotter, paternal randmother of Louisa Dahlberg, was born here, March 12, 1758; Bo with poignant sign marking 1869 departure to US of a last family member (Hult), same year Ludwig W. left for Amerika.

Wednesday, June 28 - Bälaryd Paris Church. Lovisa & Sven Widerquist married here in 1842; Sven Widerquist & Lovisa Dahlberg's children, including Ludwig, were baptized, confirmed, etc; Birth farm of Thore Måkansson Engquist, Nytorp, Feb 6, 1737; Nytorp & Nystorp, Gullhult, Råssjör, Breafall are all in Lommaryd Parish... And Nystorp, also a possibility just up the road.

Gullhult Farm, Lommaryd Parish; Sven's mother (Maja Svensdotter, 1779) & G-father (Sven Danielssohn, 1751) were born here; Breafall entry; Råssjö - Maja Abrahamsdotter, elder sister of Sven, born on this farm, 1799; Breafall - Sven Widerquist (1819), his father, Abraham Thorsson (1766) & Abraham's mother, Anna Larsdotter (1741) were born here (Lommaryd Parish).

Lommaryd Parish Church, where Sven (pre-marriage) & his ancestors worshipped; Målen Farm, Georg Halfdan home, 1883-1902; Cottage is in Linderås Parish; A view from Halfdan Cottage; Georg was a hussar & ferrier, perhaps his ironworking workshop was rear building to right (backyard of house view).

Vadstena - We meet up with Ranheims and Bo. Bo & LLH do research in the archives, while JGH and Ranheims tour St. Birgitta's Abbey then head south for Grenna; St. Birgitta's Abbey; Grenna, home of Polka Pigs (candy canes) & Andree (of Arctic expedition).

Bjoörnstop dear daughter; Björnstop Farm, Hult Parish; After our Vadstena research, Bo & I go to Hult Parish to find where Valmina Widerquist lived at time of her death in 1945 (listed as Alpmyddan on Björnstop Farm). When grandmother saw name of Valmina's house, she sent us down the road; Alpmyddan? Valmina lived in the Alp Cottage at the time of her death in 1945; Or is this it? Bo thought this looked more like Valmina's Myddan Lägenhet.

Glömminge in Norra Solberga Parish; Manor House. Valmina cared for her tubercular dad Sven on this farm. He died here in 1905; N.S. was Sven Widerquist's last parish & where Valmina worshipped until 1920 (then to Eksjö); Bo; Glömminge 'tractor eggs'; Norra Solberga Chapel & Church.

Thursday, June 29 - we head to headquarter of Andrew Peterson Society in Rydsnäs, Västra Ryd Parish. Peterson left for Amerika in 1869 and settled in Waconia, MN. His diaries inspired Vilhelm Moberg in writing The Emigrants; Jan Hemelin; Elin.

Elin, Bo's Norwegian friend who lives in Sacramento; Lovely break at Bo's; Bo & his 3 ladies.

Rune stone; Bredestad Parish Church; Phallic erection in Bredestad; Thursday's laundry.

Friday, June 30 - Lena Britt invites us to dinner at Karstorp Farm; Bo, Lena's son, LLH, Lena's sister, Lena, Jack, Torbjörn; Saturday, July 1 - We pack up to go back to Gothenburg & Kungälv.

Saturday, July 1 - We drive from Småland to Goteborg (pick up Sewell's at airport) & settle in to Farrs Hatt Hotel in Kungälv: Our abode on the river with fortress across; After dinner Barbro Larsson meets us & takes us for an Old City tour; Gorgeous roses abound in Sweden; River flows astride the hotel; One of Kungälv's many fine wooden buildings.

Sunday, July 2 - We pick up Barbro & go to Marstrand for her excellent tour; From here we ferry to Marstrand Island; A retail future for Jack?

Lovely Marstrand corniche; Exquisite home, Volvo CEO; Charming square; Beckoning alley.

Club where royalty et al stay; A mighty fortress, for 2 Lutherans! View of harbor entrance from fortress; Grandfather.

Our Thank You to Kugälv Hospital staff; Judy Ranheim solos during cocktail hour on the riverside terrace of Fars Hatt; Hakon Blandehoel, JGH, Trine Johnsen, Sissel Blandehoel, Anders Sundbeck; The Swedish guests were on time & even early. Dr. Peter Adrian was 20 minutes late (hospital duty) & profoundly apologized!

Judy Ranheim kindly takes table photos; Jack leads off with a toast on the Mars-Venus experience last year; LLH speaks of the kindness of strangers.

Bo Beckman starts the Kungälv toasts; David is his usual masterful self; Gunnar Nylund talks of our teamwork; Anker of his kindness to his family in USA.

Helena Cedergrund (Håkan Hagegård's niece) speaks with Sewells; Marianne Melkersson, former hospital head, is quite a pro; JGH, Trine & Sissel; Ranheims with Jan and Bo.

Anko, Barbro & Sissel; Post party chat with the Johnsens & Blandehoelsw who came from Norway (Thelma Hunter relatives); Party afterglow; LLH & Trine.

Photos from Dr. Leif Backman.

Kungälv Lutheran Church steeple at sunset.

Monday, July 3 - We launch our driving trip. Leave Kungälv & tour up the western coast of Sweden with a dip into Norway; Barbro's book features a photo of our group taken the day before, Marstrand; Tanum, World Heritage Site featuring Bronze Age stone carvings; 3000 year old stone carving; Bull, mythological import, also cows critical 3000 years ago to Bronze Age man. Carvings done on sloping rocks to catch sun and rain.

Late afternoon stop at this fortress town; David at the gates; Still life.

We spend the night at Soli-brug, one of the trip's highlights; Willy, engineer; Eva & Willy Dørje Berg; Restored sawmill site now housing her studio & exhibits; Great woodpile, all Willy's; Lovely home replacing its predecessor that burned.

Sissel, Hakon Blandehoel stopped to get a bowl for Thelma (cousin); Restored mill & its site on Salmon River.

July 4 - Post dinner walk and relaxation; Judy Ranheim pipes a march for Independence Day, and we march around the circle before heading to Hagegården; Eva and Willy are delighted.

Hagegården. Two lovely nights at Håkan Hagegård's artist retreat; A swim in the deliciously warm lake after we arrive & before dinner; Hi tech, no tech Håkan on cell phone next to his sod roof cabin; Our beloved Hagegården through the trees; Barbro and I climb to the lookout, a hill I could not tackle in 2005 (after accident); A lovely 4th of July dinner at Hagegården.

Wednesday, July 5 - Breakfast at Håkan's house before he leaves for Stockholm; View of the lake from Håkan's porch; We head off to Mårbacka, home of Selma Lagerlöf, first female to win Nobel Prize in Literature; Her restored barn with displays, shop.

That evening we spend time with Håkan's family; JGH, Jacob Cedergrund & his Mormor, Kerstin Seleskog; Judy & Tomas Hagegård; Tomas Hagegård heralds us to his cottage; Sunset drinks at Henrik Hagegård's (Håkan's cousin).

Thursday, July 6 - Ekshärad, famous wrought iron crosses punctuate the parish cemetery; We drive from Ekshärad along the pilgrim's Klaka River, but turn East to Mora; Mora, Anders Zorn's studio; After Anders Zorn Museum, we tour the grounds of his home.

Friday, July 7 - We travel from Hotell Klockargården in Tällberg to World Heritage Site, Falun; Mine entrance; Falun Museum; A ram supposedly found the copper site, came home with copper-stained horns; Dressed for the mine tour, a miserable life. 2 days off a year, Christmas and Midsommar's.

Fires at night softened the veins that miners picked out the next day, holding a metal based torch in their teeth.

Next, to Borlänge, & home of Jussi Björling; Fine Italian lunch on a very hot day.

We clean up for 'our' premiere at Leksand Church. We are greeted by Håkan and composer Sven-David Sandström; Barbro in Swedish national costume designed by Carl Larsson.

Håkan at pulpit; Barbro, JGH and MC; LLH & David with Sven-David & wife.

Saturday, July 8 - We visit Carl Larsson's famous home in Sundborn; Dresses designed for comfort (and pregnancy!) by Carl's wife, Karin; View of Sundborn River from Larsson's Lilla Hynttnäs entrance; Sundborn Parish Church; Larsson's painting of John the Baptist in church.

Lovely afternoon performance of semi-staged fictional meeting of poets Fröding & Karlfedt; A darling content child.

Sunday, July 9 - We leave Tällberg & Lake Siljan & head for Bergslagen Region, South; Church where LLH's Greatx3 grandmother Christina Larsdotter was baptized, May 8, 1814. She emigrated to Illinois in 1853.

Wall painting discovered during church restoration.

At 1640 Grythyttan Inn, we dine on their famous cuisine; View from the porch; Börje Persson greets us at Bjurtjärns Hembygdsgård, a labor of love by Arne & Sigbrit Nilsson.

Sigbrit & Arne; Museum lists emigrant, including LLH's Christina Larsdotter & her family (LLH's Gx2 grandmother, Carolina Nilsdotter) and settlers of Stockholm, Wisconsin.

Lovely dinner at B&B where we were headed 6/3/05, Day of Accident.

Monday, July 10 - Nora Parish Church, that of many of Christina Larsdotter's paternal ancestors; Nora is one of Sweden's 3 famous wooden towns; on Nora's lovely lake.

Nora; Arboga. We stop here for lunch and to say goodbye to our dear Barbro.

Sigtuna. 980AD, Swedish town. Marvelous. Our last night; St. Mary's, Sigtuna's Parish Church built by Franciscan friars in 13th C.; Lovely altar piece where we had a great conversation with a student of history of religion; We walk Procession Way. After the Reformation most of Sigtuna's many churches were destroyed in the 16th.C.; St. Olaf ruins.