Hobnobbing with the Swedes

This day flew by.  We spent the morning in the Stockholm Temple.  It is beautiful.  It is set among very tall trees, lush green grass and well-tended flower beds.  The spire with Moroni towers above the tallest trees and is a beautiful beacon.

Every temple that we have been in seems to have its own personality.  The temple here follows that pattern.  It was busy and the workers were all engaged in helping everyone.  We talked to Brother and Sister Oates from Pleasant Grove, and try as we might, we just couldn't connect anyone we knew.  Sister Oates took us on a tour of the temple worker apartments and guesthouse.  Those, along with the church and temple are on a lovely private drive.

It seems like a peaceful place to serve.

Afterwards we drove into Stockholm and walked around in the downtown area.  I am deeply in love with Copenhagen, but Stockholm was truly a magnificent city....large, spread out, clean, with stately old buildings.  We walked through a gorgeous park and then into an old church.  Everywhere we went, we were enthralled.

We came back to little community where we are staying....and beyond to a seaside town where we ate seafood on board a restaurant/boat.  There were throngs of people there to sit at outside tables, eat delicious seafood and visit with friends.  As always, we saved a lot of money on our meal....being among the few who don't drink.

I ordered fish and mashed potatoes on a plank....I don't know what that other little fellow was...but I tried to eat him, even though he was staring up dolefully at me throughout dinner.

We have been impressed with the kindness of the many Swedes who helped us today.  We ended up asking more than a couple for directions or help.  Every single time the person we approached treated us as though they had nothing better in the whole world to do than assist us!  As in Denmark, nearly everyone here speaks English.

Once again I am sitting outside getting eaten alive.  It is dusk (10:00 p.m.) and the only place to get a wifi signal is on the patio of the owner's house.  It is chilly out here....after a very warm day.  Cars going by on the road at the end of the acre-long driveway sound so loud in this sleepy little clearing.   Horses snort at each other in the fields next to the house.  Beyond the farm are large areas of forests and other isolated farms.  This is really out in the country.

Tomorrow after church, we will come back and pack up the car....return to Stockholm and get in line to board the ferry.  It will travel through the night to Helsinki.  If I am unable to post....I'll try again Monday night!