Monday - July 16, 2007

Woke up early, had breakfast, packed. Checked out, left 2 bags at hotel since we'd be back on Wednesday. Cab to train station. Boarded X2000 train to Växjö (Vek-Shoor), about about 300 miles south. Very nice, fast (200 km/h tilting), internet onboard.

    Arrived in Växjö around 2. Rïck bought some "Professional" gum in the train station where we picked up a car (Ford Focus), then we headed to the Elite Stadshotellet to check in. Nice room, a bit warm. Sunny outside. Walked around cute downtown a bit, had a snack and a drink. Walked over to small park, back to hotel. Had dinner down the street at an outdoor restaurant.

    Side Note: Schlager

    Sweden's music scene is dominated by something called Schlager. Think 3 minute long Abba songs. It's really "bubble gum" and fluffy, and it's everywhere! They also have a bunch of radio stations where they seem to play a song and them talk about it for 10 minutes. (Either that or they keep talking about salad; we're not sure since we don't understand Swedish).

    Side Note: Capri Pants

    For some reason, capri pants seem to be all the rage in Sweden, for men and women. We saw all variants of them, and all materials (cotton, denim, track pants, you name it). We're not sure exactly why, but we have three theories:

    Rïck - Since it's so cold most of the time, capri pants let you feel like you're wearing shorts, but still provide more warmth.

    Rändy - Since many people here are very tall, it's hard for clothing manufacturers to handle so many different lengths, so they just settle on one length for all.

    Other - It's to save fabric to save the environment.