Sweden
Report
Days 1 & 2, Thursday
& Friday
We left Sudbury for
the long segment of flights that would get us to
Sweden. We were looking forward to several weeks
of judging dogs and sightseeing in a beautiful country
we had not visited before. The journey would have
stops in Toronto, Chicago, Copenhagen and on to
Gothenberg, Sweden.The long trip was fairly uneventful
except for several delays for weather which caused
us some anxiety. When we arrived in Gothenberg 18
hours later, we were tired, but safe and sound.
Unfortunately our luggage did not fair so well and
was still in Chicago and would not arrive until
the next day. Bob Paust, a former American who has
been in Sweden for around 15 years greeted us at
the airport and drove us on a picturesque ride to
the town of Boras about 60 minutes from Gothenberg.
We checked into our hotel and had a well deserved
nap before joining Bob and several other judges
for dinner.
The restaurant was
a short walk from our hotel and we enjoyed the cobblestone
walkways and quaint architecture of this textile
manufacturing area. Along the way we were treated
to a live 'Scandinavian Jazz and Blues" performance
and throngs of locals enjoying the festival. Watching
the people is always an entertaining part of traveling
and the Swedish culture and friendly people were
quite evident. The restaurant was one of Bob's favorites
and we were not let down. Meals of 'beef on a plank',
'grilled tuna' and 'seafood pasta' were devoured
by our weary group of travelers. It was off to bed
for a well deserved sleep in our comfortable rooms.
Tomorrow would be a day of shopping as Wendy now
had yet another 'excuse to shop', which was of course
the delayed luggage. Heaven forbid if she had to
judge on Saturday in the clothes she traveled with.
We were suppose to
meet the other judges in the restaurant for breakfast
but we did not awake till 9:30 am after an excellent
nights sleep. We ventured out for our shopping experience
and walked to an excellent assortment of stores
in a shopping area called 'Knalleland'. Several
hours later we emerged with several new outfits
for Wendy and a new sports jacket and ensemble for
Richard all suitable for judging in. Lunch was at
a very popular Thai restaurant and the chicken and
beef satay was delicious.We returned to the hotel
and decided on another nap before dinner to thwart
any symptoms of jet lag.
We awoke to the telephone
call with thankful news that our luggage had arrived.
After unpacking and changing into welcomed clean
clothes we went for a stroll in the downtown area,
amidst the parks, people and places that make a
town such as Boras an experience to cherish, It
was also our 33rd wedding anniversary and we enjoyed
a celebratory drink at a side walk cafe overlooking
the town square. Next it was back to the hotel for
a 'Swedish Buffet' with all the judges.
There were over 25
judges from many different countries invited to
judge a record entry. Some of the foreign judges
included the Doane's, Sue Weiss with friend Bardi
McClennan, Elaine Lessig and Don Sturz from USA,
and our friend Marina Guidetti from Italy. We met
and chatted with many others from Ireland, Australia,
Finland, Denmark and several locals from Sweden.
We also met a fellow Shih Tzu breeder judge Irene
Gonzales from Spain. The delectable feast included
several fish offerings including the traditional
herring which along with other condiments and the
compulsory potato were to be eaten, followed by
a round of some very potent schnapps in various
flavors. The feast included other local favorites
including most notably Swedish meatballs, sausage,
more fish and various potato dishes and salads.
This 'Swedish Buffet' was an excellent introduction
to the local cuisine and very befitting of our personal
anniversary celebration. We retired to our rooms
and looked forward to tomorrow's exciting judging.
Wendy would be judging an entry of 89 Shih Tzu at
a Specialty in a nearby location and Richard would
be judging some Terrier breeds at the All Breed
show.
