YOU HAVE GOT TO LOVE,OLD VOLVO'S.....

ANYWAY,WE WERE OFF TO LINKOPING,OVERNIGHT.....

THEN TO THE 'FLYGVAPEN MUSEUM' WITH LOCAL 'WILD BOAR' FOR LUNCH,AND SOME OUTDOOR KARTING AT THE 'LINKOPING MOTORSTADION' IN THE AFTERNOON.......



I AM NOT GOING TO SPOIL THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE AIR MUSEUM,BUT IT IS FREE ENTRY......AND REALLY SOMETHING,THAT YOU NEED TO DO !! IT IS RATHER AN INSIGHT INTO SWEDISH HISTORY,AND THE ATMOSPHERE IN THERE,CAN GET QUITE EMOTIONAL....

http://www.flygvapenmuseum.se/en/

LATE AFTERNOON, WE HEADED, TO EAST OF NORRKOPING,TO A SMALL VILLAGE ON THE BALTIC SEA..... CALLED 'KROKEK' ?

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Kro ... 16.3701089

THIS WAS NEAR TO 'KOLMARDENS' WILDLIFE PARK....

http://www.kolmarden.com/sprak/english

WHICH WE DULY VISITED,ALONG WITH THE HALF HOUR CABLE CAR RIDE OVER THE ENCLOSURE'S OF THE BEAR'S ,WOLVES, ALG ETC.......

I ALSO OPTED FOR THE LATEST 'WOODEN ROLLER COASTER' RIDE,WHICH WAS......ERR YES,FANTASTIC !

ANYWAY,HERE ARE A FEW PHOTO'S OF 'KROKEK',WITH AMAZING WATERSIDE RESTRAUNT'S

SO,THE ORIGINAL OUTLINE 'PLAN'. WAS TO GET ACROSS TO STOCKHOLM,AND SPEND A GOOD FEW DAY'S THERE...?

HOWEVER,WE HAD TRAVELLED NEARLY 500 MILES ALREADY? AND BEING IN A 'MOTORHOME',REALLY MEAN'S THERE IS NO REAL DESTINATION....?

YOU JUST GET AS FAR AS YOU MIGHT LIKE,AND PARK UP....

THE WEATHER HAD TURNED,FOR A DAY OR TWO...WE STILL HAD NO 'WINDSCREEN WIPER'S,THE CLUTCH CABLE WAS STARTING TO SEIZE UP....AND THE GEARBOX BEARING'S WERE NOT GETTING ANY QUIETER......

I HAD MESSAGED A FEW FRIEND'S BACK HOME,AND 'DAVE' THE GUY WE WEN'T TO RALLY SWEDEN WITH,EARLIER THIS YEAR......? SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS 'ALSO' 500 MILES BACK THE WAY WE HAD CAME....?

NOBODY TOLD ME ......

SO WE DECIDED,TO SPEND THE DAY AT 'KOLMARDEN'S WILDLIFE PARK' FANTASTIC VIEW'S FROM THE CABLE CAR&ROLLER COASTER,THEN SPEND ANOTHER DAY AROUND 'KROKEK',AND START TO LOOP BACK SOUTH......

THE DAY WAS ROUNDED OFF,WITH SOME FRESH 'BALTIC HERRING'

AFTER ALL,THIS WAS A HOLIDAY........?

JUST SOUTH OF 'NORRKOPING',IS A SMALL TOWN 'SODERKOPING'......

BUT TO GET THERE,INCLUDED CATCHING A FERRY...

AND THE RAIN,HAD ARRIVED FOR A FEW HOUR'S, AS WE MADE OUR WAY TO THE EDGE OF THE PENINSULA.....

WITH RAIN-X,THE WATER BEAD'S OFF THE SCREEN.....AS LONG AS YOU ARE DOING OVER 40 MPH....

PARKED UP FOR 20 MINS,WAITING FOR THE FERRY TO RETURN.....

SMALL CAFE OPEN,TIME FOR AN ICE-CREAM !! AND THE WEATHER SEEMED TO BRIGHTENING UP?

YOU CAN SEE HOW BUSY IT WAS ,ON A THURSDAY AFTERNOON....?

APPARENTLY THE SWEDISH 'HOLIDAY' SEASON WAS COMING TO AN END,AND MID-AUGUST IS DEEMED AS THE 'WINDING DOWN' PERIOD......

MOST OF THESE SMALLER FERRIES APPEAR TO BE 'FREE OF CHARGE'.....?

IT WAS AROUND A HALF-HOUR DRIVE TO 'SODERKOPING'......

A TINY CAMPSITE,JUST OFF THE MAIN ROAD,AND OUTSIDE OF TOWN....

QUITE A PLEASANT LITTLE SITE,ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NOBODY IN RECEPTION,YOU HAVE TO RING A NUMBER,THEN 'JOHAN' TRUNDLES DOWN......

ON MANY A CAMPSITE,THERE ARE SMALL 'STUGOR'(PICTURED BELOW),OR CABIN'S TO ALSO RENT WITH BEDS,AND MAYBE A SMALL KITCHEN.....?

THERE ARE ALSO USUALLY COOKING FACILITIES,WASHING UP,SHOWERS,TOILETS AND ON-SITE LAUNDRY SERVICES AS WELL........

VERY WELL EQUIPPED,AND EXPECT TO TAKE YOUR SHOE'S OFF,IN THERE AS WELL....!!

'SODERKOPING',IS AN OLD HISTORIC TOWN......

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/S%C ... 16.3234307

WE WALKED,THE 0.5 KM INTO TOWN,ON A FRIDAY MID-AFTERNOON...

LOVELY CONDITION SAAB 90,PULLED UP,RIGHT ON CUE....

THE PV544 WAS PARKED OUTSIDE THE 'SYSTEM BOLAGET'.......OFF LICENCE/LIQUOR STORE.....? (GREEN&YELLOW SIGN)

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, WHEN DINING OUT YOU CAN EXPECT TO PAY AROUND 65 SEK,FOR A BOTTLE OF MARIESTAD BEER 5.3%ABV (£6.50) OR OTHER BRAND,THOUGH THIS WILL GET YOU THE 'FULL STRENGTH' ALE....

IN SUPERMARKET'S HOWEVER,IT WOULD APPEAR,YOU CAN ONLY BUY UP TO 3.5% ABV BEER MAXIMUM STRENGTH ?

TO GET THE 'GOOD STUFF' A TRIP TO THE 'SYSTEM BOLAGET' IS IN ORDER.......

WE HAD A WANDER IN THERE,I DISCOVERED THIS 'FULL STRENGTH LAGER' AT 10.2% ABV NOT, FOR ME THOUGH ! SETTLED ON A BOTTLE OF WINE FOR THE EVENING.....

TRUNDLING AROUND 'SODERKOPING',ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON.....

OH,LOOK THE SWEDISH SUMMER HAS RETURNED....

MORE ICE CREAMS,AND PERUSAL OF THE DELICACIES/CAKES,IN THE 'KONDITORI'.....TO GO WITH THE WINE!

ALMOST ALL THE SHOPS,IN TOWN'S ARE VERY HIGH-END,CLOTHES BOUTIQUES,ART SHOPS,OUTDOOR/SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT.....

THERE DEFINITLEY SEEM'S TO BE AN AIR 'OF,QUALITY OF LIFE' ?

AMIDST,THIS HOWEVER....YOU CAN EXPECT TO ENCOUNTER,AT THE ENTRANCE TO SUPERMARKET'S...PERSON'S HUDDLED UP, WITH A EMPTY COFFEE CUP, BEGGING FOR SOME SEK 'COINAGE' ?

IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY,THE 'RED CROSS' HAVE A SMALL NUMBER OF 'CHARITY TYPE' STORES,WITH THE OCCASIONAL, GENUINE SWEDISH ANTIQUE SHOPS,HERE AND THERE......

WE SPENT,QUITE A BIT OF TIME IN THESE,AND BOUGHT SOME 'COLLECTIBLES',FOR BACK HOME.....

AFTER AN AFTERNOON'S BROWSING,WE DECIDED TO HEAD BACK WEST,TO 'VADSTENA' ONCE AGAIN...? FOR OVERNIGHT....

THERE IS AN EXCELLENT CAMP-SITE RESTRAUNT,THERE...AND THE VIEW'S, REALLY ARE RATHER PLEASANT......

THE SEASON'S ARE A CHANGING,AND THE 'CANADA GEESE' RESTED ON 'LAKE VATTERN',WHILST I SAT THERE AT THE WATER'S EDGE..............THE TRACTOR BUSY PLOUGHING THE FIELD'S,WITH A WHIFF ,OF FRESHLY TURNED EARTH FILLING THE STILL EVENING AIR........

NEXT MORNING,WE WOULD HEADING SOUTH EAST,JUST HALF AN HOUR'S DRIVE, TO A PLACE CALLED 'MANTORP'......AND ONE OF SWEDEN'S,BIGGEST 'WEEKEND' GATHERING'S OF CLASSIC MOTOR RACING......

OK,SO THE ORIGINAL IDEA FOR THE TRIP,WAS JUST TO GO TO THE SAAB INTERNATIONAL....?

THEN I DISCOVERED THAT 'MANTORP RACETRACK' WAS HOSTING THE 'NOSTALGIA RACING DAYS & CLASSIC CAR SHOW' THE VERY NEXT WEEKEND....?

HENCE THE DECISION TO MAKE,THE ADVENTURE THAT LITTLE BIG LONGER....

SOME OF THE CAR'S,STARTING IN THE CLASSIC DISPLAY....

AND MORE...

99 TURBO,ARCH RIVAL......

AND MORE........

AND MORE..........

THIS WAS BEFORE, WE EVEN GOT INTO THE RACE PADDOCK !!