58:10.836N 11:27.816E

We left Vienna, Friday in sparkling sunshine and as we drove, the temperature dropped to a pleasant 27 C. !

The drive was great, until we hit a mean back up in Praha. We sat over an hour  and a half in one spot, ugh.

Thank goodness, we had Rebecca’s chocolate chip cookies to cheer us up.  We also should have had a Gugelhupf baked by Anabel, but it got eaten before we even hit the road.  Our long drive enabled lots of chatting and I, unfortunately, found out that Martin had seen the Carpenter’s and Glen Campbell in a very early visit to America with his family.  My inner 70’s child thought that rocked, my modern sensibilities were indignant.

In Kiel, we ran into a huge festival, there were summer stages set up all over the town and harbor.  Tall ships kept arriving, one more beautiful than the other and we even saw one with sails up. The Kiel to Göteborg ferry is a huge tribute to modern engineering - I have never seen such organization and precision in loading and unloading and such comfort at sea.

Oh, speaking of modern miracles,  I forgot to mention our packed car.  It took the two of us to squish in the last items and each time we opened a door, one of us had to hold the pile of bags from the inside so as to keep the rest of the bags from exploding forth. It became an interesting little tango of movements.

As we drove the last bit, the rain started and we laughed, ah, the north. We checked and practically ran to the docks to find ‘Kind of Blue’. And there she was, looking so regal and complete and in her element.  We immediately talked to her and told her of all the adventures we planned to have with her, the two of us were like over-excited children.  AND the sun came out!