September 3rd, 2015 we left for our "Long Way Home Leg 2" and we traveled from Ibiza, Spain to Gothenburg, Sweden. We were meeting my Mom and Dad in Gothenburg where my Dad was going to be picking up his new Volvo XC90. Volvo has a program where if you want to buy directly from them they will fly you and a guest to their factory for a tour. Then you are able to pickup and drive the new vehicle for 2 weeks, then it is shipped back to the U.S. Dad had been talking about doing this for years and years and the timing worked out that we could meet them there and then of course also visit our relatives!
Upon our arrival at about 4:00pm a Volvo representative picked Brian and I up at the airport and brought us to the hotel. Mom and Dad were there waiting in the lobby to greet us since they had arrived a few hours earlier! We started the trip together by having some drinks at the hotel bar. Later we had dinner nearby where we all had some great prawn sandwiches.
The next morning we had breakfast then got picked up at 9:00AM to go to the Volvo Headquarters/factory.
We had to wait around for awhile but eventually it was time for Dad's new vehicle to be "born" through the Delivery Hall...
What a nice looking new ride!
Then we were served lunch and had our factory tour. The tour was really impressive! The factory was huge, the size of Vatican City & Monaco combined! It was so cool to see so many massive robots moving car parts around and doing things on their own. We found it really fascinating that Volvo uses the same assembly line for all models and they are intermixed as they are being made. We saw SUV's and different car models right next to each other on the assembly line. All the design information is held within a chip that is on the base of the vehicle which is read as it passes through certain points. We even got to see what they call the "marriage point" when the drive line meets a car body and they are fused together. Some other interested facts we learned were that they put out an average of 52 vehicles per hour/1200 per day and it takes an average of 40 hours to complete one vehicle.
At the end of the tour we all couldn't wait to hop in and head out for our first ride in the new Volvo! We took off on the 5.5 hour journey north up to Sifferbo to Anders & Inga-Lill's house. It was such a smooth and luxurious ride with nice views along the way too. Brian even ended up driving most of the way since Dad was tired from his jet lag (or maybe he really just wanted to play around with the full iPad screen in the dash and check out the new features). He even found a button to fold down the headrests in the back seats, Mom and I didn't appreciate the unexpected smack to the back of our heads though!
Once we made it to Sifferbo that evening it was smiles all around, so fun to see everyone! Dad and Elvy (90)...
Inga-Lill and Arvid were busy in the kitchen preparing the crawfish for dinner. Arvid loves to help catch them in the river nearby and loves to eat them even more!
Such a nice meal...
Brian even convinced Arvid to help crack a crawfish open for him (through translation since he hasn't started learning English yet). He gave a silly sigh and cracked one for him...it was painful for him to give one away, haha so cute!
We were informed at dinner that the next day there were big plans in place. Anders let us know that he told the rest of the extended relatives that we were going to be coming and they had been wanting to do a reunion anyway. He said they were able to organize it for the next day. When we asked how many people were going to be coming he said..."oh between 75-80!" Wow!!! He was really hoping the weather was going to hold out and be nice since the first half of the party was to be in their back yard.
The night ended with singing and taking "snaps" (shots) of flavored vodka. This ended better for some then others...so much fun though! :)
The next morning things were looking pretty good weather wise. Inga-Lill made Swedish pancakes, which were delicious for us to eat before the guests arrived. Below is the backyard as things were getting set up before the party started.
At about 1:00pm people started to arrive and Torsten and Anders introduced some yard games for us to play. As you can see from the pictures some were pretty crazy. These sure did break the ice and get everyone interacting and laughing with each other though that is for sure!
Loved seeing all the little kids, such cuties!
And then there were wheel barrow races, age didn't matter in this game! Yikes!
Next was three person ski races...somehow everyone survived these games without anyone getting hurt!
Below we were trying to get a pen into the opening of a bottle...way more tricky then it sounds!
We had such a nice time in the tiny Sifferbo village. Elvy still gets around real well and walked over from her place nearby.
Later in the afternoon once the games were finished everyone made their way through the village to the community building where the party was to continue with dinner.
Love the village mailboxes...
Building where the party took place...
So much food!!!
Dad with Kerstin (96) and Elvy (90) looking great for their ages! They are my Great-Grandpa's sisters.
The party continues...
Hanna and her adorable littlest guy, Alex.
It was so neat to see so many people I had seen a long time ago during my 2 other trips to Sweden while growing up. The kids loved running around in the building and up on the stage behind the curtains. Things were loud and crazy in there for a bit and it reminded me of when we were younger there and doing the exact same thing. When we first arrived and while things were still getting set up there was a catastrophic crash and all at once all the kids went squealing and running out. We couldn't understand them but it looked as if they all were saying, "I didn't do it...I didn't do it!" Turns out the cart the plates were on had a loose wheel and tipped over sending 50+ plates crashing and breaking to the ground...whoops! Luckily nobody got hurt, it was quite the sight to see the rubble though!
It was very interesting to learn and understand more about my family heritage and to see so many people that we are related to there. We were so humbled and thankful that everyone was able to come and get together while we were there during our visit.
The next morning Mom, Dad, Brian and I got up early to drive down to the cemetery where my Great-Grandma (Dad's Grandma) is buried. As we left the village of Sifferbo things were bright and quiet in the village, just an old man taking his bike for a ride as we left...
Had to snap a picture of the big Dala horse as we drove through the town of Ludvika.
After about an hour long drive we arrived at the cemetery. It was so special to be standing where we had brought Great Grandma's ashes to rest back in 2003. It's was a calm, crisp morning and the sun was shining beautifully over the graves. Very glad we got to visit her, she was such a special lady.
When we arrived back in Sifferbo Inga-Lill had prepared a nice lunch for us. Their nice sun room was so warm and cozy, even the cat was enjoying some time relaxing outside in the chair.
After lunch we drove over to Anders & Inga-Lill's cabin on the lake called Gimmen. It is only a short 10 minute drive from their house making it super convenient. Josephine and I are on the deck in the picture below.
Great views from the front of their cabin...
Lots of wild blueberries and ligonberries growing outside.
Dad & Anders...
We went out on a short hike looking for some wild mushrooms, didn't find much but it was a nice walk on the edge of the forest.
The inside of the cabin has an impressive view over the lake, hard to tell how big this window actually is in the picture.
Soon it was time for more eating again!
We can tell why they love spending time here...
Such a peaceful place!
Back in Sifferbo later that night...
Sitting on the steps of my Great-Grandpa's (Dad's Grandpa) house where he was born.
We went over to give Elvy (Anders Mom & my Great-Grandpa's sister) a gift.
Even though we can't communicate with her since she doesn't speak English and we don't speak Swedish she sure is sweet. Fun to see her so happy and still doing so well living on her own at 90!
That night we all piled in Dad's new SUV and Anders drove us into a wooded area near their house which is a good place for spotting moose. We were really hoping to see one but unfortunately we should have gotten out there earlier because it was already slightly too dark.
Still fun to search for them...we will have to try again next time!
The next morning was Monday and it was time for Brian and I to leave for our next destination on our "Long Way Home" Next stop...Dubai, United Arab Emirates! Since Anders works in Stockholm during the week and stays in an apartment there we were able to ride the train with him all the way to the airport. Mom and Dad still had about 5 days left in Sweden and eventually headed down to Stockholm for some sight seeing. Then they drove back to Gothenburg to turn in the Volvo to the factory where it would be shipped to the U.S. and arrive after about 6 weeks. We had such a great time in Sweden and were so glad it worked for us to meet up there and see our relatives!
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