Meeting New People Every Day - GLADA HUDIK

Hudiksvall

There are so many different people who come to Ljusnefors Camping on the Ljusnan River, to camp, fish or just overnight.  There have been Finns, Norwegians, Swedes of course, Germans, Australians, Swiss, English, Czechs, Danes, French, Poles, etc.   Last night a large tour bus came with people from the Czech Republic and they were delighted that our host, Martin, speaks Czech.  

Marion and I had a day off and we took the train to Hudiksvall, which is north of Ljusne and Söderhamn.  We almost missed the train in Ljusne and had to run to catch it.  A 24 year old in great shape is much more able to run than a 67 y/o in so-so shape😐.  So glad the train personnel waited for me!

Hudiksvall is in Hälsingland, Gävleborg County, Sweden, pop: 15,016.  It's also known as Glada Hudik (Happy Hudik) because of its friendly hospitality and lively social life.  It is on the east coast of Sweden deep inside the bay Hudiksvallsfjärden (now you know exactly where it is!!)  The picture above is of the Fisherman Houses.  During the summer months, fishing would be done from one of the islands out towards the bay.  The women would row several kilometers back to Hudiksvall to deliver the fish to sell.  In the winter, the fisher families would reside in these houses.  This is the typical architecture and atmosphere of Sweden some 200 years ago.  Many have been turned into shops and restaurants.

We went down to the harbor and here are some pictures of the boats and the bay:

Some pictures from the town

Look at these beautiful artichokes

The Old Texas Saloon

Marion and I found a lake with many different birds and geese with lots of babies!

We took a bus to Malnbaden to see a recreational area.  It was really pretty.  School was out, so there were teens playing sand fütbol and swimming.

Loveletters in the sand

At the end of the day, Marion and I sat at an outside cafe to wait for the train!  It was a fun day!

Getting Used to 24 hours of Daylight or Life in Sweden in the Summer!

This is what is looks like outside my room at 11:46 pm.  Even though the sun has set, it never really gets dark.  Then, the sun rises again at 3:30 in the morning.  I sleep in periods...never straight through the night.  It is very odd.  

 Here is a picture taken at 4:04 am about 20 minutes after sunrise!



Here is a time table of the months of sun and darkness.  I am glad I'm here during the 'sun does not set' period.  I don't think I could handle only 5-6 hours of daylight! 

I love to learn new things, whether it is about a country or in the kitchen.  Martin is an excellent cook, as I have said.  One evening, he asked me to go to a pot of herbs and get 'salvia'.  I said "Salvia is a flower".  He said, "No, it is a herb (pronouncing the 'h').  I showed him on my iPhone what Salvia looks like.  He took me outside and picked some leaves. I smelled them and they were sage!  Very cool!

Also, he pulled out this strange looking root-like thing and I asked what it was and he said, "Celery".  I looked it up and in English it is Celeriac or root celery.  It is not the root of our celery, as the base of the stalk is the root, but a different critter all together.

Celeriac or root celery

Ambra is not allowed in the kitchen, but she knows she can get away with one foot inside the door....cracks me up...here is Ambra and Alisha loving on her!.  She is an amazing dog, very talented and very smart.  She always wants to play catch with whatever she can find.  Her favorite is an old deflated soccer ball.

Here is a great picture of my co-worker, Marion from Switzerland.  She did not catch this Salmon, but had her picture made with it!

There is a gigantic rock on the road to the campground from my cabin.  

It it just my imagination, or does it look like a Razorback!

Just sayin'

Also, I love this sign warning of a speed device.....

I know some people who could use a good Fart-hinder!  

The kids got out of school on Friday the 10th and in the evening there was a county wide fair in Söderhamn for the end of school.  Heike and Martin were working in the restaurant, so Marion and I took the kids.  It would have been awesome if it hadn't rained off and on and if the temperature had been warmer than 50😬  Here are some pics from the fair....

 Cotton Candy; Erik, Texas (yes), a friend, Alisha and Enno

 Children's ride?

 Cutie Pie

 Enno on the inflatable ride

Kids in the Bubble Blizzard

Erik and Enno dueling for possession of the bar

It was kind of a lazy weekend.  There was not much business in the cabins or restaurant, so I read a lot and enjoyed sitting by the river.  High season at the campground starts about the 3rd week of June.  There are two more people from Workaway coming in a week or so.  It will be nice to have more help when it gets busy.

I am learning what to do and what not to do in a commercial kitchen.  It really is an awesome experience to see gourmet meals cranked out quickly with fresh food!  The dishwasher runs for 90 seconds!!!  

Heike fixed us a wonderful lunch on Sunday; salmon with feta cheese, capers, tomatoes and onions and potatoes with thyme.  I made slaw for us with homemade mayonnaise because they didn't have any.  We had a fresh strawberry torte for dessert.  Yummy!

First Week in Ljusne, Sweden

Heike told me I could not work the first two days that I am here!  I spent a lot of time watching what goes on, playing with the kids, reading and enjoying the beautiful weather, 60's!!  It is warmer here than in Richmond (57), but the day I left, it was in the 80's in Washington, D.C, and HOT!  We had a big thunderstorm in Ljusne on Tuesday and it was a lot cooler afterwards.  

My duties include serving guests in the restaurant, cleaning cottages after check-out and cleaning the common areas in the Reception area.  There are several common places for the campers; restrooms and showers, communal kitchen.  We don't have breakfast until 9:30 and work doesn't start until 10:00-11:00.  Sometime around 1:00 we have lunch prepared by Martin and/or Heike and complete any work that remains after lunch.  The kids come home from school around 2:30.  Dinner is around 7:00-8:00, working around guests in the restaurant.  Martin is an excellent chef and I drool over his creations for guests!  Last night, salmon, rice, salad, carrots with a mustard sauce for one couple and tenderloin pieces with béarnaise (I think), rice, salad and carrots for another couple.  The salmon was fresh and huge....we got to sample the leftovers and all was delicious.  They eat a lot of bread and I had sworn off bread at home, so I'm sure I will wear the results!!

I hope to work with the kids to teach them English when they are out of school.  Hopefully I can come up with a fun way to teach young children ESL.  They have had some English in school since 1st grade, but only Alisha has the courage to speak it!  They speak German at home, so I probably won't learn a lot of Swedish.  I used to have a friend from Mannheim, Germany that I carpooled with to work in the 70's.  Her name was Petra Schmidt.  She married an American GI named Woody, and she called him Voody!  She was so much fun and became a good friend and taught me many German words and they are coming back to me.

Marion and I walked to the village of Ljusne.  It is a locality situated in the Söderhamn municipality, Gävleborg County, with a population of 1, 917 in 2010.   Ljusne and Ljusnefors Camping are on the Ljusnan River.  The river is 273 miles long and starts in Northwestern Sweden and continues Southeastern through Halsingland Province into the Bothnian Sea, where Ljusne is!  It is heavily used for hydropower and very popular for Salmon fishing.

Ljusne Park

Ljusne sign....just like Hollywood!

A beautiful home 

 Ljusnan River

 Dam and hydropower plant (pardon the finger)

A view of Ljusnefors Camping from across the river!

Flora seen on our walk!

Snowmobile trail

We saw this cat and it looked like it had 2 faces!  It was so interesting.