Why I travel like I do

Roger and I are both tired and a little sore after an all day walk around Stockholm. We were in Old Stockholm, at the public library, in many churches, biking in Djurgarden, and in and out of shops and restaurants. We didn't buy anything but food and took some breaks to watch the world walk by.

My favorite moment today was biking in Djurgarden, an island across from Gamlastan (Old Stockholm) it's fairly rustic and beautiful. I'm usually a good navigator but I got us so lost and mixed up on what is a small island with plenty of signs. We were following a self- guided tour, or planned to when we were lost and baffled. We biked up a hill where we saw two men and a dog who looked like they belonged there and asked them to point out on the map where we were located. This is where the travel magic happens.

He kindly offered his help and inquired about where we were from and asked where we would be traveling. We asked about the island and what we should see and a conversation started that could have continued on for some time ranging from the current situation in Iraq to second language development in the US to the midnight sun, to world travel, dogs and more. We learned that we were in the area of private residences where they don't often see tourists and he recommended a route that brought us by a prince's home.

I love the unexpected connections that come from traveling away from a group. And the bike rental place didn't charge us for our time beyond the hour and I think we were closer to two hours.

We leave on the train tomorrow for Mora to meet up with my Swedish family. We are so looking forward to the time together!

Location:Stockholm