sights of karlshamn.

Karlshamn is a small, quaint town that used to be a fort town. At least that's what dkf's boss, Peter said. The population is about 70,000 but it feels more like 5,000. There's at least one of everything: museum, night club, strip bar, library, school, gym, supermarket, pharmacy, which is nice but also not that nice due to limited selections. I haven't found the state hospital or day treatment centers but I have spotted some mentally ill and developmentally disabled people, so I know they have to have something here. It's nice and sunny though pollen-ridden this time of year. I am told this pleasant weather will last only a few months a year but the midnight sun effect is quite nice, with sunset at 10pm and sunrise at 4am.Winter takes up half the year and I do hope it snows as it has in the past. The people are nice but mostly in their golden years. I get the feeling this is a retirement town as average waiting time behind a senior citizen at the supermarket line is about 7 minutes and counting. The younger folks do jobs I haven't seen them do anywhere else such as maid service, trash picking and street scrubbing. The food selection is quite awful. You have your pick between really bad hamburgare, pizza, sallad, kebabs and bad Thai food. Alcohol is highway robbery and so are groceries (meat especially) so I foresee us becoming sober vegans while here. Everything closes on Sundays and there is a specified store you purchase alcohol from with extremely limited hours. That's socialism for ya. I think we are the only expats in town as everyone has seemed to be Svenska. I am learning tons of Svenska just watching TV in the hotel room and find that many words can be figured out if you just say them out loud because they sound like English. Just imagine adding extra consonants and syllables you don't need to English and you've got Swedish! Most Swedes seem to know English but don't necessarily want to speak it.

I like how the town is by the water, even if the AAK fat factory pretty much dominates the water landscape. There are many brave birds here, black raven-ish birds, sparrows, seagulls, swans, and woodpeckers. This is a classic port town with docks filled with rich people's boats. I would love to sail on one. There is a forest just on the outskirts of town that smells like 6th grade camp. With a bike, anything is possible. But most people walk, especially with their walkers.

I am highly allergic to something that is flowering outside. I would love to explore more but can only go outside every other day to avoid complete misery. I wonder how the public health system is. I once read that it's a myth that healthcare is doled out like candy free of charge. I hope it's actually true.

More to follow in this blissful garden..I would love to stop to smell the roses but my nose is way too plugged up.

Hejdå for now.