Trip to Sweden


In 1999 shortly after our return from Switzerland, we received an invitation to the wedding of Hakan Boman to Sofia Hallen on July 24 in Vastra Amtervik, Sweden.  Hakan had stayed with us for 3 summers when he was a teenager.  So, we flew again over the "big pond" and attended the festivities at Sillegarden which is 35 miles north of Karlstad.

I took my Ten-Tec 1320 QRP rig and put up a 20 Meter dipole to operate from our room in a cabin at Sillegarden.  The festivities of the wedding and banquet and dance didn't leave much time for hamming.  We stayed up until 2:30 AM the night of the wedding partaking of the good Danish beer and the Swedish punch.  There was still light in the northern sky when we crawled off to bed.

Hakan's father Bengt had loaned us a car, so we visited my old Pen Pal, Sonja Rembo at her Summer house at Timmervik on the North Sea.  We stayed two nights in her apartment in downtown Gothenberg.  Sonja had recently retired as a member of the Swedish Parliament

We spent the rest of the time with Hakan's parents in Kavlinge where I ran a 70' long wire from our bedroom up to the top of their 12 meter high flag pole.  I made a total of 41 QSO's with 19 different countries from SM/K4UK.
I had a most enjoyable eye-ball QSO with Chris, SM7KJH at his apartment in Malmo.

We were treated royally by our Swedish friends and I didn't get much time to operate because they had us out visiting the sights.  I was able to play golf at Barseback Golf Course on Sunday August 1.  The Volvo Scandinavian Masters was held there that week.  One "tough" golf course!

We invited Hakan & Sofia, Hakan's parents, Bengt & Birgitta and his brothers Hans and Henrik to visit us here at Smith Mountain Lake.  Now nearly 8 years later Hakan, Sofia and their daughters Klara and Ebba have come to visit us.

Return to Table of Contents


Last Updated June 25, 2008 by Stan Reas