August 3, 2008...(Day 11)...Back in Sweden...Fjallbacka

Agneta and Par returned me to Amanda and her family in Ljungskile, Sweden, last night. We wasted no time in continuing our journey through Sweden.

Welcome to Fjallbacka: We spent a lovely afternoon in this west coast seaside town, which is located between the cities of Stromstad and Uddevalla. We got to enjoy stunning views of an archipelago, sailing boats, and a hike up Vetteberget mountain. In fact, the backdrop to this town is one huge rocky hill. The word, Fjallbacka, means "mountain hill." Fjallbacka residents used to make their living from seafaring and herring fishing.

Ingrid Bergman: This was one of Ingrid Bergman's summer homes. She was born in 1915, and became "Sweden's illustrious gift to Hollywood." The film that catapulted her to fame was Casablanca, in which she co-starred with Humphrey Bogart. AWESOME!

Fjallbacka: To think that Ingrid Bergman lived in this gorgeous little town. It is as pretty as she was lovely.

Family Photo at the base of the mountain: Front row: Olle and Ulla Britt. Second Row (left to right): Ana, Anette, Paul, Kristina, Amanda. Third Row: Jonathan.

I thank all of you for taking me to this cute little town. Oh, we had such a fun day with our picnic and mountain views.

View of Vetteberget Mountain: I had to walk way out onto the pier to get this shot because the mountain was so massive.

Cousins: Jonathan and Ana pose on a rock as we made our way up to the mountain.

Awww...Siblings: Amanda and Paul pose in front of the monster hanging boulder.

Laurie under Super Duper Humongoid Boulder balanced between the rock cut: Don't look up, or you might see a rock about to fall on your punkin' head! Vetteberget Mountain is divided by a huge gorge called Kungsklyfta, named after King Oscar II. Click on this photo to see an enlarged view! The rock really is awesome!

Rocky Steps: We walked through Kungsklyfta rock cut up, and up, and up, until we got to a metal staircase that took us up the side of the mountain. Note: If you click on the photo for a closer look, you will see Amanda and Ana waving to Paul, who was photographing me. They are way up the rock steps.

View from the top of the stairway: Unfortunately, it took me forever to get up that staircase as I am quite afraid of heights. I had to pause on each level to try to gain the courage to continue. Amanda and the kids came down while I was still struggling to gain altitude on the rock. So, her brother, Paul came down to my level and talked me up the rock. He was awesome! The views from atop were not to be missed, and I was so proud of myself when all was said, and done. Can you image living here and enjoying this view day in, and day out? Wow!

Heather on the Mountain: The mountain top was covered with heather which was in full bloom. I wish I hadn't taken so long to get up those darned stairs as I could have spent hours up here. Everyone else had gone back down, leaving Paul and I to enjoy the view.

View from atop the mountain: Each view was prettier than the last. I was grinning from ear to ear. Ooh...ahh...Sweden truly has gorgeous scenery that always pleases the eye.

Sailboat in the Archipelago: Ooohhh...I would have enjoyed zipping around on the waters of the archipelago off the western coast of Sweden. By the way...one definition for the word archipelago is: "any island group or, sometimes, a sea containing a large number of scattered islands."

Laurie on Vetteberget Summit: I leave  you with this view, atop this awesome chunk of rock. Thank you, Paul, for helping to encourage me, step by step, up this "mountain hill."