Finally to Ockero

Saturday was transition day. I worked in my hotel room and sent the text files for all the chapters in the BDL-Perspectives book to Pascal for production. I just had time to pack my suitcases before check-out time. My ride to Ockero was not due till 3:45 (my

driver was running in the Gothenburg half-marathon), so I strolled along Vasagatan under the linden trees and down to the canal path.

I was fascinated by the architecture of buildings on street corners -- every one was different. Here are a few examples --

It was a beautiful, warm sunny day, but I decided to break my wanderings with a short visit to the design museum, and had a good lunch in the cafe.

I emerged onto Vasagatan just as the first runners passed by -- followed by many, many more. There were about 60,000

runners in all. The The race started at 1:30 PM (in the worst heat of the

the day!). The last people

crossed the finish line about 7 PM.

My "driver" - Victor, the (much younger) half-brother of Ulla's son, who is staying in the apartment in her house this summer -- came to the hotel at the appointed hour (I was prepared to wait a long time having seen the race congestion) He had the low number of 1922 based on his previous performance in the race, and had made good time. We collected my suitcases and set off -- by trolley to Ulla's son Peter's house in the suburbs, where Victor had left Ulla's car. We loaded my bags in the car and drove towards the ferry. A series of phone calls changed our plans. So, back we went to Peter's house, Victor showered and borrow clothes from one of the boys, and we set off again -- this time in a taxi -- back to central Gothenburg. Exiting the taxi, close by my hotel, we finally located the source of our invitation to return to town - Victor's boss and his wife and co-worker John (in a small electrical contractor business on Ockero). They had watched the race and saw Victor go by, and we now celebrating his success. I gathered they had been celebrating his success ever since he passed by.

To cut a long story of an (excellent) dinner short, during which I sipped water as the designated driver (for Victor, his boss and boss's wife, in a car I had never driven before), the ending involved a taxi back to Peter's house in the suburbs, my initiation as driver, and a race to catch the ferry in a car (Toyota Yaris) that was not used to a full load of people and luggage. We dropped boss+wife at their home on Hono (the connected island) and arrived at Ulla's around midnight.

No quite what I had anticipated!