Starting Off, the South of Sweden

318.2 kilometers, Staffanstorp Sweden
What an adventure! We made it down to Sävsjö, where the van was. A friend gave us and all of our things and our four new tires a ride the whole way down. Then, instead of collecting gas money as we agreed she bought us some groceries, about half of which we still have. We didn't have enough money to pay the mechanic as it cost a lot to buy a refurbished engine, put it in and fix a few other things so that Mr. Blues could pass his inspection. We left Stockholm a few thousand Swedish kronor short of what we owed but it is working itself out and so far we have lacked neither gas nor food.

Because we had to pay the mechanic in cash and it was after banking hours, we had to wait until the next day. Where do we spend the night? A phone call later we are eating sausages and watching football (England still hasn't beat us since 1968...) at our housemate's uncles's place. We spent the night (of course, in his caravan) and wake up the next morning to a beautiful breakfast (homebaked bread, grapes, cheese, porridge...) and a blessing from his parents. He then gave us a ride into town and got us a time for the inspection that would make Mr. Blues all legal...

The van worked, but was in a less than tidy state. But what to do when the rain was pouring down? We remembered that friends Resa and Krister had met in Cambodia lived in Växjö, so we called them and ended up being fed and tucked into bed (after receiving Bibles to give away from their mother). Sleep was especially welcome, as we just had spent five hours scrubbing, cleaning and organizing the van. It was great to share stories and catch up on Daniel and Frida's lives (Frida is beautifully pregnant with twins!).
Finally we were on the road. But where to? The more we drove south, the clearer the picture became clear that Germany is where we're heading. At 03:15 AM we are boarding a boat to Sassnitz in the north-east of Deutchland. With our free time we stopped off to visit our housemate Linda's parents (to continue our tour of her relatives homes) here. They've been great! Her dad helped us install our van safe (bolted into the frame) and we had an amazing meal. Hospitality and praying was very appreciated. After all, it was Linda and her mom who actually went to look at Mr. Blues and bought him in the first place. Soon we'll be on a ferry! Must go, they're calling us down for tea and sandwiches before leaving!
The journey continues...