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Visit to Sweden - July
2005 HOMEPAGE
All that was certain was the need to return when possible. We did however have the prospect of the evening, a hotel and local music festival coming to a close in nearby Orsa. It didn't take long to find the place, or the hotel which was built in about 1896. Orsa has a feeling of the "Wild West or Dodge City" about it; the old hotel, the railway running past, and most of all, the abundance of American Cars. The one place we found where SAAB and Volvo were in a minority!
Being late in the day it was easy to pick up on the atmosphere, and it would have been easier still to get absorbed into the proceedings. However we did have a focus, as (yes) Stefan's band Lars Kristerz were appearing at a local temporary venue set up for the festival. Alongside The Hep Stars (Benny from ABBA started out with them, writing their hit numbers, so there's a good Hagstrom connection there). These days the band do a wide range of sixties revival material.
Larz Kristerz is a retro Dansband that enjoys bringing back the sixties and early seventies in a sometimes tongue in cheek way, with wigs and outfits to suit, but always with music played in a professional way. If you click on the picture of the Hep Stars, you can see a streaming video - a blend of sounds from both bands... but mainly Larz Kristerz... you can then appreciate how versatile the sound is! The Larz Kristerz kit includes Hagstrom items of course, sometimes all
Hagstrom gear, but on this occasion, Stefan on HIIBN Bass, and a 24 channel
Hagstrom mixer in use and display on stage.
A couple of beers, and a bit of a dance with the locals (Yes!), and we walked the short distance back to the hotel for a chat on the balcony a few more beers, then finally turning in for some rest about 2am. We slept well after the fun end to the day, awaking ready to start out with a good breakfast, and our journey towards Gothenburg.
Despite a good sleep Chris soon settled to catch up again - must have been the breakfast - so we had the mix of strumming and snoring emanating from the rear seat. Definitely a good idea as we anticipated a fairly late night in Gothenburg maybe, and then back the Braås by goodness only knows what time! This day sleeping proved amusing when we stopped at Sjötorp, another beautiful spot, made special by the merging of the natural lakes and a canal system. Quite a major feat of engineering, yet a good mix of nature, sport, and technology rolled into a package of interest. Make nothing more of it than that, it was a good place to break the journey, and enjoy again the sights of beautiful Sweden.
It was a good place to stop and stretch our legs, before heading down to to meet Kwinn and Ulf again, indeed for the last time before returning home. We were ready for something to eat and drink by the time we reached Gothenburg, it was about 8pm from memory, and there was a welcome for us when we arrived. How can this remain such a "high" all the time? Well, in short good people... - On to the Final Page or Back to Page7
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We
left Älvdalen with a heavy heart in many ways. It meant the turning point in our
journey, and although we still had new plans,
you
always feel there is more you could have achieved. However in the time we had,
it was a difficult reasoning to justify. 
