A Day in Sweden.

Our whole family are champion sleepers. This morning we slept in until 9:00am. After breakfast dad suggested we walk down the beach to check out the handball competition. This week is the 2011 Åhus Beach HandBoll Festival. 

 

So dad and Maisy went and then Mum and I followed about half an hour later. It cost kr10 for adults and children were free.

The first thing I did was a game where you had to try and throw the hand ball as fast as you can at the goal net. I threw it 34 km an hour. The girls record was 86 km per hour. But she was a champion player. The hand ball is bigger than a tennis ball but smaller than a volleyball.

We then found Dad and Maisy eating hot chips so we joined them and went to the main arena to watch the tournament. The court is on the sand and is a bit smaller than a netball court. It has goals like soccer nets at either end. You can only throw the ball and they throw it really hard. This game is much faster than soccer or netball. A game lasts for 10 minutes and they normally score around 10 goals each. There are only 8 players on the field at a time. Teams score by pegging the ball past the goalie into the net. It is a very exciting, action packed 10 minute game. I have never seen it before but I now think it is a great game. 

Maisy and I played on the gym equipment for a while giving each other challenges to do, then we started to walk back for lunch. On the way back we saw a very, very long jetty and dad said we could jump off the end into the cold, clear Baltic Sea. Maisy didn't turn down the idea and stripped off her long pants. She ran and jumped into the freezing water again and again, each time complaining how cold it was. There was a floating pontoon about 50 metres out and Maisy swam all the way out there on her own. She was shivering so much in the end I had to run her back to our cabin and put her in a hot shower. We had last nights left over spaghetti bolognaise and some fresh corn on the cob for lunch. I was getting very annoyed with my wobbly tooth each time I bit into the corn. So I got mum's sewing kit and tied a knot around my tooth using some thread and connected the other end to the door. I took a deep breathe and slammed it shut. It came flying out and landed in Maisy's stinky, old shoes.  The tooth fairy rewarded me with 25 Swedish Krona.

Cute little squirrels come every night to clear the outdoor table.

That night dad and I made a salad for dinner. I washed and chopped the celery, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and beans, while dad boiled eggs, cut the chicken and made a platter of cheeses, salamis and ham. After a delicious meal and a few games of cards, Maisy, dad and I  went for a walk and happened to pass a mini golf course. It was 18 holes and I got a par 3 on the hardest hole, but I had to hit the ball at least 7 times on the easier holes. Dad got a record breaking 25 hits on the same hole!!! But on other times he did really well. Overall I won.

We then walked back to the Åhus Handboll Tournament. We were told it is the most exciting time at night when all the finals are on. And it was really, really exciting in the main arena where there were people standing on seats cheering their lungs out and the music was pumping.

Maisy and I sat and watched some kids just playing a fun game of handball. We plucked up the courage and asked them if we could join in and learn to play. The girl spoke a little English and was really nice, she taught us the game and how to pass and score. Her brothers were just mischeif and we stayed for about half an hour. It was soooooo cool. When we got home it was already 10:00pm. So we went straight to bed.  

                                                                    Charlotte