Furudal

Where to start? My arrival in Furudal was filled both with a sense of anxiety about my dances and eagerness to get started working on them. Once we ran through the dances, I could tell that we didn't have any major obstacles. That was a good thing, but it also means that haven't worked on them hard enough to make them perfect. Regardless, Larry and I are both confident that Friday afternoon will be a passing day for us.
Furudal and the training camp is more than just practicing. Most importantly, it is the opportunity to withdraw from the world and focus on the wonderful people who are also interested in dancing. Our evenings at the campfire are filled with entertaining discussions. On the rare occasion that the subject wanders to dancing, it is a discussion of past hijinks.
My first appearance at the campfire (we were too late the first night, so I didn't manage perfect attendance this year) was accompanied by foil packets of salmon. Since we took our time getting down to the lake, there was very little fire left and more wood had to be thrown on to cook our meal. When we finally got to eat, the fish was delicious, however I got to endure several days of teasing thanks to those pieces of fish. Not to be outdone, I announced that the following evening I would bring a moose roast. One night I even suggested that we catch a wolf to bbq and then we could make a new pair of pants for Larry, or a hat, or a couple purses. Regardless, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
This year we stayed in the youth hostel rooms attached to the Norwegian Veteran Museum. During WWII, Sweden wasn't allowed to host a foreign army, but the Norwegian 'police troops' were active in a number of towns throughout Sweden. When they built the rooms in the museum they went asking for money in Norway. The beds here are the nicest beds I have ever slept in; they are, in fact, the best beds you can buy in Norway.
Tonight, we have one last night in Furudal with only a few remaining dancers. Tomorrow, we drive to Östersund and Friday we dance up. Good luck to everyone!

People

There are so many lovely Swedish people here! And, perhaps obviously, they are all excellent dancers. I have to make a special mention for our hustomter - Bo and Siv. They are simply delightful people. They are kind and generous. They go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome. They have helped us find the Internet connection. And they do everything with a smile, often without being asked.

Interestingly, none of the märke dancers are Swedish. One couple is from Italy and the rest of us are Americans. So much English! Of course, there are Swedes who will be testing for medals, just none at this camp. Most of the Americans here I have met before, but it's nice to get to know them better.