We next traveled through Småland to
the historic village of Husby bruk. 
This has been an important iron works for about a thousand years. During the 30 years war in the 1600's, it became very important in supplying cannons and guns for the Swedish army. Later they manufactured ornate cast iron stoves and other products.
One of the reasons this site became important was the availability of water power. On this day, the results of the Småland flooding were in evidence. The river here was lapping its banks, and even washing over some of the bridges.
Once again an English speaking guide was waiting to give us the history of the place, including the big mansion that had been occupied by one of the last daughters of family that operated the factory into the 20th century.
At a restaurant that had been created by remodeling a fancy horse barn, our group of 6 Swedes and 10 Americans had our last meal together. It had been a great tour thanks to the extensive planning done by Christer Andersson and our skillful and knowledgeable driver Bernth Johansson.
We presented them with a small token of our appreciation, and then gathered for the traditional group photo before returning to our pick up points in Halland.
Another trip to Sweden had come to an end. Wendy and I stayed overnight with Ingvar and Gunilla in Bor. They then took us to Göteborg where we boarded the bus for Oslo. The trip from Oslo to Newark was crowded, and getting through the disorganized mess of customs and luggage pick-up in Newark was a real bother. Wendy missed her connecting flight to Washington, DC, but I had plenty of time between flights and made it back to Columbus, OH in pretty good shape.
Whoever said that getting there is half the fun must not have had any recent airplane travel experience. However, being in Sweden with good friends and relatives, and seeing the beautiful landscape and learning the history of the country makes the pain of getting there and back well worth while.
