Friday, June 1, 2012

Back in Beautiful Sweden

It is wonderful to be back in Gothenburg, Sweden.
 
The flight on Delta-KLM from Boston Logan to Schiphol Amsterdam was one of the smoothest I have ever been on. The pilot deserved a standing ovation (but we were still buckled in with out seatbelts)  for the softest landing that I have ever experienced. I had no seatmates on this flight leg since the plane was half empty (and the dinner was great as well).
 
On the flight leg from Amsterdam to Gothenburg, I was seated next to a lovely lady who was going back to visit her brothers. She is Swedish but is now a US citizen and works as a potter on an island off the coast of Maine. Her husband had gone to Yale and to Cranbrook for  high school  (Mitt Romney´s alma mater). We spoke about the education system in the US, social issues, life on on island in Maine, and had a wonderful time. She had also been on my flight from Boston.
 
Gothenburg is in the midst of high school celebrations with trucks, festooned with banners and greenery, carrying the cheering and dancing graduates, who are dressed in sailor caps, and with rock music blaring.
 
The city is in bloom with lilacs and rhododendrums and, although it is a bit chilly, it is wonderful to be back.
 
Today, I was treated to a delicious lunch as part of the Visiting Professor Program at the School of Business, Economics and Law. It is great to see colleagues and students that I met way back in March and to meet new ones.
 
I am looking forward to a very exciting month in the beautiful country that is Sweden.