hello, from Belgium: I fell in love with Brännö

I was invited into the home of the most wonderful Swedish family this past weekend. Upon arrival onto the beautiful island of Brännö (accessible only by ferry - no cars on the island, only bicycles and mopeds!), I was greeted by lovely people, wonderful pets, served a delicious meal, was taught how to play banjo (life long dream!), bongos, and ukulele, and got to jam with esteemed members of Brännö's very own band "The Burning Islanders".
The next day, we made a trip to the countryside outside Goteborg for a family dinner, where I had my first traditional Swedish meal - a REAL smorgasbord! Pickled herring, herring in different sauces, boiled potatoes, flat, crispy bread, a crayfish and shrimp cake dish, "light" beer, and to top it off, a delicious Swedish birthday cake. Wonderful wonderful meal!
And as a send off, I got to ride in the front crate of the moped from the house to the ferry terminal. A most enjoyable experience!
All in all, I fell in love with Sweden. It reminded me a lot of home - the air was cold and crisp, there were beautiful evergreen trees everywhere, open fields, and I was lucky enough to have been present for the first snowfall of the year.
I can't wait to go back!