Swedes Are Cool

The below story is from Karin, who is from Sweden and posted a comment last night about her family's experience at the public pool in France, when they were also doing a HomeExchange last summer. It was eerily similar to our experience last summer in Nantes, which we chronicled here. And it's also fun to read. Thanks to Karin, now I know we weren't singled out in Nantes because we're the ugly Americans.

Thanks Karin! Send in a photo of your family in Apt if you want and I'll post it here. And by the way, your written English is incredible. Dave says all the Swedes he's ever known are nice people. Add one more to the list!

Karin's experience with their HomeExchange: We had a similar experience this summer when we did a home exchange in Provence. After a terrible car trip to the Saturday market in Apt when our youngest son got carsick and puked all over himself (and some on me as well), we bought some new clothes and washed ourselves as much as we could in some public restroom. Then we went to the market in Apt for a few hours, all the while keeping the kids happy by promising "after this we are going to the pool."

Then we bought our picnic lunch and headed to the public pool. Finally! We were hungry and the kids were anxious to swim (it was hot in July). Four of us in our group (two families together) were men and were wearing this kind of long-legged beach swimming shorts (as you did in Nantes) which is the common thing in Sweden. And we were stopped before entering the pool area, in the same way by the guard, but I think he was even more unfriendly than yours.

Our boys were so disappointed that they almost cried, and we adults couldn't help getting mad about it all, especially losing face by not being able to swim. We had to leave the place, and we didn't even get our entrance fee back.

But this was our only bad experience in France, actually. And now even this "bad thing" has become a funny holiday memory for us, of course.

So we had to enjoy our picnic in a dusty parking lot instead, but at the end we just laughed about the experience. Next time we head for France (the Alps during the New Year) we are definitely bringing some Speedos! And I will really try not to laugh when seeing my husband wearing his!