Got there in the end

The drive to Karlstad today wasn't going to take more than three or four hours and so we decided we'd go and take a look at that Carl Larsson exhibition on our way.  We packed up, ate breakfast and retrieved our hire car to drive to the museum where we had difficulty parking.

By the time we finally reached the entrance to the museum, we were amused to see a huge crowd of ladies gathering there too - like a flock of starlings, they chattered and busied themselves then, as soon as the door opened, they swarmed inside to take off coats and get themselves together.

We joined a different queue, paid our entrance fee and snooked in ahead of the posse and enjoyed the exhibition immensely. Not only was the Larsson work breathtakingly beautiful, the Prince Eugen house adjoining the gallery was superb. In the spring sunshine, the light on the water made for a spectacular view and the immaculate fresh flower displays in every room brought the whole building to life.

The textile exhibit didn't quite do it for either of us, suprisingly, but we left feeling more than happy to have been able to see everything else.

The journey to Karlstad was uneventful and took us through a rather greyer landscape than we'd imagined.  Much snow lay alongside the road in places and there is little green to be seen in the countryside just yet.  In sharp contrast, the shop windows in town are full of yellow, green and pink Easter displays.  We imagine that everyone here must be longing for a little brightness after a long winter.

Tomorrow we plan to explore a little of the eastern side of Lake Vanern, so we hope for fine weather.