Day Trip to Eskilstuna

Before I left California for Europe, I tried to plan out as much of the trip as I could. I did my research and read about where in each country I should spend my time. I had never been to Sweden before, so I did a little extra reading about the country. During my research, I found a website with a list of the top ten most beautiful cities in Sweden. Eskilstuna was on the list. A small town, Eskilstuna probably doesn't make it onto most people's lists of must dos.  However, I was looking for a small city to visit with some history and good photo opportunities, and I found it with Eskilstuna. Granted, there is not a lot in the way of entertainment in the town, but there is a picturesque river and a few buildings left over from the town's medieval days.

I must admit that I scheduled too much time in the town. I could have easily spent a half day in Eskilstuna and seen all there was to see. I had purchased my train tickets in advance. In Sweden, the train tickets are like airline tickets: the earlier you purchase them, the better price you get. This purchase meant that I paid less for my tickets but also mean that I was unable to take an earlier train back to Stockholm. The day worked out okay though; I spent my time walking around the city. When I got to the old town area, I sat on a bench in the sun for awhile.

Here in Sweden, I keep looking around me only to be amazed by the colors of the leaves. I don't think I've ever experienced a true fall before, what with being from Texas where the leaves are either green or brown. I remember several years ago going on a leaf walk with an excited kindergarten class where all the leaves were brown and sad. The idea was to find a couple of really cool leaves to do rubbings of. Leaf rubbings are much happier when they are red or orange.

I know you can't see many leaves in this picture, but I promise they are there in all their fall glory.