http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkbG0y43MgA

Unlike some of my fellow Boarding Area bloggers who amass a ridiculous amount of points (no I do not see my 2.1 million current total as ridiculous) for trips to every corner of the planet and stays in 5 star hotels most of us have never ever heard of or more than likely will never stay at, I have other goals. The reason I started this slightly obsessive adventure was so that I could visit my mom more than once a year in coach class as I did before. Now, the only reason I turn right when I get on a plane is because I choose to on a mileage run. Gosh I so love what we do!

After our flight we went to the “central station” and rather than the standard train ride we took a slightly quicker bus ride to the seaside town of Strömstad. Gosh we have a ton of luggage for only two weeks.

So last Saturday I gave you a sneak peek of the view from my family’s summer place. I love light! I consider myself “solar powered”. I would be more than happy to live on a planet that had 24 hr sunlight. Koster is close to that as the sun sets at about midnight in June and is back up at 3:AM.

The night sky stays cobalt blue and hardly a single star can be seen! I love it beyond words. The view below is from one of the upstairs rooms Lisa and I stayed in and the view I grew up with.

There is nothing to me like the sound of water, sea gulls and wind. There are “black out” blinds on the windows for sleeping but man is it hard to go back to bed at 4:AM after a trip to the “loo” when the entire house is a blaze of light and it feels like 10:AM outside.

There is also something rejuvenating about water. Now the water may look like a long swim would be inviting, but we are talking about the North Sea. So while it was and often is crystal clear and appears so inviting, it had been a cool spring, even for Swedish standards, and that adds up to a 57ºF (14ºC) water temp.

Even for my well insulated frame and Viking background, that is just too cold for a fun swim! But as a kid I did learn to wind surf on this very beach. It is a gentle slope so you can wade out for what seems like forever!

This little island is small and has become a nature preserve. You could walk it from end to end in a few hours. There is one “car”, smaller than a mini, that a permanent resident owns, but most get around on 3 wheel mopeds and golf carts as of late (much more environmentally friendly than 2 stroke mopeds, but not as much fun)! And it makes for a quick trip to the only food store on the island.

And on the way back home we pass the world class golf course that I have played more times than maybe “real” golf in my life (no I did not bring my clubs).

Nothing says summer, even in Sweden like a good BBQ on the grill. (no I was not cooking the beer, I drank the beer and had water to put out flame ups!)

On the way back home we did take the train and ran into a small problem, cows on the track. Flying is so much safer!

And then my mom showed me how she used to blog back in her day on my Samsung phone. I guess I am just not as old school as she is but that is OK!

Once back in town I had the privilege of having a cup of tea with blog reader David! It was great to meet you David and hope to chat again next time Lisa & I are in GOT again!

So that gives Delta Points readers a bit of a taste of why I began to horde collect Skymiles and points anywhere I can! So if you have aspirations and  goals, go for it! If you, like me, just want to be able to travel in style to see family half way across the planet, you can do that too for almost FREE! – René

PS – I have a secret I learned that I never knew about Delta in a part three post up soon!

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