Lycklig Juli Fjärde!

That's Swedish for Happy July Fourth. It's a literal translation from an online dictionary, so I fully expect that it won't make sense to an actual Swede.

You may be wondering why there's a Swedish tint to my Independence Day greetings. It's partially because Sweden is a year-and-a-half into its fifteen-year plan to remove oil from its economy. And it's partially because former Soviet spies live to be very old in Sweden.

But the primary reason, I admit, is that the missus and I will be traveling to Sweden in the relatively near future (not quite near enough for me), and I'm so excited I'm writing about it on our nation's birthday. Fireworks? Flying flags? John Philip Sousa? All terrific stuff. But my mind's already on the herring, venison, and smörgåsbord.

I've heard rumors that Stockholm is more than the sum of its food. Confirmation to come, dear B&E readers!

I have a hunch you can all look forward to seeing some delicious photos of Stockholm in the relatively near future.