I was tired this morning and didn't feel like going on the bike tour. The weather is very cool, in the 60s I think, with a chilling strong wind from off the sea. I figured I would give my hand a rest. So I went out to see the cars run the parallel slalom. That was terrific. Watching the BMW 321 compacts go around the same course as the motorcycles was just amazing. And they were leaving lots of rubber.

I wanted to try, but Helmut said the rules precluded me from competing in both events. But I stayed until 2pm. I met one guy from the Finnish club who talked to me for a long time about how to run the course. He is a real expert racing enthusiast and I suspect he will place number 1 today. (And he did.)

One of the women who raced was very good but she couldn't get the course right and ran off it several times. This was great entertainment value for the crowd but she was disqualified. I spoke to her in English at first and she seemed Italian. But then she spoke in German. It turns out Rossetta Cianncia is Italian, born and raised outside of Zurich, and speaks several languages, but Swiss German is her mother tounge. Interestingly, she likes to race but her husband does not. They drive her from Zurich so she can do this race. I hung out with the Swiss for a while. It turns out that they are staying at my hotel, so I will probably walk to dinner with them tonight.

At 2pm, the racing was still going on and I was tired, so I went back to the hotel and had a nap. I woke up and did a little Internetting, and then it was time to get ready for dinner. I went downstairs and met the Swiss at 5:30. Rossetta and her husband made a late appearance, and then we had a pleasant half-hour walk through the town pedestrian zones talking about languages and cultures. Rossetta is an interesting example herself with blue eyes, extravagant black hair, an Italian manner, Italian-accented English, and a Swiss accent to her German. I wonder what her French and Spanish dialects are? Her friend is German-born but also has developed a Swiss accent, but nowhere near as strong as Italian Rossetta.

I notice that at American rallies, the talk is usually of bikes. At the European rallies, people speak little of cars or bikes. There seems to be so much else to talk about, possibly because people are from different places, especially me.

Pedestrians are much more likely to jaywalk in Sweden. I saw people doing it all the time, and there were no signs up warning of setting a bad example for the children, as there are in Germany. But I saw one young lady nearly get killed. We were waiting to cross a very small street and she decided that the oncoming bus was far enough away to cross, just barely. But she no sooner got halfway across the street than a taxi came zooming up the other way. She had nowhere to go and made herself small in the middle of the street. Nobody slowed down and none of us will forget the sight. She certainly won't, though she emerged unscathed physically.

We had a grand reception at the city hall, welcomed by the mayor. There was lots of wine and a tour of the old and elaborate building decorated with oil portraits of previously important people. There was a lot of mixing and I got to say hello to everyone I had met so far, and a few new people, including P.O.'s girfriend Annete, a very nice woman from their village who seemed to be enjoying the proceedngs immensely.

After being suitably impressed with the town hall, we walked another 20 minutes to the Slagthuset (Slaughter House), which is a renovated office and conference complex now. They had prepared tables for 300 and buffets of salmon, herring, beef, and lots of other stuff. P.O. started the speaches by giving us welcome talks in Swedish, Deutsch, and English. Then the President of Club Europa, Jan van Ruijven, got up and did the same. Then the new head of Mobile Tradition got up and introduced himself in English, with a shorter version in German.

I was indeed seated at the head table with P.O. and Annette, and also the mayor and his girfriend, who was very friendly and gracious. I also finally got to meet Fr. Neukirchen, who has replaced Andrea Nagel. She was not prevously in evidence at the meeting, possibly due to health problems, but she seemed well enough tonight.

On the other side of me was an older English couple who seem to be famous within the clubs, and they were seated next to another famous couple, Werner and his wife. I think this is Werner Senn out of Winterthur. The men were old friends and also interesting to talk with. Both were "Friends of the Marque". The English man would speak loud slow German to Werner, who seemed to be hard of hearing and very sweet.

Also at he table were four Japanese visitors. I was rather dissapointed. I thought that I might at least win the overseas visitor's cup, but the Japanese were going to beat me out again. They left early, but not before presenting P.O. with a large and elaborately-wrapped pot of sake. All I can say is that they just flew into Copenhagen instead of riding. That means, they went barely a mile to Malmö, and that by bus.

Unlike previous meetings, the prize ceremony is going to be held the next day, along with the Concourse d'Elegance and the town parade. I was going to miss it anyway so good that I didn't win anything. :)

We ate, we talked, we drank. The mayor's friend and others persuaded this Californian that he must try the cheese and then the pie with cream for desert. I decided it was necessary and we all enjoyed ourselves. At about 10:30, the band started up and people began to dance. I made my goodbyes to every one I could find and went off to bed.