Note from the Professor to the Family

Hi Family:

I am in Gothenburg, Sweden tonight. I have a lecture tomorrow at the University of Gothenburg and then I am back home in Helsinki with Mom (thankfully).

I was able to see some of the city today and yesterday. I really don't remember much about the city which I visited with Leanna many years ago.

A few reflections. I went to Church today and enjoyed the ward. It is out in the suburbs so I took the tram and then walked. The people were very kind and Sunday School and Sacrament meeting were translated for me. They have a small chapel and the membership is relatively young and composed mostly of professionals. The demographics are much like in our Helsinki ward, except Gothenburg has more teens. The Sacrament talks were devoted to the anniversary of Relief Society. The Bishop read excerpts from the First Presidency message sent out in English warning members not to submit the names of celebrities or Holocaust victims for temple work. I doubt if many understood why the message was sent out. In addition, a young member told me he was in NYC last week and walked past the theatre featuring the "Book of Mormon." He was told at the box office that he could purchase a ticket for the next day for $350. He didn't purchase the ticket and I told him that he was lucky to have missed the play. He knew absolutely nothing about the play, and in this case ignorance is bliss!


A few thoughts on "northern" Europe. I have now spent time in Helsinki, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Zurich. Mom and I will travel to Munich and Innsbruck (and perhaps Salzburg and Prague) in a few weeks. I have also been to Warsaw and Mom and I have visited Vilnius, but they were once part of the Soviet empire or the Soviet Union and are different from "northern" Europe.

Northern European cities are very nice and very orderly. They also have many historical sites which differentiate them so much from U.S. cities. In-city transportation is very effective and is composed of trams, buses, and sometimes subways. Many cities have pedestrian malls and streets which forbid car and truck traffic. The people tend to be quite prosperous, and have thus far been insulated from the recessionary conditions brewing to their south, especially in the Mediterranean countries.

Of course, weather in northern Europe tends to be somewhat cold, icy, snowy, and dreary. If you are brought up in these conditions, they are normal. Plus, Professor Henriksson at the University of Helsinki always reminds me that if you have the proper clothing and equipment, weather is never a problem. On the other hand, for someone raised in California with plenty of sunshine and relatively warm temperatures, winters in northern Europe (and northern Utah) leave much to be desired.

In addition, I spent this past Thursday and part of Friday in Paris under ideal weather condlitions (about 70 degrees) and nowhere else in the world can match Paris.

I have really enjoyed my time in Europe. Mom has been a fantastic companion and both of us are looking forward to seeing each of you. Of course, Mom and I will always have fond memories of Paris (and Helsinki) !

Dad