Burträsk

The morning began with very little pain, so I decided to set off towards Umeå. I was delighted by the quiet inland road, with few cars and a favorable breeze. 30km later, north of Burträsk, the tooth sharply reminded me that it was likely that another visit to the dentist would be necessary today. So I cycled back to Skellefteå (a city that was definitely hard to leave!) and went straight back to the dentist, who very fortunately had time for me, or very kindly took it. It has been much better since: thank you so much, Kevin and all the team of the Anderstorp Centre in Skellefteå, for time, good care, encouragements, discounts, and traveller-friendly toothpaste sample.

The rest of the day was obviously repetitive, since I took the same road (Skellefteå to Burträsk) three times, but very fine. The road looked different each time, first because of my own direction, and then due to the change of outward light and inward mood. I swam two times, once in the first lake, and the second time this evening, in Burträsk itself, which is a quiet and charming little town. Swimming in this weather is a delight because the lakes are warm at the surface and pleasantly cold deeper. I think happiness is swimming in a cold-and-yet-warm lake rippled by a soft summer breeze, after a reasonable day of cycling, in the near-total absence of a toothache.