Apple

Today I rode with my family to Gothenburg, a little over three hours north of Lund. While the train system is obviously great in Europe, they opted to drive a tiny little care there, with five people in it.

I understand why. In their minds, the math works out better that way. Paying for five tickets on the train would have cost more than the gas for five people, plus parking all day. I haven't gone to any effort to do my own calculations (which would include the real environmental price of the gas burned) but even without that, how much is comfort worth I wonder.

We are taking a trip to Stockholm in a few days, an eight hour drive. I'll have to meet them there... all I could think of on the ride home tonight was how wonderful it would be to have a seat all to myself, to be able to stand up and stretch my legs... and this has nothing to do with my loathing of cars and desire that all non-commercial vehicles be prohibited from driving on public streets.

If only we were charged true prices at the gas pumps, instead of the artificially low ones we are used to, everyone would see how wonderful public transportation is, and I wouldn't have to worry about hurting my families feelings by taking the train instead.

By the way, I have really been enjoying the affordable tart apples here in Sweden. One thing that really bothered me about Japanese fruits, is that they try so hard to make them too dang sweet.