Today I had my first swim for the year. It feels crazy that it is almost midsummer and I still haven’t been in the water. But unfortunately, there are no real good places for outdoor swimming in DC and my building does not have a pool. Fortunately, some of my friends live in buildings with pools and so I have somewhere to go when it gets too hot. (Otherwise, the American way is to stay indoors, drinking iced soda and watching TV with the air-conditioning on.) It was wonderful to energize a little in the sun and I enjoyed the fact that I was not on my way to the airport and a three-week mission, which was originally the plan for today. After having had afternoon lunch (or lunner as I call it) with two new Swedish acquaintances, I spent the rest of the evening at Barne’s & Noble. I love spending time in American bookstores! I always get inspired and want to learn new things when I walk into them. There are just so many books there, and I really get the feeling that any type of knowledge is available (almost anyway). This time I picked up a book that my mom recommended me: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I look forward to many more lazy Sundays at the poolside this summer!