the world's strongest bear :-)

the other day when i was sitting in the train, i had a swedish lesson for free. there was a little swedish girl sitting opposite me, and her mummy was reading Bamse the bear's latest adventure to her - to stop her from turning the train upside down, i suppose. and the little one looked at the comic book with intelligent blue eyes between lots of strands of blonde hair, laughing now and then, or gleaming with suspense.
it's very nice to hear someone reading to a child in a language one can only half understand - simple sentences, slow and distinct pronunciation. i really got what the story was about, even without seeing the pictures.
and i unearthed some of my own deeply buried swedish vocabulary, and we talked a bit (there was the father too, plus an elder sister).
before they got out of the train, the girl gave me a piece of candy. i felt i had really deserved that :-)

oh, i almost forgot: she was carrying a baby seal (stuffed and made of plush), and she always made him sit near the ventilation... because seals like it cool :-)