After an early flight from Gatwick to Copenhagen, where we met Toën Feyen from NVN and Stefan from Koigalen also our host for the weekend, it was about an hour’s drive to Stefan’s house, where coffee and lunch was very welcome.
We were staying in a little cottage just 5 minutes’ walk from Stefan's house, which was very convenient.
Stephan is a BKKS trainee Judge in his 2nd year and also runs Koigalen, and Online Koi Club in Sweden, and also organises the Nordic Online Koi Show.
Our reason from going to Sweden this weekend was to present some Information / training seminars and to present the prizes of the Online Koi Show that we had been judging over the last couple of weeks.
It was nice to have a couple of hours to unpack and chill out at the cottage before walking back to Stefan’s house for a BBQ with his family and a couple of members of the Koi Club.
Mona (Stefan’s Wife) bravely & quickly cooked the chicken on the BBQ as it was raining, while we all sat in the conservatory chatting “Koi” with a beer. Great evening.
In the morning it was off to the hall, only about 5 minutes in the car, for a leisurely breakfast with all the attendees, to set up & get ready for the mornings seminars.
The seminar started at about 10.30 and there were about 36 people there, it had been stated that all the seminars would be in English. Bernie started with his presentation “Demystifying Judging” which covered in detail amongst other thing the importance of “Body” on Koi. After a coffee break it was then my turn – “Koi Appreciation” not Assignation which also covered in more depth Skin & Pattern. Toën then gave a short presentation about the history and facts & figures of the NVN Show in Arcen Holland as several people from Sweden have already shown their Koi there – yes a 17 hour drive – and more are interested in visiting this year.
It was now time to go back to Stefan’s house for a traditional Swedish Lunch of Pea soup with punch followed by pancakes with strawberry jam and cream. This had all been prepared by the children whilst we were at the hall presenting the seminars.
While we had lunch Stefan and some helpers netted his Koi and transferred them to a vat. We then gave out ballot slips and all the attendees had to choose a Grand champion. Majority got it right. Toën then led a ZNA style practical seminar talking about good points of all the Koi and why The G.C. was the best fish. Bernie & I chipped in with the occasional comment.
It was then time to go back to the hall for dinner & prize giving and lots more chat and questions, all on a very informal basis. Mona had prepared all the food – I don’t know when as she seemed to be around most of the time, and we had a superb diner in the hall for about 35 / 40 people.
Once all had been cleared up we were again back at the house and Toën was showing a training presentation that he gives to the NVN, there were only 7 of us, as everyone else had gone home, as some had travelled a considerable distance. Lots of Koi Chat followed for the rest on the evening.
Final day we were taken to the home of the winners of the Grand Champion to see the Koi for real. Nice set up in an indoor pond, they were also building a new outdoor pond, but what an enormous rockery they had in the garden, how they put some of the stone in place I do not know.
It was then on to the home of another prize winner, all we were told was that he had a 500,000 gallon pond !!!!!! Nothing could have prepared us for this……… It was called the Zen Garden. This covered over 4000 sq. metres and was a maze of paths and ponds through a stone garden with caves and allsorts, words cannot describe it, only photos can. It had all been built by the owner and his wife over 27 years, and he maintains it himself as well. We were made so welcome and the lunch was as amazing as the garden.
Time to go back to the airport for the flight home so said our goodbyes – flight delayed 2 hours so did not get home till nearly 1 a.m. very tired.
A great weekend with great people who just what to learn all they can about Koi – good luck to the future of Koi Keeping in Sweden & Denmark, and thanks for making us so welcome.
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