After missing their flight from London due to a time mixup, Josh and Reyna finally arrived to Stockholm via another airline with much fanfare. Some of us just met Reyna for the first time, and immediately fell in love with her energy and spirit. She is the perfect addition to Swish. Lovely Lisa Carlsson has been super kind to offer her entire apartment for Josh and Reyna. We still use Fredrik and Linda's flat as home base, but it's nice to be able to spread out a littl

Thursday morning we headed to the Pride House in the Stockholm cultural center for our long-planned panel discussion. Linda interviewed us Oprah Winfrey-style, and we gave what we feel was a fantastic, funny, poignant and informative presentation on Swish, LGBT rights in the US, fag hags, and our own personal experiences. We think we may have inspired several women in the audience to possibly start a Swedish chapter. Of course we already have the support of Nina, Lisa and Linda, and Reyna will help to coordinate a chapter in London. We are totally going international! Most of the panel discussion is on video and will probably be on YouTube sometime soon. We definitely made some fantastic connections and new friends at Pride House, some of whom tagged along for a celebratory lunch afterwards.

We then zipped back to headquarters for quick costume changes and went on to Pride Park for an impromptu Swish interview with Linda, arranged by her book editor. This one was a little more loose and informal, taking place in a small kiosk set back from the main event, where interested spectators could hear presentations from new authors of LGBT non-fiction. Pride Park itself is a rollicking good time, with plenty of food and drink, merchandise and information booths, and happy gays and straights listening to schlager performances together, broadcast on a big screen for everyone's enjoyment. From security guards to innocent bystanders to Linda's crazy throng of friends, colleagues and cheerleaders (it is not an exaggeration to say we ran into at least forty people she knew in some capacity during the course of the day) we co-opted and corrupted everyone we met, and ended the Pride Park celebration dancing cheek to (butt)cheek, and Jason getting a picture taken with Manvendra Singh Gohil, the Indian prince who was disowned by his family for coming out (they have since reconciled). Then it was back to Linda's friend Elias' apartment for late-night cocktails and dirty dancing, and a 2AM pit stop for nibbles at the 7-11. We really have given the Energizer Bunny a run for his money this trip.

Before we left for Stockholm, Sue received an email inviting Swish to a reception at City Hall on Friday night, as part of the Europride celebration. We weren't really sure what it was about, and what to expect, so of course she RSVPed with our guest list of 9 people from Swish! We all clean up quite nicely, which of course mandated that we be 45 minutes late to the "5pm sharp" event. Luckily, the people at the door wouldn't dare keep out a group as sharp-looking as us.

We were completely bowled over by the fantastic welcome we received. Many of our Swedish friends told us what a huge honor it was to be invited to an event there - none of them had ever been there themselves. The City Hall building itself, which is the venue for the annual Nobel Prize awards ceremony, was absolutely breathtaking, with stunning views of the city and waterfront. We enjoyed a sumptuous smorgasbord of Swedish dishes, along with an open wine bar. Afterwards, we were all treated to a tour of the building (pics forthcoming) and got to chat with other international groups registered for Europride events. We were honored to be there, and had a great time.

The evening found us at a huge three-story club in the heart of gay Stockholm called Club G, boogieing our butts off until the sun came up. Without giving away too many details, it would be remiss for us not to tell you that a decent portion of the Swish contingency got at least a little action Friday night. Of course, what happens in Stockholm stays in Stockholm, so we'll have to leave it up to each individual to share. We can tell you that some of our gang didn't come home until the next morning!

Installment 6 brings us to the Pride Parade, and a joyful reception from the attendees.