tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182250146279833642024-03-05T19:37:29.265-08:00Our Swedish ExperimentUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-29558649654146323252011-03-23T02:06:00.001-07:002011-03-23T03:22:52.703-07:00Dalarö in darkness and light<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >One of our <i>smultronställen </i>('wild strawberry patches' - hidden places that have sweet delights, which only you know about) is Dalarö. Of course, we aren't the only ones who know about it ever in the history of the world, but we have had little competition during the dark months of winter. (Plus, we can get there on the bus in about 25 minutes!)</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLvCXlRU6ctvDZJTyaIjsTZszdq8cN7RIwUzxAR8fs_6nydoJP6qelEFS3yoSFjG0ghrDoTLEx8oukCzOhkXu436r2gar6-QWNasLes-3bmTnl0v9XgTU7z-1Exmlk0o76X-Y31Fqafpk/s1600/DSC02012+%25281%2529.jpg"></a></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBIBOcob3lcJOFgJ_Do5fki_ePLHHrQ-kRmqODyyD4OF-AhSa89tQ8DE9yjN6dJltyv8WX1833K2xm_7G4oHHdwIxblYKaT7SUW3oW4FIgOorHqunb37lAF0Cq0390_EXU-v5ZFRvRb08/s400/DSC01304.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587041295490677426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Waiting for bus home around</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> 3pm in December.</span></span></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Dalarö is called an island ('ö' = island) and feels like an island, but is actually </span><span class="Apple-style-span">more like a peninsula. Nonetheless, it has beautiful views of the water and other islands in Stockholm's archipelago. Wikipedia actually has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_archipelago">a great map</a> of the archipelago, where you can see Dalarö and Ornö (see below) south of town. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwS_6JGRcMl_ba3CWlrTWHw9NcLKzj6bqRHUYq38gg0zAe2hlImgDfV8HonqlnANL8Ph7kDqxzs6FPKdB3qk_qbCIvlaKxyQYa8FPVAWfvbTY0zhyphenhyphenW5BZkKWNtRQ6r2wTFRZIZgWGbKQWY/s1600/DSC01297.jpg"></a></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwS_6JGRcMl_ba3CWlrTWHw9NcLKzj6bqRHUYq38gg0zAe2hlImgDfV8HonqlnANL8Ph7kDqxzs6FPKdB3qk_qbCIvlaKxyQYa8FPVAWfvbTY0zhyphenhyphenW5BZkKWNtRQ6r2wTFRZIZgWGbKQWY/s1600/DSC01297.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwS_6JGRcMl_ba3CWlrTWHw9NcLKzj6bqRHUYq38gg0zAe2hlImgDfV8HonqlnANL8Ph7kDqxzs6FPKdB3qk_qbCIvlaKxyQYa8FPVAWfvbTY0zhyphenhyphenW5BZkKWNtRQ6r2wTFRZIZgWGbKQWY/s400/DSC01297.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587038246012341890" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></a><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >This photo shows the dim light and snowiness of a December day.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGiC81iSFbT5LNuMru0zfj6CXmpYlydiSxd9XnebK8IrAOdg_7uRKBBze8cLkMRdMd1ceNFeGGSsXfbpudnRShDOqSR_YYTDtNnatiUHheHzCW798tcv5S45hRrxss_amumNiE5onN3Jm/s1600/DSC01836.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGiC81iSFbT5LNuMru0zfj6CXmpYlydiSxd9XnebK8IrAOdg_7uRKBBze8cLkMRdMd1ceNFeGGSsXfbpudnRShDOqSR_YYTDtNnatiUHheHzCW798tcv5S45hRrxss_amumNiE5onN3Jm/s400/DSC01836.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587044003030292098" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">And the iciness across the water.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4g_6p8IjHBMYfpT9erdh0XShjV3uaVwrLrPQrGGttFgltNig4ob-jS_Twbr6K_XwEaP_sRyB9zVZW53HBUTNIY8IpWBeQogQ2YCZWZG4ZEgX-OETciIB8d-1g30IP0UTvHWSVGctcG6W/s400/DSC01821.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587043613199725794" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >The sunset in January, around 4pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >We have made it a weekend tradition to visit Dalarö, so we have a few photos now of the area from throughout the winter. Here are before and after shots of the ice and snow from the lookout spot:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Vänsterjustera" border="0" class="gl_align_left" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7UwuI3eO0RRytScrG-xgL6uurbkkuY0g1mjm-nthhZcEJ7w8XrOwzoq1qqwJ2M24aOtgcfQnW4tyGq2thCsgwo5tOaJyXn1WZVk4P8UFA-VCJ8D2dTB-L6o5G5paV_3XRqHfNhB34EDA/s400/DSC01730.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587204593200717346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ice.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFpMBtB7-LL4l5l5hpRdtNClgxEoFj6NXxwHLzH483NY_45A1SXYJcaU-SHndzubytBhWHaeb1hKE-42tXhJz9E_ZwFJS7408BjfrwEMRm2hecG5GS15xMmnHlCv1fJF81EJlTeHSRgCL/s1600/DSC01956.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFpMBtB7-LL4l5l5hpRdtNClgxEoFj6NXxwHLzH483NY_45A1SXYJcaU-SHndzubytBhWHaeb1hKE-42tXhJz9E_ZwFJS7408BjfrwEMRm2hecG5GS15xMmnHlCv1fJF81EJlTeHSRgCL/s400/DSC01956.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587205801653632914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >No ice. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" >How cute is this place? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XsiQj420010N2_E4B5arr84oStSBKshb-cPdYmaIdK7-FQ_JGRF5R0VzSLajrKPJaRKt6FEyWYgkhk-LsySmcGEfIqX_P9iqDVng8CZlR2cc0nvbz8lKJP7aZ0oV7WXtz3xbfatAZxGa/s1600/DSC01783.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XsiQj420010N2_E4B5arr84oStSBKshb-cPdYmaIdK7-FQ_JGRF5R0VzSLajrKPJaRKt6FEyWYgkhk-LsySmcGEfIqX_P9iqDVng8CZlR2cc0nvbz8lKJP7aZ0oV7WXtz3xbfatAZxGa/s400/DSC01783.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587043831763316482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Pretty cute. Dalarö was one of the main tollways into Stockholm for goods coming by boat until the 1920s. It has also been one of the summer retreats of the rich and famous. Now it is a slumbering town in winter, and (we expect) a bustling one in summer. Lots of rental homes and beautiful large houses from the late 1800s, with lots of <i><a href="http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snickargl%C3%A4dje">snickarglädje</a> </i>('carpenter's delight' - that is, lots intricate wooden detailing and decoration). Future posts will have to include some house shots. </span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI7f8gDHx1QIJCoI5aCppgPcJz_Pub79sc5FbQ1bznxJFUrYqm8PR977_E3z-fWz7HOpyu45AdBetMi_F5pTO0pifDSYEIRHuW3T13LT7dGbRs8TEes1KzEOXrrl9UdhgVRePzwHIZOjK/s1600/DSC02011.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI7f8gDHx1QIJCoI5aCppgPcJz_Pub79sc5FbQ1bznxJFUrYqm8PR977_E3z-fWz7HOpyu45AdBetMi_F5pTO0pifDSYEIRHuW3T13LT7dGbRs8TEes1KzEOXrrl9UdhgVRePzwHIZOjK/s320/DSC02011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587203406986597458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The sunlight has returned.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" > When we came back to Dalarö in February, we discovered a wonderful establishment... A waffle house! They make you fresh waffles while you wait, and you can add the soup of the day to your meal for just a few extra <i>spänn.</i> </span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X3kanOgzrBqLYhaPih5jr60h4Pov0uEdYvK2WBXkJOoxbSIDCDVRnHLnqaAjOqNXBxbp3SoJjiWxbuoYTWyb3W6mMBKMXISN2t0bSCJiHMjXpqWOWTG9VQ5gHjDNiL8KusIiMFAV3bSr/s1600/DSC01789.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X3kanOgzrBqLYhaPih5jr60h4Pov0uEdYvK2WBXkJOoxbSIDCDVRnHLnqaAjOqNXBxbp3SoJjiWxbuoYTWyb3W6mMBKMXISN2t0bSCJiHMjXpqWOWTG9VQ5gHjDNiL8KusIiMFAV3bSr/s320/DSC01789.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587206456421581586" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Not actually a brand name 'Waffle House'. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst9CQQoTGwRpfANa1K6MV2R563mkdhYbmb6gp-tmuyTSYQbCHnuYcIQJxPwTt9n48rpfiBifgT1WXhQRMQyVskDsfuBWqLodkd_ZGpJ6wht5pnZ3g4AA_uxeiF5TY0-PnKKbKOZY4ieNY/s1600/DSC01787.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst9CQQoTGwRpfANa1K6MV2R563mkdhYbmb6gp-tmuyTSYQbCHnuYcIQJxPwTt9n48rpfiBifgT1WXhQRMQyVskDsfuBWqLodkd_ZGpJ6wht5pnZ3g4AA_uxeiF5TY0-PnKKbKOZY4ieNY/s320/DSC01787.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587204816408655842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>Andy likes waffles. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvuGO-30vyOfqEGJDW13jaaeFO7b0ItthS_D3S0RRQziwGTsAheuPQUKQzln-nFdxfBqIeCODmb4ZRqUFHy8vKUnQ3flvuulKIE098nn9PGa_S73S2NIzaqVHQZUNz9oFIJHjH6SXL9VN/s1600/DSC02005.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvuGO-30vyOfqEGJDW13jaaeFO7b0ItthS_D3S0RRQziwGTsAheuPQUKQzln-nFdxfBqIeCODmb4ZRqUFHy8vKUnQ3flvuulKIE098nn9PGa_S73S2NIzaqVHQZUNz9oFIJHjH6SXL9VN/s320/DSC02005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587203095824851106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst9CQQoTGwRpfANa1K6MV2R563mkdhYbmb6gp-tmuyTSYQbCHnuYcIQJxPwTt9n48rpfiBifgT1WXhQRMQyVskDsfuBWqLodkd_ZGpJ6wht5pnZ3g4AA_uxeiF5TY0-PnKKbKOZY4ieNY/s1600/DSC01787.jpg"></a>Yum!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Combine waffles with outdoor seating, and you have the first outdoor fika (coffee break) of 2011! Just a few days before the Vernal Equinox!</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4X3kanOgzrBqLYhaPih5jr60h4Pov0uEdYvK2WBXkJOoxbSIDCDVRnHLnqaAjOqNXBxbp3SoJjiWxbuoYTWyb3W6mMBKMXISN2t0bSCJiHMjXpqWOWTG9VQ5gHjDNiL8KusIiMFAV3bSr/s1600/DSC01789.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG41zpI5CIp86goJsENjWxUsB5tugOH4hEKYxUba8lWz1WlXBcqX2IwyyUWVaPfIPPLcfWyBwMuxJ6svOC6qqp2ysMdhtb0_n00qWavYmhy3naVSM4erSHqlIym0N_K85wl7IAMzS9BtB/s1600/DSC02008.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG41zpI5CIp86goJsENjWxUsB5tugOH4hEKYxUba8lWz1WlXBcqX2IwyyUWVaPfIPPLcfWyBwMuxJ6svOC6qqp2ysMdhtb0_n00qWavYmhy3naVSM4erSHqlIym0N_K85wl7IAMzS9BtB/s320/DSC02008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587203279805237554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Afterward, we went on a boating adventure to Ornö, an island a bit further out in the archipelago. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7V3aWQmtmRtg7pXghQL14U112knAyb2mwSBsKip3_6VefaAFKTIZnMgZYTj82LD4JeH87ajjjHz6irGwCmISrKaHQBorLWNtqwawe1OUHwyG2WF6PskVgbtb1fgfNpdyY-Muww7Mlk5C/s1600/DSC02014.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJ9LEcLCVvCWcKnHtRHWokFUwqy3wCqMPLKgyY6EjGZhuDq6h_IzQ-7Ch9ptvq-rJdL-ChLZF71hdU-c2SeDm_w3xANQiQmY6tzClbX3IKRWcAvwF5YeidqDf0wt3PcOEnmoWSfzBa8Ra/s1600/DSC02013.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJ9LEcLCVvCWcKnHtRHWokFUwqy3wCqMPLKgyY6EjGZhuDq6h_IzQ-7Ch9ptvq-rJdL-ChLZF71hdU-c2SeDm_w3xANQiQmY6tzClbX3IKRWcAvwF5YeidqDf0wt3PcOEnmoWSfzBa8Ra/s400/DSC02013.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587214234407578786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Leaving Dalarö.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >As you can see below, the ferry is not exactly packed with tourists. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9ikejocUKhVwNGyIyRcLYCOQPHIw39HW4275rqT6CRftX-bMMR0Vo0u962K4DcaR6lHl8PD2LzvhBn05yihj4XBj2ssoypfthNlKKIhqKar9UZDQcFtYC-aJz9K3KiQiYTsMAX9Rf25p/s1600/DSC02016.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9ikejocUKhVwNGyIyRcLYCOQPHIw39HW4275rqT6CRftX-bMMR0Vo0u962K4DcaR6lHl8PD2LzvhBn05yihj4XBj2ssoypfthNlKKIhqKar9UZDQcFtYC-aJz9K3KiQiYTsMAX9Rf25p/s400/DSC02016.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587214318173984946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The ferry reminded Andy of Army raft making and ferrying tanks across enemy waters. The Army rafts have the same green floors and ramps on both ends. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7V3aWQmtmRtg7pXghQL14U112knAyb2mwSBsKip3_6VefaAFKTIZnMgZYTj82LD4JeH87ajjjHz6irGwCmISrKaHQBorLWNtqwawe1OUHwyG2WF6PskVgbtb1fgfNpdyY-Muww7Mlk5C/s1600/DSC02014.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7V3aWQmtmRtg7pXghQL14U112knAyb2mwSBsKip3_6VefaAFKTIZnMgZYTj82LD4JeH87ajjjHz6irGwCmISrKaHQBorLWNtqwawe1OUHwyG2WF6PskVgbtb1fgfNpdyY-Muww7Mlk5C/s400/DSC02014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587214405480527122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I think the water looks a little like a frozen margarita. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HQFoA-sTCg0NlWsb8iKgt3XFHGv0BNY_-wkOUh4-StE-FQzhp91HaTU-aITbrCdf6BFpAKoCRwYD3-SGhPIWKT5uRvLOxNXC3XJ11ubQd9UrbxkElzwPI8GRJ8kLuaKNo50CcpwWRU0S/s320/DSC02020.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587206356662422082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 320px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_MxONZ9UWsxnqCPjjflksgag4-_Ac_Ie6kfkHQ2yC5OupLJ7sDtB_dWz5Im2cvuievMzaPbObY9H3TLyoJD2l4yLGMdbUdklqPcT_GWtd7-IRrmJ8-tL1fQAOOsKzaotyJYbBgDI3cPR/s1600/DSC01794.jpg"></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div>Out on Ornö, we found these <i>videkissar</i> buds awaiting spring. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ6ZHEZGt0H9msUGOWUweUVp7A32cM0-fshEcipUroiiYUgsANXHRRtOivTjGwzJZJg2uVXucSkvUGvtwgPSFWitLr9CWxGYjg3kW0dLBMuMsIkaFauwho-vwm8vObRemFtWEBDEtqKw1/s1600/DSC02027.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ6ZHEZGt0H9msUGOWUweUVp7A32cM0-fshEcipUroiiYUgsANXHRRtOivTjGwzJZJg2uVXucSkvUGvtwgPSFWitLr9CWxGYjg3kW0dLBMuMsIkaFauwho-vwm8vObRemFtWEBDEtqKw1/s400/DSC02027.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587204965617867074" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div>Waiting for the ferry, practicing artful photography. </div></span></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-9404732495579230292011-03-18T10:18:00.001-07:002011-03-18T10:43:40.609-07:00Summer house in winter<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Hi!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >It's been a while...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >So, to catch up, here is a blog post about our only trip of 2011 so far. A visit to our summer house in Dalarna and our friends there. It'll be more like a photo essay....</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVMRQkBWeW0TR0-QudwKeu0cBpaYKhuBFaxzeOWCF16gnwJZZhaenryAlNd6U2BF7CZtFieHPUKRE41scrW6UZq-TcMfyMQiWyBkjgLja6p7Du7ckgGNLl9-gahJsb2QWVfa2SD-VRUvS/s1600/DSC01941.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVMRQkBWeW0TR0-QudwKeu0cBpaYKhuBFaxzeOWCF16gnwJZZhaenryAlNd6U2BF7CZtFieHPUKRE41scrW6UZq-TcMfyMQiWyBkjgLja6p7Du7ckgGNLl9-gahJsb2QWVfa2SD-VRUvS/s400/DSC01941.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585471569629775378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Welcome to Furudal!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6AnkmxRLHERErsuoe2m4dH2SmOE9zVFoQxNwfbG756NMrvNPpZY1ORntiXYzzXSf1Dac_noBcacRqA_PCmKeLLVVVQRdI2Z_OFJgcihc9LZpF8JxUnb6CRFGbBp8sIStf65OLH4FBpN_/s320/DSC01942.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585471942788968210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " >An important part of our visit was the stop at the local bakery, which has recently changed owners and been renovated. We had to check it out, of course. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfjKxDyt3JHc7QBChhBnYInafDMF3SCJFTLxykvWf1sh6hWEXJ1LSoT9rjhZkW_1nhKIOv009-UVBmeDDf2CCWGrJkKeX-ZHQlCvczfY_kqJobNxmtEQqKXasAgjfZaVFM_FfqtZHBCKM/s1600/DSC01883.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfjKxDyt3JHc7QBChhBnYInafDMF3SCJFTLxykvWf1sh6hWEXJ1LSoT9rjhZkW_1nhKIOv009-UVBmeDDf2CCWGrJkKeX-ZHQlCvczfY_kqJobNxmtEQqKXasAgjfZaVFM_FfqtZHBCKM/s320/DSC01883.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585473085147091522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></a></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >We approve.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYQOnEpYqM4D8Vtyq6Ij6rBGDvtYgAguIaT4h_l_b4mfg7tmfniR8VMOPwokyv5xEaZqsKNfBJsiYQfpDitm8RT53oUSDMieZZh5klEiZ3VRK7yu-b8FQnSLo3b2x00YLlXr3_eYjBbya/s1600/DSC01885.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYQOnEpYqM4D8Vtyq6Ij6rBGDvtYgAguIaT4h_l_b4mfg7tmfniR8VMOPwokyv5xEaZqsKNfBJsiYQfpDitm8RT53oUSDMieZZh5klEiZ3VRK7yu-b8FQnSLo3b2x00YLlXr3_eYjBbya/s320/DSC01885.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585472478533788370" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Oh yes, we do.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Btw, above you see a semla - the delicious treat traditionally served throughout lent. (It started out only being served on Fat Tuesday, but then everyone sort of forgot that 'lent is for suffering' part and decided to eat them all the time). They are simply very good pastries with almond paste inside and cream on top (and a lid on top). [The best way of eating them, in my humble opinion, is with hot milk, in a bowl. Usually they are not served this way, but rather like a normal pastry.]</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >In addition to eating semlor, we also (very safely, moms) tried our hand at snow mobiling. It was really fun!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF5VyRlYUSa6iC-uPhAy6UPBluxH14y5cR7BAXonlzGE6XNN0OC9K24dS7WfJM-H-UifrPOxSqeyRB8hXV9Twys4rWAqQ3-X8x9zKegyDKMyzPSSFCixYl1pDUaS94irJTLWzM3GfUTQQ/s1600/DSC01874.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF5VyRlYUSa6iC-uPhAy6UPBluxH14y5cR7BAXonlzGE6XNN0OC9K24dS7WfJM-H-UifrPOxSqeyRB8hXV9Twys4rWAqQ3-X8x9zKegyDKMyzPSSFCixYl1pDUaS94irJTLWzM3GfUTQQ/s400/DSC01874.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585474671732841682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >You can tell that its a popular way of getting around. This is one of the lakes! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJ3bOpj-ouUUMzkaSOy3Lf0rnzWXED2J3bofdAGoNFGJSgI-Qs4p7dAdVBMPJRdlj8uiwrgsx5u7NgMtR1VzDA22zWk1bqMWPXgCTH2pSn8DK1LWs5EFJ43dWZTCsbULXHRMUzaaEmbzr/s1600/DSC01891.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJ3bOpj-ouUUMzkaSOy3Lf0rnzWXED2J3bofdAGoNFGJSgI-Qs4p7dAdVBMPJRdlj8uiwrgsx5u7NgMtR1VzDA22zWk1bqMWPXgCTH2pSn8DK1LWs5EFJ43dWZTCsbULXHRMUzaaEmbzr/s320/DSC01891.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585475245592196306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Our hosts! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvT5M3gJDHdkgbLqdJBCB60YEFkyX5InSqUXPwh7-xMd0rm_gnvl3b27DjVWKyfLNczSRUO8CZkCVikAsJQhcfacU_iaRppSDS-SlC5QjjeI4Q_sOWapwOTVui7QaphPq7kenXdJyolEX/s400/DSC01899.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585475506208428050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">And was there eve</span>r snow! About a meter deep around our summer house. Beautiful!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >In nearby Rättvik, a huge ice creation had grown up on the ice. Some how made using the fountain and the cold temperatures (but how exactly?), this structure/mound was more than 4 stories tall! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRekYEFZLDtFXVYCwEpXvE75k_dj1x0ggfYRkinwt6dtEpluEo12c1tpMvnyanEINJRRh7zVq9L4aOzbuxZh195tAp5GbY16UIuwJpKGOhWLv14uhijThqrEz_fIetbEZe7GFJ874uydL7/s400/DSC01865.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585475954885618050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5z6mWUtz2xyHwiFA9Y8lWE9ytFr7ykfshq-YZxi3uXWDbNcuafxjQt8ouk1opbBQNDQrZTlpejEvZH2Q_QOIn6GEE4Z3gCwdQPLIqmfsbb2cocc-8kxPMxkcJObfizoGBmnicw9HVPbb/s1600/DSC01867.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5z6mWUtz2xyHwiFA9Y8lWE9ytFr7ykfshq-YZxi3uXWDbNcuafxjQt8ouk1opbBQNDQrZTlpejEvZH2Q_QOIn6GEE4Z3gCwdQPLIqmfsbb2cocc-8kxPMxkcJObfizoGBmnicw9HVPbb/s400/DSC01867.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585476065114091346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a>Someone had even made it to the top with Dalarna's flag! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " >Thanks for a great weekend, friends!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-20883741199839420562010-12-08T02:41:00.000-08:002010-12-09T04:55:07.197-08:00Jul markets<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The thing to do in Sweden in December is to go to Christmas markets. SWEA DC had its julbasaar at the Swedish Embassy last Saturday, and we spent the day at a few central, historic Christmas markets in Stockholm.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwigkZ44qjHicvJDy85mXOX8miM9FoRJMbBRsLo8dZ55tU7u8T43c-3Y7ItyvwL6rLFZBLOWOMiYUKXJD2avM0zbOcnSwuweo4qd3BtObf5lKbjHcSi7xwSmUn0lKqY4qARnQSdw-IJwJ/s400/DSC01187.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656786407991426" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwigkZ44qjHicvJDy85mXOX8miM9FoRJMbBRsLo8dZ55tU7u8T43c-3Y7ItyvwL6rLFZBLOWOMiYUKXJD2avM0zbOcnSwuweo4qd3BtObf5lKbjHcSi7xwSmUn0lKqY4qARnQSdw-IJwJ/s1600/DSC01187.jpg"></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Andy in Central Stockholm, 11.15am.</span></span></div><div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1F1NwAHiQlnYesR9-ob9JpRpoHQjE7FR7tocjQ-N1_cCQ_PYWXtN3j_DrGUuI5g1Suh9rTAQ7T6dcf_IOjpHVi87AB7GorDfqABhDDikvZjJHXnt4xUB1KzW6Lm-xHP7JFG1ZxpbHKIG/s1600/DSC01191.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1F1NwAHiQlnYesR9-ob9JpRpoHQjE7FR7tocjQ-N1_cCQ_PYWXtN3j_DrGUuI5g1Suh9rTAQ7T6dcf_IOjpHVi87AB7GorDfqABhDDikvZjJHXnt4xUB1KzW6Lm-xHP7JFG1ZxpbHKIG/s320/DSC01191.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656013702431410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Glögg (mulled/spiced hot wine) is a crucial component of any jul celebration. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOBt0Pb00Yn68XRqOhq0bsq0Omw_2C3TrKoh-rEJnic6zyzKZ0ehgd8NQfFqoaChXg0a_YOJOBxK42gEZNpjrdejE3XudZwwmfC_LreQAM1FwM5w5nahxcOPI4GLzRqneniEKcqc8bokE/s1600/DSC01190.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOBt0Pb00Yn68XRqOhq0bsq0Omw_2C3TrKoh-rEJnic6zyzKZ0ehgd8NQfFqoaChXg0a_YOJOBxK42gEZNpjrdejE3XudZwwmfC_LreQAM1FwM5w5nahxcOPI4GLzRqneniEKcqc8bokE/s320/DSC01190.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548655782382350834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Very cute traditional market in Stortorget (the Big Square) in Gamla Stan (Old Town)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhcFFp7oCYvJeREagessO3shyQKmdwVjmuSmfjactfuRL3ZEKRqynlMvCR9WSsF7oEyPFmluOGFyH83g1GInOLUXIJ6d9eV7K5TeDY2wd0vRVGalqCQ1_JxJskdH1_OEJpfc71vRXGWRu/s320/DSC01195.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656194374259330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><div style="text-align: center;">Our fellow revelers, yo<i>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibF6HjiRWMYIl8qD5mBFA3tU0mpXH5sdwM2pUzvZleQRatl8SbSxlQutK-63EuIz9jWeqjDU6vG6SMKIvyH9kopX45ULWWDGsvaNzl9L-pLypmLDwA8RbOQwc20LWOLmw0Vsge0jqyJQ-/s1600/DSC01196.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibF6HjiRWMYIl8qD5mBFA3tU0mpXH5sdwM2pUzvZleQRatl8SbSxlQutK-63EuIz9jWeqjDU6vG6SMKIvyH9kopX45ULWWDGsvaNzl9L-pLypmLDwA8RbOQwc20LWOLmw0Vsge0jqyJQ-/s320/DSC01196.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656115761264018" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The tramride that took an hour to go 1 mile. As you may be able to tell, it was cold. Like between 0 and 5 Fahrenheit. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSewPjbMq0X3t-R1L9VnZZWrCBkMPsPZL-pB-NTVxuv7qeAco6dGKYvtBkmvyQQaNLL3jJZM_2bN06e82jGndkX9rYdz7NdpVCpf79HeTdYSeJzfROJ8qi0uxna3e4BsQKJ9N3cVWyaD2/s1600/DSC01198.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSewPjbMq0X3t-R1L9VnZZWrCBkMPsPZL-pB-NTVxuv7qeAco6dGKYvtBkmvyQQaNLL3jJZM_2bN06e82jGndkX9rYdz7NdpVCpf79HeTdYSeJzfROJ8qi0uxna3e4BsQKJ9N3cVWyaD2/s400/DSC01198.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548664698195125666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Cold!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></u></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibF6HjiRWMYIl8qD5mBFA3tU0mpXH5sdwM2pUzvZleQRatl8SbSxlQutK-63EuIz9jWeqjDU6vG6SMKIvyH9kopX45ULWWDGsvaNzl9L-pLypmLDwA8RbOQwc20LWOLmw0Vsge0jqyJQ-/s1600/DSC01196.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwigkZ44qjHicvJDy85mXOX8miM9FoRJMbBRsLo8dZ55tU7u8T43c-3Y7ItyvwL6rLFZBLOWOMiYUKXJD2avM0zbOcnSwuweo4qd3BtObf5lKbjHcSi7xwSmUn0lKqY4qARnQSdw-IJwJ/s1600/DSC01187.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W1wRbG00hMp56fNI-wXFkEM-W7OBxCBK_Qgy2_bfh2oaBReYlA6ktjhIECjrkcju1dGoXM0ig_9LJdRcPF4Wf33-wwSw3slnB60hMqyaZbNjvOSF9TKqmhFA59IJmB0-JWwv5sIg3a0o/s320/DSC01197.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656295769769186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Now this is the kind of coat you need in Sweden.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5iZ7YW3sSQ-rPNplWpCQ8ufQ0Yx01dkswiINgo7Gu8A5fnau5ElTGylqOOgzzLNj6w54mKBEobgYd_pEb0_ZxkkNcH-3Sj9AKdcoMFkAeoC3mcu0tJUUiIfnG5omsyq69VWjtyovmx6O/s1600/DSC01208.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5iZ7YW3sSQ-rPNplWpCQ8ufQ0Yx01dkswiINgo7Gu8A5fnau5ElTGylqOOgzzLNj6w54mKBEobgYd_pEb0_ZxkkNcH-3Sj9AKdcoMFkAeoC3mcu0tJUUiIfnG5omsyq69VWjtyovmx6O/s400/DSC01208.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656589415874098" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The Christmas goat (the julbock) watching over the market at Skansen.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgOwze25YbXOJhbLj0JkQ2bsa6T0EgdLiX77GK1a6rXt8O7Jfgm_zvcIADOof8r_YCPCvezzm4o8DXYTOd6rrA6DrqhJbx8uVmQB1jdM2h6jxLE9kLmXCT71feoOOJOz-vegyE0r-h25m/s1600/DSC01207.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgOwze25YbXOJhbLj0JkQ2bsa6T0EgdLiX77GK1a6rXt8O7Jfgm_zvcIADOof8r_YCPCvezzm4o8DXYTOd6rrA6DrqhJbx8uVmQB1jdM2h6jxLE9kLmXCT71feoOOJOz-vegyE0r-h25m/s320/DSC01207.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548656460124058818" /></a>We even got to witness the crowning of "Sweden's Lucia". These seven girls (one is hidden) had been voted on by people around the country, and the winner is going to represent Sweden in Italy (where the story of Lucia originates). On the left you can see the Italian ambassador speaking to the crowd. My cousin's daughter sang in the choir you can see behind the Lucias. Very nice!<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GlWIMR3n97CKGD3mohLWvpQw5Bl4nTe1V_UDIODqO0R-X9VAOKqrsksoLe6w6hiCqytEk-eAVQ5a1iDob4NxKhY_TcWb_buysNUOK18uYjAGPcgiyYIf0qhwNnWt8Oc2BleNte8FSglz/s1600/DSC01235.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5SwTSheXAJPVgJeIL7_Y02kTAVW8RGjy6HdNX8TH4DE1PiSD4tlIQYJzJTzKhWjy94st3yxOKTuUVKy2eb2OHUSGnkCGae-zJBHkMPoUzFbDHRIS1ux4XaMoK2AfvhY-dgQ5jgKU1Bxs/s1600/DSC01234.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5SwTSheXAJPVgJeIL7_Y02kTAVW8RGjy6HdNX8TH4DE1PiSD4tlIQYJzJTzKhWjy94st3yxOKTuUVKy2eb2OHUSGnkCGae-zJBHkMPoUzFbDHRIS1ux4XaMoK2AfvhY-dgQ5jgKU1Bxs/s320/DSC01234.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548259890564829474" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">[This picture is actually from another night, when I found this statue in the snow, accompanied by beautiful carols played out into the cold evening on a trumpet.]</div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-59950874750919736232010-12-02T08:59:00.000-08:002010-12-02T10:15:23.640-08:00Snow and stuff<div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, we've actually been back for a while from the north. Here are some photos of what we have been doing and seeing.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL45OWVFYZmDZwKkRrW0y4csUvAaRl3Z6OpH6UUHGHFWYRHsM9Dd0gdhKwqRAduSs8ARiC2nY0g_zJhcQCUFJOD3zDyh9R43nUXizzA1F-PsZsc0-y2nQWVP-laGeeM6XvvW6ipYTNGGEM/s1600/DSC01106.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL45OWVFYZmDZwKkRrW0y4csUvAaRl3Z6OpH6UUHGHFWYRHsM9Dd0gdhKwqRAduSs8ARiC2nY0g_zJhcQCUFJOD3zDyh9R43nUXizzA1F-PsZsc0-y2nQWVP-laGeeM6XvvW6ipYTNGGEM/s400/DSC01106.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546134027969059906" style="text-align: center;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Above is Stockholm in winter. You can see City Hall peeking up behind the trees. This was taken about a week ago, before the more copious snow we have gotten. </span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrqhQQ2G8ADY7hwHDfybqUY1E3X3rTPWJaPpG7axxtfbT947DoksJ4gDqmo8zyf_eOR9NFYq9xLblmsYK-GX7r8yA2BrK-wJ9cO_UaUZv_aCcxfpXks3rCP-4e9jwgsOXC5kY-zlDSLIN/s1600/DSC01166.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrqhQQ2G8ADY7hwHDfybqUY1E3X3rTPWJaPpG7axxtfbT947DoksJ4gDqmo8zyf_eOR9NFYq9xLblmsYK-GX7r8yA2BrK-wJ9cO_UaUZv_aCcxfpXks3rCP-4e9jwgsOXC5kY-zlDSLIN/s320/DSC01166.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546142994627969490" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To the left is the Åhlens building, which is a Macy´s-like department store down town.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN7iOuDIY-iNGqPr7eTwL_6RHZW5bqh7Iqw_xwwJ4z8mFFwh3zdcZvI9_JkFCAljumcdHNUhfpMeknUv_S0i-MzqHqWoMahHQLXtQq86JTp2PEvNi3YYk95sp-g1GIjMCWdbYiD1yHl2F/s1600/DSC01167.jpg"></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN7iOuDIY-iNGqPr7eTwL_6RHZW5bqh7Iqw_xwwJ4z8mFFwh3zdcZvI9_JkFCAljumcdHNUhfpMeknUv_S0i-MzqHqWoMahHQLXtQq86JTp2PEvNi3YYk95sp-g1GIjMCWdbYiD1yHl2F/s1600/DSC01167.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN7iOuDIY-iNGqPr7eTwL_6RHZW5bqh7Iqw_xwwJ4z8mFFwh3zdcZvI9_JkFCAljumcdHNUhfpMeknUv_S0i-MzqHqWoMahHQLXtQq86JTp2PEvNi3YYk95sp-g1GIjMCWdbYiD1yHl2F/s200/DSC01167.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546136785824498050" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is Sergels torg, a central hangout area in the shopping district of Stockholm. There's a little Christmas fair going on there, where you can buy wool sweaters and princess dresses (the latter, however, only if you are 3 feet tall or under).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">At Thanksgiving, we had an awesome pot-luck dinner party, hosted by <a href="http://expatinstockholm.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span">Expat-in-Stockholm</span></a> and her lovely husband. There was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato mash, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and three delicious desserts! Yuuuuuuuum!</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cXOsM8IWe-I9rpDtlpwL80tFTNm8PE8pjfyoGSSF8vx_faS0zn9HHvw3gOQTgJA2yZMdq5L4M5OhB6vieugzCGGslBBNe-QuGcUB3imZwOsK89HnnYSu2U1VWT7BU7dzUmxHL2vUN7bW/s400/DSC01092.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546131001737456290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And we have gotten some of that northern weather with us down here. It has <i>dumped </i>snow. We have about a foot on the ground, and it has been snowing a bit every day. We are at a high of 10 degrees Fahrenheit today (-12 Celsius). We are<i> told </i>this is unusual for Stockholm, but as far as I can tell, rumors of the "not snowy" Stockholm winters are completely untrue and we have actually moved to the Arctic. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUaNr3_6Dt6hcnmFfPQd-Qn1CCjvco4ZEYTmckF9dQ3sfT3FMukj3gDxcqDi-1h9hfRmVy64QDUSTsnEUmI8FPjxq0OV1GjvZDYRMKIkwPYtGdaZSg21OayrxSa3hujhex8GkQs1w6YTQ/s1600/DSC01153.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUaNr3_6Dt6hcnmFfPQd-Qn1CCjvco4ZEYTmckF9dQ3sfT3FMukj3gDxcqDi-1h9hfRmVy64QDUSTsnEUmI8FPjxq0OV1GjvZDYRMKIkwPYtGdaZSg21OayrxSa3hujhex8GkQs1w6YTQ/s400/DSC01153.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546135502078734850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Which caused us to get ourselves early Christmas presents...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQik9mSjo3-KqwLsRleTdodJIoBMA2Pz67tXyGKYxr-0lAolzoYGzEH5hYXvFeELhxUIO-1SxVph5ojkDJEJV-miOi8v7iGcd33yLIW97c-WzS2LqQVx8ePfxJeuQOeVIW3knNH4T6v7lQ/s1600/DSC01144.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQik9mSjo3-KqwLsRleTdodJIoBMA2Pz67tXyGKYxr-0lAolzoYGzEH5hYXvFeELhxUIO-1SxVph5ojkDJEJV-miOi8v7iGcd33yLIW97c-WzS2LqQVx8ePfxJeuQOeVIW3knNH4T6v7lQ/s400/DSC01144.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546135306384213186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cross country skis! (oh <i>yes</i>)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnp11yQcJLVpcJRo_Jq8HxeTjWAnPwdJxdhOCncfCphUzFVJ_drxe9KjpHxC2s-ShtEdGG0PmyPajjxjx9ElZqkxBZLV14aPTP81ksDziS0ryc0s5k0eu7HWIWNQWYffSgkICXMk82zFpZ/s400/DSC01143.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546134969430323618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And we really lucked out when we got this apartment (through the equivalent of Craig's list). This photo shows me, about to ski into the woods, with our apartment building behind me. We can literally put on our ski boots and walk out the door to ski. No travel needed. So totally awesome! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now I just need to figure out this skiing thing...</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UOnzcByUCjdNpam_L0B0R0NmqAIkgJNYYyAZSQHmqvYxPtDqWQCb8YLK9vPWJEjnCUDVuCwqkd7ifGPrhdQsiEV1IQ3capQVvk3h_MaxIDrnONoFZTZJuaYd9zCmGBdPbp_LNEca1xVp/s1600/DSC01150.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UOnzcByUCjdNpam_L0B0R0NmqAIkgJNYYyAZSQHmqvYxPtDqWQCb8YLK9vPWJEjnCUDVuCwqkd7ifGPrhdQsiEV1IQ3capQVvk3h_MaxIDrnONoFZTZJuaYd9zCmGBdPbp_LNEca1xVp/s400/DSC01150.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546135201658224034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a>Above is "Winter Road" - one of the forest roads that are purely for pedestrian/bike/ski traffic. Somehow, they are plowed, but not salted or graveled. Perfect.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTDetxWbvf4ekWJ2QjE47AmhmfmU_4Uab9rMLtzryaq5l5w8-SuTOnMwICp2rWmU4kUZ6Qv4HbYTFT0UWkCKGkTttHvJjSqEmtr9qbNHgs4X4NQRvHgfXTw-S2y-a67CKjVGVUm8xSUMS/s1600/DSC01179.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTDetxWbvf4ekWJ2QjE47AmhmfmU_4Uab9rMLtzryaq5l5w8-SuTOnMwICp2rWmU4kUZ6Qv4HbYTFT0UWkCKGkTttHvJjSqEmtr9qbNHgs4X4NQRvHgfXTw-S2y-a67CKjVGVUm8xSUMS/s400/DSC01179.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546136935318462514" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The last day or so, we have also gotten beautiful rhyme covering <i>our </i>trees. Here's the view out of our living room!<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFRDDwX0dEQTWHDNClJQIYKobBr5apLsKIjqKBmxU-M32jqRnVla1P00DcsGqq_hjuCby1CYb2MisUfQ8TrEFWPsugjKDzy36NS4e9uP2QkdaTzF2HYluwnGorGj1SMOpuR9x8_5MYYO6/s200/DSC01175.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546136499253626466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And a 'night time' (most of the time) closeup.</span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have to admit, it is hard to deal with the darkness. And it's been so cold over the past few days. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Naturally, we focus on the fika to stay warm and happy.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDMjogaHA6ErcbVtH08NSroIfZFi9kvz0lmRwNhopizTy0IHe4RxfK_slOyXPhz1SKqXB7qBzQyBv7h42aje83BsWcb2qPwHxBVn5GBtPJbWdeOn3cpm3IAuz2yTTrFf_54HFGuaK1m8z/s320/DSC01120.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546143341467080210" style="text-align: center;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacfRpiTtUAKKW_F5PMh4MX50Fg1pehsWBoTEFBuEBeDYeqmKATNnkeSCg4Gs0Ry6lPD-8PAOO4wcaFD-7GmwJkyaHjH3RTRMuuFxVhvB-BejUY23jXdRX63e_ISszqbbWpdDdGEBZwl9j/s1600/DSC01126.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacfRpiTtUAKKW_F5PMh4MX50Fg1pehsWBoTEFBuEBeDYeqmKATNnkeSCg4Gs0Ry6lPD-8PAOO4wcaFD-7GmwJkyaHjH3RTRMuuFxVhvB-BejUY23jXdRX63e_ISszqbbWpdDdGEBZwl9j/s320/DSC01126.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546145347443525362" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cXOsM8IWe-I9rpDtlpwL80tFTNm8PE8pjfyoGSSF8vx_faS0zn9HHvw3gOQTgJA2yZMdq5L4M5OhB6vieugzCGGslBBNe-QuGcUB3imZwOsK89HnnYSu2U1VWT7BU7dzUmxHL2vUN7bW/s1600/DSC01092.jpg"></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Happy first of advent!</span></span></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-82553965211312802972010-11-30T11:16:00.000-08:002010-12-02T08:59:03.639-08:00Östersund<div style="text-align: left;">Our Nordic weekend continued on to Östersund, where my uncle and aunt live. We had coffee, got some new hats, hung out with family, and saw the town. Here are some photos... </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignC1t5ub6dvRKanGH4UL6yYgBMYfYC25TQPWZcEzlmys_zebiNVz9WGds81xNVrxD3yWPShXOKugBxm_1GitZk75rbn1MF1okzorltbseCcDOukgf7X9ca1V9AcqyyEzEP5x7Kxf1-oGQ/s1600/DSC01067.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qA2pSmgtRnctjKypE9ZkP4nnXgSAm-uyATg1j98J7lrrVqxtljuOrZQEFyQ-s8FxKlLV98l0iToNzyM6gMQo2PMnpSKMy6J3EUeo5eLlldV0oddR0oisuKn-AI-3YJAwPgKtkyU1r5je/s1600/DSC01066.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qA2pSmgtRnctjKypE9ZkP4nnXgSAm-uyATg1j98J7lrrVqxtljuOrZQEFyQ-s8FxKlLV98l0iToNzyM6gMQo2PMnpSKMy6J3EUeo5eLlldV0oddR0oisuKn-AI-3YJAwPgKtkyU1r5je/s400/DSC01066.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546125051177972402" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">Main street, with a cute cafe we visited. </span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpMuctUKXE7q7B7TqF0TL0t6DQ-CqZtw-ZHF5Wi0HJhPR1GS_Hwo2oWXnyml-tMw5NDH3Ap1YdZGlMaW8SOC89L-4Kh_mu2UFGwlBNQWaXCkENF5xZtsOLOCcu0ncEincLAGTBgCjP8xE/s1600/DSC01057.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpMuctUKXE7q7B7TqF0TL0t6DQ-CqZtw-ZHF5Wi0HJhPR1GS_Hwo2oWXnyml-tMw5NDH3Ap1YdZGlMaW8SOC89L-4Kh_mu2UFGwlBNQWaXCkENF5xZtsOLOCcu0ncEincLAGTBgCjP8xE/s400/DSC01057.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546124938016122914" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">Main street some more.</span></div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Yctzzk5-qJhir6V6dGXrxxsFl341lDFwWmonJQVHpydglSpvvaq009F1zn0F-cX4luMmhoUw6sc1vjVAH6yf5drw3XoKRBz1g9kfpU-ZKahANUwsqic7m21v6S8nuoY4gOymFnGg_SL3/s1600/DSC01060.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Yctzzk5-qJhir6V6dGXrxxsFl341lDFwWmonJQVHpydglSpvvaq009F1zn0F-cX4luMmhoUw6sc1vjVAH6yf5drw3XoKRBz1g9kfpU-ZKahANUwsqic7m21v6S8nuoY4gOymFnGg_SL3/s400/DSC01060.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546124496752691026" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Woo!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignC1t5ub6dvRKanGH4UL6yYgBMYfYC25TQPWZcEzlmys_zebiNVz9WGds81xNVrxD3yWPShXOKugBxm_1GitZk75rbn1MF1okzorltbseCcDOukgf7X9ca1V9AcqyyEzEP5x7Kxf1-oGQ/s400/DSC01067.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546125451758726866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">Fixing the tree topper in the central square.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkAaRw-L15OVb34B-DJZDt2LcM3OX5S8VACDeLXzXG9J5iuf3mnCt5uzfpiXQ2ldv5_67r12TKf7iN8PVcblOzlJUWq9AAuYJG2RgQZSXnWCKnBnnxsqbOdtNsFxnObhOJA8WTrjJQovw/s1600/DSC01062.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkAaRw-L15OVb34B-DJZDt2LcM3OX5S8VACDeLXzXG9J5iuf3mnCt5uzfpiXQ2ldv5_67r12TKf7iN8PVcblOzlJUWq9AAuYJG2RgQZSXnWCKnBnnxsqbOdtNsFxnObhOJA8WTrjJQovw/s400/DSC01062.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546124293837704642" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">Storsjön. Very foggy because it was very cold but the ice hasn't set yet. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "> </span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1nk1yT9_-KZXm_BA-hZ7eMWK2IL6FX5ZbIUh4cAbsDly-o0DPpBNBVM3tJOKb0h3VyMRlbmwdjMsmAAW0jZpfQXpcex9NJF86dVfRbsDc-LPeNAwT15Uoy7Y0q-A2K3gQeHzspIpym9c/s1600/DSC01073.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1nk1yT9_-KZXm_BA-hZ7eMWK2IL6FX5ZbIUh4cAbsDly-o0DPpBNBVM3tJOKb0h3VyMRlbmwdjMsmAAW0jZpfQXpcex9NJF86dVfRbsDc-LPeNAwT15Uoy7Y0q-A2K3gQeHzspIpym9c/s400/DSC01073.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546124154905043330" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The high humidity laid a layer of rhyme over all the trees. Lovely!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdsUwck0NimqOcW6BYYtF8Bow1OyX7ORaLmLvZHzaffR-JaAWjQttEebb6omw0FcS3-sstkaBxH-RyGKUEknLVnG84vzO9igUhjHUUEtQkSydhAQ2jgI7VauOW4PAbVFMK-7Rbw2AVQKm/s1600/DSC01051.jpg"></a></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-20913870904849037442010-11-29T02:24:00.000-08:002010-11-29T13:25:14.950-08:00The bright Christmas lights of Sundsvall<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our second day in Sundsvall was on <a href="http://dagbladet.se/insandare/1.2509907-lys-upp-sundsvall-med-lite-vanlighet"><span class="Apple-style-span">Lyslördag </span></a>(the Saturday of Lights), which is the day each year that Sundsvall lights the Christmas lights in downtown Stone Town (see previous post). Another lovely tradition!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After catching a delicious breakfast at a local cafe, we headed out for an on-foot tour of the town, stopping in to hear jazz at the Kultur Magasin. This place <span class="Apple-style-span">is a renovated warehouse/manufacturing complex that has been enclosed by a glass roof and </span><span class="Apple-style-span">houses the library, city museum, art museum, cafe, and more. Very lovely.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7eRmSDUg06l2EeEfhqGpXjX8tUwXoDqRy7pgJEEFS5rlsc4-bTTzVGyN9oqAFiMR9-kwR0rRUPbG9updBYY82qZOUaX0olkVE_LCXv3oC1sVCDKlnFS85YC9ol9ZBGHdf0ii9ZraVpi4/s1600/DSC01019.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0tUnvZ8PD6IaQ1G1eqKYI7vsNfhsVI0_Ouh1jAntStFMsOfOaT-ALCAukc1xZ1W7jOJ4XEj7nD4swJreKrU0iL-ubpPjfmcWp04CsjfgX6i7a4IzBGMkdn9tVnSiojpCEoQaFMnf_dlO/s1600/DSC01022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0tUnvZ8PD6IaQ1G1eqKYI7vsNfhsVI0_Ouh1jAntStFMsOfOaT-ALCAukc1xZ1W7jOJ4XEj7nD4swJreKrU0iL-ubpPjfmcWp04CsjfgX6i7a4IzBGMkdn9tVnSiojpCEoQaFMnf_dlO/s400/DSC01022.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543433752804442066" /></a></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We also enjoyed art by a local artist, Sune Blomqvist (picture courtesy Sundsvall Museum).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc4mhLrKcr-5quqocNXaHkd4mJLFf9FnpaHoEWwRfj6ykJdlvlLzQdoNZ_bgfIXYrHATRrQB60PCS6iY0Rrkb9H5RsXY-B2rSUXhTUycQ5DzSpvbgJ0md9Klhr6EelohFYz1Lh8hr8awI/s320/%25C3%2584lvlandskap%252BSune%252BBlomqvist%252B%2528SK2715%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545074205540273138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was a mix of portraits and landscapes, and well memorialized this late son of Sundsvall.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We went on to take a look at the local university, <a href="http://www.miun.se/Mittuniversitetet/Funktioner/In-English/"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mittuniversitet</span></a> (Mid Sweden University), which is spread among several northern cities. Here is the entrance... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEhG7w7sJTpDIAq6mlWpeffl9N4l0Wei6c23iWwn-BZgOJo5FamcgzW1qXQYuOe-Jy9sGb3ecBds9P-smVfnzAFm1mb-2QMwtdBE9VY0Ieod8Ah8_eKk7h_e0KXmDoWaYtiiZ4CnLC9KT/s1600/DSC01018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEhG7w7sJTpDIAq6mlWpeffl9N4l0Wei6c23iWwn-BZgOJo5FamcgzW1qXQYuOe-Jy9sGb3ecBds9P-smVfnzAFm1mb-2QMwtdBE9VY0Ieod8Ah8_eKk7h_e0KXmDoWaYtiiZ4CnLC9KT/s320/DSC01018.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543433461231233010" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: left; ">And here is a shot of the campus, which is on a piece of land that juts out into the bend of the river. All these house-looking buildings were connected by either enclosed walkways or large glass spaces (that also looked like cute houses).</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXo639YuEeO2cVm4g5sRhAi7-okZ6tVgCgirtMqzjTe3q6jhWUvzWt9-cMB7Apyx2GolVrUiKB9TqQWRM8Zun3-eX3eA82sFHeJm_1ZZjLyw4-8_UraBa0sDobByHqs6MHxPQBQwDFut_Q/s1600/DSC01036.jpg"></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXo639YuEeO2cVm4g5sRhAi7-okZ6tVgCgirtMqzjTe3q6jhWUvzWt9-cMB7Apyx2GolVrUiKB9TqQWRM8Zun3-eX3eA82sFHeJm_1ZZjLyw4-8_UraBa0sDobByHqs6MHxPQBQwDFut_Q/s1600/DSC01036.jpg"></a></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7eRmSDUg06l2EeEfhqGpXjX8tUwXoDqRy7pgJEEFS5rlsc4-bTTzVGyN9oqAFiMR9-kwR0rRUPbG9updBYY82qZOUaX0olkVE_LCXv3oC1sVCDKlnFS85YC9ol9ZBGHdf0ii9ZraVpi4/s320/DSC01019.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543441383750802946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">With all this snow, you could ski between classes. (haha.) But I digress... </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As the light was getting dimmer, we gathered with the locals at beginning of main street, for The Parade. The Parade was led by an enthusiastic woman in a white cape and a choir of white-clad folk with torches. There were hordes of people who had come to celebrate, and it was nice to hear singing in the bitter cold wind. We got candles to hold, but the wind was blowing too much to keep them burning. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXo639YuEeO2cVm4g5sRhAi7-okZ6tVgCgirtMqzjTe3q6jhWUvzWt9-cMB7Apyx2GolVrUiKB9TqQWRM8Zun3-eX3eA82sFHeJm_1ZZjLyw4-8_UraBa0sDobByHqs6MHxPQBQwDFut_Q/s400/DSC01036.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543432510187661666" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">These torches are real! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">All throughout town, candles were burning as night fell.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihh7PBpwap-Trf3lj_co_uTC_aB0poV5hQWAp3VEtZtsluVYyzMiiavp7mBbyOwDVF0TLzgYEYErl60AfQMzcI_91m4msPOVHz5YTqkQK0v0Wpe4buZmfIib0941eAOz6pA29-6t8pu5D2/s1600/DSC01037.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihh7PBpwap-Trf3lj_co_uTC_aB0poV5hQWAp3VEtZtsluVYyzMiiavp7mBbyOwDVF0TLzgYEYErl60AfQMzcI_91m4msPOVHz5YTqkQK0v0Wpe4buZmfIib0941eAOz6pA29-6t8pu5D2/s400/DSC01037.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543432424382354882" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After a moving speech by <a href="http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven_Wollter"><span class="Apple-style-span">Sven Wollter</span></a>, who is maybe the Jack Nicholson of Sweden (I mean by this he is a famous, dramatic actor who has been around a long time), <span class="Apple-style-span">the Christmas tree was lit to a <i>chorus of</i> <i>angelic voices</i>. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvjcyoAe3G8V08NuHQDsxe-gIip1XU24sqFR-g9pWvxgeNV5tW8c9PAAtaGYpJ-N-IrQcRjHzysNZ39HHTsiMGbhGd-rPhBxnKh1BYC8gP1l1RJp_2tF8QgRhsuQ7JPUyi0IplgoDlrFn/s1600/DSC01038.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvjcyoAe3G8V08NuHQDsxe-gIip1XU24sqFR-g9pWvxgeNV5tW8c9PAAtaGYpJ-N-IrQcRjHzysNZ39HHTsiMGbhGd-rPhBxnKh1BYC8gP1l1RJp_2tF8QgRhsuQ7JPUyi0IplgoDlrFn/s400/DSC01038.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543432305826485602" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As well as the other buildings around the big square. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKdfENG1YB0Cz-j3nsxBgHcvVpMwttD30cR1OangGhqOZHpTGVrZSntLdB4P7nnr_RYojZz8sVHHibdkF5RHlxpLMzk79x88GDZA7Fnov3hhjzplZ6ZyCGrS6HKvFRLSe1KDUoo1lavJ_/s1600/DSC01040.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKdfENG1YB0Cz-j3nsxBgHcvVpMwttD30cR1OangGhqOZHpTGVrZSntLdB4P7nnr_RYojZz8sVHHibdkF5RHlxpLMzk79x88GDZA7Fnov3hhjzplZ6ZyCGrS6HKvFRLSe1KDUoo1lavJ_/s400/DSC01040.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543432231886206018" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span">And the lights along the entire main street! </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Ooooooh!</i> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Ah! </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">[</span><span class="Apple-style-span">gasps of wonder]</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Then, we trekked with the torch-carrying choir, lady in white, Sven Wollter, and several of the crowd, over to the side of the river to witness the lighting of the [they tell us] World's <i>largest </i>Advent candle! You can see it on the right hand side of the photo below towards the top. I swear, it looked impressive in real life. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnE9dAsJtNDhfyqxZp_g02C3ZjcPPeMSUNXuzOu98GKgdb_TX-tdHZFWUFbZ11M53uFvBRPvOYuRyBg_A0MQVhO-kA4FQZAHuu-bnVhh20VY08DL9xWEhZArzt8291mLdMMAbbMgijRr0/s1600/DSC01046.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnE9dAsJtNDhfyqxZp_g02C3ZjcPPeMSUNXuzOu98GKgdb_TX-tdHZFWUFbZ11M53uFvBRPvOYuRyBg_A0MQVhO-kA4FQZAHuu-bnVhh20VY08DL9xWEhZArzt8291mLdMMAbbMgijRr0/s400/DSC01046.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543431417653767730" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And maybe you can see Sven atop a platform, wishing us all a happy start to the Christmas season!</span></div></span></div></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-82013268449602139042010-11-25T08:18:00.000-08:002010-11-25T08:26:05.377-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6u3isLqalZ1h6ZOMiSE_Gi0iDlec0XvjmeQ59LUGApYWMxpqrK858BPhOspA8YRjjX_wY8xS6So0nc_k6Po_F94KFmUICFusJgbBvFp9h-zrD_Lnw0R8bAQazD1FQAdW3V2AcqtvRnYC/s1600/DSC01081.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6u3isLqalZ1h6ZOMiSE_Gi0iDlec0XvjmeQ59LUGApYWMxpqrK858BPhOspA8YRjjX_wY8xS6So0nc_k6Po_F94KFmUICFusJgbBvFp9h-zrD_Lnw0R8bAQazD1FQAdW3V2AcqtvRnYC/s320/DSC01081.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543524239312569698" /></a><br /><div>Cheers and happy Thanksgiving!!</div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-16780782766535474092010-11-25T00:55:00.000-08:002010-11-25T02:24:23.206-08:00Sunset in Sundsvall<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Finally, I'm getting the chance to sit down and write about our weekend trip up north. Had a job interview yesterday (! went well, I think! fingers crossed...) and I am feeling better after my first cold of the year. Looking forward to coming to visit the US in a few weeks. But, back to the weekend... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On Friday, we headed up to Sundsvall, which is located on the eastern coast of Sweden, on the Gulf of Bothnia. It's about 250 miles north of Stockholm, and takes about 3.5 hours on the <a href="http://www.sj.se/sj/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1351&l=en#">X2000</a> speedy, vomit-inducing train (goes so fast, things fly by too quickly...). <span class="Apple-style-span">Unfortunately, our first train was cancelled, so we had to wait at the station for a couple hours, but that was an improvement over the 5 hour replacement bus ride. Once aboard, the train was running late, so had to speed at maximum allowed speed (200 kilometers per hour), which only made us feel queasier. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But when we arrived, we found the adorable city of Sundsvall (that neither of us had been to). After its founding in the 1600s, it slowly increased in population until the 1800s, when it sounds like there was a major expansion. In 1888, the entire down town <span class="Apple-style-span">burned down. It was </span><span class="Apple-style-span">probably adorable two story wooden buildings like in many cute Swedish towns. Using insurance money and other funds, the town was rebuilt in stone in elaborate, awesome style. As a result, the down town area is called <i>Stenstaden</i>, or <a href="http://www.sundsvalltown.se/stonecity.htm">Stone Town</a>, which cracks us up, since that is the name of the (very similar, of course) core area of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Town">Zanzibar City</a> (Tanzania). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11L1Xafx_Kwz3DSFyPW6f3NcWO4wi2q_hZpMUC2djFUbOQAvroOf2wbLkVj1RFbTkg7JYO1__JZSb6oH_i3_xLvLkLJfhDkfptEmHhR61DVaMZs_dKBbIwpPCWNpWiR5gyMWBfs6kDnbc/s1600/DSC01016.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11L1Xafx_Kwz3DSFyPW6f3NcWO4wi2q_hZpMUC2djFUbOQAvroOf2wbLkVj1RFbTkg7JYO1__JZSb6oH_i3_xLvLkLJfhDkfptEmHhR61DVaMZs_dKBbIwpPCWNpWiR5gyMWBfs6kDnbc/s400/DSC01016.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543410349959366402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHgLfnKK4kneRB5bW7pboXp5I37TJAE2KU5uUyahGrLFcfTcLvTuLCDqiPOAWWkhFUoVL9_XTNdosuymC3Q9h3YA1-zcqRtlNCzFmLDwdOvFxs_8XfwMwQwIMG6ej_wffTeN-dofkqUCr/s1600/DSC00997.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHgLfnKK4kneRB5bW7pboXp5I37TJAE2KU5uUyahGrLFcfTcLvTuLCDqiPOAWWkhFUoVL9_XTNdosuymC3Q9h3YA1-zcqRtlNCzFmLDwdOvFxs_8XfwMwQwIMG6ej_wffTeN-dofkqUCr/s400/DSC00997.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543410556166730626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSGzGOJKPsqJbksEAHSO3sT_Xj3aR3NVGCxvCCGDYDtCYchfrXjVy8n1cEAxGypv_irY0PuexfUyAZFaTunzQ0MDLGmhxRbjQHcCWPIBcPHLuGHFauBKLwMJ1IeqHO720KYurgmtapHTd/s1600/AndyStina+121.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSGzGOJKPsqJbksEAHSO3sT_Xj3aR3NVGCxvCCGDYDtCYchfrXjVy8n1cEAxGypv_irY0PuexfUyAZFaTunzQ0MDLGmhxRbjQHcCWPIBcPHLuGHFauBKLwMJ1IeqHO720KYurgmtapHTd/s400/AndyStina+121.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543422247377128834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Did you spot the picture from Zanzibar? <i>Can you spot five differences between the photos? </i>haha.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">While the sun is setting around 3.10pm now in Stockholm, in Sundsvall, it set well before 3. (Ok, so that's not really a big difference...) <span class="Apple-style-span">The path of the sun in the sky became clearer in this town, somehow. We noticed better how low in the sky it is...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-ceNw1rfQn-hbJgGWa0EZ2ADxDJbNUE4HSGePXwfU-r7Ko6tr4Q1kEX7rxTi8ePw5jo8GqAeiKNgBVeLS6Q_t1OduGx6_3rYG0bphZFxVDFH354f5ebliavGf7Pl60kQkqiT9fcI6_9x/s400/DSC00998.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543410431124753906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here we have high noon in Sundsvall.<br />Seriously. </span></i></span></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwj5Xga8tR7j1Sc1-eas0-rcvBD6o2ecGjwIDBLsKDMellxZ5kMSgAawxC0DNmFvnupafrae2CT3H2SZd0HOQBzbf3ISGwREOT4cNshyphenhyphenkxPt8QkVJGjVWGGmJRPdyeD5vXs0Uvb4EtBXOn/s1600/DSC01036.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqf43Ab-GXkn94NRMS_djXJN4Dg6A7IjIu9YRVwerFLv685olofMxB-Tws8oQzOzNyeU6XEOw9gEPd-kVFU5XvJghV-IaWKJuNofxD8wBJ4fAlpO5aTRtozPbf6KrsO4AS6enMVbWWsoW6/s1600/DSC01001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqf43Ab-GXkn94NRMS_djXJN4Dg6A7IjIu9YRVwerFLv685olofMxB-Tws8oQzOzNyeU6XEOw9gEPd-kVFU5XvJghV-IaWKJuNofxD8wBJ4fAlpO5aTRtozPbf6KrsO4AS6enMVbWWsoW6/s400/DSC01001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543410903562064722" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And gorgeaous sunset sky (around 3pm)</i></div></span></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, what could we do? Of course, we had some fika (post still to come)! The Barista cafe seemed to be decorated by architects and interior designers, with these awesome egg/nest chairs in the windows, chairs made of felt "rocks", and a lounge area where teenagers hung out on a platform of mattresses and pillows, complete with blankets. Very cool.<br /><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNZyQR7qlttlo_Ty8bMrVQPyt-FBYARVXXHOpjCIqs97w4VWYkW1DYftCXuvt9EQmPUAx8gYzB6cgYvuctuLeXEs5bujqbc1w3m8gXBsxRoIZmvFsUR-zW6CB0hMHqeVmYLyR71A6IBN7/s1600/DSC01005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNZyQR7qlttlo_Ty8bMrVQPyt-FBYARVXXHOpjCIqs97w4VWYkW1DYftCXuvt9EQmPUAx8gYzB6cgYvuctuLeXEs5bujqbc1w3m8gXBsxRoIZmvFsUR-zW6CB0hMHqeVmYLyR71A6IBN7/s400/DSC01005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543410784417612066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv9tHcJ02FqR3nhm1s409RLN24JqFOUGaga4zgEC8HTjX9Hhr7jWekcrCFrs-SWX7r4CWIPha7vMxaaCE84D1cbiwDF-Al1scmMFjseKBn99peuDcCRN896olPwC4j4HH2EtqxnytgSGK/s1600/DSC01010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv9tHcJ02FqR3nhm1s409RLN24JqFOUGaga4zgEC8HTjX9Hhr7jWekcrCFrs-SWX7r4CWIPha7vMxaaCE84D1cbiwDF-Al1scmMFjseKBn99peuDcCRN896olPwC4j4HH2EtqxnytgSGK/s400/DSC01010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543410657860573026" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Yum! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">More to come, but I thought it wise to split this trip up into two or three posts. Soon, a post on the fun Christmas lights of Sundsvall!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-ceNw1rfQn-hbJgGWa0EZ2ADxDJbNUE4HSGePXwfU-r7Ko6tr4Q1kEX7rxTi8ePw5jo8GqAeiKNgBVeLS6Q_t1OduGx6_3rYG0bphZFxVDFH354f5ebliavGf7Pl60kQkqiT9fcI6_9x/s1600/DSC00998.jpg"></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></span></div><br /></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-89992163539629303152010-11-12T00:37:00.000-08:002010-11-12T00:59:08.607-08:00Lost in Translation<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd5BzrtBOEh_3sAGJ25gtLlnhEJJ2vJlWkQmHMg7UlGuFtWi8Q3ndCVorHbpn329mz8IdY9vJ3lV2UIsVVeaGLgJPfY2vFMsXBH-iCBs8WVpgxu8EDDXeOGsYSn3Dy_mkj7H8VDRFt4B2/s1600/DSC00946.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">So, Sweden has a lot going for it in general... Even if w</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">e only have 7 hours of daylight and it is cold, blustery, and rainy (hello November, as<a href="http://expatinstockholm.blogspot.com/2010/11/there-you-are-november.html"> my friend the expat</a> says), just the institution of fika (upcoming post) makes it a lot easier to deal with. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>However, a few things aren't quite right here... and here is the first:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZKT_fJU5YBaPXhmaDsd__Xi11t9cGMfDCl-jkXEuYIhrEEHvc0upNVvdaYTJsV7_fYaeqrIGiJZg2q6ppeSc5NSYtuF_VO9MVtgp1cweA6Y07jYzlQRXPWc_rANZQWMiUH5rKqcpwV_x/s1600/DSC00947.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZKT_fJU5YBaPXhmaDsd__Xi11t9cGMfDCl-jkXEuYIhrEEHvc0upNVvdaYTJsV7_fYaeqrIGiJZg2q6ppeSc5NSYtuF_VO9MVtgp1cweA6Y07jYzlQRXPWc_rANZQWMiUH5rKqcpwV_x/s400/DSC00947.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538580046396256178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">(No, I didn't mean Andy!)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">It is NOT Halloween anymore, people. It is November.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">(This is the main shopping street in downtown Stockholm, Drottninggatan, yesterday.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, I understand, Halloween is an American holiday. It has been brought to Sweden in its most commercial, least-tied-to-tradition version. Nobody gets trick-or-treating here, and apparently, not the idea that Halloween is only the 31st of October either. </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZKT_fJU5YBaPXhmaDsd__Xi11t9cGMfDCl-jkXEuYIhrEEHvc0upNVvdaYTJsV7_fYaeqrIGiJZg2q6ppeSc5NSYtuF_VO9MVtgp1cweA6Y07jYzlQRXPWc_rANZQWMiUH5rKqcpwV_x/s1600/DSC00947.jpg"></a></span><div><br /></div><div>This brings me to funny English words that take on new meaning. Often, I blame the Brits, thinking that perhaps this is a term used in British English, that I simply don't know/use, since I am American. This is the case with words like After Work (for happy hour) and Take Away (for To Go/Carryout). But there is a serious epidemic of...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd5BzrtBOEh_3sAGJ25gtLlnhEJJ2vJlWkQmHMg7UlGuFtWi8Q3ndCVorHbpn329mz8IdY9vJ3lV2UIsVVeaGLgJPfY2vFMsXBH-iCBs8WVpgxu8EDDXeOGsYSn3Dy_mkj7H8VDRFt4B2/s400/DSC00946.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538583451474177042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Muffins are cupcakes! No wait, cupcakes are "muffins with frosting"! No, wait, I think they are just the same thing! </div><div><br /></div><div>There is a "Muffin Bakery" chain that I assume is trying to bring the fancy cupcake trend to Sweden.... Oy vey!</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And that's all for today...</div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-24053273327056868902010-11-11T03:57:00.000-08:002010-11-11T04:20:59.951-08:00Veteran´s Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI3vCWuaXLe-lxg3zUqhKrcJULCdfOgmd0-B3GS-JW1Il0enbJlhbEfnXBQivjvKlycOK1nfeIgewAwdyWpmE7JSR-nictWZIOlo12LvTS6egJs3Fh3AXiYW1huFZBApsarZ_GAJkyt8e/s1600/DSC00885.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKigPX_YKWDWNJYxuFb4ln1t5JQ5RRD9X23oQ9x15mh8gqBGjwesl6tTzJM6smFdJR7zZcrlcZ5tRtZDLw46sIrryE1o1Kj4M1A4ltMGyra5V4jzCDbJxh60eolT6EMdu44mUp-10O9toK/s1600/DSC00920.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKigPX_YKWDWNJYxuFb4ln1t5JQ5RRD9X23oQ9x15mh8gqBGjwesl6tTzJM6smFdJR7zZcrlcZ5tRtZDLw46sIrryE1o1Kj4M1A4ltMGyra5V4jzCDbJxh60eolT6EMdu44mUp-10O9toK/s320/DSC00920.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538264020839113938" /></a>Happy Veteran´s Day to my favorite veteran and all you veterans out there. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">Thank you for your service. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">And to all the family and friends who are missing their loved ones today, I can only empathize and say thank you, too. I haven´t forgotten. </span><div><div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD4VVfSF31OrF646kSbxqx38HxJXVExxxKi1aCG6j8yNkOh7PAGRmrKhaqGgtS7BHbwvAeB3EP5ncklOjbfovWc9X2-qNEhgKowZmmTDelZTzATkmk0kJ38UHytZGh9bXpFjDa7hQurYQ/s320/DSC00937.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538264402862808386" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">And here to cheer you up are some cute cats ...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI3vCWuaXLe-lxg3zUqhKrcJULCdfOgmd0-B3GS-JW1Il0enbJlhbEfnXBQivjvKlycOK1nfeIgewAwdyWpmE7JSR-nictWZIOlo12LvTS6egJs3Fh3AXiYW1huFZBApsarZ_GAJkyt8e/s1600/DSC00885.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI3vCWuaXLe-lxg3zUqhKrcJULCdfOgmd0-B3GS-JW1Il0enbJlhbEfnXBQivjvKlycOK1nfeIgewAwdyWpmE7JSR-nictWZIOlo12LvTS6egJs3Fh3AXiYW1huFZBApsarZ_GAJkyt8e/s320/DSC00885.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538264509001813298" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">General Petraeus thanks you for your service. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-29718129319071832422010-11-09T05:14:00.000-08:002010-11-09T05:31:24.535-08:00The evolution of a blizzard<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyIXRKtvIFjLOfWdjeD9iV9SV4cKClo1yOLIH5CAzl_moJ4uCCmMHYTLQF-L4y5dLNmlzzFPMgfa9a0dEXnXMuo4QXJAzt5tnUWWlmHsQBvOtvQDFHstYSwEQBw-Xtj3hnVNbWqqX9SIS/s1600/DSC00913.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">Went to bed having heard that we were going to have a small snow storm.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">And woke up to rain.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOWFfua-X5H5UnajW7ZJpWd3cBXcAAI03c1uxBZUKq59dBMm9EJ9K_d1uwVXcNBdOzyu9QvhdhlnS-IzbivRH2Evow-tusWE3BodYplKE9w9mdle6uaGUOAL05fwpoww5aXQEY-gX8mM4/s1600/DSC00906.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOWFfua-X5H5UnajW7ZJpWd3cBXcAAI03c1uxBZUKq59dBMm9EJ9K_d1uwVXcNBdOzyu9QvhdhlnS-IzbivRH2Evow-tusWE3BodYplKE9w9mdle6uaGUOAL05fwpoww5aXQEY-gX8mM4/s320/DSC00906.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537538115200982658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">...Boring!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwG47ZgSgDn3s6Mrr8BWe6OJllTpESNFlMqE_7JnPzW2j0hAEN6bQr9NxjjV56CpVhA6vjXmdLhve1O0MplDpzwuiEWS7EKzsXW8bsbdIJ5wStutFWvRdYa4VJydzKKuV0ZVFK1l4i-MV/s200/DSC00911.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537539041635259954" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">But then... at around 11am, it started sticking.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">I thought, wow, a little bit of snow. That's nice... But the fact is, it's still raining.</span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwG47ZgSgDn3s6Mrr8BWe6OJllTpESNFlMqE_7JnPzW2j0hAEN6bQr9NxjjV56CpVhA6vjXmdLhve1O0MplDpzwuiEWS7EKzsXW8bsbdIJ5wStutFWvRdYa4VJydzKKuV0ZVFK1l4i-MV/s1600/DSC00911.jpg"></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">[I am thoroughly enjoying the perks of working from home, part time... time for photographing the courtyard at intervals]</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVRumA9YZccHPX37RJtxGKEKl_X83tItrrlN7dtmb-oLRp7U2SRapWIm32lwUfgb5IVif2RjHn5olWImSBulwuIsn7T8molEp3yoG5uddGZq0tH81En-VwN8EGaD1YCqlp04o8ICBkal/s1600/DSC00912.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVRumA9YZccHPX37RJtxGKEKl_X83tItrrlN7dtmb-oLRp7U2SRapWIm32lwUfgb5IVif2RjHn5olWImSBulwuIsn7T8molEp3yoG5uddGZq0tH81En-VwN8EGaD1YCqlp04o8ICBkal/s200/DSC00912.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537538733108019794" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVRumA9YZccHPX37RJtxGKEKl_X83tItrrlN7dtmb-oLRp7U2SRapWIm32lwUfgb5IVif2RjHn5olWImSBulwuIsn7T8molEp3yoG5uddGZq0tH81En-VwN8EGaD1YCqlp04o8ICBkal/s1600/DSC00912.jpg"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGVRumA9YZccHPX37RJtxGKEKl_X83tItrrlN7dtmb-oLRp7U2SRapWIm32lwUfgb5IVif2RjHn5olWImSBulwuIsn7T8molEp3yoG5uddGZq0tH81En-VwN8EGaD1YCqlp04o8ICBkal/s1600/DSC00912.jpg"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">By noon it was looking a bit more like snow.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div>[not much, but a little]</div><div><can you="" tell="" i="" am="" enjoying="" the="" freedom="" of="" working="" from="" part=""></can></div><div><br /></div><div><much more="" time="" for="" taking="" photos="" and="" blogging=""></much></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">And now, by 2.30pm, we have a full blizzard in effect.</span></div></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZUBVEP8udMZY51qOufg2E3Me6EB_GhH5aKe5GpDEJ1mQC-OpHTXGn9_S0npEvDrs1Fmat94K2Q-QJ0hTSIpRtMfLE3Ndr8pzBccvy0mc529AfE5CindAWpaFBAb3iUVD2_c74UrCZD-y/s1600/DSC00916.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZUBVEP8udMZY51qOufg2E3Me6EB_GhH5aKe5GpDEJ1mQC-OpHTXGn9_S0npEvDrs1Fmat94K2Q-QJ0hTSIpRtMfLE3Ndr8pzBccvy0mc529AfE5CindAWpaFBAb3iUVD2_c74UrCZD-y/s400/DSC00916.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537539380502993730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div></div><div>We are about to go out on a shopping excursion <beer> for the evening... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">And, since it is about an hour from sundown (official sunset: 15.36), we had better go, now go!</span></beer></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyIXRKtvIFjLOfWdjeD9iV9SV4cKClo1yOLIH5CAzl_moJ4uCCmMHYTLQF-L4y5dLNmlzzFPMgfa9a0dEXnXMuo4QXJAzt5tnUWWlmHsQBvOtvQDFHstYSwEQBw-Xtj3hnVNbWqqX9SIS/s1600/DSC00913.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyIXRKtvIFjLOfWdjeD9iV9SV4cKClo1yOLIH5CAzl_moJ4uCCmMHYTLQF-L4y5dLNmlzzFPMgfa9a0dEXnXMuo4QXJAzt5tnUWWlmHsQBvOtvQDFHstYSwEQBw-Xtj3hnVNbWqqX9SIS/s320/DSC00913.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537540834493788642" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAz6-erXO5II77zkrYS3e7MzCNSt39Z3wMYYZdXWNhSl4RAclzlUiAxROWkxquDXAelVqVBstm_wZ0I_GxuvBwyJYgyLXo-99kEBblF8BucFrjYFmIYeXALopJL3fNYJTvbbaUl8hmrlYd/s1600/DSC00914.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAz6-erXO5II77zkrYS3e7MzCNSt39Z3wMYYZdXWNhSl4RAclzlUiAxROWkxquDXAelVqVBstm_wZ0I_GxuvBwyJYgyLXo-99kEBblF8BucFrjYFmIYeXALopJL3fNYJTvbbaUl8hmrlYd/s320/DSC00914.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537540731426720530" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; "><br /></span></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-80718570656146777412010-11-08T03:28:00.000-08:002010-11-08T03:51:02.416-08:00All Saints Day<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; ">This weekend we were able to witness a very special Swedish holiday, Allhegona afton, or All Saint's Day eve. It is a day for remembering those who have died and visiting their graves.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>We visited Katarina church, on Söder (the southern part of downtown Stockholm), just after nightfall on Saturday, and found Stockholmers of all ages engaging in the lovely, comforting, and family-centered ceremony of placing candles and lanterns on the graves of loved ones. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPHoquCQcTznLiQrQ64VN9MfHShGnsMHruS5rR4QmJ_SRAncGFLRtUZbn8CCcVwfRZ7mH7iTXU0U7DA6q-BZPAwt78gez3_mNvmwachXAKOZjpz_BHsa-7m34XWgcIoOeM9nxcv07igyQ/s320/DSC00901.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537140358608204626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We hadn´t expected that each grave would have more than one candle. It was truly beautiful. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many families were there in large extended groups, quietly completing the steps of their own ceremonies, on this cold evening. We saw multiple generations visiting those that had come before and lighting up the night. Many families had brought a candle for each child to light, and it seemed magical. </div><div><br /></div><div>I noticed a little girl and her grandmother quietly walking around in a wooded area off to the side. When we passed by, they were making their way out to the path. As the girl stepped out of the bushes, she said proudly (to the slight embarrassment of her grandma, I´m sure) "We lit a candle too! On that tree stump back there!" What a nice gift to that more spritely of ancestors. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7AjpLFdYhmMjXuGT93glYVwsjSk7LY5dbTP-x6xK6zIBrzF9iZS1TfZDPwyB3tRT6YFsobqF_6Jtekey7OwEIMZn3y5XxANwZkfeJ2_0Mf4WlJ1whZUCxR97mokkfrsfLNVPIeOKgBOi/s400/DSC00899.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537141861200836626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15.6px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>And, though we didn't bring candles, I remembered all those family and friends who I have had the joy of knowing and loving, and the sadness of missing. </div><div><br /></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-58908428067498565922010-11-08T03:24:00.000-08:002010-11-08T03:28:39.631-08:00And the winner is...Definitely, picture F. Taken from Katarinahissen out over Slussen, with old town (Gamla Stan) across the water in the background. Thanks for voting!American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-734260560997807462010-11-01T04:40:00.000-07:002010-11-01T06:12:07.428-07:00Vote for the best photo!<div style="text-align: left;">Ok, friends, I need your help! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I want to submit a photo to the local paper's "best Stockholm photo" competition. Since the deadline is coming up, I have been trying to decide which photo to send in. Can you help? Please leave a comment and vote for your favorite! (Please comment if you have thoughts on why a certain photo would or would not be good). Thanks!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are the entries:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A.</b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Lägg till bild" border="0" class="gl_photo" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk58m1vKPn8EwrkxCgglyE19SfoabRkt9Atvue_b0NibVsQBaTpSdc34aY4kFO1bv3kH3er-4iTNJlvcXbB6psD6hrEhjTuqFX0BBFAXv6e5Kk4PqtZL_o_PipSZ169HSPjoE7Pdji0Yak/s400/DSC00362.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566039916466050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>B.</b></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEGnjLWJf-Nxh7PAXVupLZ5-uMeKyKYZdx7jhyFQTNzgN-RkdzYzaMGZXDfj5xgwk0KskSkiZHQgG-q2YCKP_T9rukAoSGq6ufAJ7ZSqUpaa9wxYHhbCo9jvTMH8fr3HBs21GMKcd3MA-/s400/DSC00657.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566503925396130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>C. </b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapZAJKxBIG2rjYK35EI_NZeXboG6LJPr0-RU3lQAshy2lgFvxZQgQ-sPFbLQFpR1Asjbp_hKLRghnSo6uznXkH6Bnznb0V4-4HUNawOyrFK4sa8up9P92_MXdmG3u28b2PlhBMlRZkNpF/s1600/DSC00809+(2).jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapZAJKxBIG2rjYK35EI_NZeXboG6LJPr0-RU3lQAshy2lgFvxZQgQ-sPFbLQFpR1Asjbp_hKLRghnSo6uznXkH6Bnznb0V4-4HUNawOyrFK4sa8up9P92_MXdmG3u28b2PlhBMlRZkNpF/s400/DSC00809+(2).jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534567645507220290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>D.</b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBEXps7JVsdzcZLkgc9C4Ua3H6vupRg3XfvTuijDiSROZ294_-7hIDS0bu1bO8mok7NwcrUXZRNfWKHdiam7t1Kpzxq4kgFAq0tBOOoCyq6682W0o1Pg_k6ekMmLG6fdOi9PnIF2LZKTi/s1600/DSC00670.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBEXps7JVsdzcZLkgc9C4Ua3H6vupRg3XfvTuijDiSROZ294_-7hIDS0bu1bO8mok7NwcrUXZRNfWKHdiam7t1Kpzxq4kgFAq0tBOOoCyq6682W0o1Pg_k6ekMmLG6fdOi9PnIF2LZKTi/s400/DSC00670.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534567582564131554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>E. </b></div><div><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEOrQZJkbixkb5rdm-uTWD-pWgi3f9Q0TXC_EoN_J40oZQ-sdGTtl557Sugq2BZC7HUY_wiiC8oWsCZ7h4pFH8aKZ37LWISPQL3y79ESDpUCweQaFLbO7hcIhSgCdQxQP58A8USmjIhy3/s1600/DSC00662.jpg" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEOrQZJkbixkb5rdm-uTWD-pWgi3f9Q0TXC_EoN_J40oZQ-sdGTtl557Sugq2BZC7HUY_wiiC8oWsCZ7h4pFH8aKZ37LWISPQL3y79ESDpUCweQaFLbO7hcIhSgCdQxQP58A8USmjIhy3/s400/DSC00662.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534567483187826466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>F. </b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zQYWk1V0KYwg2INzKyxx0GKm_YctF34fVLqY-7DuiNIyKYr6YHnr8wZhEe0Qy8aCfx8qGpQxoVlcwrrGKCR31JS37RaYH6E3ZsSXhcYid7aBDzKlVz8wEy_4MAF6zqgoDeDUC5fYo1Fq/s1600/DSC00363.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zQYWk1V0KYwg2INzKyxx0GKm_YctF34fVLqY-7DuiNIyKYr6YHnr8wZhEe0Qy8aCfx8qGpQxoVlcwrrGKCR31JS37RaYH6E3ZsSXhcYid7aBDzKlVz8wEy_4MAF6zqgoDeDUC5fYo1Fq/s400/DSC00363.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534566905059578754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b><br /></b></div></span></span></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-26062779830449104082010-10-31T11:42:00.000-07:002010-10-31T12:11:35.973-07:00Happy Halloween!<div style="text-align: left;">We woke up to fog and dreariness today, and decided to dispel the gloom with an excursion to a new part of Stockholm and a ´castle´ we had read about. Our target was Åkeshov slott. Once there, we found a lovely manor house. Unfortunately, it was closed to the public except for conferences (which were not ongoing today). We strolled the park nearby, but decided we needed a snack after the cross-town subway trip. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although the nearby garden shop and greenhouse had a restaurant, it was completely packed. They were having an ´orchid exhibit´... So, we headed down town. And this is what we found... </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldxwEv0KFllOJ0ICFLESCnsyzk1mZ3WQLl9XnsOtNaW3DyGf_gy2AoHATY9UMmVgt7IMBfzz1Z1lyprpeqsaCUIvu9VR1U4WJ0TR_96WmTboSdK1YqJwuZXIoEo_tElwTl-wqkcauvWsq/s1600/DSC00852.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdIwEVt3UQ01YPfte3VQFSMTi0yKufL6pMYraDnm2vEahK8Kc1LdUbkhmw5cpzHk5JzSMredB3cvcAcQakAwNBBqK5esRoKsG97l3A3OUFUVUoVw75kZL62IdrMkvgm7PumLDrnzPMUYr/s1600/DSC00846.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCHI0y2LPWOLlPmKaPXJ-r1INGJ1n6I7v_JU_hIkrFjsQzl_BLazOgwmWy_hC8_x-VrWIgD0TOsnGp8nSZRjMMB9DmBjdmBBbwuCXeLesxKzGOGMPzQ6gDnBw0WaocLRgRyw_LcIO-VIV/s1600/DSC00845.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCHI0y2LPWOLlPmKaPXJ-r1INGJ1n6I7v_JU_hIkrFjsQzl_BLazOgwmWy_hC8_x-VrWIgD0TOsnGp8nSZRjMMB9DmBjdmBBbwuCXeLesxKzGOGMPzQ6gDnBw0WaocLRgRyw_LcIO-VIV/s320/DSC00845.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534286518985122690" /></a><br />A cute cafe in an old theater (now church of some sort)! Beautiful ceilings and cheap coffee, with free påtår (refill)!<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdIwEVt3UQ01YPfte3VQFSMTi0yKufL6pMYraDnm2vEahK8Kc1LdUbkhmw5cpzHk5JzSMredB3cvcAcQakAwNBBqK5esRoKsG97l3A3OUFUVUoVw75kZL62IdrMkvgm7PumLDrnzPMUYr/s320/DSC00846.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534286701967290210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Creepy artistic shot. can you picture the ghost of a Victorian lady </i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><div style="text-align: center;"><i>peeking through the doorway? ... I can... </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">When we got home, we carved a pumpkin and sliced another one up for soup. Of course we roasted the seeds. We´re going to try the soup in the morning. Well, after Swedish class and a trip to the store, respectively. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">No trick-or-treaters here, but we did see a few kids dressed up as who knows what when we were out on our trek to the cafe. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy Halloween!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldxwEv0KFllOJ0ICFLESCnsyzk1mZ3WQLl9XnsOtNaW3DyGf_gy2AoHATY9UMmVgt7IMBfzz1Z1lyprpeqsaCUIvu9VR1U4WJ0TR_96WmTboSdK1YqJwuZXIoEo_tElwTl-wqkcauvWsq/s400/DSC00852.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534287576209367410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div></span></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-68949106661794087922010-10-29T00:43:00.000-07:002010-10-29T03:30:38.090-07:00A few more photos from our place<div style="text-align: left;">We recently moved to a suburb south of Stockholm from the summer house. I guess we´ve been here since August, but it <i>feels </i>like we just got here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is sour path from the commuter train station into our complex of buildings. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyHEUdj7R_UtTW4yLudJ0dbz-AOUr09WenoibgTbxVbIIUaO9HSa-8GEs9Es39YefOxfl-j-L3QGxZFDRqBX7cT3cxv2RWK6GDX-0D68Sqdp_1eYylg2fswQTOonC4_HX3TWaWE6fZj_o/s1600/DSC00795.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyHEUdj7R_UtTW4yLudJ0dbz-AOUr09WenoibgTbxVbIIUaO9HSa-8GEs9Es39YefOxfl-j-L3QGxZFDRqBX7cT3cxv2RWK6GDX-0D68Sqdp_1eYylg2fswQTOonC4_HX3TWaWE6fZj_o/s200/DSC00795.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533373680308885074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our neighborhood (or 'kvarter', or block, in Swedish) is named after an old warship that was captured at Narva in 1574 and sank off the coast of Sweden in 1576 (I just looked up these details. Cool!). It has lots of nautical themed decorative elements and sea-creatures abound. Here is the little dragon sea horse type guy that greets us every day when we walk through the entrance-way.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPLJBnzjBy0__qLe6Maw-xhLurjz2kpvU_9d5wXP3qUoy4BPMkVQn-lAP2iG2OU4JNec5Pr1UwCmOC22xxey-Eutx7ewMM1ADpb65M25BXdf9TEFZNPBovhgovCDpHHDrH8O9NANUBxMr/s200/DSC00397.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533371288083703266" /></div><div>Our apartment is a "two room" apartment, meaning it has two rooms and a kitchen... Also known as a "one bedroom" apartment in the US.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Fqv-lqQrmAXYXiJAcwH8vDqo2M8QLd7j3MZLe28wM4v1tEaW4YE8eHC6egK01UXFac6644Hfy1hby9G3K910aVPJqOl4chbOuQSP47KKUJWhW7ij9d64GW6ojaXi0wXdgNzrvCtobX_p/s1600/DSC00097.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Fqv-lqQrmAXYXiJAcwH8vDqo2M8QLd7j3MZLe28wM4v1tEaW4YE8eHC6egK01UXFac6644Hfy1hby9G3K910aVPJqOl4chbOuQSP47KKUJWhW7ij9d64GW6ojaXi0wXdgNzrvCtobX_p/s320/DSC00097.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533413099420945362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Andy working (in wolf pants!)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsvU14IqisUR1sl66Jw-NdEujgF44mSmHuEntuzw8DazFCmK_Go7i9szHBTIxfRZDM2GI0GHIj88yXsjrzvbpl7KRWULQO0XAeCNwiklAw_aQIVnDlFePhKtQUDVhd1kPJQhRUmXI5hEY/s1600/40591_10150224484425527_810160526_13980417_7800546_n.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsvU14IqisUR1sl66Jw-NdEujgF44mSmHuEntuzw8DazFCmK_Go7i9szHBTIxfRZDM2GI0GHIj88yXsjrzvbpl7KRWULQO0XAeCNwiklAw_aQIVnDlFePhKtQUDVhd1kPJQhRUmXI5hEY/s320/40591_10150224484425527_810160526_13980417_7800546_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533412984143330658" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsvU14IqisUR1sl66Jw-NdEujgF44mSmHuEntuzw8DazFCmK_Go7i9szHBTIxfRZDM2GI0GHIj88yXsjrzvbpl7KRWULQO0XAeCNwiklAw_aQIVnDlFePhKtQUDVhd1kPJQhRUmXI5hEY/s1600/40591_10150224484425527_810160526_13980417_7800546_n.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsvU14IqisUR1sl66Jw-NdEujgF44mSmHuEntuzw8DazFCmK_Go7i9szHBTIxfRZDM2GI0GHIj88yXsjrzvbpl7KRWULQO0XAeCNwiklAw_aQIVnDlFePhKtQUDVhd1kPJQhRUmXI5hEY/s1600/40591_10150224484425527_810160526_13980417_7800546_n.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Our cute rather big kitchen</i></div><div><br /></div><div>These photos are a little old, so I´ll try to get some newer ones up here soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Off to museums with my bro!</div><div><br /></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-70207120214218808822010-10-28T09:22:00.000-07:002010-10-28T11:16:28.745-07:00Hello World!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZXw3boWc3dG4Ppk0Kwk5G5tAfby7XIaSnL1la-L0WRlqw38VQ5yl17MZuUh6SdhNkJZuhal9t814w8uSb18LH5LtjzM1hQBbdxi1njCFf0wEuTKmpoa46keENz9HrLqVY91drpFrIC6x/s1600/DSC00786.jpg"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Hi everyone! I'm taking over. This blog. Right.... now!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuaDjYEBf01wZgHBcDd7zZ4OVc8YJgylsvLJv4qEn3kpfizBAQydVWEn4FJUkpxDXJK81QlFJmmoGrMGn9VmASH0emryf-jr_m2-OYWE46tG5S03cx4bgOTT0ZDlLB-2Hcy9DX4RkHYlP/s320/DSC00809.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533153923732333058" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Stockholm City Hall today at sunset (5.06pm), today, October 28, 2010 </i></div><div><br /></div><div>So, we have discovered that Andy sucks at the whole blog-at-regular-intervals thing. :) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I'm going to hop in and see if I can add some posts now and then to keep the whole thing rolling. It's not that Andy isn't *allowed* to post, it's just that he usually doesn't. </div><div><br /></div><div>What's new here, you might wonder? Well, most importantly, *of course*, is that we have our cats with us. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarciLiVQqDilQKxAy37sbz74UflspQPMQqkdKMV8Msnrh3Q-bRs8ibbrEa9DiDXACX0tU20FeOpFVWIFyTgKKjVn5vgEKvZ5K-uGEgZ_V9OmhlBdboiGKXCIdrU9-7luOrflIxFbxJ735/s200/DSC00390.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533160038050487682" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adorable kitties</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div>And, it SNOWed! On October 21, 2010. Just over an inch! Craziness. </div><div>It was beautiful in our local nature preserve, and we had a lovely walk complete with snowballs. The trees still have a lot of orange leaves, so it is an interesting contrast to see. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-Q3E726nOVtth_X4AMA-J6zhoRw3vR8X4n0blmw0haqXYerJCECEsZOAh6DxBacB87LQGTKUz8V0w0bxghEYd5smI4VJhSnOfWOF4YHTrzzHABZp-fEJWROGi681CfsXdUgTt_4ShHRF/s320/DSC00785.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533161131201574338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><i>The "gård" that is at the center of our group of buildings</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZXw3boWc3dG4Ppk0Kwk5G5tAfby7XIaSnL1la-L0WRlqw38VQ5yl17MZuUh6SdhNkJZuhal9t814w8uSb18LH5LtjzM1hQBbdxi1njCFf0wEuTKmpoa46keENz9HrLqVY91drpFrIC6x/s1600/DSC00786.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZXw3boWc3dG4Ppk0Kwk5G5tAfby7XIaSnL1la-L0WRlqw38VQ5yl17MZuUh6SdhNkJZuhal9t814w8uSb18LH5LtjzM1hQBbdxi1njCFf0wEuTKmpoa46keENz9HrLqVY91drpFrIC6x/s320/DSC00786.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533161633556681570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The view from our balcony / living room (out over the edge of the Rudan nature preserve)</i></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are lots of other fun new things, but I am just learning how to use blogger, so I'll be back. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Much love to all!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-Q3E726nOVtth_X4AMA-J6zhoRw3vR8X4n0blmw0haqXYerJCECEsZOAh6DxBacB87LQGTKUz8V0w0bxghEYd5smI4VJhSnOfWOF4YHTrzzHABZp-fEJWROGi681CfsXdUgTt_4ShHRF/s1600/DSC00785.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>American Swedehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10750467162981549810noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-21081602708577014952010-08-03T22:23:00.000-07:002010-08-03T22:23:18.124-07:00The new placeWell, last time I posted I said I had "lots of catching up to do". Now here I am, a month later, and I'm just now getting around to writing another post. I've got a lot more pictures and stuff to talk about from the summer. But, in my defense, we've been pretty busy. The biggest thing we've been up to is finding an apartment near Stockholm.<br />
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We had been hoping all along to find a place near the city to live (while still being able to go up to Dalarna to get away from it all every now and then, of course). This is helpful for AS's career, my attempts to start a business, and my Swedish studies. I hesitate to say this, since none of our Swedish friends can understand it, but I also kind of like the city. I'm not sure I'll be welcome back in Furudal after saying that, where they sell t-shirts that say: "<i>Furudal: Tillräckligt långt från Stockholm</i>" ("Furudal: Far enough away from Stockholm"). I'm used to living in the city, though, so I find the hustle and bustle kind of comforting, especially when I know I'll be taking frequent trips to somewhere <i>tillräckligt långt från Stockholm</i>.<br />
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But I think even our most Stockholm-phobic friends could appreciate this place. It's just one of those situations where everything seems to be coming together. When searching for apartments online, AS found this place that was being rented out by a woman with an African name. It turns out that she went to primary school in the same town in Uganda where AS worked in grad school. The apartment is two blocks south of the commuter rail station, where we can catch a 24-minute ride to Central Station. The only thing in between our apartment complex and the station is a small KTH (Royal Technical University) campus, which just happens to house the SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) classes that I should be starting next week. Our balcony looks out to the south east over a wooded park. To the west of our apartment complex is a beautiful, huge forested park with two small lakes and miles of trails for running and skiing. Vasaloppet, here I come!<br />
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I'll try to get some pictures up soon, but I've learned that I'll never post if I wait until I have picture upload and organized.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-79196704776282605662010-07-05T04:07:00.000-07:002010-07-05T04:07:50.384-07:00Happy Independence Day!I have a lot of catching up to do, since I haven't posted anything in almost a month: AS's birthday, my parents visiting, Swedelife's family visiting, Midsommar (complete with 3 or 4 maypole ceremonies), and a July 4th party yesterday. I'm going to have to go back and update (with photos) from the past month, but for now I just don't want to get any further behind.<br />
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Yesterday we had a July 4th barbecue, which turned out nice in spite of the rain. I really wanted to do something that would be similar to what we would do back home. This means: grilling outdoors, an American flag flying, and beer. (Fireworks would also been nice, but there wasn't much we could do about that.) AS & I built a permanent grill in the yard from stones (of which there are many here!) and concrete, so we had a place to grill outside. For a flagpole, we used an old long piece of wood that used to be used for drying hay, which we clamped to an old cart. Of course, finding beer isn't a problem in Sweden (especially if you don't mind drinking beer that's only 3.5% alcohol). We needed a little bit of extra red, white and blue decoration, so we taped up some red and blue playing cards along with white pieces of paper along the porch railing. Instant Fourth of July party in Sweden!<br />
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We invited over a few of our local friends, who even stood politely while I insisted that we play the Star Spangled Banner. We also introduced some customary American games from college (involving plastic cups, beer, and ping pong balls) which were a hit and I'm sure will begin sweeping Scandinavia. The day culminated with a late night dip in the lake.<br />
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I think you're never more patriotic than when you're living in another country, so it was nice to celebrate the 4th. When you tell people that you've moved to Sweden, some people think of it as some kind of condemnation of America's policies or something. It's not. Sweden's pretty cool, but I'll always be an American, and I'll always be proud to be part of a country founded specifically on the idea of personal liberty rather than geographical location.<br />
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Happy Independence Day!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-82633673395291390482010-06-11T05:47:00.000-07:002010-06-11T06:21:46.552-07:00Some more milestones towards Swedish integrationWe have crossed a few more milestones on our way to full integration in Swedish society. Yesterday we visited the Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish employment service). Besides the fact that they provide unemployment insurance and help you find jobs, it was also necessary for me to register with them to be eligible for some other services. There was a bit of wait, during which we entered our information into a computer in the lobby and looked at brochures. My favorite brochure was titled "Arbetsförmedlingen är Sveriges största arbetsförmedling" ("The Employment Service is Sweden's biggest employment service"). You don't say? While we were waiting, a guy walked in and figured out that he probably wouldn't get to talk to anybody before they closed. He just smiled and walked back out saying, "I can be unemployed for one more day."<div><br /></div><div>Finally our number came up and we were invited into a small office with plexiglass windows adjoining the lobby. The lady there was very nice and seemed to genuinely be interested in helping us. We set us up for a follow-up appointment next week with a guy to help us in more detail.<div><br /></div><div>I have also now received the codes, papers, cards, and secure USB card reader that are necessary not only for online banking in Sweden, but also to log in for many official government services. Many sites use the banks' card and USB card reader system as the method for digital signatures. It uses a combination of a special card (separate from your ATM/debit card), the card reader, a pin code, another code, and randomly generated numbers. It seems like a pain in the butt, but at least its secure (or seems that way to me). I have the paper from the Migrationverket (immigration service) to send to the state insurance agency as proof that I'm living here legally, and my transcript is on it's way the education agency so that they can determine the Swedish equivalent of my US education.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm also getting a little bit better at Swedish. It's still pretty frustrating when I want to say something complicated or have a real converstation, but it's slowly getting better. At the Arbetsförmedlingen , for example, we talked only in Swedish. I didn't say much (except reciting my personnumber), but I could understand just about everything.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-78277664845476755322010-06-04T06:39:00.001-07:002010-06-04T07:32:44.550-07:00Police drama in DalarnaWe had an unusual bit of excitement yesterday, involving <i>fika</i>, theft, and the police.<div><br /></div><div>AS and I were at the local cafe after running an errand at the bank. It was a beautiful day, so we were sitting outside and enjoying our coffee. A local woman (who is known for strange behavior) sat down at the next table, and she and AS exchanged a bit of small talk about the weather. I got up and went inside to get <i>på tår</i> (a coffee refill, another great Swedish tradition). AS was going to wait outside until I got back, but she decided she would just run in and get her refill at the same time. Inside, we got caught up in a conversation with the two ladies working at the cafe, so instead of being inside for just 20 seconds, we were inside for about 10 minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon after we came outside, the woman at the next table left, saying, "Have a nice evening!" We continued to sit there for another 10 minutes or so, drinking our coffee and chatting with the owner of the cafe. When we got up to leave, AS realized that her purse was gone. We rushed around, checking the bathroom and all around the table. We had just been to the bank, so not only did we have money and credit cards in there, but also our passports. AS thought to look in the trash bin, and, sure enough, there was her unzipped purse. Inside was her wallet, which was opened up with all of the cash missing. Everything else was still there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everybody was fairly certain that the notorious woman who had been sitting at the next table had brazenly taking AS's purse while were inside the door a few meters away, but we didn't have any proof. While one of the ladies working at the cafe called the police for us, we stepped back outside, unsure what to do next. The woman we had just talked to at the bank happened to be standing in front of the cafe. When she heard us talking, she realized that she had witnessed the crime. She had seen the woman at the table next to us going through a black purse and then tossing it in the trash can, but she had just assumed that was switching out her old purse for a new one.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lady from the cafe was still on the phone with the police, so we relayed this new information. It still didn't sound like that the police would show up any time soon, and in fact the police seemed to be suggesting that we go confront the suspect ourselves, which seemed like a bad idea for many reasons. But, by the end of the phone call, it sounded like the police were actually going to show up.</div><div><br /></div><div>The chances were slim that there was a police car anywhere nearby, and the police are notorious for showing up days later to investigate crimes, so we didn't expect them to come anytime soon. We left on our bicycles to go meet a friend, but when we went to the beach he was out on the lake. We decided to go back to town to ask the cashier at the convenience store if the woman had been in there spending AS's money. I was grumbling for the whole bike ride about how stupid the system was and how the police were going to be no help.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we got back to town, the police were already there outside the cafe talking to the owner, much to our surprise. We went up to them, and one of the police officers asked AS a few more questions, including the phone number of the witness and the amount and denominations of the bills that were taken from her wallet. The police officers called their chief for permission to search the house of the suspect (who was a "known person" to the police already) for the missing money. The chief immediately gave them permission and they headed off to the house.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were impressed that the police had shown up right away and seemed to have a good handle on the situation, but we still didn't expect much to come of it. After all, the woman could just say she didn't do it, and it would be a difficult thing to prove in court if she wanted to be obstinate. We started biking home and saw the police outside the thief's house on our way. Before we got home, AS's cell phone started ringing. It was one of the cops, saying, "We have some money for you." The cops drove down the road to meet us. The cop explained that they had gotten a confession from the woman, then reached in his pocket, pulled out the stolen money, and gave it to AS. We didn't even have to fill out any paperwork.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, to sum it up, AS was robbed, the police came, they went to the house, got a confession, and AS got her money back within an hour and a half. Pretty crazy. I must say I was pretty impressed with the police.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-47098354399490905342010-05-31T03:13:00.000-07:002010-05-31T03:34:01.778-07:00You know you’re living in the Swedish countryside when…<div style="text-align: left;">You know you’re living in the Swedish countryside when…</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8X70U98buxfFIdfe3oVAR7jYacYYAIMc9LNQa9fpHbQg9t_pxBABxizTQqc3_X9g8XSyC1FLkkVkHalmysNE7-HGmWXi9p5dUKQmirDXfu2knzkI5PzYNFWIMpZ9ZfeLGoTtMFqkbE8jg/s320/AlgarHus+154.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477377747878729154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">…three moose take up residence in your backyard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Three moose moved into the woods behind our backyard .<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They’ve moved on now, but for a few days they would come out several times a day into our backyard to munch on the grass and small trees. Having just moved here, I can only assume that this is normal and that all Swedish families have pet moose.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8l0_5U8GsOis5vrcEYoF1JjckWCxGhakYuH9KZuql-R11AFejZy_Ae6rjNbjeig9-Diu7oGMJf_J3pBV6n4l7KsYdoNaoT9FI_pPyH2W6TUY4ubrozHHH-zB5XSeeB665H8XVxHxwPni/s1600/AlgarHus+125.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8l0_5U8GsOis5vrcEYoF1JjckWCxGhakYuH9KZuql-R11AFejZy_Ae6rjNbjeig9-Diu7oGMJf_J3pBV6n4l7KsYdoNaoT9FI_pPyH2W6TUY4ubrozHHH-zB5XSeeB665H8XVxHxwPni/s320/AlgarHus+125.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477377765771139362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0FDG1K7cAutamx3uPM2f-uyDwbKXtPEcsWMGkpBbPlOM0EsV_cqWgw498eYgfVu4aypfxEU8qRG-Ede4m7aYFtspqDgP-N5ZoccLNf_YXxbCpxwiqz9Kpb2wp7UzYakKxEJdaGuZe3lR/s1600/AlgarHus+184.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0FDG1K7cAutamx3uPM2f-uyDwbKXtPEcsWMGkpBbPlOM0EsV_cqWgw498eYgfVu4aypfxEU8qRG-Ede4m7aYFtspqDgP-N5ZoccLNf_YXxbCpxwiqz9Kpb2wp7UzYakKxEJdaGuZe3lR/s1600/AlgarHus+184.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0FDG1K7cAutamx3uPM2f-uyDwbKXtPEcsWMGkpBbPlOM0EsV_cqWgw498eYgfVu4aypfxEU8qRG-Ede4m7aYFtspqDgP-N5ZoccLNf_YXxbCpxwiqz9Kpb2wp7UzYakKxEJdaGuZe3lR/s1600/AlgarHus+184.jpg"></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QTsv4Y82tgnj_aAS1SsvFt7ZIE7-YqcafCmHqaV2Kc_QDR24-6jUB974R7mgURKTvvtr4nD5cuF7LGtsP0maJDeyNFNyHOTYKzeQ3NHW48jqqc0lmllGNJZL3of_CuclzYjADtUQx9-2/s320/AlgarHus+146.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477377774127343106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our moose are named Maja, Kalle, and Pontus. Maja is the mother, and Kalle and Pontus are yearlings<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(moose that were born last year). Apparently Maja didn’t have any more moose babies this year, so Kalle and Pontus are still hanging around.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-25395341092343106952010-05-23T03:10:00.000-07:002010-05-23T05:52:01.562-07:00Small town living<div style="text-align: left;">When we moved here, we not only moved from one country to another, but also from a city (Washington, DC) to a small village. Eventually we’ll probably end up moving to a slightly larger town in Sweden, but for now we’re enjoying the peace and quiet out here in the countryside. Hopefully when we move we’ll still be able to make frequent trips up here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ks9zV03FPuozEXt3q4sjHOf-77evaswVXVTz9Jw3Qtz8lhY8IeSHntXYw3Y9SInK1Op6dQYKrndhJBEW0J6HyL4MYZKe5zjFr9SnA6f7hp62invKVxj11CJRtj8Vaqk37sLM82YICerX/s1600/AlgarHus+064.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ks9zV03FPuozEXt3q4sjHOf-77evaswVXVTz9Jw3Qtz8lhY8IeSHntXYw3Y9SInK1Op6dQYKrndhJBEW0J6HyL4MYZKe5zjFr9SnA6f7hp62invKVxj11CJRtj8Vaqk37sLM82YICerX/s320/AlgarHus+064.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474414974273334754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On my way "downtown".</span></span></div></div> <p class="MsoNormal">We jokingly call the nearby town of Furudal “the city” or “downtown”. There’s a small restaurant, a café/bakery/pub, a gas station and grocery store, and a small convenience store. Everybody knows everybody in a town this size, so you’re almost guaranteed to find somebody you know at the café.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gY_9u4LqDFRvbk4r2viVuYnHI5U3RhQjPrwEnq1FZBcZwXMthbMCgVgJrsgFH8NttDRv389I9EzBLHi8K8n6nzoBXL_X3S06-b8psSsCLKIAcfa7jhTr95kzSoctAYZw2i5rmQt9M1WS/s320/AlgarHus+058.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474413011914800034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDBM_NNxl1jnDwAw6vzhrMvj2QMI_U8A7UUCrRmRXdJiTQGt_yi5pFhznb6SWiMa2CKEWpAeV7RK8mPQhNO3-hyOEgeNOp_OcnQ6io2rYdpIYAeFHlHsQ5Nyw9sfAvplJcIcDlL9IOeus/s320/AlgarHus+054.jpg" /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Downtown in the big city.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Downtown” Furudal sits right on a little bridge between two lakes. The lakes are clean, clear, cold, and calm. When the sky is blue, the lake reflects the sky like a mirror. It’s a nice change from urban rivers where you feel like you might get hepatitis if you fall in.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yBx0G8zBEdkXvPU16zjvu1QQ0KPUF2ujNmekx-nOLdgXpffz-wwm4jwUf_GbKSAYDG3KrukpmwjNg9SQ1QRJdHTfisH5miKbZHjxFKilUuXhZqBF4LPLFKE3ELLAJRICGI4_TRQR-5ex/s320/AlgarHus+025.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474413002054820322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAckyBnKDv5Yj-iF1t4ifobra1cVjJlnysWzrz6ZEU35dGfZjA3saznPOjyEdyl65GsZxxhUKqfvv6xW2CC8HzjNTOvAHxUpQkuXoVFoo0hUEqRj_8bzDgu_ZZxNeiNxNZcvGhDqwAviHb/s320/AlgarHus+030.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474413009383066546" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCVXTl_JXSt-M7_cEfyj2vAdD553BGsL6qU76yXfKuN0LGA3tPVK47zn83V8UBJOapU2mhFk37ShHGJmaYfk-_mTBTc7PHZPjuRhiruzpSi0EidD7-ZtP4ks2Vl_usQ_UKIKuS46Q46AD/s320/AlgarHus+026.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474410056060260530" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Big, clean, clear (and cold) lake.</span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal">The village is surrounded by logging roads and trails that wind through the forest. North of the village the public road ends, and there’s literally nothing but logging roads. Next to town is a series of tracks through the woods for skiing in the winter and walking or running in the summer. There’s a long hiking trail that passes near the village called Siljansleden (Siljan is the biggest lake in the area and “leden” means “the trail”), along with some smaller trails. A friend from town and I have started running regularly on the trails in the area, along with his dog Spikey.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RGt0qca3M3HlGKnsf6nhC1bYxIJ4krbaAY__8Vua9yPIEEvfS6lwNda9U0raR47543-51jRABFge5XEMj0n4aeQBzwUlCnkwMjVYHLfbuLZC8oduSvqfOyCCLKoGRiK-kbK6fsGN0Rc5/s320/AlgarHus+186.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474444604134017506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of my running partners.</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal">It's really nice to get away from the city for a while. It's a lot easier to put things in perspective when you're out in nature on a daily basis and away from the stress of a city where everybody is trying to seem important. I think living out here for a bit is just what I needed.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-71194780636844636272010-05-18T00:20:00.000-07:002010-05-19T01:18:34.117-07:00We have officially "wandered in".Yesterday was a big milestone: we went to the Skatteverket (Swedish tax authority) to officially immigrate (<span style="font-style: italic;">invandra</span>) to Sweden. Based on dealing with certain government organizations back home you might expect this to be painful process. It wasn't.<br /><br />The local Skatteverket office for us is in Mora. Mora is a cute town that is probably most famous as the setting for the Vasaloppet, an epic ski race commemorating the trek of King Gustav Wasa in 1520. He stopped in Mora to try to convince the people that they should king him and declare independence from tyranical Danish rule. The people of Mora initially turned him down, so Wasa had to take off again to stay ahead of the pursuing Danes. Then the people of Mora changed their minds, chased after Wasa on skis, and made him King, thus declaring an independent Sweden and creating a really cool backstory for a ski race at the same time.<br /><br />But I digress. We drove to Mora, took care of some shopping, and quickly found free parking near downtown right next to the lake. We walked to the cute little city center, ate some pizza, and continued down the pedestrian street to the Skatteverket, which was in the bottom floor of a small building. The office was clean and spare, decorated in a typical Scandanavian fashion. A girl greeted us from behind an uncluttered, ergonomic desktop in a modern-looking, Swedish -designed chair, and told us not to bother taking a number since there was no line. When AS said that we were there because we were moving to Sweden, she said, "Oh, how exciting!"<br /><br />We filled out a couple of simple forms with basic information, she made copies of our passports (AS's Swedish passport and my American one with a Swedish permanent residence permit) and entered our information into the computer. When we weren't sure how to fill out the form, she helped. She also explained to us how to sign up of for the state health insurance after I receive my person number, and printed out the necessary forms for us. We were done in a few minutes.<br /><br />That was easy! We celebrated by <span style="font-style: italic;">fika</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>roughly translated as "having a coffee break". We now officially live in Sweden.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCYGqD_grGSdiqSDLfj7B9TZOkrXcRtm7KajSzpoFSKjWRyHXQdTbyA_V6EHZBGaLdVQpymYtYN-AME4mQ7F3DAl_AAqY08rKcz6V9s872rosPVVxGmYP7TlgaSG09s7GEO6odI1r8pNO/s1600/Firstweek+073.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCYGqD_grGSdiqSDLfj7B9TZOkrXcRtm7KajSzpoFSKjWRyHXQdTbyA_V6EHZBGaLdVQpymYtYN-AME4mQ7F3DAl_AAqY08rKcz6V9s872rosPVVxGmYP7TlgaSG09s7GEO6odI1r8pNO/s200/Firstweek+073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472891229071433426" border="0" /></a>PS: Our internet connection is being slow, thus the small picture. We have more photos to upload when we get a better connection.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218225014627983364.post-54689889510488142742010-05-15T22:18:00.000-07:002010-05-15T22:59:56.592-07:00Talar du engelska? (Do you speak English?)Asking people in Sweden if they speak English is almost a formality. Almost everyone will say something modest (a very Swedish trait), like, "Oh, my English isn't that good!" Then they'll begin speaking to you in almost flawless English.<br /><br />Inspite of this, I'd really like to be speaking Swedish as soon as possible. My goal is to be functional in Swedish by the sometime in the fall. By "functional", I mean being able to maintain my end of a conversation, or being able to pick up a newspaper and read it without problems. I'm not starting from scratch; I've heard a lot of Swedish spoken over the past dozen years, and I've even taken a couple classes. Still, it will be a bit of a challenge, which is part of what makes it exciting to me.<br /><br />I have a few things working in my favor, the most obvious being the fact that I'm living in Sweden with Swedish people. To take advantage of this, we're instituting "Swedish only" time from breakfast through dinner. During this time I'll attempt to minimize my exposure to English (including blogging) and try to force myself to not just listen but also speak as much as possible. That's the really hard part. I'll let you all know how this goes...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5