My Last Day

Today, Aunt Bit, the boys and I went to Tuve and Gunilla's house for lunch, and we spent the rest of the day there.

Aina invited me to bake some cupcakes with her, but what really happened was she did all the work and Jakob and I sat more or less doing nothing...

I did help a little, though. Everyone (and I mean everyone, Petter, Tuve and Gunilla, Ola and Pella, the whole gang) just played games and hung out all afternoon until dinner, which was delicious. We had...moose!

After that, we all played more games until late into the evening. And, although tonight was actually Pontus' birthday party, Jakob and Aina were soooo nice... they got me Nutella as a going away gift! They are my best friends forever.

Then came the goodbyes. *sniff* I'm really gonna miss everyone here, they've all been so wonderful and they've made me feel like I've lived here forever, as part of the family. This month has been so incredible. I'm so grateful to everyone who played a part in my coming here, both the family that sent me and the family that has so graciously welcomed me into their home. I love you all, goodbye to some of you, and some of you I'll see soon.

Another Relaxing Day

Today it rained from morning on, so everyone hung around the house and relaxed until dinner at Tuve and Gunilla's. Since Aunt Bit felt that I had not been introduced to enough Schnaps songs at Midsommar, the family sang several at dinner, which was delicious! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures today, but I will tomorrow, since tomorrow is my last day here, and I want to get pictures of the whole family.

Hanging Out with the Family

Today after lunch, Aunt Bit, the boys, Jakob and I went to the golf course for some driving and putting, or rather, the boys drove and putted and Aunt Bit and I just watched. (I figured having a club in my hands and expecting me to not put someone in the hospital was too much to ask.) After that, we headed over to Tuve and Gunilla's house, but rushed back to our house so we could move some firewood so it wouldn't get rained on. Then we went back to Tuve and Gunilla's for some soccer and swimming. Yes, I went in the water. I'm still not sure why. Anyway, after that, we all came back to the house where there was more merrymaking and soccer. We rode back to our house with a beautiful sunset.

A Second Attempt, and Singing

Today after lunch, Aunt Bit, the boys, Jakob, and I went into Helsingborg in a second attempt to see Kärnan, which we tried to see my second day here. It was closed again, but it just so happened that there was an ice cream kiosk so conveniently placed right next to it, so all was well. Then, after dinner, Aunt Bit and I went to a performance by the a capella group called "The Real Group", and they were amazing! The lead tenor's voice was sooo amazing, and I must admit, I never thought I would hear Britney Spears sung in Basso Profundo, the lowest male voice. They were just electrifying!

July 11, The Royal Palace

Today Aunt Bit and I went to the Royal Palace. When we arrived, the changing of the guard was happening. We didn't see a lot of it, because we were trying to get to the palace for a tour of the treasury, which was really cool. So many sparkleys... Anyway, later we took a tour of the Royal Apartments, then explored the Gustaf III's antiquity museum, which consisted of a few dozen statues. To end the day, we took a tour of the Tre Kronor Museum, which was in the basement of the palace, and showed some of the palace's history. Then we made our way back to the apartment, got our luggage, and jumped on a plane back to Viken.

July 10, Museum Day

Today Aunt Bit and I headed over to the Vasa Museum, which is built around a huge ship that sank in the water surrounding Stockholm on its maiden voyage. (Oops.) It was amazingly preserved, considering it spent 333 years in the mud! After that, we had lunch and went to the Nordic Museum. This museum showed different aspects of Sweden over time, from the clothes to the table settings to men's swimsuits. After that, we ate in a nice Italian cafe, and went home to rest up for our last day in Stockholm!

July 9, Lots of Tours

Today was another busy but fun day! After more relaxing (ok, napping) in the morning, we headed down to the Opera House for a tour. It was so beautiful! We even got to stand onstage and in the king's foyer. After that, we headed over to another park to have lunch, and then went to the National Museum, which is another art museum. I saw part of a beautiful collection of tapestries that was made in Denmark, but was later stolen by the Swedes. (It's so funny...I've heard so much about "those thieving Swedes" and "those murdering Danes.") After that, we walked around the Old Town a bit. A dinner of pizza finished off the day!

July 8, First Day in Stockholm

Today was the first day of Aunt Bit's and my adventures in Stockholm! After a quick flight, we relaxed (ok, napped) until lunch time, when we found a park in which to enjoy our lunch. After lunch and a quick walk around a church, we went to this really cool museum about medieval Stockholm. They had some really interesting exhibits, with part of the old city was from the 13th century! After that, we went on a sight-seeing boat tour around the city, and then walked a bit more through the streets. Then came the Shrimp Galore dinner cruise. I wasn't exactly aware that the shrimp would come with the heads, legs, and eggs still on them, but after I got used to the idea of peeling them, they were really quite delicious. We landed on Wäxholm halfway through, where we stretched our legs...and I chased geese. Now we're back at the apartment, ready for another adventure tomorrow!

Chillaxin' and Packin'

Today was just a relaxing day, so we could all recover from the awesome week we just had! We went to the dock for a bit of crab fishing, and then to Tuve and Gunilla's (Pontus' parents') house for dinner, and everyone had a great time.
Aunt Bit and I also repacked our bags for a long weekend in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. We leave tomorrow, and we'll be back at around 10 PM on Monday. I won't have a computer during that time, but I'll be sure to update the blog when I get back!

July 6, Traveling to Copenhagen

Today was just traveling. We left the villa at around 8 in the morning, and got back to the house at 5 in the afternoon...it was a long day! We had a dinner of burgers, and now we're all off to our own beds, finally!

July 5, At the Beach

 Above is a picture of the villa.

Today, everyone went down to the beach of Lago Maggiore for a few hours. After a picnic lunch there, we shot over to Italy for some real Italian gelato...in Italy! Bah ha! Later, we went to San Abbondio, the church where Tobias and Mandy were married. Then we went to Kerstin and Nisse's house for dinner and ice cream, after which we came back to the house to pack for our journey back to Sweden.

July 4, Exploring Locarno

Today, after a delicious breakfast of bread and cheese, everyone packed into the cars and drove into Locarno. We looked at Nisse's beautiful little boat and a monastery before lunch, where we had real Italian pizza with prosciutto and real Italian gelato...in Switzerland. Lemon and nutella, because I know Megan will ask. Later, the kids (Mattis, Anders, Emma, and Oliver, who are Tobias and Mandy's kids) went swimming in Nisse and Kerstin's pool, and we had dinner at the villa.

July 3, Traveling to Gerra

Happy birthday, Megan!

 Both these pictures were taken in Italy.

Today, we had to check out of our hotel so we could begin our drive to Gerra, but not before a swim in the hotel pool. Gerra is near Locarno, in the Italian part of Switzerland, if that helps. The scenery was incredible, and we drove through a bit of Italy on the way...and also encountered Domodossola, the road from hell. It was supposedly two lanes, and so twisty it was beyond terrifying...but it was an experience! Throw some crazy Italian drivers into the mix and it made for a harrowing day. When we finally got to a little villa owned by Kerstin and Nisse, the parents of our Swedish friends, Tobias and Mandy, we had a lovely dinner of spaghetti with them.

July 2, Touring the Alps

 This is Aina. I can't believe she's only 12...and so gorgeous!

I don't have any pictures of Jakob except this one, which is a lovely picture of the back of his head... Anyway, I hope to get more pictures of Jakob and Aina, because the folks back home won't believe how much they've grown! (Btw, this was in France.)

Today, the fam took a lift into the mountains with Aina, Pella and Ola, Aina's parents, and Pontus's parents, while Petter and Jakob went downhill biking. (It wasn't mountain biking. Apparently there is a difference and the difference matters, but...they are riding on a mountain. I must be a girl, not to understand.) The scenery was incredible! At lunchtime, Petter and Jakob met up with us and we just skipped over to France for a picnic lunch by a stream. After the boys did some frolicking and we were all full, Petter and Jakob took off on their bikes and we took the lifts back to Champery. The grown-ups had another party to go to, and the boys, Jakob, Aina, and I had a movie party in one of the rooms.

July 1, Traveling to Champery

 Above is Luzern from the mountain, and below is the view from the road.

Today, after breakfast with Corinne and Joelle, we set off for the small mountain town of Champery. After a harrowing drive over hairpin turns and narrow roads (but with an amazing view), we reached the town with enough time for the boys to swim before Uncle Pontus' uncle's party. At the party, I tried reindeer, which did taste faintly like Christmas. Jakob, Aina and I hung out after the party.

June 30, Luzern and Engelberg

Today, the fam went up to the small town of Engelberg, where Aunt Bit and Uncle Pontus first met and went to school together. (That place actually does look Swiss to me.) We ate lunch and walked around a bit. After that, we came back to Luzern and went to the Glacier Garden, a museum that includes a landscape with huge holes scraped out of the ground by glaciers. The biggest hole was 9.5 m deep and 8 m wide. While we were in the area, we was the great monument to Swiss mercenaries working in the French Revolution. Tonight, we're having cheese fondue with the apartment's owner, Corinne, and her daughter, Joelle.

June 29, Traveling to Switzerland

Today, the whole family took a bus, a ferry, a train, and a plane to Switzerland. The whole experience was quite confusing for me. Zurich looked like my impression of Berlin, the journey to Luzern (Lucerne) looked like my impression of Austria, and Luzern looked like my impression of Germany. All the same, here we are in Switzerland, borrowing a friend's apartment. After we got here, we walked a bit around Lake Vierwaldstätersee, walked across an old bridge, and had a quick snack (best peppermint tea ever!!!)