A Fig in Sweden

from brygga to botanik

It was quite a cultural weekend for us Smålanders. It started on Thursday night, when Lewis' uncle Dick and aunt Kristin arrived from Geneva. We left Älmhult right after taking the pets to the vet for their shots (the vet didn't speak much English... we're still trying to figure out what the extra "mystery shot" was that Harley got) and met D&K in Malmö. We took them to an ecological "slow food" restaurant on the harbor that we've always wanted to try – Salt & Brygga. After ordering sparkling water and being brought a bottle of organic champagne, and ordering gazpacho and getting carpaccio, the rest of the dinner was fabulous. Although the waiter was probably relieved we didn't stay for dessert...

The "västra hamnen" of Malmö was quite the place to be Thursday night. The harbor was lined with wall-to-wall picnickers enjoying the sunset. We stopped for some delicious gelato and watched the sun fade into the Oresund Sound before heading back to Älmhult.

Friday we took the ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingør, Denmark – it really is one of our favorite places to take guests. The town is adorable and the Louisiana Museum is close by. It was Sophie's first museum experience, but she slept through most of it (except when she was flying around under the Calder sculpture). The gift shop had some cool kids stuff, and I had to really control myself not to buy one of these Idealist B-Real dolls. Sophie scored a stylie bib instead.

Then on Saturday we visited Carl von Linné's gardens just up the road – he's the guy who invented the botanical naming system. They have a little outdoor cafe, and sipping elderflower juice there is becoming a favorite pastime this summer. Do they have elderflower in the States? It's tasty! My mommy friend Anna made homemade elderflower juice for me a few weeks ago, and I've been hooked ever since. 

wiesbaden... weeee

This is why it took 15 hours to drive less than 1000 kilometers. Hee-hee.

Actually, that's us waiting to board the ferry between Germany and Denmark on our road trip to Wiesbaden. Now Sophie has been on every type of transportation except a helicopter and motorcycle. (Don't get any ideas, Lewis!)

Lewis' mom and stepdad moved to Wiesbaden a few months ago for a job with the U.S. military. The town is very cute, and we were really envious of their location. They are surrounded by many more cute towns, and Wiesbaden itself is quite large. We went to a huge farmers market on Saturday, where we found fresh gnocchi, comte cheese and chanterelles. I found tons of cute children's shops, where I picked up some great gifts for Sophie. We also hit some tasty bakeries for pretzels and rhubarb pie. And we took walks through fields and fields of wheat right outside their door.

Oh, and the beer!! I have been converted to wheat beer. It is nothing like what they make in the states. I never really liked wheat beer, but I had only tried things like Sunshine Wheat by New Belgium. I plan on going to the Systembolaget and seeing if they have any of the delicious beers I had. I would have brought some back, but then Tilly would have had to ride on the roof.

Here are some more pictures of the trip. It's starting to look as if she lives in her Baby Björn. She does spend a lot of time in it when we're walking around, and I'm really thankful my sister gave me her old one. It hurts my back, though, so I'm hoping she'll fit a bit better in her Ergo carrier soon so I can carry her around in that.

back to boring

I didn't think our life in Älmhult was boring until we left it. But now that I've been in the U.S. for the entire month of June, partying with friends and family, the pace seems even slower here than I remember it. That's partly because the whole country is on vacation now. Sweden shuts down in July.

The trip was great. I think Sophie enjoyed it the most. She seemed to thrive on the adventure. So now my mission is to try and continue that with weekly outings to new places. The girl clearly likes being on the go.

I realized a few things about myself on this trip too. Or at least how Sweden has changed me. When I arrived in the States on June 1, the thing that struck me the most was the large number of "no-good-niks" hanging around and the high level of poverty. We don't see that in Sweden at all. We drove by our old house in Denver and decided we were glad we sold it. The neighborhood seems scarier than when we left it. I don't think it's changed. I think we have.

By the end of our whirlwind tour from D.C. to Indiana to Denver to San Antonio, Sophie made a few discoveries/observations as well:

1. Big toes are good for sucking
2. White wine is a refreshing summer drink
3. Airports get boring after 8 hours (we were stuck in the San Antonio airport after a canceled flight)
4. Being carried in a Baby Björn is a great way to see the world
5. Americans love babies
6. Mom and Dad actually have friends
7. Carpets are much better to play on than wood floors
8. Sunrise at 6 a.m. (instead of 4 a.m.) makes it easier to sleep in
9. Mom can discreetly whip out her boob anywhere, even running through the Copenhagen airport
10. The fist STILL won't fit!

Cousin Brittany reading Goodnight Moon

Trying to go after my wine!

Dad makes airports more fun

ready for takeoff

I didn't get a passport until I was 28. I had to get it so I could work in Antarctica. (I also had to get my wisdom teeth pulled so I wouldn't create a dental emergency at the bottom of the Earth, but that's another story.) After that, I was hooked on seeing and experiencing new places. I often think that if I hadn't gone to Antarctica I probably wouldn't be living in Sweden right now. Although I became a world traveler pretty late in life, I've made up for lost time. My passport is about to run out of pages after visiting New Zealand, Fiji, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, China (Hong Kong), Taiwan and Portugal. (I still really want to see Japan and Iceland.)

Sophie just received her passport in the mail yesterday, and actually she's already been to another country (Denmark) to request it. I wonder if being born in Sweden and having a passport so young will make her want to experience the world at a much younger age than I did.

I thought it was going to be impossible to take Sophie's passport photo when she was only 6 weeks old and meet all the requirements – eyes open, both ears showing, closed mouth. Here's the trick: I draped a white sheet over her bouncy seat and sat her in it. And I took it in the morning when she's especially happy and alert. I got a good photo within minutes. Somehow I don't think the same techniques will work for Lewis when he takes my new passport photo this weekend...

Speaking of world travelers, Lewis' mom and stepdad are leaving the U.S. for the first time... TO MOVE TO GERMANY. In fact, Barbara has never even been on a plane before. Her first flight and big move happens on Monday. We'll be thinking of you guys and can't wait to see you on this side of the pond!

united states of denmark?

Sophie got her first taste of the U.S. on Friday... when we took a trip across the bridge to Denmark.

Huh?

Well, it started with a visit to the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen to register Sophie's birth and get her passport and social security number. We had an appointment at 9:30 but it was kind of irrelevant because we had to wait in line anyway, behind all the people who lost their passports and were trying to catch a flight. Oh and one woman was giving up her citizenship so she wouldn't be a target for terrorists. Luckily I pumped on the drive down so Lewis could feed Sophie a bottle while I waited in line and dealt with the woman behind the counter.

After turning in all our paperwork (her passport will be mailed to us), we decided to keep the American theme going for the day by going to a mall. I mean, I am a Jersey Girl at heart after all. Sophie needs to know where she comes from! I have to say that the mall is a great place to go with a baby. Easy access to bathrooms with changing tables plus it doesn't matter what the weather is like. A big plus when living in Scandinavia.

The mall even had an American restaurant called The President. We couldn't resist. Lewis and I both ordered the Reagan Burger (a fish sandwich). And it was a little fishy! Haha!

With her first outing into a public place, it was a big day for Sophie. But it was also a big day for me... because I had to breastfeed Sophie for the first time in public. She was having a meltdown just as we sat down for lunch. I guess I was nervous because breastfeeding is not totally accepted in the U.S. I mean, you hear about women getting kicked out of stores and restaurants all the time by ignorant people. It's different here, luckily, but I guess I'm still used to the U.S. mentality. It went fine, and I'm glad to get it under my belt.  Now I think I'll feel more comfortable about it.

it's not all about the belly

Despite the fact that my growing belly and what's growing inside it have become the preoccupation of my life right now, there are actually other things happening in the world. :)

Here at the farmer's market in Älmhult, fresh raspberries and strawberries are gone, and now the in-season fruit of choice is the lingonberry. Kind of like a cranberry.

Our friends Henry and Alisa have been staying with us for about a week, and I've been laughing so hard my stomach hurts. Last weekend, we took the ferry over to Helsingor and FINALLY visited the Louisiana Museum. It's a modern art museum, and we visited just in time to see an exhibit of Richard Avedon's photographs. My favorite was his picture of Marilyn Monroe when she was "out of persona." Then yesterday we explored Copenhagen and found some cute new neighborhoods: Norrebro and the area between the University and Norrebro (near Norreport Station).

It was also our 5-year wedding anniversary on Friday. I don't think we could have predicted back on September 7, 2002, that in five years we would be living in Sweden, expecting our first child and even more in love. Life is wonderfully unpredictable...

dog days of summer

Our latest European travel adventure as told by Tilly the dog.

I didn't really need a vacation. I sleep, lick my butt and take walks in the woods every day. But mom and dad decided to take me around Europe with them anyway. I'm not complaining. Harley the cat had to stay home. Ha-ha.

Berlin: Mom, dad and I walked in the rain for an hour looking for Brandenburg Gate. Mom started getting "bitchy" because of low blood sugar. So they took me and my muddy paws back to the hotel so they could eat. Dad's breath smelled like really good chinese food when they got back. Meanwhile, I threw up my disgusting road food all over the hotel carpet.

Prague: Mom told me to lie down – yelled is more like it – when we went through Czech customs. I have my own passport but mom was just being a worrywart (as usual). I sat up and said hello just as we pulled up to the window, and they didn't do anything! We passed some prostitutes on the side of the road, so mom told dad not to stop for gas there. Mom and dad picked a great hotel in Prague. It was near a big park and our room was huge. It even had a balcony, so we could see all the people drinking booze in the park. People in Prague are much more laid-back about leash laws than in Sweden. I could run around the park and play with the other dogs. Although, mom and dad left me in the room a lot so they could see the city. I don't think they really liked it so much, because they came home early both days. I heard mom say something about a shady waiter and that she couldn't wait to leave. Didn't seem like such a bad place to me. I got to sniff a lot of butts and I even got to eat sausages from the breakfast buffet.

Switzerland: The drive from Prague to Geneva was 10 hours. Mom yelled at me to lie down before we entered Germany, Austria and Switzerland. (What's her problem?!) The most memorable day of the week was when mom and dad took me to Chamonix, France. We rode up a cable car (didn't like that at all!) and then hiked down the mountain. That's when I hurt my paw on a rock. Two days later, my vacation got even worse because I had to go to the vet. The doctor spoke French, but he fixed up my infected paw really good. French people are very nice. They leave water outside for me, they stop to pet me all the time, and they let me go inside fancy restaurants. When mom, dad, Dick and Kristin ate Lebanese food in Vevey, Switzerland, I got to sit at the table too. Mom snuck pita bread to me under the table.

Now I'm back in rainy Sweden dreaming of my days sitting on Lake Geneva and hobnobbing in fancy restaurants. Why couldn't I have been adopted by a Swiss family?

(Us humans wouldn't mind still being in Switzerland either. You can read Lewis' blog report of our whole summer vacation here.)

a little deja vu in Norway

We just got back from a little over a week on the road. First stop: Göteborg, Sweden, for the Accelerator music festival, where we saw Modest Mouse, Jose Gonzales, Danielson and O'Death (cool band we'd never heard of). Next stop: Oslo, Norway, which was an absolutely beautiful city. We spent the afternoon walking around the tree-lined streets, eating bagels and good Indian food and just getting a bit of urban life. Then it was onto the fjords, where we rented a cottage for a week near Bergen.

The 8-hour drive from Oslo to Bergen was tons of fun... cows on the road, a goat herder who waved hello as we drove by, a 24-km long tunnel through a mountain (the longest in the world) and an overwhelming sense of deja vu from the scenery. It totally reminded us of home. (Except for all the water.)

The scenery and seafood turned out to be the highlights of the trip. Also, we appreciated the more laid-back attitude in Norway. More of a "mountain town" culture I guess. The cottage was nothing to write home about, but gave us a nice base to explore all the nearby fjords: Sogneford, Hardangerfjord and Nærøyfjord. One day we took a cruise down the Naeroyfjord (including Tilly!). It was stunning despite the cold rain.

The Bergen fish market was our source for dinner on two nights. We picked up a kilo of crabs plus another pound of crab legs. I was in absolute heaven. The crabs are different than blue claws from the U.S. More like stone crabs. The leg meat was absolutely to die for. So, on our last night, I got a pound of crab legs for myself, and Lewis got a kilo of mussels. Oh, and we got some fresh bread from a nearby bakery. It was better than anything we could have gotten in a restaurant.

(Then on the ride home, I fell in love with a McFish sandwich from McDonalds. But that's another story I'll get into a bit later.)

Too many pics to post here... so you can see more on my Norwegian slideshow.

flying south for the winter

Maybe it's not technically winter anymore, but it's all relative. A few months ago (right about the time we ran out of firewood) we decided to head to warmer lands for an Easter beach vacation. After considering Greece and Morocco, we settled on Portugal. A small town called Tavira on the far east edge of the Algarve region. I think we found a real gem actually. Not built up like the rest of the Algarve... laid-back, cheap, natural, peaceful. When our 6 days were up, we didn't want to leave.

We found a gorgeous apartment, the duplex apartment at Casa Beleza Do Sul, and paid about $60 a night. A nice bottle of wine was about $6. And our most expensive meal was something like $25 for 2. That included drinks and dessert.

Contrary to what Lewis believes, I can give a trip report without going into agonizing details. So rather than do a play-by-play account like he did, I've created a top 10 list of the highlights and a photo album with lots of pics and captions.

1. Sagres ("The end of the world")
Sometimes getting lost is exactly what you were trying to find. Lewis made a wrong turn, and when we went to make a u-turn we found Praia do Tonal – a breathtaking, quiet beach in the middle of rocky cliffs. The area is also home to the southwesternmost point in Europe, and where people used to look out and think the sun was sinking into the sea.

2. Beer for 65¢

3. Sangria
Even the word makes me happy.

4. Fields and fields and fields of daisies
I'm not exaggerating when I say they went on forever.

5. Casa do Polvo in Santa Luzia
A full lunch, including a pitcher of sangria and dessert, was 18 euros.

6. Celebrating Easter on the side of the highway with Portuguese families
We saw lots of cars outside JJ's and thought what the heck. We were the only tourists in the place, and I had an amazing shrimp kebab.

7. The smell of orange blossoms
The air around Tavira is filled with the sweet smell of Jasmin.

8. The local market
The first day we were in Tavira we discovered a big community fish/produce market. I bought a kilo of strawberries for like $2. And an assortment of local olives. I want to really live like this someday. In a place that has a vibrant market where you can get tons of fresh food. (And I don't mean Whole Foods, even though it rocks!)

9. Rooftop terraces
Lewis said it best when we were hanging out on the rooftop terrace at sunset: "Whoever came up with the idea of a rooftop terrace was a genius." It's a great place to take in the smells and sounds of the city. And in this case the smells were good.

10. Espresso culture
I love any culture that revolves around the bean. Everywhere we went, no matter how divey it looked, had great espresso. Saturday morning we sat outside at a cafe, where I sipped a latte and ate a flan-type pastry.

11. OK, I'm going to sneak one more in... Having no agenda
We've been gravitating toward these vacations where we don't have anything to buy or anything in particular to see. Just wake up and do whatever. Maybe that's why my highlights are sort of general. I was really all about just taking in what I saw, smelled, tasted, felt, etc., as the days went by. The smell of the orange blossoms and the sight of the daisies is probably what will stick with me most. And what I will miss the most.

we're no April fools

We've lived here long enough to know that if it's a sunny day in Sweden, you need to enjoy it. Which is why we spent the whole weekend outside. It was about 60 degrees and pure sun both days. On Saturday we started our sun-seeking adventure by driving down to Lund so Lewis could hit the Apple store. While he was inside, Tilly and I explored the outdoor market, where we found loads of colorful Easter feathers. You might remember that I mentioned those in an earlier post.

Then we headed due East for a coastal area called Österlen. We had never been there, and everyone keeps telling us to check it out. It's known for its apple orchards in the fall. But in the summer it's all about the beach. We were about 1 to 2 months too early but, hell, we were excited to see the ocean and the sun.

The sunlight brings the whole country out of hibernation. When we made it to this rock outcropping, a man came over to chat with us. This NEVER happens. He sat for 5 minutes and asked where we were from, if we liked Sweden and then gave us some local beach tips. Then earlier today as Lewis and I were biking out of our driveway to go grocery shopping, an old woman said hi and started speaking Swedish to us. We told her we only spoke a little Swedish, but she continued to speak Swedish. So the conversation quickly deteriorated to hand gestures and talking louder, like that makes any difference. We said Hej Då and biked the rest of the way with smiles on our faces.

Sweden rocks when it's warm and sunny.

24 hours in Zurich

A few moments of play on a trip that was all work...

Sprechen sie latte?

sex, drugs and a really beautiful city

You know you are in Amsterdam when you're in line to buy postcards at a little convenience shop and the guy in front of you buys a big bong. Not that I would know what those look like...

Yes, it is known for its red light district and ubiquitous pot smoking, but luckily Lewis and I found out that Amsterdam has much more to offer. The journey to the Netherlands (which means "water lands") started in Delft, where I was in a week-long marketing communication training. Delft is about an hour west of Amsterdam, and it's the hometown of Vermeer and where blue-and-white Delftware porcelain is made. Within moments after getting off the train, Lewis and I were doing cartwheels, dance moves and Tiger Woods fist pumps. Delft rocks! We checked into our hotel, put our bags down and spent the rest of the night giggling and running through this super-cute town. IKEA has some of its main offices in Delft, and we were both thinking the same thing... see if I can get a job in Delft when my contract with the catalogue ends. The rest of the week, I was in class for 9-10 hours a day, so it was not much of a vacation. But I met some really cool IKEA folks from around the world: Gianluca from Italy, Vendel from Hungary and Frode from Norway. I actually think that was the best part of the training... learning from my IKEA coworkers in other roles within marketing. While I was learning about IKEA branding and other valuable bits of info, Lewis was exploring the surrounding area: namely Brussels and Amsterdam. He wasn't overly impressed with Brussels, but he came back with a big grin on his face after visiting Amsterdam. He told me it was like Manhattan with canals.

Finally, on Friday, it was time for me to see Holland's version of Manhattan. We walked around the Leidseplein area (the picture of Lewis holding his hands up) and found a terrific Tibetan restaurant called Sherpa and admired the architecture on the canal-lined streets. Canal-front land in Amsterdam has always been at a premium, which explains all the narrow houses. In the old days, you paid a tax based on the width of your house. The problem with such a narrow, tall space is that it's very difficult to move things in. That's why they have hooks attached to the roofs of all the houses. They use them to hoist furniture in through the windows. We stumbled upon someone moving this way, so you can see for yourself.

Aside from watching Lewis eat a chocolate and banana sandwich and watching Lewis almost get mowed down by a biker, the other highlight of the trip was the Anne Frank house. After holding in tears the entire visit, I was struck with her final quote before walking out the door:

March 25, 1944

I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people. And therefore I am so grateful to god for giving me this gift of writing, of expressing all that is in me.

BUDA!!!

Strong old women carrying their woven baskets to the market. Happy people waving hello. Kayakers enjoying a Saturday paddle up the Danube.

These are the images that stick out from our 4-day trip to Budapest. And I have photos to prove it. Well, some of it, at least. I took 110 photos, and Lewis took 160. Instead of posting them all here, I'm giving Flickr a try. You can see my Hungarian sampler here.

Just when we were starting to feel that all-too-frequent twinge of homesickness, Lewis said, "It's Monday morning, and we're sitting in a square in Budapest." Yeah, it kind of put things in perspective... 

We really loved Budapest. The food was probably the biggest surprise. I had an incredible dish of Chicken Paprika, amazing mushroom soup, yummy apple strudel... every meal was great, and it was really cheap. We ordered everything we wanted each time, and our biggest bill was like $30. We rented an apartment from www.roomsinbudapest.com for 45 euros (less than $60) a night. It was a small studio downtown. Our only complaint is that the apartment was inside a "courtyard," so it had no window to the street. But the price was right, and the people at rooms in budapest were very nice and helpful. BUT, if you do go to Budapest, we recommend the Buda side. It's quieter and really beautiful. It's the hilly side of Budapest, where the castle and old city are.

I was hoping that Budapest would be more Eastern than Western, but at some moments it felt like we were in Paris or some other European city. We kicked off our "Off the Beaten Path" tour with a destination that turned out not to be so off the beaten path. Hurry and go... word is definitely getting out  about the beauty of Budapest.

Our favorite parts of the trip were walking around Buda, taking a boat ride up the Danube to a town called Szentendre and visiting a local market in Pest. Curiosity also brought us to the Parliament building to witness the largest protests in Hungary since the fall of Communism in 1989. I think what struck me most was how much pride people had in their country. Almost everyone had a Hungarian flag in the crowd. I don't even own an American flag.

After seeing the country for myself, I am really proud to be 1/4 Hungarian. My grandfather was 100% Hungarian, and my great-grandparents came to Ellis Island in 1904 and 1907. I kept looking around at everyone and wondering if I was like them. And when we went to the Hungarian National Museum, I just felt lucky to be alive... that my great-grandparents and everyone before them survived the wars and hard times.

What's next on our "Off the Beaten Path" tour? Well, next week we're in Holland (completely ON the path) but we're thinking someplace like Croatia or Montenegro will be next, and definitely Iceland next summer. I'm going to start planning now... and you should be planning your visit out here to see us! :)

Ginny

på semester

I'm on vacation ... and boy do I feel lazy. I wonder if that's what happens when you get old. (Yup, 36 is just around the corner.) Anyway, Lewis has been busting his butt with all these kitchen renovations, and I feel like I can put in 3 hours of manual labor and then I'm just whiny and cranky. Or, maybe I just want to spend my vacation relaxing instead of construction! :)

We did manage to get some R&R in during my first week of vacation. We drove up to Dalarna, an area about 6 hours north which is known for its natural beauty and Swedish folk traditions. It's where they make the Dala Horse, Sweden's national symbol. We bought a really beautiful one for the house. It's big enough for Harley the cat to ride.

So we hung out for a few days there, saw Sigur Ros play in a quarry and then drove over to the High Coast to get some beach time, a few hours north of Stockholm. The beach was nice, but we preferred the atmosphere of Dalarna better. We're hoping that we can make the drive up to the area again before we move back to the U.S. or wherever life takes us.

Attached are some photos of the journey ... dude hand-carving some dala horses, Tilly playing with her ball on the beach, Lewis taking a picture of a cute coastal island town.

The next blog post will be the unveiling of our new stylie IKEA kitchen. The final touches of the install are happening as I write this. The stove, oven and sink are installed. And now the dishwasher is going in. Lewis and I finished almost all the wallpapering yesterday. Good thing we did before it broke up our marriage. It's pretty exciting to see it all come together. I think you'll be pretty shocked to see the before and after.

Stay tuned!

Hong Kong Ginny

(Number one dork ...)

Those of you who know me well know that I rarely get sick. In fact, in the 11 years that Lewis and I have been together, I have only been sick a handful of times (OK, maybe 2 hands). So, it says something about my current stress/activity level that I have been sick twice in the past month.

I've had to write all the copy for a 100-page kitchen catalog TWICE. Then I spent a week in Hong Kong and Taipei for work. I got back in time to help Lewis renovate our house. Then all of our stuff arrived a few days ago (yes, it's been 7 months since we've had any of our things from Denver!). And now I have a few minutes on Sunday night before another week of work.

Yeah, I know, poor me. I can't complain really ... things are awesome. But I do regret that I don't have more time to myself, for blogging and what not. Sorry I have not been better about keeping in touch.

A lot happened all at the same time. Seeing Asia for the first time was incredible. I absolutely fell in love with Hong Kong and highly recommend it. I only had a few hours on my own to explore, but I can't wait to go back. The hotel we stayed in was called the Royal Pacific in Kowloon, which is across the water from Hong Kong City. I took the Star Ferry across to check out downtown, and it only cost about the equivalent of a quarter. I found the city very romantic, and the people were the nicest I've ever met while traveling.

(As an example ... I got on the ferry and took a seat facing what I thought was the front of the boat. A woman about 10 yards from me smiled and pointed the other way. It was a kind gesture that I think would not happen in most cities ... especially on a commuter boat. Most people just keep to themselves and don't go out of their way to help people.)

Also, since Hong Kong was British until recently, most signs are in English and it was easy to get around. The reason I was out there was because I am the lead writer for the Asia and franchise catalogs (places like Greece, Iceland, etc.). So we met our client out there and made home visits to see how people live there. It was really eye-opening. These people cram 3 generations of a family into 50 square meters (500 square feet). Unbelievable. The home is completely functional to them. It made me feel ridiculous to have just bought a 165-square-meter house.

Needless to say, I ate extremely well while I was out there, and I think I still have a pound or two to lose from the trip. I managed to stay away from miscellaneous animal parts, luckily, although my colleagues didn't fare as well. Being a vegetarian has its perks!

Back in Sweden, all is great. Lewis and I are both feeling much more comfortable here. (It helps that it's sunny and warm now! What's not to love about Sweden in the summer??!!!)

We have been busy renovating and moving all of our belongings into the few rooms that we've been able to finish so far. And we've been trying to catch all the World Cup games in between painting rooms. My favorite team is Brasil. I just love Ronaldhino. The guy is so fascinating. I can't get enough of his smile and fancy moves. He was recently quoted as saying, "I'm ugly but I'm nice." Cracks me up ...

We spent our Saturday night screaming at the TV while we watched the US-Italy game. Good god, what a load of crap. The refs did a terrible job. The US should have won and got totally robbed.

OK, so we're off to Northern Sweden on the 28th for a Sigur Ros concert. And then we're driving over to Norway to check out the Fjords. We have Tilly's pet passport, and we're all set! Now all Tilly needs is her own blog. :)

Happy summer!

Ginny

Few more pics of Taipei ...

A NICE vacation

For once, I'm going to shut up and let the pictures do the talking. (Now if Lewis could only get me to stop babbling once I've had a few drinks!) We've kind of felt like temporary members of the jetset society ... flying to Nice for 4 days right after our trip to Barcelona. We figure we should take advantage of it, and we wanted to spend time with my Aunt Joannie and Uncle Jim, who were there on business. It was a great time! And we saw a lot of the area that completely blew us away ... Villefranche, St. Paul de Vence and St. Jean Cap Ferrat. We'd LOVE to go back.

So, in short, we had a lot of fun and great food. And a really great story involving a snotty restaurant and a prickly lobster.

Hola warmer weather!

So after about 5 months of temperatures that have just now started hovering over 40 degrees F, Lewis and I decided to take advantage of our European address and head to Barcelona. I got two days off for Easter and I took 2 vacation days, so a nice little getaway.

For the short version of the story: we loved the warmer weather (into the 60s and 70s), we loved the tapas and we loved coming back to Sweden.

Yeah, a coworker of mine recently said that she feels like an asshole when she doesn't absolutely love some European city. I can relate with her. Barcelona was very nice, but I didn't fall in love with it.

I think part of it is that we really don't have a home right now, so it felt a bit strange to be running off to another country with a whole different language. Kinda like we were nomadic people or something. I don't like that. I need to have a sense of home. So, I think that was working against the whole experience.

Saying that, we had an amazing day on Easter, when we went to the beach and just relaxed and let the stress of the last few months burn off us with the hot sun. We walked along the beach and stopped at a restaurant to have paella (my first time!) It was great, and I think as I get older I really appreciate the "do nothing" days of a vacation. On the other days of the journey, I was excited to find Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts: two of America's contributions to gourmet cuisine. Let me tell you, I have missed lattes in a to-go cup and donuts the past half year!! I think I had 3 lattes from Starbucks in addition to all the great Spanish lattes.

(Ok, but since all of you LIVE in the U.S. and can get all the Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts you want, this probably is of no significance to you.)

Back to Barcelona ... we spent a day shopping because I'm still wearing the winter clothes I packed in my suitcase in November. But I only bought some navy PF Flyers. (Damn!) We also went to the Picasso museum and visited lots of Gaudi architecture.

What turned out to be the biggest surprise was how happy I was to see Sweden when we flew into Copenhagen. Lewis agreed. I guess we have gotten used to our slower pace of life, and Barcelona seemed WAY too busy. It's nice to feel like this is becoming our home. A real relief actually.

Tilly had a good time while we were gone. We found a woman who watches dogs out at her house in the woods, about 20 minutes from here. Tilly made 2 new canine friends and went on lots of bicycle rides with Mette. I think she was depressed when we showed up and we brought her back into the tiny apartment. :)

Anyway, it's nice to feel like we're getting settled in, and we'll be psyched for you guys to come visit when we get the house! Also, it's very light now! The sun rises before 6 and sets at 9.

Hej då!