Östersund

After Sundsvall, we headed inland to Östersund - even though it's in Central Sweden, it's really one of the last actual towns before the woods, woods and more woods of Northern Sweden. This is where my family is originally from. In fact, I was able to visit the Bjarme home that has been in our family since 1853! (Though it was built in the 1700s!) It was awe-inspiring. I may or may not have gotten a tad bit emotional...

A large group of family came together to have homemade waffles, coffee cake and without fail, coffee. It was so, so nice that they organized a little gathering for us. I was on cloud nine.

The house in incredibly preserved. For being wood, I'm shocked at how well it's kept up throughout the years.

And a tour of the inside, which felt like you walked directly into the 1800s.

Look at how short the doorways were!

The history was in the details.

My great grandmother, Elisabeth, is seated on the far right. Since her mother (my great, great grandma) died in childbirth when she was only 16, she ended up raising the family. Talk about growing up fast.

After our morning fika at the family home, we met up with my cousin Erika (I know, such a great name) and her boyfriend Johan. They took us on a nature walk, alongside a river. It was just what we needed, a little physical exercise! Something you don't get a whole lot of on vacation.

Toward the end of the hike, it started to blow, but it was so worth it. It's so interesting how different our landscape is!

Isn't it pretty?

Post hike, we went out to the local pub for brews and grub. It was scrumptious. Then headed back to Jan-Erik and Carl-Gustav's homes. (P.S. This picture was taken around 11, if not later. It never got dark in Östersund!)

During our visit in Östersund, we stayed with Carl-Gustav and Ann Marie on Lake Storsjön. We would end each night with more coffee (I know, they love their coffee!) and conversation, even if it was 11pm! They made us feel at home. It probably helped that Carl-Gustav always had a smile on his face :)

We stayed in the most perfect yellow guest house on the lake. I guess when my grandma last visited, she wanted to move in and I certainly don't blame her.

Have I convinced you to visit Sweden yet?

We're back!

Hej vänner! (Hi friends!)
We've made it home from our WONDERFUL trip to Sweden. In a nutshell, it was more than I could have ever expected. The stories I've heard about Sweden for many years finally came to life - the culture, landscape, traditions and more.

I was especially moved by the warm welcoming by family. In total, we were able to meet up with about 30 relatives in my family. 30 relatives! And as Bea's granddaughter and Elisabeth's great granddaughter, we received the royal treatment. They were also very fond of my Swedish boyfriend - they said I have good taste in men :)

We've promised them all a return visit and have encouraged them to visit Seattle so we can give them the same warm welcome.

Warning: Many more Sweden posts to come! Possibly on the verge of obsessive. You have been warned.

Missed you all!
Petes

P.S. The photo is from fika at the family house in Bjärme where my great grandma was born. So, so amazing.

TGIFBV

Thank God It's Friday Before Vacation! In honor of my vacation (starting tomorrow!), two letters.

Dear Sweden,
Ever since I was a little girl, walking around in my clogs and braids, eating my Swedish flat bread, I've wanted to visit you. You were always this faraway, magical land that my Grandma spoke so fondly of - always trying to instill Swedish tradition into the lives of her grandchildren.

I have very high expectations. A city built on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges, also referred to as the Venice of the North. Baby moose farms. Family. Amazing architecture and chic design. One of the greenest countries in the world (Straubs, you would be in recycling heaven!). You gave us clogs, the nobel prize, IKEA, H&M, beautiful people and the modern zipper. How could you disappoint? Not to mention, I'll be tugging along my own personal translater :)

Can't wait to see you!
Erika


Dear Bloggy Blog,
Please don't hate me for ignoring you for the next couple weeks. I might be able to post here and there (via Joe's new iPad2!), but I'll be out and about with my new friend, Sweden. Don't you worry, once I get back, I'll be posting like mad about Sweden. Much like post-road trip. You'll love it.

Sincerely,
Petes

Stockholm

In Stockholm, we found the perfect balance between 'go-go-go' and 'sit-back-and-enjoy-the-view'. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. If you blend gorgeous, ancient buildings with a few trendy neighborhoods and water weaving throughout the city, you've got a recipe for perfection.

One day, we island hopped via water taxi. This is Gamla Stan, which translates to Old Town - the city center and where it all started back in the 1200s. (Also conveniently where our hostel was located for the first two nights.)

One of the parliment buildings. I don't know what it is, but I'm just charmed by all of the waterways.

We got off the water taxi at Djurgården for a few museum stops. First, the Vasa Museum, which housed one of the most ornate ships you could ever see. It set sail in Stockholm's harbor in the early 1600s, but quickly sank. (I bet those shipbuilders were a tad embarrassed...) After over 300 years, they finally salvaged the ship and it's quite a sight!

Next we went to Skansen, a 75 acre open air museum that shows the way of life back in the day. If I moved to Stockholm, I would apply to be a professional reenactor at Skansen so I could wear a bonnet and have charming men play the harmonica for me. Just sayin.

They also make my Grandma's flatbread there! I had a piece, but I think my Grandma Pete has got them beat. Hands down.

This is the view from City Hall of Gamla Stan. If there is ever a building to climb, I climb it - Reykjavik, Rome, Siena, Paris, Florence - you just gotta see the view from up top.

And us up top.

If Joe lived in Sweden, he would have had to do a year of military service after high school. This would have been one of his options. A palace guard. Do you see the jealousy in that smile?!

One side of the Stockholm Palace - one of the world's largest palaces with 1430 rooms!

This is the hostel we stayed on for our last night - a ship! Though I would use the term 'hostel' loosely because it is actually quite nice inside. Sidenote: People of all ages stay in hostels in Sweden because hotels are so spendy - so it's not just for college-aged peeps. Yes, some will ring the proverbial party alarm, but not the majority.

This was the view from our room. Ironically, the building we faced was our first hostel.

Sweden is very proud of their crown. Along with the dala horse and flag, it's pretty much everywhere. Even along bridges.

Next up, Stockholm meet-ups with the cousins!

The Swedish Finale

The long-awaited moment: the vacation wrap-up. I'm sure you're all very disappointed (or thrilled?) that I won't be reminiscing about our adventure on the other side of the pond. From Östersund , we journeyed to Borlange, Göteborg, Helsingborg and then back to Malmö. On this leg of the trip we visited the last bit of my family and some of Joe's family. It was fika after fika, but as always, a wonderful time.

We visited Joe's cousin Tryggve and his family Sanna and Py (though the little one was put down for a nap before I could snap a photo) - What a cute family. And they are all extremely artistic; even the little girl's finger paintings were masterpieces!

Then we met up with another cousin, Mickey and family friend, Henrik. They kept asking Joe when he was moving to Sweden - noting that there was need for people in health care IT who spoke both Swedish and English. (My mom isn't too fond of this idea :))

Next in Helsingborg, we met up with his cousin Mariah (pronounced Maria) and her boyfriend, Andreas. Helsingborg is a port town right across the water from Denmark. We had even more coffee and then they took us on a quick tour around the town. Since it was his hometown, Andreas knew all the little details to highlight during a quick visit.

In Borlange, we met up with my final family members - Sonja, Al and their family. They made us a nice home cooked meal, filled us with some sort of Apricot liqueur and even set us up in a hotel. They also spoke in 80% Swedish because they said, 'it's the only way you're going to learn.' Needless to say, I didn't follow some of the conversation :) But once again, another great visit.

So that concludes our trip to Sweden. I wish I could go back tomorrow. But alas, that's not in the cards, so for now I will just look through my pictures again for the 117th time.

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Sundsvall and Uppsala

After Stockholm, our road trip began. We rented a minature car and headed north to Sundsvall, which is on the east coast of Sweden. (I keep kicking myself for not taking enough pictures along the way, but it was a beautiful drive north.) Sundsvall is a large enough city to have all of the things you'd need, but small enough to have a slower pace of life. We stayed with my grandma's cousin and her husband, Gunda and Lelle. After staying in hostels for the three nights before, it was a welcomed change to stay in a home.

Gunda, Lelle and their daughter Tina and her boyfriend Håkan took the day off to take us around town. We took a scenic walk up Norra Berget (North Hill), which had an incredible view of the city below. Then wondered around and had fika up top.

At the top of the tower, it was quite windy, but the view couldn't be beat.

They also took us to Kultur Magasinet, which is four old, renovated buildings merged into one - combining the buildings with a glass structure. These run down buildings now house the city library, museum, shops and more. The best part? Lelle was acutally one of the engineers on the project, so we got to hear the firsthand stories about how the project came to life.

One night, we had a family gathering - playing in the sun followed by a delicious dinner. It was Gunda, Lelle, Tina, Håkan, their children Embla and Dexter, Lars, his wife Tine and their children Sara and Lukas. The little kiddos are absolutely adorable. I've promised Embla that I would learn how to speak Swedish if she learned some English. Better get on those Swedish lessons!

Gunda and Lelle were such great hosts. I've heard their names many times before, but the last time we saw each other was in 1986. Needless to say, my memory does not go back quite that far. However, they whipped out the photo album to share their favorite photo of me - my dad and me dancing at a wedding. I have to admit, it was pretty darn cute. (I also like the uber 80s fashion from the photo album!)

Before Sundsvall, we did make a quick day trip to Uppsala where Joe studied for a year in college. It's a cute little college town, very focused around the university. I've heard so many stories about his year abroad, it was neat to finally see it in person.

They have a giant, beautiful church in Uppsala. (Interesting fact: Around the year 2000, after nearly four centuries, Sweden finally ended their union of church and state - it was one of the world's oldest state churches.)

And believe it or not, Uppsala has even more bikes than Malmö!

Vi kommer till Sverige!

Translation: We are going to Sweden!

Well, maybe. Joe and I hope to go this summer, but there are a lot of factors coming into play so we'll see.

However, it doesn't mean we can't get excited for it, right? Like plan it out day-by-day and create an Excel spreadsheet budget? Yes, total nerd alert here. (My budgeting skills are off the hook - for our road trip, I was only $40 off!) Part of the Sweden plan includes staying on a SHIP in Stockholm! Wouldn't that just be awesome? Check out some of the fun rooms, with porthole and all!

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Stockholm, del två (part two)

And the family reunions begin. Joe has always known that I had a big family, but I kept warning him that he had met only the tip of the iceberg. I think this trip verified this little fact – in a very big way.

Our first meet-up was with my cousin Johanna and her boyfriend Gustav. Johanna studied abroad in the states our sophomore year of high school, so we’ve been lucky enough to actually spend a fair amount of time together. From setting her up for my school’s homecoming dance to trick-or-treating on Halloween (since they don’t trick-or-treat in Sweden) to spending the day shopping in Seattle – we always had a great time. But that was 11 years ago! So needless to say, we had a lot to catch up on.

They brought us to Kvarnen Restaurang, a place all the locals frequent (which is also where Lisbeth went on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). The food was absolutely incredible – I had the braised ox muzzle. To this day, I have dreams about it. After dinner, we visited the Vampire Lounge for fun, fancy cocktails. Apparently, the best in Stockholm! They would sure have my vote.

Overall, the evening was a blast – filled with reminiscing about her visit, catching up on other important life details and promising future visits.

Our next meet-up was with my cousin Madeleine and her boyfriend Fredrik. The last time we saw each was back in the mid 90’s when side ponytails, hypercolor and Adidas jackets were all the rage. What I’m trying to say is – it was a looong time ago. We jumped on the train to Solna, just outside the city center, to their adorable apartment. The evening started with wine on their deck, followed by a delicious homecooked meal, then more wine and dessert. They make a dynamic duo in entertaining guests – we felt like the whole night was perfectly planned! We talked about everything under the sun – from the cultural differences between the USA and Sweden to what’s the best movie we’ve seen recently, even of the Swedish variety since Joe seems to be well-versed in Swedish cinema.

We told both Johanna and Madeleine that we expected a visit at some point in the future, so I hope they can make it happen!

Midnight Sun

Going back to the Sweden archives because I hear my aunts are sad that these posts are over. And honestly, I'm sad they are over too! I occasionally find myself looking up the weather in Stockholm or looking up language classes at the Swedish Cultural Center - as if my next visit is around the corner. I do miss their delicious cinnamon rolls, casual biking culture (no Seattle spandex bikers!), fantastic fashion and the midnight sun. Oh, the midnight sun of Östersund. We always talk about wanting more time in our day, and they most certainly do. The sun dips below the horizon for what seems like a split second and then - poof! - it's daylight again. I needed evidence of this phenomenon, so here's what I got. (But geez, I don't like my voice on camera!)

A Common Interest

Last weekend, I met up with an old friend from high school, Lindi. Sadly, we haven't seen each other for about four years, so we had a lot to catch up on. Specifically, how she met, fell in love and married a Swede! (Looks like we have a common interest: men with Swedish heritage :)) In fact, just yesterday, she packed her bags and is permanently moving to his hometown of Göteborg. What a fun adventure, don't you think?

Ultimately, do you know what this really means? One more reason to visit Sweden again!

P.S. So many blasts from the past lately! 
P.P.S. Please excuse the dark photo - wasn't really thinking about the bad back-lighting. 

Five Years

Yesterday was my five year anniversary at work. Say what?! FIVE YEARS! I can't believe how quickly time flies. It seems like just yesterday I was blogging about my two year anniversary. (Which also gets me thinking, wow, I've been blogging for a long time!) It's truly amazing how much has changed in the past five years - South Lake Union (where our office is located) has grown exponentially, I've run in several half marathons and one full marathon, I've lived four different places - the Big House in Green Lake (for only a couple weeks of work), an apartment with Holden in Green Lake, my sweet little Ballard apartment and now our home. I've gone on magical trips to Hawaii, Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Iceland, Sweden, the California coast and more. I also met and fell in love with my sweets (almost 3 years ago!).

At any rate, to mark the occasion, my boss took me out to lunch at Serious Pie and our client joined the fun. It was a fun way to celebrate the milestone! 

But seriously, someone please tell me, how does time go by so quickly?!

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