Lotta's Wedding Day

On our last day in Sweden, we had an easy morning. We visited a playground, then went to the neighborhood yard sale to see what was for sale. I was heartbroken to have to leave this gem (only $4) behind.



I spent a lot of time thinking up schemes for shipping it home, but no matter what I came up with, better sense won out and it stayed behind for someone in Töreboda to love.

There was just enough time left for a game of Kubb before getting ready for the wedding.



Anastasia was very happy to show off her pretty dress.



Then we went outside to mingle with guests as we waited for the ceremony to begin. Farmor and Farfar (Christer's parents) were very excited to be there and made a very photogenic couple.



The wedding ceremony took place on a boat cruising on lake Vännern. Before we boarded, Kalle took a photo of each guest in a frame for the wedding album.



Lotta and Janne arrived together, but all eyes were on her. She wore a simple dress that accentuated her natural beauty, and she was stunning.



The wedding began with a love song performed by Lotta's youngest brother Viktor (who was 6 when I lived with them) and his music partner, Ulrika. It was exactly the kind of gentle beginning that I love.



After the short, civil ceremony, champagne corks were popped and the celebration began. The siblings posed for a few photos, and then came around to visit with all of the guests.



Back on land, it was time for the dinner (and the toasts) to begin. Christer spoke first, talking about how fortunate he was to have Lotta as a daughter. Throughout the dinner, guests gave wonderful, touching, and funny speeches about Lotta and Janne.



During the dinner, when Janne left the table for a minute, every man in the room jumped up and formed a queue to kiss the bride. When Lotta left the table, the ladies all kissed Janne. I loved this.



Anastasia fell asleep before the end of dinner so we left the wedding just before the dancing began. It was the right timing, since we had only about 6 hours to sleep before it was time for us to drive to the airport. There were lots of tears as we said goodbye to all of the family, and I decided that we'll be back for a visit within 2 years. Thank you once again to my wonderful second family for welcoming us into your homes and loving us as you would a daughter.

Wedding Preparations

Lotta and Janne's wedding was quickly approaching, and on Friday evening, Anastasia and I went with them and our friend Frida to decorate the restaurant where the reception was to be held on Saturday.

Anastasia's first job was filling all of the vases with water. Then she became our official photographer as the grown ups took on the task of putting flowers in all the vases and candles in the glass candlesticks.





Once everything was put together, we started assembling the tables. Each place setting included a small personalized bud vase filled with very pretty purple clover flowers showing each guest's name written in Lotta's beautiful handwriting.



When it was all done, the tables were beautifully laid for dinner.



Before we left, all the ladies who decorated for the wedding (including the chef, Johanna) posed for a photo, taken by Janne, whose help was also quite valuable, to document our evening.



The next day would be our last day in Sweden, a day for packing, visiting Töreboda's neighborhood fleamarket, a day of celebration and joy for the whole family.

Playtime

Anastasia was thrilled by all the playgrounds that we found during our visit. It seemed that everywhere we went there was a sandbox, which pleased our little girl to no end.





She made lots of sandcastles, decorated with twig flags and stones. She also loved the slides and swings.





We also spent some time playing Kub, an old Swedish lawn game which involves throwing sticks to knock down blocks of wood on the side opposite you. Anastasia wasn't half bad!



The rest of our playtime was spent largely on the floor with the baby boys and Janne. There were a lot of very interesting foods prepared in that "restaurant." My personal favorite was "Shoe Soup with Cat".

Is there a farm in the countryside?

Anastasia was very clear from day one in Sweden that she wanted to see a farm and she wanted to see animals. So, after our visit to the mini-canal, we took a drive to the other side of Töreboda to Sötåsen, the high school for young farmers. It's a working farm with lots of animals and they seemed very welcoming to visitors.

First we saw a goat who was quite friendly, then we saw some new born calves who were also eager to be petted. Next up, the pigs, which Anastasia was excited to see.



Anastasia accidentally touched the electric fence, which wasn't fun. But Eva helped her to understand that it wasn't going to hurt for long. Then we met Pierre, who took us around the farm a bit more, to see the milk cows in the fields and the young cows, who were grazing nearby.

Next we went on to see the big pigs. I was shocked by how big these guys were. Anastasia was a busy photographer during at this visit.





It was time for lunch so we headed back to the house for a some pyttipanna (or fried leftover hash) with eggs. And ice cream, of course.

Farewell City, Hello Countryside

On Tuesday Anastasia said goodbye to the big city, where she'd found a wonderful playground complete with farm animals, and hello to the real Swedish countryside.

While the babies were sleeping, we headed down to the playground for a last visit. It was too cold to jump in the water, but the farm animals that live next to the playground loved the cool weather and were out in force. Anastasia made friends with a cat, and said goodbye to the pigs and sheep that live there.



We also spent a good deal of time in the sandbox before heading back to load up the car.



Soon it was time to hop in the car and head to Töreboda, about three hours’ drive. Anastasia had control of the camera for most of the way, so we have a lot of pictures that look like this:



Upon arriving in Töreboda, we moved directly into playing. The house looks much as it did when I lived here 19 years ago, with a few updates, including the glass enclosed porch, which is a lovely place to play restaurant.



In the evening, Eva and I helped Lotta and Janne with some of the wedding preparations.



The next morning, Eva took Anastasia and me on a drive to see the sights of the Göta Canal. First up, a visit to Lina, the world's smallest ferry. When I lived here, I went across the canal this way twice a day with my bike. Orlando took the passage when he visited several years ago, and I was very excited to show Anastasia. She enjoyed the ride, too.



Next, we went to a miniature version of the Canal, where, on warmer days, children can splash in the waters of the Canal. On this day, we just played a bit on dry land, and then went on to see the locks. We were lucky that we got to see a boat going through the locks, so I was able to show Anastasia exactly how a boat climbs a hill.



Next up, farms and animals.

Gamla Stan

On Monday, Anastasia and I hit the big city. We went to Gamla Stan, the oldest part of Stockholm, where the streets are narrow and the tourists are everywhere. It's a pretty short walk from Lotta's house to the train, and Annie was up for an adventure.



When we arrived at Stockhom Central Station, Anastasia spotted these two white Afghan hounds. She asked to pet them and learned their names were Vitras and Viktor. They were very sweet and even sort of posed for a picture.



Then, we walked directly to Drottningsgatan (the Queen's Street) and began the walk to Gamla Stan. There are lots of shops on Drottningsgatan, but Anastasia was much more interested in eating a hot dog and saying hi to the lions that stand at every intersection.



With the hot dog finished, our adventure continued. We purchased small presents for Momma and Daddy, and continued along Västerlånggatan. When she became a little tired, I knew it was time for ice cream. She picked raspberry this time.



Refreshed with ice cream, she was ready to take on the Royal Palace. On the way there, she posed for a few pictures in Storatorget (the big square) where Orlando and I have also posed for pictures.



When I've been here before, I was always too tired to go into the Royal Palace after a long day of walking in Gamla Stan. But with my little princess along, it felt like a crime to leave without seeing where the real Swedish princesses live. So, in we went to the "State Hall" and the "Royal Apartments". First up, the king's throne. Anastasia managed to not repeat my own faux pas of 19 years ago when I sat in the king's chair for a photo and got in trouble by the Swedish guard.



Then, we saw the rooms that will be ours when we are invited by the king for a visit (he's not still holding a grudge about me sitting in his seat at the Nobel Prize cermony, right?). Anastasia saw a very comfy looking sofa where she will sleep, and a lot of rooms to play in.



Then, we went to where the real party will be. This room is designed after Versaille's hall of mirrors, and seats more than 200 for dinner at one long table. Now that's a dinner party.



Anastasia posed for one last picture in the window before we headed home.



She has been a great travel partner, walking everywhere without complaint and asking very little for herself. In fact, she was thinking of Orlando and Myney the whole day, saying they would really like to have this or to see that, or that she would tell them all about this thing we did. We have a real traveller on our hands. Near the end of the day, I took her into a little toy shop to buy a little gift for my sweet little girl.

To Skansen!

Eva, Christer (parents from my days as an exchange student) came in for a weekend visit.

Eva, Christer and Kalle (who was 13 when I lived with the family) took us to Djurgården on Saturday for a visit to Skansen. Skansen is a sort of zoo, but also Sweden in miniature, with old houses and small farms from all over the country so one can see how people lived throughout the land.

We arrived and immediately went in search of some animals. The petting zoo was close, so we quickly moved on to the large animals from Sweden's north. First we came to the Elk. They were huge!!!



Make way for goslings:



There were two seals posing for pictures:



And the brown bears were playing in their pool.



On the other side of the bear enclosure, we saw a bear and a fox playing with one another. It was a strange sight.

There was even a man giving nuts to the squirrels.



Anastasia was in charge of the map, and directed the way to lunch (she ate Swedish pancakes with strawberry jelly and whipped cream).



And then it was time for a drive.



And a turn in the helicopter.



We saw folk dancers and women enjoying a "fika" (Swedish afternoon tea) in a garden.



Anastasia helped the postman out by delivering a letter to one of the small farms, and then mailed her own letter to daddy.





It was a long afternoon, but we weren't finished until we visited the lemurs.



And had an ice cream. Tack to Eva, Christer and Kalle for a very good day.