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.

Sweden: The Vacation Begins

I was an exchange student in Sweden 19 years ago. I've kept in touch with the family that hosted me through the years, and when my host sister, Lotta, told me that she was getting married this summer, I knew it was the perfect excuse for a long overdue visit. I had hoped that Orlando would be able to join us, but he didn't have the vacation leave, so it's just Annie and me on this trip. I needn't have worried, Annie was an excellent traveler as always.



After a run through the airport in Copenhagen, where we barely made our flight, she was still up for a pose on the fun furniture at Stockholm's Arlanda airport.



Lotta met us at the airport and took us to her house in Stockholm, where we'll stay for the first few days of our vacation. Anastasia met her "cousins", one year old twins Frans and Ture.



Our friend Frida, who was a neighbor in Töreboda when I lived here and now lives next door to Lotta, came by for visit with her son Ivar who is 2 and a half. Frida informed Anastasia that, in Sweden, when one is on vacation, one must have ice cream every day. So, after a little playing in the back yard, we took a walk to get some ice cream and visit a nearby playground.



I kept Anastasia up until 7:00, not easy considering she'd only had a couple hours sleep, and stayed up myself until about 8:15 before falling asleep on the sofa. We both slept soundly until late. I opted for a quiet day in the neighborhood, so Annie and I went back to the playground in the afternoon. This time, she had her bathing suit, so she could take advantage of the splash pool.



On the way home, we bought an ice cream.

Play House

When you're 4, and the house gets a new dishwasher, the only acceptable way to dispose of the box is to turn it into a play house. Anastasia's has a front door, windows, and even plants for the front yard.





She drew some paintings on the walls, and an apple tree (complete with apple stickers on the outside.)



We moved the play house into her room before the rains came, and she's incorporated it into her imaginary play with dolls, dinosaurs, and all the other friends who live in her room.

Little Miss Fix-it

Our little girl has always been a bit of a handy-helper. At age 2, she began helping Orlando with his motorcycles. Today, she's a ready assistant when there's something that needs fixing.

When the vacuum needed a little work, she was in charge of screwing the screws out and then back in. She's mastered the "righty tighty, left-y loosey" rule.



A couple weeks ago, our dishwasher died. The new one required a new hole to be drilled in the cabinet for the water lines. Since Orlando had to work, I offered to drill the hole so he could hook up the plumbing and electricity when he came home. Annie was right there to help. While I drilled, she held my flashlight. Then, when the hole was done, she switched to pushing the water lines through.



When we were finished, it was time to go out for a drink at the new restaurant around the corner from our house. An excellent end to a very busy day.