Another Day in Sweden

  Right before Sam was to start school, way back in August, we decided we needed a little get away before we all got into our daily routines.  We decided to head to Grinda , an island in the Stockholm archipelago. It took us about two hours to get there because the Waxholm ferry stopped at various islands on the way.  On the way home we unknowingly got onto the local ferry and it took even longer because it stopped at even more islands, but that was fun because we got to see more of the archipelago. We soon discovered that the archipelago looks a lot like, well, the Apostle Islands but on a much bigger scale.  Obviously the water was warmer than Lake Superior, but what surprised me most of all was how brackish the water is.  I expected the Baltic Sea to be salty. On the quieter side of the island, it reminded us of the BWCA...until a motor boat came by. It's where we discovered, for the first time, similar berries and mushrooms to Minnesota, which began our fora...

  Today we became "official" temporary residents of Sweden!  Well, we have been since we got here, but we finally got an appointment for our cards.  The Migration Office is very backed up due to the Ukraine crisis. Scott and I celebrated by going to the university's administration building's restaurant (each college has their own restaurant).  We opted for the klassik måltid of k öttbullar med gräddsås, rårörda lingon, smörkokta morötter, pressgurka  och potatismos.  Otherwise known as classic Swedish meatballs.  I was so over the top excited by the fact that you can get sparkling or still water at no extra charge, and the salad bar - wow!  I am easily impressed. Check out this beautiful building!  Those are wood seats on the stairs - right?  Perfect!  And, who doesn't love a wall garden and a spiral staircase.  Oh, Sweden, I so dig you.  I think it's best that we stay a little while.

  This past weekend we explored a different part of Uppsala.  More specifically hiked on the  Upplandsleden , the Superior Hiking Trail of Uppsala, as we like to call it.  Instead of blue slashes, they mark the trail by painting an orange ring around trees.  Before went went on the trail, we got a little side tracked by the Uppsala Alpina Centre , the Chester Bowl of Uppsala!  They have THREE ski hills.  That is, if there is enough snow.  Scott and Sam were super excited to see this cute little ski area.  There is also a crazy sledding hill.  Yes, yes - so similar to home (see the last post).  Scott was sad to miss salmon fishing this weekend with Grant and Sam boy, but not too worry he got a big one here. Back on trail, we could not believe the variety of mosses.  Every five minutes, we'd say, "man, Izzy would be in heaven in this place."  Izzy loves herself some moss.  The entire forest seemed to be carpeted in moss...

  When we told people we were headed to Sweden we got mixed reactions, but among my favorites were, "it's going to look very familiar" and "why would you want to go someplace that is just like here?"  I like the former statement more than the latter, but I get it, we are told so often that Minnesota is a lot like Sweden.  From my perspective so far: it is, but it isn't.  The woods near our apartment are a perfect example.   In addition to all the blueberries, Scott's been able to find mushrooms.  We haven't eaten any so far because he is not 100% confident they are what he believes them to be.  So, familiar, but different. To help resolve this question, for his birthday I got him a Swedish mushroom book.  When I went to buy it, and it was clear I don't speak Swedish, the bookseller must have thought he was sending me to my impending death.  Ba ha ha!  I figure it is a great way for Scott to practice Swedish with his love for foragin...

Yesterday Sam and I went into the woods near our apartment to gather some wild blueberries.  Throughout Sweden there is a thing called Allemansrätten , which translates to "freedom to roam."  Check out the link to learn more - see blogs are educational! Check out our haul! It rained a bit when we were collecting, but, people, we were gathering wild blueberries on the first of September!  That's nuts!  The only reason we had to stop was because our backs hurt (see post about the stupid beds). Check out this bounty!  It may not be the 80 lbs we normally gather every summer, but that's all on farms.  This was in the woods.  Near our apartment.  In September.  Gotta love  Allemansrätten !

  This is home for the next year!  We learned that our building is highly coveted by visiting faculty and that we lucked out on getting the top floor apartment.  We have to agree.  It's a great location - right across the street from the botanical garden. That's our apartment on the top!  The lower building to the right is the garbage/recycling area.  We have five bins under our sink to sort out all the items - more on that later. Here is our "third room" a combo of the living room and dining room.  We are slowly getting items to make it feel a bit more "homey."  If I could, I'd get a lot more plants! A different view of the living room. The hallway entrance.  And, why, yes, those are indeed IKEA closets.  The whole thing is outfitted by IKEA. The kitchen.  The refrigerator is to the right and behind that door is a big storage space. Sam's room - she brought a bunch of photos to hang on her wall to make it feel more like hers. ...