I flew into Stockholm at 7:45 AM on the last day of July. Corinne's parents, Marc and Ulla, picked me up and took me to their beautiful, picturesque home five minutes from the Baltic Sea. Perhaps it was luck or perhaps I had just brought a bit of California with me, but the weather there for the next five days was sunny and clear, and I couldn't have hoped for anything better.
Their beautiful house
The Plattens already had an American family staying with them, old family friends, so that worked out perfectly since the need for sightseeing was already there. The next five days was a whirlwind of seeing Stockholm from one hundred angles.
Day 1. My first impression of the Platten home as a natural paradise is cemented when Ulla offers me a fruit salad topped with fresh currants from their garden. Mmmmm!
We visit the Vasa Museum, home to a nearly fully preserved 400 year old ship that sunk in the waters of Stockholm. Films, models, scale ships and tons of meticulously preserved artifacts from the wreck gave an insight as to the Vasa's glory.
We walked around Stockholm a bit.
My first dinner in Sweden was (delicious) tacos. And for dessert, a performance by Becca, who has a God-given talent for singing (just don't tell her so...)
Day 2. The Plattens live a six minute walk away from the Baltic Sea. Amazing. We took a boat around the archipelago and witnessed the beauty of the canal and enviously commented on all the waterfront summer homes the Swedes have around it.
We got off at Sandhamn island, where we went on a short guided tour.
Thanks, Marc, for the photos!
Day 3. We went swimming more than once in Troll Sjön, or Dive-from-Rocks Lake. This is the land of 100,000 lakes, and this natural beauty exemplified that moniker. I swam all the way across and then walked around the surrounding woods, where I caught tiny frogs that hopped around the damper parts of the forest floor. This place seemed straight out of the oldest fairy tales, where dark and wonderful things await in the most untouched realms of nature.
Becca and her friends.
The Platten's dog, Abby, is a Spanish Water Hound, and took great pleasure in swimming in the lake, obstacles notwithstanding.
Day 4. Corinne finally arrives! She should have arrived home earlier but airlines are a....
Becca took me shopping and I scored some excellent sales downtown, including Cheap Monday jeans! Once home, apple pie was baked and showed off.
The next day I said my (temporary) goodbyes to Becca, Ulla and Abby, and Marc and Corinne took me to the train station. I don't know if I can properly express how grateful I am to have been embraced by this wonderful family, who truly made me feel like a part of theirs. I can't imagine a better first impression of Sweden, and if my time in Lund is anything like this I know I have an amazing five months ahead of me.
I've been to the Chicago airport at least twice, and I recognize where you took that picture! I have a picture or two almost completely like it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of your blog post, I am really enjoying these pictures - it makes me itch for a semester abroad! Please keep up with the updates! Miss you! :]