November 03, 2004
Gone back to brave the US- A farwell to Ben and Danielle - we will miss our obnoxious, 'umphs'-searching pub nights'. p.s. send us your spare shrapnel, you don't need that where you are going!
November 02, 2004
Ethan Turns Two!
Sorry for the long delay in updating the site. It's been busy around here lately.
Anyway, last Saturday, the 23rd was Ethan's 2nd birthday! We celebrated it on Sunday, though, in order to have a little party for the big guy! Although there were only a total of three kids there - including the birthday boy - he had a great time. It turned out to be more of a gathering for the adults instead of the kids and I am sure that that will be the last time we'll be able to get away with that.
Here are some of the pictures from the party...(Click on the picture to enlarge it)
Birthday Cake - made by Mom!
Yeah! A Balloon! The Best Gift!
Who Loves His New Elmo Video?
Hanging Out With Caden and Madeline Ferland
Stockholm (or, "Scandalous in Scandinavia")
Last weekend (actually Oct. 15 - 17) we had one last foreign jaunt with our good friends Ben and Danielle who are leaving to move back to the good old U-S-of-A this week. We wanted to send them off in good fashion with another whirlwind visit to some European locale. This time it was Stockholm, Sweden – land of vodka, meatballs, Vikings and happy people. Joining Ben, Danielle and us was Mat and Monique and none other than Mr. Max Viger, a good friend from Denver who is working in Germany for the same company Steph works for, Northrop Grumman. It was great to have all together for some good times! If you were wondering, Big E was left at home in the care of our neighbors, David and Maureen. They had a ball with him and we had to arm wrestle them when we got back to get them to give him back.
Stockholm was great. The weather was damp and foreboding, but that just added to the mystical charm of the place. Everyone has impressions of a place that they are familiar with through schooling, news events, movies, etc. Not a whole lot of people, I mean, have never heard of Stockholm, and thus have an impression of or opinion about the place even if they have never actually visited. In this vein, Stockholm’s weather did more than fit the picture I had painted in my mind about what Stockholm must be like. The sky didn’t actually start falling until Sunday, but even in the steady rain, it was difficult to dampen our enthusiasm for being there. The food – that heavy, warm comfort food like meatballs, stroganoff, dumplings, etc. – was the perfect accompaniment to the heavy weather.
The buildings of Stockholm are simply breathtaking. A mixture of cold gothic décor and brilliant pastels combine to lend a sense of an almost surreal existence. The pastel-painted buildings – red, yellow, peach, etc. – are regulated by the historical society and reflect the time period in which the buildings were constructed. It is by this authentic color that you know how old the building is. Only paint that would have been used on that building in, say, the 16th century can be used today. Add this beauty of the buildings to the fact that there is virtually no litter anywhere and you get a truly pleasant city to be in. It really is no wonder why these people are so happy. Not only are the Swedish naturally beautiful people, but they live in such an orderly and beautiful place.
Ok, enough of the cultural stuff. That’s all good, and all, but the social aspect of the trip was fantastic as well. Many beers were had by all and we didn't really waste much time in putting our first one back. After flying into the airport which is about an hour and twenty minute bus ride from central Stockholm, we arrived at the central terminal station in Stockholm and went to that bar first. It progressed (or is it digressed) from there. The bars and restaurants in Stockholm were not too different than any other city's, but it was pleasant enough to be able to duck into a warm establishment and get a cold beer or whatever after walking around the city so much. Probably the coolest experience during our quest for the wettest drink was our encounter with the Absolut Vodka Ice Bar. This place is pretty unusual, indeed. A full bar made completely out of ice. Even the glassware is ice. Before going in, they give you a "high-tech" parka and gloves to wear. There are two sets of doors where you go in the outer set, wait for those doors to close and then you go into the bar through the second set. This way, no warm air gets in. For about $20 or so cover you could experience the coolest (ha-ha) bar experience going. It was worth it, I guess. There are a couple of pics below. (Jake, does this give you any ideas for anything?)
The weirdest part of this trip, though, was the accommodation. We had had a difficult time finding rooms, even right up to the week we left. But, in the end, Steph and Max came up with a place that was actually an apartment. The price was right, so there you go. What was weird, though, was that we all kind assumed that the apartment was just a furnished place rented out to travelers or possible professionals. What we found, however, was quite different. This was actually someone's apartment that they permanently lived in! We arrived on Friday afternoon when the kids (teenagers) were still there. We were told that the price included breakfast, which we found out was nothing more than a loaf of bread, butter and a half-empty gallon of orange juice. All of the rooms were simply someone else's room - complete with disheveled beds, personal items, toys, dirty clothes, clean clothes, you name it. Then, also on Friday night at about 8:00 or 9:00 while we were getting ready to go out for the evening, the door opens and the 13-year-old boy comes in and states that he just needed to pick up some things! Weird. Oh well, the beds were comfortable (if not crisply cleaned) and we still managed to have a decent time. From what we learned, that sort of thing is not too uncommon in Scandinavia.
Below are links to pull up pictures of the trip. Just click on the underlined word or phrase and the pic will pop up.
Gamla Stan (Old Town) from the water
Great buildings
Huh?
Nordic Look
A Couple of Norse Goddesses
Good God! A Viking!
Ice Bar 1
Ice Bar 2
Ice Bar 3
Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Regeringsgatan Street? Thanks!
Frizzle My Dizzle, baby!
All of us at Naglo Vodka Bar
Good to Have Max Around Again!
Sleepless In Stockholm
Ben and Danielle Gettin' Hot at the Ice Bar