Exploring the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet

The Museum of Natural History is a short 5 minute drive from our house. We arrived there early on Sunday morning in an attempt to beat the crowd and it worked. There were beautiful displays of meteorites and crystals in the Treasures from the Earth's Interior exhibition. The kids enjoyed the hands-on activities in the Human Body exhibit, and were beguiled by the realistic baby dinosaur sleeping in it's nest in the dinosaur display. Renee was thrilled to see the polar bear and Didi enjoyed the movie about climate change.

The girls learned an embarassing lesson when they mistakenly pushed a help button in the handicap washroom believing it to be a light switch. They accidently summoned a guard who burst in upon them and Didi, and who then turned a brilliant shade of red and backed out of the room apologizing but explaining that they had pushed the button! That is two bathroom incidents in as many days!

We gladly headed to the car that afternoon, our feet sore from two days of touring.

Touring Gamla Stan with Didi

The six of us spent Saturday in Gamla Stan. We rode the subway there and back, and the kids were every bit as amazed as the first time they went on the "tunnelbana". Our job as tour guides is pretty easy considering how much they enjoy these simple pleasures! Didi enjoyed exploring the narrow streets and crowded tourist shops. We squeezed our way into a tiny kebab restaurant for a tasty lunch. After watching Graeme devour his meal, I'm definitely not looking forward to his teenage years!

We all had a laugh at the funny faces one of the guards was making as he reacted to the oblivious tourists stepping inside his clearly marked space. And another guard was quick to react when a tourist mistakenly touched one of the cannons on display. Needless to say, we were all on our best behaviour!

We wrapped up our tour of Gamla Stan with a visit to a cafe featuring many mouthwatering goodies in it's window. We were hoping to try one of the treats that is available only at this time of the year. They are called "Semla" buns and they look like a round eclair without the chocolate drizzle. There were none to be found, so we'll have to keep looking. Elise had a moment of panic when she went to use the toilet and she couldn't unlock the bathroom door. Her quick thinking led her to yell for help and bang on the wall, which brought Kris to her rescue. It turned out that she really hadn't locked the door in the first place, it was just "sticky" and Kris talked her out of the situation pretty quickly. She felt a bit sheepish at how upset she was, but I don't blame her.

We returned home in the late afternoon. It was time to put our feet up and recharge our batteries for Sunday's tour of the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet!

Our First Visitor Arrives!

Last Sunday was a momentous day for us! We welcomed our first overseas visitor to our new home. Kris' mom, henceforth known as "Didi", flew in from Canada via Frankfurt like a breath of fresh air. Renee, and only Renee, accompanied Kris to the Arlanda airport to meet her beloved Didi. She was awarded this distinction because she was expected to attend a birthday party later that afternoon and so would be missing "Didi-time"! Didi was alert and upbeat upon arrival. She had single-handedly met the challenges of the Frankfurt airport head-on and won!

Following a whirlwind tour of our home, Didi put her feet up and regaled us with tales of the interesting people she had met on her flights. We didn't let her sit still for long, though, fearful that she may fall asleep and not wake up until the middle of the night. Didi has the remarkable talent of falling deep asleep when she reads or watches TV (something she vehemently denies, even though the snoring tells us otherwise!). We went out for a brisk walk to give Didi a chance to see the neighbourhood. From the very first moment Didi entered our home, she joined in our daily routines and hasn't stopped yet!

Kris and the kids headed off to work and school on Monday morning (not without a fight on the part of the kids) and Didi and I got busy. After a few errands in the morning and a quick lunch, we headed into the school art room to help out with costume decoration for Elise's Year 6 show, Ocean Commotion coming up on April first. If Didi had expectations of being a spectator, they flew out the window pretty fast! She was enlisted to make a tuna fish, the details of which greatly exceed the aim of this blog!

Tuesday morning shone bright and sunny. The kids tried the same arguments as the day before, to no avail. Didi and I kept ourselves busy with errands. It was fun to play tour guide, and to amaze Didi with all of the knowledge I've accumulated in the last two months. We had planned that Tuesday would be the day that we celebrated the upcoming birthdays of Renee and Graeme with Didi. She had stuffed her suitcase with presents for the kids and could hardly wait for them to open them. Didi hit the target with three bulls-eyes! Renee was thrilled to receive a copy of Romeo and Juliet (she is currently in a Shakespeare craze!), Graeme stood tall and proud in his knight's accessories (although the girls cowered in fear!), and Elise was over-the-top, pleased-as-punch to receive the fourth book by Stephanie Meyer (even though it isn't her birthday!).

Wednesday and Thursday flew by, and before we knew it, Friday had arrived. Didi accompanied Kris and I into the city for our Swedish lesson. She promised to sit quietly and not to laugh. She even had the opportunity to try out some Swedish with us! After our lesson, we headed into Gamla Stan, the old town, for lunch. We ate at a cozy Italian place that Kris and I had been to before, and took a short tour through the cobblestone streets before we had to head back to the subway to catch our ride home. Didi had graciously agreed to stay in with the kids that night, so Kris and I could go out on a date. We headed to the mall in Kista to see a movie and do a little shopping.

It has been a lot of fun showing off our new home, school and city to Didi. She has been a great house guest and a wide-eyed tourist. Our adventures continue with Saturday's visit to Gamla Stan with the children, and Sunday's tour of the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet--stay tuned!

Growing Where We've Been Planted

We talk a lot about "settling in" these days. To be able to say that, "Yes, we are settled here in Sweden" is what we are striving for, the brass ring so to speak. To be "settled" conjures up images of relaxed weekends spent with friends and good food, mindless conversations about who has the bigger foot, Elise or Renee, and leaving the house without the GPS. I've been telling everyone who asks that I feel we are doing a good job of settling in here, despite a few bumps along the way. I'm proud of the way that each of the kids have tackled their challenges and overcome them. Graeme now attends school every day, and doesn't have the opportunity to get downtime at home to recharge his batteries. He mistakenly missed out on a friend's birthday party, and it only took thirty minutes before he was able to rationalize the situation to his dad (there wasn't room in the car). Renee has had to "put herself out there" to meet new friends, something that doesn't come easy to her. She left behind some great friends in Brockville and the teacher she always wanted! Elise has had to navigate the wavy waters of preteen friendships, without losing sight of the person she really is. She deeply misses the company of her grandparents, something she likely took for granted before. I'm proud of the way that Kris has adjusted to his managerial position--it is rare for him to complain about his long hours, and he somehow always manages to leave the house looking really sharp, despite the time it took me to find the dry-cleaners! And I'm so pleased that I've been able to figure out how to live here on a daily basis, and I have four happy smiles that show it. Even so, there are days that I am so tired of learning the Swedish way of doing things, when it feels like everything I do is for the first time and therefore requires all my attention and energy. There are still many loose ends to tie up, still everyday tasks that we don't know how to do here.

Nonetheless, everywhere I look, I see proof of our hard work and perseverance--birthday party invitations hang on the refrigerator door, next door neighbours freely come and call on the kids to play outside, soccer and swimming teams have been joined, there is satisfaction in a new job being done well, our bellies are full and our beds are soft and there is a new, but distinct smell of home when we open our door.

Lately, when I've been out for a walk in the neighbourhood, I've noticed a feeling of contentedness and well-being. I savour the moment, but not without a touch of guilt that I actually feel happy here, so many miles from home. I do believe in making the most of things, and so I can say we are truly making the effort to grow and bloom where we've been planted!

Cedergrenska Tornet

This Sunday, we decided to get a closer look at Cedergrenska Tornet, a red brick tower that is the symbol of Stocksund, the neighbourhood where we live. The hockey jerseys for Graeme's team, Stocksunds IF, are yellow and feature a silhouette of the tower in black. Construction started on the tower in 1896 but it took almost 100 years before it was completed. It stands tall amongst the trees and the property has many walking paths so you can view it from all angles. Jack Rabbit Joe led the way up and down the paths, narrowly escaping harm when he trotted too close to the rocky ledge along the shoreline.

The tower presently houses a restaurant and rooms available for weddings and other functions. The smells of Sunday brunch were very tempting!

The kids really enjoy exploring new places and walks along pathways and through trees and beside water rarely illicit the kinds of complaints we hear when we walk on sidewalks along a street! We had some interesting conversations with the kids about friendships and Swedish school, and about how well they've settled in here. They are growing up so fast! It is nice to stop and help Graeme pull his socks back on--I like to still be needed for those little things! We always see lots of dogs when we walk in Sweden. Some are on leashes, some prance ahead of their owner, stopping every now and then to make sure they're following. The kids are really missing Smokey and Tiger, and would love a pet. They don't have me convinced (yet!) that we need a dog, but it would be lovely to have a furry four-legged friend walking beside us on the path. Although, that scenario brings with it it's own set of complaints: Elise got a longer turn than me walking the dog...I didn't get a turn to hold the leash...why do I have to pick up the poop...Graeme's teasing the dog, again...you get the picture!

Swedish Lessons Begin!

Kris and I attended our first Swedish language lesson today. While it is not necessary to do so, because the majority of adult Swedes speak excellent English, we both feel that learning the language is a critical part of integrating into the country. Not only that, but Kris' colleagues have graciously been holding their management meetings in English and he is aware that that is not going to last! The kids are keen to learn some Swedish as well, and hopefully I can find a teacher close by and get them started too. They are hoping to be able to communicate with their Swedish neighbours, Samuel and Sophie, rather than talking English to them and having them talk back in Swedish (with no understanding on either part!)

The lessons we are attending are being held at the Företags Universitetet, in downtown Stockholm. This school specializes in business training of all types, and languages comprise just a small portion of what they teach. Our teacher is a lovely woman who made us feel at ease right away. We began by learning some common courtesies, and ventured into the alphabet and numbers. To speak Swedish properly you need to be able to make some very subtle changes in the sounds of some of the vowels and Kris and I found ourselves slightly challenged in this! The song that goes...Eww, eee, eww, ah, ah, bing, bang, walla, walla, bing, bang...comes to mind! We did say some things well and earned a, "Bra!" from our teacher, but we both found that once we left our class, everything we had learned that morning seemed to have disappeared. She told us that it takes saying something over and over twenty-one times before you can remember it, so now we have some practising to do!

So, now I am going to go and brush up on my Swedish. I think I'll begin by doing some lip exercises so that I might be able to achieve some of those sounds I've learned. I just hope that the dogs in the neighbourhood can't hear me, because they will surely start howling!

Sun and Fun at Makadi Bay in Egypt

We have just returned from a relaxing week away in Makadi Bay, located on the Red Sea in Egypt. The five of us left early last Thursday morning, toting only 3 suitcases and a couple of knapsacks. We were determined to keep it simple and low-key, and our choice of an all-inclusive resort was key to that decision. After a relatively short and uneventful 4&1/2 hour flight, the plane landed at the airport in Hurghada and we joined the hordes of tourists lining up for visas and customs. We were pointed in the right direction to our coach bus by the Swedish speaking tour guides and we settled in for the drive to Makadi Bay. Hurghada is a small, bustling city, and a popular tourist destination known for its excellent snorkeling. It sits on the edge of the Red Sea and is surrounded by desert. The road we followed skirted around the city on our left, and showcased the sand, more sand, and even more sand, as well as some distant mountains to our right. Makadi Bay rose up into sight about 30 minutes later. We drove through a security checkpoint and past an impressive golf course with more than it's share of sand traps! Our resort, Saraya Suites, was nestled in the middle of a group of hotels and a small shopping center. We arrived at about 3pm, and there being still plenty of sunshine to soak up, we quickly swapped our travel clothes for tank tops and flip flops!

Kris woke up early the next morning (for some reason he is always the first up when on vacation) and snuck out of the room to get a feel for the day ahead. He quickly returned, though, and searched through his clothes to find some warmer layers. A strong wind had whipped up during the night and it felt downright frosty out there! This blustery and cool weather stayed for a few days, but we didn't let it stop us. The most strenuous decision we faced each morning was, where to lay down....beach or pool? Should we go for a walk first or sit in the sun and drink a hot, foamy cappuccino? We were determined to put the relax into relaxation!

The kids had no trouble keeping themselves occupied. They sunbathed, built sandcastles, and meandered along the shore shell-seeking. The first time we were on the beach, their attention was immediately captured by the sight of a dark-skinned Egyptian man wearing traditional clothes and yelling, "Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah". He was offering rides on the giant and gentle camel that sauntered along behind him. We told him, "No money today", but that when we had some we would find him to give the kids a ride. When it came time to have their turn, he wanted to take only 2 people at a time, so Kris voted for me to accompany Graeme. I couldn't believe how high up we were sitting. The man offering horse rides came up along side of us and we loomed over him and his horse! It was a slow, swaying ride, that began and ended with excitement when the camel lurched to and from his feet from a sitting position on the sand!

Each of the kids, and me, tried snorkeling for the first time. Kris was our teacher and I surprised him with my interest. He knows that swimming in the ocean is not really my thing! Elise and Renee mastered the art of breathing through the snorkel, but Graeme and I seemed to suck in more disgusting salt water than air. The fish we saw were colourful and interesting, but because we were doing our snorkeling within the bouys bordering the swimming area, we really only sampled a small bit of what was out there to be explored.

Towards the end of our week, the kids had caught the attention of Anastasia, a lovely Russian girl in charge of the international kids club at the hotel. She encouraged them to come out and participate in an inter-hotel Olympic games and included them in the fun at the Mini Disco each evening. The kids really enjoyed bouncing along to the German, Swedish and Russian songs. Graeme dances a mean robot dance! The kids also found the Chief Animator, Sameh, to be quite a clown. He had them laughing with his crazy antics and he never failed to smile and say "Hello" whenever he saw them.

The Saraya Suites resort did not disappoint us in our quest for a relaxing and happy vacation. The rooms were clean and we were amused by the animal made from towels and left on our bed each day. The buffet-style meals never left us hungry and we followed up every meal, even breakfast, with dessert of some kind! Renee made a big dent in the hotel's bread supply and Graeme topped everything off with chocolate sauce! The kids will miss the freedom they had to pick and choose whatever they wanted to eat and drink, now that they're home again! "It's not a restaurant" is one of my favourite mealtime mantras and I can't wait to use it again!

Now that the sun has set on our Egyptian vacation, we will all look back on it with happy, relaxed hearts. The loads of laundry awaiting attention, the pile of sand that fell out of a overturned suitcase, and even the dry, flaky skin on our bodies, nothing will get us down right now, especially if someone could mosey up to the bar and order me a hot cappuccino...maybe with a slice of cake....?