Go Karts and Motorcycles

Par was nice enough to give everyone rides on his motorcycle - woo hoo!


The boys (Rich, Par, Nick, Zach and Noah) went into Kristianstad yesterday and rode go karts that went up to 50 mph... they had a boy- day blast!

Farewell To Sweden

Rich and I with Par and Kris

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

Last night - the teens at Par and Camilla´s house...

Princess Cake (The Green Stuff!) - REALLY YUMMY!!!

Born to be............ WILD??

Mature Palette

We were worried about Zach before we left. He´s not such an adventurous eater. We tried to warn him that he wouldn´t like a lot of what he tried. But, 4 days into this experiment he is trying everything new and loving everything! His favorites so far? Bulla (above - a sweet roll you eat for breakfast) toast with gouda cheese and jam, butterfish, and swedish meatballs made by aunt Monica.... he loves the food here so much, he wants to move here!!

Traveling In Style

From bicycles to motorcycles we´ve seen and experienced about every kind of transportation available!! But there´s been plenty of walking too!

Golf Course Living

The boys - Par, Rich, Zach and Noah - spent some time touring the golf course where Monica works, and hit a bucket of balls while they were there...

Fishy Snackers

We had a wonderful snack outside where we tried all kinds of fresh, smoked and dried fish from the harbor town in Hällevik.

Man Capris

This one’s for you Emily C!! Man Capris… that’s right – you heard it here first. Here in Sweden (and perhaps all of Europe – we’ll have to let you know) the men wear Capri pants… The fashions are so different and so cool here – as Jessica posted on her sight today, we’ve been ruined for American clothing I think! I’ve taken lots of pictures to prove it to you, so you don’t have to just take our word for it…

Shopping In Kristianstad

Yesterday seemed like three days worth of activity. We began our day driving to Kristianstad, where we first came in on the train, to go shopping. Kristianstad is a bigger city than Solvesborg and they have many more stores to choose from. We brought along two of the teenage girl cousins and one of their friends so there were 11 of us shopping and it was very fun…we all bought clothes and enjoyed the European fashion scene, eating in a bakery that sold not only sweets but also sandwiches.

Two things of note here – one is that you can’t just find a bathroom anywhere. They have them in McDonald’s and they have them in the bakeries. Secondly, there is no Starbucks, no “Take Away” coffee. It is considered uncivilized to walk around with your paper cup of coffee. If you can’t sit and enjoy a cup in the café, why drink it? Eating and drinking are about relationship and socializing, so I guess having a to-go cup makes it more like an individualist’s activity and perhaps it appears as rude. At any rate, we saw a sign yesterday that said “Take Away Coffee” and Monica said it was the first time she had EVER seen something like that in Sweden…

The men sat on the benches enjoying the sunshine while the women shopped. We outfitted Nick with some VERY cool European clothes and ate melon flavored ice cream...

So, we shopped for several hours (I had to buy another piece of luggage to carry my extra clothes home in...) and had lunch in Kristianstad then we came home only to leave again and head for a small town connected to Solvesborg on the Baltic Sea called Hallevik. It is a resort area with many small cottages for rent and boats and a harbor, etc. It was just beautiful.

It seems like we are doing nothing but eating and drinking and going places. We’ve been here three days and it feels like so much longer because everything is new and so much to take in. I can’t imagine how we will feel at the end of three WEEKS…ouyi!

Ok, so on to what you all REALLY want – the pictures!

More Hallevik Harbor Photos

Nick is having a blast. He fits right in as a Swede! Check out the man capris! More on that later...

Hallevik Harbor

A Pound Is A Pound The World Around

Today we met one of Rich´s cousins´wife and two young boys - Arvid and Gustav... they are 3 and 5 respectively and so don´t know any English yet. In Swedish schools all the young children learn English starting at 9 years old. The boys were so timid because they didn´t know us and didn´t speak our language.

They were playing with guns and pretended to shoot Nick. Nick fell down and they laughed. Then they shot at Zach and Noah. Zach and Noah fell down too... they were instant friends!

It doesn´t seem to matter what language you speak, some things are the same, and boys will in fact, be boys apparently...

It was a wonderful day... we went to Kristianstad and shopped till we dropped... and then went to a coastal area on the Baltic Sea called Hallevik... more pictures on that coming

Fences

Today in Sweden I went with my sons to a park that is walking distance from the family’s house here. It was a cute little community park with a zip line made of tires and a small play structure and some swings.

Everything is very clean and tidy here in Sweden. The houses are neat and well kept. The yards are mostly small but very nice and well kept. It feel so simple and peaceful here. Life is… not as complicated somehow.

Spring has come early to southern Sweden, and apparently we’ve brought the nice weather with us, because not two weeks ago it was fully snow here still. The two days we’ve been here the sun has been shining and it’s in the 60s. For them, stupendous weather for this time of year.

I sat on a bench enjoying the sunshine while my sons took turns on the zip line. The little park made interesting use of boundaries. Since it was a community park it didn’t need high fences to keep things (or people) out, yet the different areas needed to be defined somehow. It was kind of an L shaped area with two distinct delineations for play, but paths met it and crossed through it. It was lovely.

One part had a low boundary made of pipes sticking up out of the ground every eight feet or so and then 2x4s attached to the top. All around behind that were plantings of different shrubberies. Some parts of the play areas were defined by other types of shrubs that grew maybe five feet tall or so, with some taller flowering trees interspersed. One such row of shrubs opened about four feet wide with a path through it to get from the zip line to the play structure and swings.

Two whole sides though, were lined with stone fences. You know the kind of wall where many stones are stacked all on top of one another to make a boundary that is rather thick and perhaps three to four feet tall? You see them all over England as well. It was just beautiful. When we were finished playing we also walked along some of the paths and there were many more lengths of stone fences bordering the walking paths that joined the residential areas to the forests.

I thought about the fences and the ways they have chosen to delineate their spaces. There is such a decided absence of man made interference. The materials they used were for the most part naturally occurring – stone and wood and shrubs…and it was incredibly peaceful in its simplicity. This city borders the Baltic Sea and we spent some time visiting a glass blowing business that was set in an old farmhouse with a cobblestone courtyard. Afterwards we wandered the ruins of an ancient castle that overlooks the water. Everywhere we went there was a pastoral stillness about the landscape – like you wanted to be quiet as you walked.

Even our American teenagers almost instinctively changed their behavior to fit the landscape. They were not loud and boisterous, but rather took the time to coax a peacock out from the underbrush to be able to take its picture. There is a refinement here that seems inbred.

In America a playground would be a large open area with enormous play structures that would themselves be the focus of the space. Here there is more to it than play. It is a place to go and be together. The structures are fun but not the focus. The paths beckon you out and away. The play equipment is by no means the destination.

They have different fences here. They are different in construction and material, and different in purpose. Their purpose is delineation and not possession. It seems so much better that way.

There is probably more to be said about this subject, but for now I’ll try to get some sleep. It is currently four in the morning here and my son and I can’t sleep – jet lag, I’m afraid. I’ve left my computer on Washington time and apparently it’s only 7 pm there now (on Wednesday) so it’s no wonder I can’t sleep! Hopefully the Benadryl will kick in for both of us soon.

Beautiful!

Above, my future house...below, me with Jan and the beautiful thatched roof of a glass blowing factory on the Baltic Sea...

Jourdan and Uncle Jan

A beautiful shot of Jourdan with Uncle Jan by the Baltic Sea

Cobblestone Streets

More of the gorgeous streets of Solvesborg!

More Pictures From Yesterday

When Rich was in Sweden last (when he was 17) his favorite food was Korv med mos (sausage with mashed potatos) so he had to go and get some - this is the very same kiosk he ate at 22 years ago!

Train Station

The train station in Solvesborg

Shopping In Solvesborg

Today we went shopping in Solvesborg. The streets really are cobblestone lined and beautifully maintained.

First Day in Sweden

Sweden! The keyboard is different in Europe so I have to get used to it - some things are not where I expect so I am making lots of mistakes! We had a wonderful night with family last night and cheese and bread and jam for breakfast! Everything in different for the kids- how do you flush the toilet? How do you work the sink - the plugs - wow, this coffee is GOOD...........


Today we will go shopping in Solvesborg... I wish I could post more pictures but this is a dial up connection and itäs slow going....The kids are LOVING it and already don`t want to come home again!!! We love you all and miss you already!

The Journey Begins

What a great day to begin an adventure...