Our plane came back a little early and now we're just going to relax in the airport until our ride arrives.
It was a fabulous trip, and once I can get WiFi and access to my laptop I'll share the end of it with you.
The plan now is to drive to DC with Claire and Tenzing over two days. We're all exhausted and aren't too interested in the torturous 14 hour drive to the East Coast.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Leaving
We've got a cab coming at 7am.
I haven't slept well. To be honest, I haven't slept much at all.
I've still got one day of pictures and a short story to tell, so I'll throw that up once we touch down in Chicago.
---
And Happy Birthday, Jamie!
I haven't slept well. To be honest, I haven't slept much at all.
I've still got one day of pictures and a short story to tell, so I'll throw that up once we touch down in Chicago.
---
And Happy Birthday, Jamie!
The King of Snails
As predicted, most of yesterday was spent indoors. It's important to remember that the central function of a vacation is to be enjoyable. Yesterday, we took great enjoyment napping all day.
After the rain let up, we started to move around a bit more but didn't accomplish much. We're fine with this. Our sloth meant that we only got one meal, but we hadn't exerted ourselves to the point where we required more calories.
And the hotel lamb was delicious.
After dinner, we strolled the path along the tram line. It was there that we met the King of Snails, his Queen, and the Slug Duke.
Like other legendary creatures -- Nessie, Big Foot, Thomas Pynchon -- all the photos we took during our court meeting with these royal gastropods were blurry at best. It was, however, an experience we'll carry in our hearts forever.
---
Today begins slowly as did yesterday. Our goal is to return to Djurgården and see the Botanical Gardens, the Vasa Museum, and the Biological Museum. The last of these I hope will provide some fodder for the Crappy Taxidermy blog.
Tonight's dinner will mark the end of our Swedish adventure, and we'll be flying out at 10am arriving in Chicago at Noon. After that, we drive back to DC over two days to preserve what little energy our transatlantic flight will have left us, and return to Virginia on Sunday afternoon.
---
After the rain let up, we started to move around a bit more but didn't accomplish much. We're fine with this. Our sloth meant that we only got one meal, but we hadn't exerted ourselves to the point where we required more calories.
And the hotel lamb was delicious.
After dinner, we strolled the path along the tram line. It was there that we met the King of Snails, his Queen, and the Slug Duke.
Like other legendary creatures -- Nessie, Big Foot, Thomas Pynchon -- all the photos we took during our court meeting with these royal gastropods were blurry at best. It was, however, an experience we'll carry in our hearts forever.
---
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
Today begins slowly as did yesterday. Our goal is to return to Djurgården and see the Botanical Gardens, the Vasa Museum, and the Biological Museum. The last of these I hope will provide some fodder for the Crappy Taxidermy blog.
Tonight's dinner will mark the end of our Swedish adventure, and we'll be flying out at 10am arriving in Chicago at Noon. After that, we drive back to DC over two days to preserve what little energy our transatlantic flight will have left us, and return to Virginia on Sunday afternoon.
---
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Going To Foreign Zoos
Short story: Claire and I napped and then went to Djurgården where we enjoyed the sites of the Skansen open air museum, and spent most of our time exploring the zoo.
---
Sleep has been an important feature of this trip, as I imagine it is for most trans-atlantic travelers. Today, I slept five hours later than I had the previous day (meaning that I woke up at an obscenely late 10:30am). Yesterday, I wound up taking a four hour nap.
This nap was vital to the events that followed since it gave both me and Claire the energy necessary to tour the expansive Skansen open-air museum on the idyllic island of Djurgården.
I would compare Djurgården to Belle Isle in Detroit, except much much nicer. The island boasts a series of museums and other attractions -- many of which are left over from a 19th century World's Fair that was held on the island.
Foremost among the attractions is Skansen, which I had assumed to be a massive sculpture garden of some sort. However, Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum is a far more accurate parallel. Skansen has several old-timey attractions, and examples of old Scandinavian architecture dotting the landscape.
Skansen is also noted for having the only zoo in Stockholm. Though it is modest, it is also quite charming. We first visited the aquarium which was also where the designers decided to house several primate exhibits -- most impressively a room full of ring-tailed lemurs.
From there we drifted around the park seeing bears, lynx, european bison, wild boars, wolves, and "elk moose." Particularly impressive were some old farm steads set up with fences made of birch branches and secured with strips of bark. We ended at the top of a hill with a beautiful view of the city.
After a quick tram ride and walk, we ended our day with dinner in Gamla Stan.
---
It was a great time, but one that thoroughly exhausted us. Fortunately, today was a rainy day and we spent it sleeping and mooching around the island of Lidinö.
I took some time to add more photos and captions to the ones in the album, so enjoy the ones below and take a look back through the ones from earlier in the week as well.
We've only got one more day, but I'm certain we'll make the best of it.
---
---
Sleep has been an important feature of this trip, as I imagine it is for most trans-atlantic travelers. Today, I slept five hours later than I had the previous day (meaning that I woke up at an obscenely late 10:30am). Yesterday, I wound up taking a four hour nap.
This nap was vital to the events that followed since it gave both me and Claire the energy necessary to tour the expansive Skansen open-air museum on the idyllic island of Djurgården.
I would compare Djurgården to Belle Isle in Detroit, except much much nicer. The island boasts a series of museums and other attractions -- many of which are left over from a 19th century World's Fair that was held on the island.
Foremost among the attractions is Skansen, which I had assumed to be a massive sculpture garden of some sort. However, Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum is a far more accurate parallel. Skansen has several old-timey attractions, and examples of old Scandinavian architecture dotting the landscape.
Skansen is also noted for having the only zoo in Stockholm. Though it is modest, it is also quite charming. We first visited the aquarium which was also where the designers decided to house several primate exhibits -- most impressively a room full of ring-tailed lemurs.
From there we drifted around the park seeing bears, lynx, european bison, wild boars, wolves, and "elk moose." Particularly impressive were some old farm steads set up with fences made of birch branches and secured with strips of bark. We ended at the top of a hill with a beautiful view of the city.
After a quick tram ride and walk, we ended our day with dinner in Gamla Stan.
---
It was a great time, but one that thoroughly exhausted us. Fortunately, today was a rainy day and we spent it sleeping and mooching around the island of Lidinö.
I took some time to add more photos and captions to the ones in the album, so enjoy the ones below and take a look back through the ones from earlier in the week as well.
We've only got one more day, but I'm certain we'll make the best of it.
---
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Best Laid Plans
Short story: We arrived at the boat landing very early and discovered that our tour did not exist. We then napped al fresco, and spent the rest of the day mastering the Stockholm transit system and bumming around the older parts of this beautiful city.
---
I got some pretty good pictures today. Here's the highlights:
When it was clear that our boat to Uppsala did not exist -- or if it did, it wasn't leaving from where we were -- we decided that the best course of action was for a break. Claire, her father, and I deposited ourselves on Ridderholmen island looking out at the beautiful city hall.
This is Claire asleep in my lap.
After resting, we went over to the Riddarholmskyrkan, final resting place of many great Swedish kings. Unfortunately, photography was forbidden. Inside the floor is covered with worn down smooth marble panels with the name of the monarch that rests below. Off to to the sides and below were great gilded coffins, holding whole generations of families. At the altar, two sarcophagi with carved images of kings reclined upward -- staring at the massive silver chandelier.
Use your imagination.
Next we sought out Grace's Tea Shop, but found a beggar fox-woman along the way.
Does anyone know what fairytale she belongs in?
Lunch at Grace's was excellent. It was a set meal of Jasmine tea, mushroom soup, steamed dumplings, and a fruit and yogurt salad. While a pretty traditional Chinese restaurant in Stockholm is an unusual find, stranger still was the price: 300KR total for the three of us. That's unbelievably cheap for a warming meal on a cool morning.
Our next task was to find the Central Station, and then to conquer the Stockholm rail system. Which we did. Bending the system to our will, we went out to the Historiska Museet to see the famous Gold Room.
Inside were shelf after shelf of Viking and medieval gold hoards. It was a very impressive collection, sadly not photographable. My favorites were easily a nicely preserved helmet with a horse-head mohawk that lead down to a tiny startled-looking head that rested below the nose of the wearer. There were also some belt buckles depicting battles with horrible monsters, which I adored. One of them seemed to show a man fighting a man/bear or man/wolf -- which I think to be a reference to berserkers. This might be the same one.
(linked from Wikipedia)
I wish I could have taken them all. Including the incredibly ornate crucipix with a "piece of the true cross" in it. I know it's fake, obviously, but I had never seen one of these famous relics before.
Then we did a little shopping in the trendy district, where I found all of 1997's websites.
With the rail system now under our thumb and obeying our every command we headed back to the old town island -- Gamla Stan -- and took in a meal of Swedish meatballs and reindeer. We followed this with ice cream, and some final wanderings around the old city.
Spot the 7-11!
HEY GUYS.
After using the Swedish metro rail system (which is from the future) we hopped the tram back to our island -- Lidingö. This was definitely a heavy rattling relic from days gone by, whose every noise just emphasizes the weight of the train. It was utterly charming.
And then, off to bed. Here's Chuck (father of Claire) and Claire outside the nicer end of our hotel.
---
Today, Claire and I will meander down to Djurgården, and spend the day in its idyllic splendor. We're taking it easy today.
---
I got some pretty good pictures today. Here's the highlights:
 |
| From Sweden |
When it was clear that our boat to Uppsala did not exist -- or if it did, it wasn't leaving from where we were -- we decided that the best course of action was for a break. Claire, her father, and I deposited ourselves on Ridderholmen island looking out at the beautiful city hall.
 |
| From Sweden |
This is Claire asleep in my lap.
 |
| From Sweden |
After resting, we went over to the Riddarholmskyrkan, final resting place of many great Swedish kings. Unfortunately, photography was forbidden. Inside the floor is covered with worn down smooth marble panels with the name of the monarch that rests below. Off to to the sides and below were great gilded coffins, holding whole generations of families. At the altar, two sarcophagi with carved images of kings reclined upward -- staring at the massive silver chandelier.
Use your imagination.
Next we sought out Grace's Tea Shop, but found a beggar fox-woman along the way.
 |
| From Sweden |
Does anyone know what fairytale she belongs in?
Lunch at Grace's was excellent. It was a set meal of Jasmine tea, mushroom soup, steamed dumplings, and a fruit and yogurt salad. While a pretty traditional Chinese restaurant in Stockholm is an unusual find, stranger still was the price: 300KR total for the three of us. That's unbelievably cheap for a warming meal on a cool morning.
Our next task was to find the Central Station, and then to conquer the Stockholm rail system. Which we did. Bending the system to our will, we went out to the Historiska Museet to see the famous Gold Room.
Inside were shelf after shelf of Viking and medieval gold hoards. It was a very impressive collection, sadly not photographable. My favorites were easily a nicely preserved helmet with a horse-head mohawk that lead down to a tiny startled-looking head that rested below the nose of the wearer. There were also some belt buckles depicting battles with horrible monsters, which I adored. One of them seemed to show a man fighting a man/bear or man/wolf -- which I think to be a reference to berserkers. This might be the same one.
(linked from Wikipedia)
I wish I could have taken them all. Including the incredibly ornate crucipix with a "piece of the true cross" in it. I know it's fake, obviously, but I had never seen one of these famous relics before.
Then we did a little shopping in the trendy district, where I found all of 1997's websites.
 |
| From Sweden |
With the rail system now under our thumb and obeying our every command we headed back to the old town island -- Gamla Stan -- and took in a meal of Swedish meatballs and reindeer. We followed this with ice cream, and some final wanderings around the old city.
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
 |
| From Sweden |
After using the Swedish metro rail system (which is from the future) we hopped the tram back to our island -- Lidingö. This was definitely a heavy rattling relic from days gone by, whose every noise just emphasizes the weight of the train. It was utterly charming.
And then, off to bed. Here's Chuck (father of Claire) and Claire outside the nicer end of our hotel.
 |
| From Sweden |
---
Today, Claire and I will meander down to Djurgården, and spend the day in its idyllic splendor. We're taking it easy today.
Monday, August 24, 2009
We're Here
Terms like "yesterday" and "tomorrow" and "today" have little meaning after a trans-atlantic flight and a 7-hour time difference.
---
Broadcasting to you from Stockholm, Max Eddy is back on the internet. Unlike our trip to Iceland, Claire and I have excellent wireless internet in the hotel and I'll try my best to keep you all up to date as to our adventures.
This will primarily be done in pictures.
---
Our adventures on Sunday were focused on the Carl Milles sculpture garden (conveniently located directly next to our hotel), and our dinner in downtown Stockholm.
Carl Milles will be familiar to anyone at the University of Michigan. Milles moved to Michigan where he made over 70 statues, one of which being the fountain of Triton between the Michigan League and the Hill Auditorium through which students process at the beginning and end of their academic careers.
You know, this one.
Stockholm is a beautiful city, and its a great time to be here. THe days are bright, the weather is on the cooler side of fair -- which is perfect for me. Despite being jetlagged to hell and technically having been operating for something close to a continuous 48 hours, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Of particular note was the Prinsen restaurant. I don't know what I ordered but I got it in lieu of meatballs since they were out. It was small potato chunks with sauteed onions and delicious chunks of beef. The beef was tender, juicy, seasoned as if for a god. The potatoes were quite good on their own, but eaten with a fresh raw egg yolk poured over them. The effect is a really rich eating experience.
Keep in mind that I am not a fan of softboiled eggs, or even runny scrambled eggs, and I still thought this was delicious.
Also of note was the Underdog beer. It looks like a pilsner, but is in reality a Lager of some kind. When you take a sip, the initial flavor is very strong, similar to that of Guinness. The twist is that there's no finish to it; after that first burst of mouth-filling hop-flavor the beer finishes with a refreshing mild crispness.
Ba will be pleased to know that I sampled several varieties of pickled herring at the beginning of the meal, and loved them all.
Here's the image of the day for Sunday.
Click the photo for the entire album, or just click here.
Obviously there isn't much explanation right now. The idea is that I'll post a few pictures when able and backfill with information as I go.
---
It's currently 8am on Monday in Stockholm. The plan for today is to take the boat to Uppsala, stopping for a few hours in Sigtuna. We'll take the train back this evening.
---
Broadcasting to you from Stockholm, Max Eddy is back on the internet. Unlike our trip to Iceland, Claire and I have excellent wireless internet in the hotel and I'll try my best to keep you all up to date as to our adventures.
This will primarily be done in pictures.
---
Our adventures on Sunday were focused on the Carl Milles sculpture garden (conveniently located directly next to our hotel), and our dinner in downtown Stockholm.
Carl Milles will be familiar to anyone at the University of Michigan. Milles moved to Michigan where he made over 70 statues, one of which being the fountain of Triton between the Michigan League and the Hill Auditorium through which students process at the beginning and end of their academic careers.
You know, this one.
Stockholm is a beautiful city, and its a great time to be here. THe days are bright, the weather is on the cooler side of fair -- which is perfect for me. Despite being jetlagged to hell and technically having been operating for something close to a continuous 48 hours, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Of particular note was the Prinsen restaurant. I don't know what I ordered but I got it in lieu of meatballs since they were out. It was small potato chunks with sauteed onions and delicious chunks of beef. The beef was tender, juicy, seasoned as if for a god. The potatoes were quite good on their own, but eaten with a fresh raw egg yolk poured over them. The effect is a really rich eating experience.
Keep in mind that I am not a fan of softboiled eggs, or even runny scrambled eggs, and I still thought this was delicious.
Also of note was the Underdog beer. It looks like a pilsner, but is in reality a Lager of some kind. When you take a sip, the initial flavor is very strong, similar to that of Guinness. The twist is that there's no finish to it; after that first burst of mouth-filling hop-flavor the beer finishes with a refreshing mild crispness.
Ba will be pleased to know that I sampled several varieties of pickled herring at the beginning of the meal, and loved them all.
Here's the image of the day for Sunday.
 |
| From Sweden |
Click the photo for the entire album, or just click here.
Obviously there isn't much explanation right now. The idea is that I'll post a few pictures when able and backfill with information as I go.
---
It's currently 8am on Monday in Stockholm. The plan for today is to take the boat to Uppsala, stopping for a few hours in Sigtuna. We'll take the train back this evening.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Volvo Meatballs
Sorry to say it's still not quite time to talk about Tacoma. Funny how these things happen.
---
But who cares?! I'm leaving for Sweden tomorrow! Claire and I will reprise our roles as Sojourners to Scandinavia as we did two years ago in Iceland.
This will be my first time in mainland Europe, and as excited as I am (AND I AM), it does make me long for the lonely mountains and sky to sea horizons of Iceland.
But no matter. It's off to Chicago and then to Stockholm -- which I am told is the Venice of Scandinavia. The city is an archipelago, navigated by ferries and small boats. We'll spend most of our time exploring the city and its many islands, aside from a brief trip over to Uppsala. You know, just to be in Uppsala.
---
I won't be able to do much iPhoning (noooo!), and my WiFi is a mystery. I'll try my best to keep in touch, and am committed to sending postcards while I am there.
---
For fun, take a look at some of the distances involved with the trip. This will be the furthest I have ever been from home.
View Sweden Trip! in a larger map
---
I'm leavin' tomorrow after a half day at work. So long, for now!
---
But who cares?! I'm leaving for Sweden tomorrow! Claire and I will reprise our roles as Sojourners to Scandinavia as we did two years ago in Iceland.
This will be my first time in mainland Europe, and as excited as I am (AND I AM), it does make me long for the lonely mountains and sky to sea horizons of Iceland.
But no matter. It's off to Chicago and then to Stockholm -- which I am told is the Venice of Scandinavia. The city is an archipelago, navigated by ferries and small boats. We'll spend most of our time exploring the city and its many islands, aside from a brief trip over to Uppsala. You know, just to be in Uppsala.
---
I won't be able to do much iPhoning (noooo!), and my WiFi is a mystery. I'll try my best to keep in touch, and am committed to sending postcards while I am there.
---
For fun, take a look at some of the distances involved with the trip. This will be the furthest I have ever been from home.
View Sweden Trip! in a larger map
---
I'm leavin' tomorrow after a half day at work. So long, for now!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
HELLO, BIRTHDAY
Well, I came back from Tacoma safe and sound -- despite the best efforts of Washington state's unseasonably warm 104º weather.
But that's not important right now.
All that matters is that it is my birthday. And that is sweet.
---
(it's also Claire's birthday, but this is my blog so direct all praise towards me. Thanks!)
But that's not important right now.
All that matters is that it is my birthday. And that is sweet.
---
(it's also Claire's birthday, but this is my blog so direct all praise towards me. Thanks!)
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