Category: adventure
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Madrid Highlights: IKEA
Bryant wrapped up 3 weeks of work travel with a stay in Madrid, and I was lucky enough to join him for the weekend! We had a blast seeing the highlights in the company of my friend, Laura, who drove down from Valladolid. Her daughter is studying engineering there so we met up with her…
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Truffles, Tryffel & Trifles
Life doesn’t seem to slow down much at all, even in the dark, cool season. And in an attempt to distract myself from the bleak realities of human nature, I’ve thrown myself into new hobbies, clubs, travel and volunteer opportunities. I can’t see a way for American Democracy to recover from the effects of malicious…
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All about Autumn
Fixardag (Fix-It Day) happens 2x per year- the residents in our building gather to help do some of the communal chores such as clean the laundry room, trash room and courtyard. Ebba and Isabella (both go to Katte but in different programs) took on the job of patching. I did lots of weeding and pruning…
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Cider and a *Guinness
Carole invited me for a drive out to the orchard and renovated farm house belonging to transplants Simon and Sarah. Having heard lots about the orchard, I was eager to visit and catch up with Sarah (of Capellagården textiles fame). Karine, another French expat also made the journey from Kristianstad so we had many hands…
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Riga, pt 2 Baltic Excursion
Andrea and I traveled from Vilnius, Lithuania to Riga, Latvia by LUX bus, where we met up with Stephanie, a friend from Sweden. The LUX bus is highly recommended! It left from central Vilnius, and was exceptionally comfortable. It was so easy that I may consider this type of bus for future trips. Steph traveled…
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Nature Bathing in Bergen
L and me (Bryant) were inspired by Jen and H’s trip to Bergen to visit friends. It looked beautiful, and very hike-able, so I booked a little trip to spend some quality time in the mountains with my kid. Bergen from Copenhagen is a short hour+ flight, where we rented a car and drove to…
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Lithuanian Song Celebration: Vilnius
My friend and former Oliver Avenue neighbor, Kristina, has always been active with Lithuanian American groups (Chicago and Minneapolis, I think) as a way to maintain a connection with her family’s culture. She teaches Lithuanian school and dances with a folk dance group which travels to various Lithuanian festivals. This year, the 100th anniversary of…
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From linseed to linen
Capellagården, a folk crafts/ art school on the island of Öland, arranged with Sarah from The Tour Studio for a special course to be taught in English. I know Sarah through the International Citizens Hub and so had the opportunity for a spot in her linen workshop. The other participants all came from the US,…
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48 hrs in Budapest
We arrived in Budapest with just enough time to find our rented apartment across from the National Museum, get a traditional Hungarian meal and enjoy the walk through the city to the boat tour, booked in advance by my savvy friend, Andrea. The tour gave us a relaxing way to see both cities: “On the…
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Merry Month of May
Valborg and the First of May celebrations brought a distinct sense of Spring along with longer, warmer days. Our International Choir joined Gösta the director’s other, Swedish choir in Trelleborg to sing at the town’s Valborg bonfire ceremony at the Viking museum. It started with the “kulning” an ancient Swedish herding call by 3 women…