A big part of our impetus to travel
to Sweden was to visit friends we had made in both Kuala
Lumpur and at the Beach Village in Thailand, and to get a
taste of what life was like in their home country. We spent the
majority of our time with Lotta Hellman and Bo Matsson
(neighbors at the Beach Village), first in Stockholm and then
in Öland, and had the chance to visit Morag and Martin Sjolin
(both of us worked at ISKL with Morag) at
the end of our trip. The photo to the left show Bo and Lotta
when they visited us in Kuala Lumpur, while the photo to the
right is of Morag, Martin, and daughter Melissa when we
visited them Stockholm.
The first portion of our Sweden visit was
with Bo, Lotta, and Lotta's younger son, Elias, in their
house in Kungsholmen,
central Stockholm. It was a beautiful airy apartment,
impeccably decorated, and just a short bike ride from many of
the city's attractions. While visiting there we toured the
island on foot, and biked to Gamla Stan, and took in some
local theater in the park! Nights were spent savouring
delicious Swedish cuisine, and adjusting to the nearly
constant daylight. We also got to meet Lotta's older son, his
wife, and young son when they came over for Sunday night
dinner. Lotta took us to her favorite shops and, when Lotta
and Bo left for Öland, we got to sample living in Stockholm on
our own for a few days. Tracy also fixed a dinner for Elias and
Petra Brask's son Erik. Petra is a good friend of
Lotta's whom we met when their family stayed at Lotta's and
Bo's unit at the Beach Village. Elias and Erik are shown in
the photo to the lower left.
After
our introduction to Stockholm, we took the bus south to Öland, where Bo and
Lotta have a summer house. We learned from our various Swedish
friends at the Beach Village that many Swedes have houses on
this southern island and spend a good deal of their summer
holiday there. We were honored to be invited to share this
slice of Swedish life, and our hosts really rolled out the red
carpet. The photo to the left shows an aerial view of the
property, while the panorama below offers a more complete
view, identifying the buildings.
Our first night there was memorable,
as our hosts prepared a sumptuous dinner of grilled lamb and
vegetables, served on their outdoor patio. With Bo as the
grill master we were treated to the best lamb we have ever
tasted, complemented with fresh vegetables and a hardy red
wine. Prior to the repast, we had drinks and nibbles by the
barn in the bright Swedish summer light. (photo to the left)
The dinner consisted of not only the fresh lamb chops, but
also two varieties of salad, grilled aubergene, potatoes, and
peppers. The photo to the right shows Bo hard at work expertly
grilling the lamb and veggies. The meal is shown in the
photo at the bottom left, while a closeup of our meal plate
may be seen in the photo at the bottom right. It was clearly a
meal to remember.
After
the meal we headed to the coast. Tracy wanted Bo to take some
photos of us, as she was impressed by the quality of photos
that he posts on his Facebook page. So, after sipping
champagne and snacking on chocolate, Bo treated us to a
masterclass in photography, even making Dale look good! The
photo to the left shows some of Bo's handiwork. Other
highlights of our stay are captured on our Öland
page. In addition to visiting with Bo and Lotta, Gören and
Agneta Sternberg (also friends from the Beach Village) dropped
by to say hello. They have a house on the northern part of the
island.
Upon
our return to Stockholm, we met up with Morag, who hosted us
for our last few days in Sweden. Meeting us at Stockholm
Central Station, we took a train to her house in the suburbs,
where we reconnected with husband Martin and daughter Melissa,
who was packing for a holiday in Scotland. We had several
lovely dinners on their patio, and Morag took us to
Djurgården to visit the Vasa
Museum and lunch along the river. On the way home
we stopped at a wonderful market in central Stockholm to get
the goodies for a last sunwashed dinner on the patio. The
photo to the left shows us with Martin and Morag in their
kitchen, while the photo to the right shows the market. We
said goodbye the next morning with Morag heading to Scotland
and her parents and we began our journey home, flying to
Helsinki. We thank our friends for
their wonderful Swedish hospitality--you made the trip truly
memorable.
A big part of our impetus to travel
to Sweden was to visit friends we had made in both Kuala
Lumpur and at the Beach Village in Thailand, and to get a
taste of what life was like in their home country. We spent the
majority of our time with Lotta Hellman and Bo Matsson
(neighbors at the Beach Village), first in Stockholm and then
in Öland, and had the chance to visit Morag and Martin Sjolin
(both of us worked at ISKL with Morag) at
the end of our trip. The photo to the left show Bo and Lotta
when they visited us in Kuala Lumpur, while the photo to the
right is of Morag, Martin, and daughter Melissa when we
visited them Stockholm.
The first portion of our Sweden visit was
with Bo, Lotta, and Lotta's younger son, Elias, in their
house in Kungsholmen,
central Stockholm. It was a beautiful airy apartment,
impeccably decorated, and just a short bike ride from many of
the city's attractions. While visiting there we toured the
island on foot, and biked to Gamla Stan, and took in some
local theater in the park! Nights were spent savouring
delicious Swedish cuisine, and adjusting to the nearly
constant daylight. We also got to meet Lotta's older son, his
wife, and young son when they came over for Sunday night
dinner. Lotta took us to her favorite shops and, when Lotta
and Bo left for Öland, we got to sample living in Stockholm on
our own for a few days. Tracy also fixed a dinner for Elias and
Petra Brask's son Erik. Petra is a good friend of
Lotta's whom we met when their family stayed at Lotta's and
Bo's unit at the Beach Village. Elias and Erik are shown in
the photo to the lower left.
After
our introduction to Stockholm, we took the bus south to Öland, where Bo and
Lotta have a summer house. We learned from our various Swedish
friends at the Beach Village that many Swedes have houses on
this southern island and spend a good deal of their summer
holiday there. We were honored to be invited to share this
slice of Swedish life, and our hosts really rolled out the red
carpet. The photo to the left shows an aerial view of the
property, while the panorama below offers a more complete
view, identifying the buildings.
Our first night there was memorable,
as our hosts prepared a sumptuous dinner of grilled lamb and
vegetables, served on their outdoor patio. With Bo as the
grill master we were treated to the best lamb we have ever
tasted, complemented with fresh vegetables and a hardy red
wine. Prior to the repast, we had drinks and nibbles by the
barn in the bright Swedish summer light. (photo to the left)
The dinner consisted of not only the fresh lamb chops, but
also two varieties of salad, grilled aubergene, potatoes, and
peppers. The photo to the right shows Bo hard at work expertly
grilling the lamb and veggies. The meal is shown in the
photo at the bottom left, while a closeup of our meal plate
may be seen in the photo at the bottom right. It was clearly a
meal to remember.
After
the meal we headed to the coast. Tracy wanted Bo to take some
photos of us, as she was impressed by the quality of photos
that he posts on his Facebook page. So, after sipping
champagne and snacking on chocolate, Bo treated us to a
masterclass in photography, even making Dale look good! The
photo to the left shows some of Bo's handiwork. Other
highlights of our stay are captured on our Öland
page. In addition to visiting with Bo and Lotta, Gören and
Agneta Sternberg (also friends from the Beach Village) dropped
by to say hello. They have a house on the northern part of the
island.
Upon
our return to Stockholm, we met up with Morag, who hosted us
for our last few days in Sweden. Meeting us at Stockholm
Central Station, we took a train to her house in the suburbs,
where we reconnected with husband Martin and daughter Melissa,
who was packing for a holiday in Scotland. We had several
lovely dinners on their patio, and Morag took us to
Djurgården to visit the 