SATURDAY, MAY 1
The fun begins on the morning of Aunt B’s arrival. I was in Uppsala the night before, and needed to get to the airport bright and early. Before leaving for Uppsala, I talked about the trip with my friend Elias at the grocery store (the one who works at Arlanda airport)…only to realize that he was going to be in Uppsala for Valborg, and needed to get to the airport on Saturday morning to work! So, because of the biggest coincidence ever, I got a ride to the airport from the firemen that were driving down from Uppsala (only a 30 minute drive). Since we left at 6am, I didn’t have time to shower, so I showered at the firestation, had some coffee, and then got a ride to the terminal in an emergency vehicle from the chief. Now that is the proper way to begin a vacation!
I got to the terminal at about 7:45am, just as Aunt B’s flight was landing. I waited anxiously for about 45 minutes. There were 3 international flights getting in at the same time, so I knew that customs had to take awhile, but I was still worried that something had gone wrong! When Aunt B walked through the arrival gate, a huge wave of emotion came over me. I couldn’t believe she was finally here! And, I couldn’t stop crying! (I think that if you are ever depressed, you should just go to the arrival gate at an airport…there were so many heart warming greetings occurring while I was waiting. It really made me smile!)
first picture after the emotional greeting!
Since we arrived at the hotel so early, our room wasn’t ready. The people working there were so nice, but said that we probably couldn’t get into our room until 2pm. Even though Aunt B had just traveled across the ocean, she was a trooper and we walked around the city for the rest of the morning. We also had lunch at one of my favorite cafés in Gamla Stan. I had fun showing her the city, and catching up.
At the Palace!
On the bridge that connected our island (where the hotel was located) to the main island of Stockholm
When we went back to the hotel, we discovered that our room was awesome! We stayed at the Hotel Skeppsholmen, which is a “design” hotel. It was really modern and fancy! Plus, the bed was huge, and calling our name. We decided that a nap was much needed for both of us!
Our bathroom was so cool! Check out the sink!
Best shower ever!
We woke up in time to get cleaned up (we took our time since the bathroom was so cool!), grab a quick bit to eat, and meet Anne, Emma, Tove, and Andres at the Opera House to see the Royal Ballet. They were doing Ravel’s Bolero and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with the live Royal Orchestra, and Stravinsky’s Les Noces to a recording. I was so excited! Plus, it was great that Aunt B got to meet Anders family (even though he is in Australia!)
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Aunt B, Andres, Tove, Anne, Me, and Emma
The Opera House was beautiful!
The ballet was incredible! I was inspired by the musicians, and taken by the dancers. The choreography was very contemporary and hypnotizing. Aunt B really enjoyed the experience, especially the fika breaks in between each piece!
SUNDAY, MAY 2
The first event on the agenda for the day was to meet Anne at Stor Kyrka (the large church) in Gamla Stan. It had just been renovated for the princess’ upcoming nuptials, and this was the reopening service. The church was beautiful, and although most of the service was in Swedish, it was still a really great experience. The choir was beautiful, and Karl (whom I met in Frankfurt, the principal percussionists for the Radio Symphony Orchestra) played percussion.
After the service, we met up with Arvid! I was so excited for Aunt B to meet him! As soon as we all met up, there were a myriad of photos taken…
Arvid and Aunt B
Me and Arvid
Aunt B and Me
Smallest street in Stockholm
Since the afternoon was approaching, we all parted ways. Karl and Anne walked us down to the docks where they showed us the water taxi. Since the weather was so incredible, we took a boat over to Skansen (an island with a lot of tourist attractions). We spent the afternoon walking around Skansen. It is an outdoor museum/zoo showcasing Swedish culture and wildlife. We had absolutely the best time!!!
On the water taxi!
A moose!
A super cute brown bear...that posed for me!
I was not thrilled to stand so close to the stray peacock!
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amazing view of the city from Skansen
watching some traditional Swedish dances
We were a good team!
Beautiful trees blooming on our walk to dinner
We leisurely walked through town to find our way home, it was a perfect night!
We stopped at an open bar/café for a late night coffee/nightcap!
I didn't want the day to end!
MONDAY, MAY 3
Aunt B and I spent the morning and afternoon gallivanting around the central, more modern, part of Stockholm. We did a little shopping, and wondered in and out of the stores. As I said before, the princess is getting married next month, so there are plates, postcards, and other random objects with her engagement pictures plastered on them. It’s crazy! We were so tempted to purchase a whole set of dishes…but willfully stopped ourselves! Haha!
Saying goodbye to Stockholm! Outside of the parliment building
I loved our hotel! I didn't want to leave!
At 4pm a taxi picked us up from the hotel to take us to the port where our cruise was leaving. When we got in the car the driver started to talk to us. I told him that I lived in Piteå, and he goes “so, you must have a Swedish boyfriend, then?” Aunt B and I started to crack up! Oh, geez…
When we arrived on the ship, a new adventure began. One consisting of a small cabin, greasy buffet food, bad music, and a lot of drunken dancing!
Our cabin for two days! yes...we shared that bed!
Cruisin'! gorgeous sunset!
The cruise docked in Tallinn, Estonia at 10am. After a filling breakfast we headed out to try and explore the city. BUT…it was RAINING/SLEETING and soooooo COLD! What a bummer! We saw a hop-on/hop-off tour bus parked outside the terminal, so we ran to it and asked how much it cost. We didn’t have enough Estonian Kroner, so we went back to the terminal to exchange more.
A big joke throughout the entire trip was Aunt B’s obsession with the currency exchange rates (not to mention how funny it was to watch her try and remember which pocket in her purse each type of money was stowed!) She even made a chart breaking down Dollars, Euros, Swedish Kronor, and Estonia Kronor. It was incredible! Her knowledge and patience with the exchange rates really paid off at this moment, because when she tried to exchange $20, this particular counter gave us HALF of the amount that they did when we were on the boat! Talk about a rip off! We got back the money, and went to another counter to exchange the it again. This time we made sure that they didn’t charge a ridiculously high commission!
Once we worked out the money situation, we ran back out to the bus. There were only two other people there, and the bus driver insisted we sit on the top level to get the best experience. I still don’t know why we listened to him, because it was freezing!!! We sat through the whole tour (about 50 minutes) with our headphones on listening to the commentary. We had had enough, and asked the bus driver to drop us off at a department store to warm up. I was hoping to do some fun shopping while in Estonia, but everything was imported from America! We walked around for awhile (mostly indoors) before asking a man at the mall’s information desk to suggest a place to go for lunch. He pointed us in the direction of some cafés, and told us which bus to take to get back to the ship. We found an amazing Cuban restaurant to eat at…which ended up being the highlight of our Estonian experience! We never made it to the “old town”, which is the most touristy and charming place, because the weather was so bad.
trying not to be miserable!
We spent the rest of the afternoon on the ship…drinking our bottle of wine in the room, shopping at the tax free stores, eating, and watching drunk Eastern Europeans dance the night away.
Our bottle of wine with plastic cups...so classy!
Te boat arrived in Stockholm at 10am, and we immediately took a cab to the airport to head up to Piteå. We had some time to kill at Arlanda, so I walked Aunt B through the steps she will take when traveling through on Friday. It was fun to share what I have learned with someone, and it felt good to feel so comfortable there.
When we landed in Luleå, I was just so excited to show Aunt B my “home”. She was immediately struck by the landscape and loved the huge trees. It was too bad that there is still so much snow on the ground, it doesn’t feel like spring! The taxi ride into Piteå was fun, and our driver was really nice. Instead of dropping us off at the bus stop, like he was supposed to, he actually drove us right up to my door! I was happy that Aunt B was able to experience some northern Sweden kindness!
Next, I took Aunt B to the grocery store so we could make some PitePalt for dinner. We had a nice walk to the little ICA close by, and I prepared a proper dinner for us when we got home. The rest of the evening was spent watching a movie, Skyping with Aunt Mary, and watching American Idol. We were both tired, and in need of a good night’s sleep!
Aunt B loved Palt!
Piteå Day! I had such a good time showing Aunt B around the town. After a late breakfast, we walked into town. On the way, a young girl stopped us on the sidewalk. She heard us speaking English, and had to stop us because she is from the Caribbean! She moved here two years ago because her father is Swedish. It was fun to meet someonen new, and share stories. Small world!
Our first stop in town was System Bologet...which is the liquor store. :-) It’s the only place you can buy alcohol and we just had to get some wine! I showed her some of my favorite stores, and we had some fun window shopping. Aunt B treated me to a few house hold items that I needed, and I got her a hand made mug that says “Piteå” so she can remember her time here.
Walking around my town!
In my practice room
When we were finished seeing the school and meeting some friends (it didn’t take long!), I wanted to take her to the Redcross and Dollar Store. It was just starting to rain, so we stopped at the Kåren to have some tea and a snack. By the time we were finished, the skies were as clear as can be! We had a nice walk down to the stores, looked around, and headed home.
For dinner I made a taco pie with the minced moose meat that Arvid gave me (no, I’m not joking!). The dinner was a success! Anna came over to enjoy it with us, followed by Margret and Gisli who helped us make some chocolate balls! It was so surreal having Aunt B meet so many of my friends, and experience what my life is like here. I was so happy!
Aunt B was impressed with my domestic skills!
What a lovely night!
FRIDAY, MAY 7
Aunt B and I woke up at 5:30am so she could catch her taxi to the airport at 6am. The morning went really smoothly...I had gotten so accustomed to the two of us always being together. When I walked her to the bus stop, the taxi got there at the same time. We really didn’t have a chance at a long goodbye, and all of a sudden I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t believe that the week had gone by so quickly, and she was leaving! I didn’t expect to get so emotional, but I was a wreck all day. Even though I am happy with my life, I miss my family so much, and Aunt B reminded me how important she and the rest of my family are to me. I broke out in tears periodically through the day, and when I talked to Arvid that night it was almost comical…I couldn’t control myself!
I can’t truly express how grateful I am that Aunt B came to visit. I couldn’t have imagined a better week…even with the awful weather in Tallinn. I can’t wait to look back on this adventure with her in 10 years! And…I can’t wait to plan the next one!
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