Three month update. And snow?

It has been a full 3 months since my last post on this blog, meaning THREE months since we moved back to the US from Stockholm. So much has changed! And is changing!

But before any real update, happy halloween. We spent our Halloween Saturday night (when most people shoulda been dressed up and drunk) watching movies under piles of quilts, since the heat in our new building hasn't turned on yet. And we had a frickin' BLIZZARD on the East Coast in October, making it way too cold to do anything but make things in the oven and then leave it on and open for extended stretches. We checked: it was 15c degrees in Stockholm; 6c in Washington D.C.

Anyway, Stu & I spent the first nearly two months of our return in Virginia, living with family, catching up with friends, applying to jobs, eating awesome and cheap American food, and watching a whole lotta crappy morning news shows (pathetic, I know, but I didn't realize how much I missed the Today show and Good Morning America.)  There was nasty DC August heat, a hurricane or two, an earthquake, a tornado, and now, a snow storm in October.

We moved back in my 7th month of pregnancy, so the slow pace of transition was a really, really good one for me. Finally got our shipment of stuff from Sweden almost a month later than planned, but all intact and with few major problems. But by late September, we still didn't want to *unpack* our Sweden boxes without knowing where at least one job would be. We'd both had a few job interviews but no real bites, and my belly kept getting bigger, which made life a little more stressful since we didn't quite feel settled yet and the range of possible scenarios when Baby arrived was sooooooo wide. Oh, and diapers are expensive.

But within literally 12 hours of each other, Stu and I both got AWESOME job offers in DC, which we both accepted embarrassingly quickly ("Really? You want to employ me? Ohmygodyesyesyes!" It was seriously like a marriage proposal for me. At 8 months pregnant, a shotgun wedding?) Within a week, we bought a car and rented and moved up to an apartment in Arlington, and basically did a complete 180 from the "back-up" plans we had put in place.

Dressed up and gigantic!

Stu has been at his new job at a big consulting firm here in DC for the last few weeks, and so far likes it a lot. I am incredibly excited to start my new position as an art reference librarian with the Smithsonian (the job I have been working towards for years now.)  However, I don't know *when* that start date will be, since I have been sitting around waiting for my federal background check to process for the last month, and I have exactly 3 weeks until my due date. Best case scenario: I start November 7, work for 2 weeks, then pop out a healthy baby boy in a quick and pain-free delivery, just in time for Thanksgiving. Buuuut, I am full-term and could literally go into labor at any time, and the government is frickin' slow. So I won't be surprised if I have this baby the day I get told I can start work, then immediately take maternity leave until late January (and the quick & pain-free delivery was probably never in the cards.)

So here we are, in our last few weeks (or days?!?) of being a family of two, still figuring out the day-to-day grind. I had to find a new doctor near our new place, which is really tough when you are on Medicaid and 34 weeks pregnant and in the DC area. And the doctor aside, finding day care in this area is damn near impossible: 10-12 month waiting lists for centers that charge $1900/month tuition for an infant. Almost a year? "Tuition" for a 3-month old?! $1900?!?  Needless to say, we were completely ruined by the prospect of Sweden's system of health and child care.

The nursery in process.

And we miss a lot of aspects of our life in Stockholm, the city, our friends there, our awesome apartment. It isn't completely gone, though. I will probably never wear shoes in my house again. We still speak in Swenglish to each other, though I'd say the most oft used phrase is "Vad fan gör du?" by Stu to me, and rightly so, since pregnant women do a lot of strange things ;). We made kardemummakaka last night in an attempt to warm up our frigid apartment. We've gone to an event or two at the House of Sweden. And I have spent more money than I would like to admit at Ikea recently.

But we definitely think, especially with a little clarity from these last 3 months, that moving back to the US was the absolute best possible choice for us. And also that our time in Stockholm was so, so, so worth it. The travels and the experiences, and even the education (though I complained a whole lot about mine!), were life-changing, and I can honestly say we are in a better place in our lives than we would have been without those two years in Sweden.

So that is a little of what we have been up to since leaving Sverige. Aside from a picture or two to announce our new little Swedish meatball when he comes, I probably won't post much more here, and would rather keep it as a kind of time capsule of our lagom life in Stockholm. 

Home, not home

We're back from our big ol' contesting, mediterranean Europe touring, wedding crashing, babymoonin' vacation through France and Italy. We had a late flight out of Rome, and after a dirty, sticky hot day of dragging our butts around that too-busy city, waiting for the time to head to the airport (seriously, the last 6 hours felt like we were on Survivor), we were SO happy to be HOME. In Stockholm. To our impossibly comfortable bed, our awesome little apartment, and absolutely perfect Swedish summer weather.

But its only 'home' for a few more weeks! Then 'home' is back to the DC area, where we will be living with my mom until we figure out the next step (i.e. where jobs take us).  Which is great...I love DC. And going 'home' to mamma's (meaning: the suburbs) still means we have a ton of friends really close by. But it is weird. I am going to miss my Swedish bed, and having our own lovely little place, and 74 degree sunny days, especially when its generally 94 in Virginia. And I'm going to miss a whole lot more, too many people, places, things, and ideas to list. Not so many people get to say they just picked up and popped over to live in Europe for a few years, and I feel so lucky that we got the chance and the experience. And had a great time doing it!

Moving!

It is decided. We fly back one-way to DC on July 26, moving back to the States officially!

I hadn't bothered to apply to a single job in Stockholm this year, so I wasn't expecting amazing job offers on my end. Stu had some great leads on jobs here, but none materialized as solid offers by our self-imposed deadline. So, with our residence visas expiring June 30th, a whole 2 weeks after Stu graduates, we figured, why drag it out? Holy crap, June 30th is in 28 days! Thankfully, we could apply for short-term extensions to finish the move (and keep health insurance!)

We have a super summer vacay planned, with a week in France (including 5 days in Paris, which are fully paid by  major int'l company Stu is competing for!) then a week in Italy, with spending time with lots of friends in between. Then a few last weeks of decadent Swedish summer before the big move.

This weekend, we've got friends visiting, but starting next week, we start packing! I've already posted a ton of stuff for sale on Blocket (anybody in Stockholm looking for a pull-out couch? Some great Ikea chairs? Lamps? Coffee pot? Other random household goods? Here's a link to pictures of some of the stuff: https://picasaweb.google.com/lagom.sverige/Collages?authkey=Gv1sRgCPz1p8bS2vSvWw&feat=directlink#)

Uggg, another overseas move!  We got so lucky coming over--it was cheap, the company was good, everything turned up on time and intact. But of course, that shipper is out of business and I don't expect it to be nearly so cheap on the way back. And to boot, I'm preggers, and we don't have jobs, and DC is hot & miserable in the summer. I hate moving.

But I am still so, so, so excited to move back. I've been pulling for this for months now. We have had such a great two years in Sweden, but it just feels like it is time.

But what will happen to the blog? 

March 17th

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Again, I was the only one on the subway, as well as the only one in class, wearing any green whatsoever. It makes me feel *so* American (oddly, not Irish!) But any American kid has it banged into their brain that you must wear green on March 17th, or face the consequences...you will get pinched. And kids pinch hard! They are going for black & blue to shame you for your lack of green. I guess it has stuck with me, because both Stu and I left the house with plenty of green on this morning.

This year, we are skipping out on Irish pubs. We learned our lesson last year. Instead of going to a bar, though, we are going to barTEND. We are helping out a friend at an art opening event sponsored by Absolut Vodka this evening, so Stu and I will be slinging Cape Cods instead of swigging guinness. If you happen to be in Hammarby Sjöstad, stop by! But be sure to wear green, because I am American. And I will pinch.

My favorite Egypt purchase

I thought I'd show off the most interesting thing that found its way back to Stockholm in our bag. I bought next-to-nothing, despite how cheap it all was. And hey, it has directions in Arabic and Farsi, and was less than half the price of a box in Sweden. I also have a bday coming up, so I thought I'd make Stu's life easier!

More soon. In fact, I'd say get ready for an onslaught of Egypt...we took 1000 pictures and Stu kept a journal. But now, laundry...so much sand in everything!

turkey day

I'm supposed to be studying Swedish right now, but instead, I'm writing a blog post about how I am supposed to be studying Swedish. Useful, huh? (We are watching Ondskan, though, which I had to read for Swedish class, so that should count for something.)

I'm really just using this blog post to complain. We are both kinda bummed about Thanksgiving this year.

The holiday is tomorrow, but since we live in a country unfamiliar with pilgrims, indians, overeating and football played with helmets & pigskins, we don't get the day off.  We aren't going home to family in the States. Our friends in Stockholm are having a big ol' American-style Thanksgiving at 3. Our friends from back home are having a big ol' Thanksgiving get-together in Amsterdam this weekend. And we are missing out on all of it! I have to work at Moderna Museet from 9-5, and then run to the university to take a Swedish exam, from 6-9. Stu has his project taking up a full-time schedule now, too. So no turkey for us on Turkey Day this year.

I know I shouldn't complain too much...we had a really lovely Thanksgiving last year, somehow fitting 14 people in our small apartment *and* finding a giant turkey (no small feat here.) But  because we won't even really be celebrating Christmas this year, either (yes, I did just squeeze in another reference to our upcoming Egypt trip) we do wish we had gotten to plan a traditional Thanksgiving.

Anyway, Glad Tacksägelsedagen to everyone! Hope it's safe and happy!

Peanut butter

There are a ton of things we miss from the US. Mostly food and people. You can get American stuff here, but it's often overpriced. I've seen oreos and Dr. Pepper, both which shocked me with how much they were charging. But the case is a little different with peanut butter here. You can get it. It's just not the same. It tastes wrong or is a strange consistency. And our friends in the US who have come to visit (or sent us care packages) have been awesomely supplying us with a steady stream of good ol' American brand peanut butter. 

And now, surprisingly, I think we're good.

We were brought two new giant containers of chunky peanut butter last week, so when I took stock by pulling out what I was hiding from myself at the back of the cabinet, I realized we had two other large unopened jars. So we have four giant jars of peanut butter...I know its a bit premature, but I think we have enough peanut butter to survive the next year. 

Surprisingly, everyone brings JIF. No other brands.

To be honest, I think it's the desk job saying I don't need any more peanut butter. Only 3 weeks into being office-bound for not even 30 hours a week and my clothes are already feeling a little tighter. Or maybe it's winter insulation, a little early? It does get cold in Stockholm! Either way, as of today, I've decided A) less peanut butter and godis and B) I must walk as often as possible to Moderna this fall. The latter is just under 30 minutes, and I get free entertainment, like the live opera wafting through Kungsträdgården this afternoon. The former might be more difficult..."less" godis will be tough to measure, and really, really, really hard to stick to. 

Stockholm for 5 days

We got back from nearly 3 weeks on the east coast Wednesday night. I'm not even sure what to blog about! It was a great trip, despite that it was a bit chaotic (why did we even try to make a schedule...almost nothing went as planned!), it was a bit short (shoulda done a month, you know?) and it was HOT in DC (try 102 more than one day we were there!) 

Some of the highlights were my little sister graduating:

(Go Elena!)

Our friends Nancy & Andrew tying the knot:

(the wedding party, with Stu on the far left)

And one of my best friends Melissa having her first baby, little William Joseph Chalkias, born 25 June 2010!

(here with exhausted-looking papa, Mike)

We met baby Laura for the first time:

(with great friend [her mama] Cait, at the SI Folklife festival)

We even managed to see Stu's dad a few times, when he was able to get truckloads in our direction:

(Stu with his dad and Gabby at the NGA sculpture garden)

And we got to hang out with quite a few friends. Not nearly as many as we would have liked, nor for as long as we would have wanted, but considering the packed 2.5 weeks we were home, we did alright.

I should have taken more pictures, for sure. Oh well. So we are back just long enough to get over the jetlag before we leave for a week in Scotland and a week in Germany. I'll be attending an art librarians conference in Edinburgh, so there will be a little bit a work going on, but other than that, it'll be just vacation. And with Stu's mama and cousin Judi! 

Speaking of jetlag...its been tough to get out of the house, since I want to take a nap every other other. We have definitely missed some of the best time to be in Sweden. But our friends Sam & Sean will be here in an hour to stay the weekend with us, so we'll get some prime Stockholm time showing them around the city. So off to enjoy some BEAUTIFUL Stockholm weather.

Update from the states

We made it in one piece, despite British Airlines pilot strikes (and SAS pilot strikes that induced heartattacks when we got to Arlanda at 6 for a flight at 7am, thinking the crowds were in the line for security!) My mother's internet connection is slower than molasses and our old US cell phones are dead and we can't get anyone's numbers out of 'em, so we feel a little out of touch. Was it so unreasonable to think that after a year being turned off, they'd work here (I guess it was, and I should have thought to bring our chargers!) Thank god for Facebook.

Its in the mid-90s here, so we are taking advantage of air conditioning. And restaurants. Hooray for steak and decent Mexican! And I have had more margaritas since getting here last week than the entire prior year in Sweden! That is vacation.

My little sister successfully graduated. Stu is in a wedding Saturday, and my best friend will be induced this weekend to have her first baby. There probably won't be many more blogposts while we are in the States, but we'll wrap up with a few pictures later.

Go dollar!

Since moving to Sweden, I have learned that my moods are often dependent on two things: the amount of sunlight and the current exchange rate. It has been a surprising self-discovery! Thankfully, it's June, so sunlight is no problem (there is almost too much of it!) 

And thanks to Greece and the other PIGS (oh, and Hungary) the US dollar is doing gangbusters! I personally think that it has nothing to do with the health of the US economy, and is really just a result of the EU economy's current illness. But regardless, it has been about 8 kronor to 1 dollar, compared to a low of about 6.8:- in the fall. This tiny change effectively lowers our rent by nearly $200 each month. Seriously. It's like free money. Or it just helps us not spend so much of our savings. Whatever you want to call it.  

It also makes traveling cheaper for us, since we have plans to go to Edinburgh soon, and Germany and Paris later in the summer. The Euro is about $1.19 right now! 

Of course, we head back to the States next week (NEXT WEEK!) for vacation, and there, I don't have to think about exchange rates at all.

Graduation time

That, my friends, is a dump truck full of graduates. Obviously, high school graduates (because who over 19 would be caught dead intentionally riding in the back of a dump truck?)

It's the end of the school year in Stockholm! And it is both LOUD and smelly in the city! Loud because there seem to be dozens of these giant trucks packed with half-dressed teenagers blasting loud dance music and honking every 10 meters, while driving loops through downtown. Smelly because they infuse the air with the scent of old beer and damp sweat as they drive by. The kids in the back are screaming while soaking each other with beer and champagne (which is such a tragic waste...I know I have talked about how expensive alcohol is in this country!)  For my high school graduation, my mom had a family party at my morfar's house, catered by the local BJs. Clearly, I was nowhere near as cool as Stockholm teenagers.

Why yes, that IS a tractor full of drunk kids! I couldn't help but take pictures...and yes, the one below says, in English, "Honk if you're Horny."

But the school year is winding down for Stu & I, as well. I have one class left next week, and a thesis proposal due, and one last day as an intern at Fotografiska. Stu has been doing Tango sessions at school (which has inspired him to micromanage every little decision, including the most efficient way to make egg sandwiches, which was entertaining) and has a jam-packed last week of school, in addition to running a 5K race. 

And then we'll be back in the States for nearly 3 weeks! Not long enough, if you ask me. But man, am I happy this first year is over. Next year, when we graduate, it may not have the same feeling of relief with having to find jobs and figure out which country we will live in. So I guess I should try to enjoy the end of this year like it was my last.   

Memorial Day!

It ain't no a holiday here, so I have to work. But enjoy the day off and have a burger for us!

Priorities

I have been working tons of hours at Fotografiska to help the curator with the final touches for opening last week. We've had social engagements to keep. I have to start thinking about buying gifts for friends and family and wedding presents and new baby presents to bring back when we go to the US in just a few weeks.  I have two rather important papers due next week and the week after to finish up this school year. I have a final exam in my Swedish class at the University next Wednesday, and because of that, we had an extra class this week to prepare. The point of that paragraph is just to illustrate that its been a bit busy. I am not sure how I have managed my calendar with all the little details.

Tonight, I have Swedish class from 6-9pm. I even went all the way to school for it (though I thought that extra class was at 4:30, so of course I just went home rather than wait an hour and a half doing, I don't know, homework!?!) And I'm not going back. Why? Because I have important priorities...last night was the big Lost series finale on US television, which means tonight is our turn.

2.5 hours+ of finally getting some answers. I say finally, but I am a bit of a sham. I didn't follow the show its whole 6 or 7 years...we just picked it up a month or two ago and watched all 6 seasons in succession. But regardless, that show gets under your skin! We pay our $5 a month for a VPN so we can stream Lost (and all the other worthless yet delicious American tv shows that makes us feel not-so-far-away.) Don't worry, I won't rehash on the blog after watching.

things we saw in Stockholm

It is nearly 10pm, but it's still light out. It is so nice in Stockholm, we've had our french doors open for the last 2 full days.

Blue skies, and no Ejayafjällasumthinoranother debris in sight.  Stu has a business trip in Göteborg (aka Gothenburg, or Yoda Boring) and is thinking about taking the train both ways to avoid the volcanic spew. And yes, my husband now has business trips...he has managed to score several sweet short-term contract jobs at businesses here in Stockholm and in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, their terms all overlap and we still have 3 weeks of school, so he happens to be the most stressed man I know right now, but regardless I am proud of him. Bringin' home the bacon.

We got to spend some super days with our super friends Emre and Patti this weekend, too. They managed to get back to Utrecht yesterday after more than 9 hours of traveling, thanks to the ever-present ash cloud of doom. They probably could have DRIVEN to Utrecht in that amount of time, but whatever.

• We did Gamla Stan, we went to some museums (the Medieval Stockholm museum and the Wine & Spirits museum, both highly recommended.) 
• We caught a crazy burlesque show...no little people this time, but there were a whole lotta attention-hogging people in the audience. And as many naked people in the crowd as on stage.  
• We sat outside at a bar on Medborgarplatsen on Saturday when it was so gorgeous, and I just read Alexander Skarsgård and his new gf Kate Bosworth were sitting in the exact same spot enjoying the sun yesterday. I'da loved that celebrity sighting...
• We had a few friends over for dinner and drinks super late into the night. 
• We took a boat out to a close island on the archipelago and ate ice cream and laughed at Stu getting harassed by large, angry birds. He does not like birds, of any size or disposition, within a few feet of his space. 
• We saw a few movies and hung out and generally enjoyed each other's company.

And it all generally made me more excited to head back to DC in a few weeks, to see everyone else we miss.

One year! One month!

Amazingly, it has been one whole year since we started this blog.  And more amazingly, at least to me, we are almost 10 months in to our planned stay in Sweden. Crazy what has changed and happened!

We are also exactly one month from heading to the US for a few weeks, to celebrate weddings and graduations and babies and seeing friends & fam. I am so looking forward to the trip. And call me shallow, but one of the first trips I am making is to Target when we get home. I miss Target and Whole Foods more than you know.

We are planning on traveling most of this summer since we assume it will be our last before re-entering adulthood, with real jobs and maybe babies. After our short east coast stint, we have plans in July to be in Edinburgh and London for about two weeks, and to spend a few weeks all over Germany with Stu's mama. August we have plans for Paris, and maybe Turkey with Emre & Patti between August and September. And anywhere else we can squeeze in some time. Any suggestions?

One year of blogging! And one month til we are back in DC! Woohoo!

Brad Pitts comin' to Stockholm

Even though the Swedish version was released in U.S. theaters and did surprisingly well for a foreign film, Hollywood is planning to remake at least part of the Millennium trilogy. Starting with "Män som hatar kvinnor," which literally means "Men who Hate Women," but the English version is actually "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Confusing. Anyway, the books did amazing internationally, and maybe even better due to the drama surrounding the death and estate woes of the author Stieg Larsson, and the three movies have done really well in Sweden. So of course Hollywood has to capitalize.

And they are starting off on the right foot with getting David Fincher directing, and probably Brad Pitt starring in this movie (though George Clooney has been rumored as well.)

Brad Pitt in Las Vegas by Annie Leibovitz, 1994 (yes, this'll be in the inaugural show at Fotografiska!)

The stories are set in Stockholm (I hear you can even take a "Millennium" tour of the city that visits all of the places he writes about in the book, kind of like Sex & the City tours of NYC.) That means Brad Pitt -or George Clooney- will be shooting in Stockholm starting in the fall.

Living in DC, there were always movie sets to be stepped over on your way to work. I still haven't seen the Russell Crowe movie State of Play that was shot in Mt. Pleasant, or the second National Treasure that was shot in my university library. Even though I saw both of those sets and some of the shooting, (even creepy Jon Voight walking around UMD) I just didn't care that much. But I'd definitely want to see this movie, and I'd probably even be one of those fans stalking the production, trying to get to watch some of the scenes. As demonstrated previously, I am not above (minor) stalking.

So, um, if you're planning to visit us in the fall (and admit it if you have amended your plans because you actually want to join me in mini-stalking David, Brad or George) book our couch now! We've already got Yon on the books for the week of Labor Day, people. Somehow, I don't think he'll be as into this movie as I am...

daylight savings

Today is the last Sunday in March, and we stayed out until 3:30am (or was it really 2:30? or 4:30?) and slept 'til nearly noon to observe the time change in Sweden.

A little history: DST didn't become permanent practice in Sweden until 1980. They tried to introduce the time change in spring and autumn in 1916, but it proved so unpopular, they reversed the decision within 6 months. Since the 1980s, most of Europe and North America changed time on the same date, until under the last Bush administration, in an effort to conserve electricity, the Energy Policy Act was enacted and in 2007, the DST period was lengthened by about 3 weeks in the US (2 weeks earlier in March, 1 week earlier in October.) So, for the last 2 weeks, we have only been 5 hours different from you east coast folks.
We are back to a 6-hour difference. Sleeping until noon might seem extreme considering how few hours of daylight we have had until recently, but now, the sun won't set until after 7:30pm. And it only gets later from there! We earned it this winter. Seriously.

A related interesting fact: Iceland does not observe DST, neither does most of Asia, the countries of the former Soviet Union, large chunks of the African continent, nor Arizona or Hawaii.

Stalking the Ambassador sounds harsh

Stu and I went to an art opening last week at the Milliken Gallery. We've been to several openings there, but it seemed especially crowded last Thursday (or maybe it just felt claustrophobic with all the incense they were burning to complement the wierdo art on view?) And there were a lot of guys in suits, with those little FBI-looking earpieces. Like I have mentioned, we watch a lot of Burn Notice, so maybe I was just especially sensitive to spooks...you never know, there could have been a Russian-Swedish arms deal going on right under our noses under the guise of an art exhibition?
Anyway, we were chatting with some friends, and I guess it was crowded enough that Stu stepped on some guy in a suit. The guy was nice enough about it, though we noticed a little nerdy-looking and wearing a pin on his lapel with an American and Swedish flag. It took us a sec (okay, it took us several seconds) to realize the guys-in-suits must have been security for the American ambassador to Sweden. I remembered I had read that the gallerist Aldy Milliken (who is American) had very recently curated the collection for the ambassador's home.  Ah ha! Stu and I thought, "So he is American, WE are American, obviously he likes art, we should meet this guy!" But a moment of opportunity as good as Stu stepping on him didn't present itself a second time, so we just left and went home.

Last night, the galleries at Hudiksvallsgatan were opening new shows, and I promised Stu free wine after he impressively hauled 2 heavy bedside tables home for me from a Blocket puchase. And, full disclosure, I really wanted to check out the WhyRed pop-up clearance sale happening yesterday in the same complex...let's face it, I can't afford WhyRed designs unless they are at a pop-up clearance sale.

We were in Nordenhake Gallery, taking in some cute but bizarre story concocted by an artist who seemingly wanted to live in a rubber suit under water, when we saw the spooks again! And the nerdy man wearing the Am-Swe flag pin!

Sometimes Stu and I can communicate full conversations with very few words, so we made a nearly non-verbal agreement that there in that gallery, possibly next to the rubber aquaman suit, we would not squander another opportunity to step on this man and make his acquaintance! And we did. I forcefully invited myself into his conversation when he was talking to the gallery manager (yes, I did that. Rude, I know.) said something stupid about his bodyguards and immediately made him shake my hand and told him my name. He was quite nice, Mr. Matt the Ambassador. We chatted for a few, he introduced us to his lovely blonde wife (whose name is Brooke, btw) and I introduced him to my dashing husband. And that was about it. But we met the Ambassador! In my research figuring out who he was, turns out he is an internet big shot (founder or something of C-Net?) recently appointed to his position, and he moved to Stockholm the same week we did.

The rest of the art we encountered was okay. The WhyRed shop had some cute stuff, but still too expensive for poor students, even at pop-up clearance sale prices. And with a little wine in our bellies, we went on a silly late-night hunt for places still serving waffles, walked all through Vasastan, downtown and Stureplan, and we still didn't get waffles on Våffeldagen! We made it up to ourselves this morning intercontinental-style, with walnut bread French toast.

Våren?

Horse-back riders in Djurgården

If I had blogged on Saturday, I would have said something optimistically cheesy like "Spring has sprung in Stockholm!" It was a glorious 45 degrees out. Um, yes, that is warm for here in March...I don't want to hear it, 78 degree DC people. I got to switch to my cute new coat I got in London for warmer weather. 

The sun was out. And the people were out. Thousands of them! Stu & I went on a 3 hour walk through Djurgården, upper and lower. There was still snow out in the fields and forest, but the sun was quickly taking effect on it. We went to a dinner party in Midsommarkransen Saturday night (BTW, lovely little suburb...I would live there!) and everyone was talking about what they did *outside* that day. 

That, my friends, is moving water!

It was a fantastic Spring day, fittingly for the first calendar day(ish) of Spring. If I had blogged on Saturday, I would have been convinced we were over the hump of winter and it was all downhill coasting 'til summer.

But Sunday, Mother Nature kindly reminded us that we live in Sweden. Thank you very much. It was a blizzard! Back down below freezing, and snow. all. day. long. No sun. We left the apartment exactly once, when we determined it was safe because the snow flakes had shrunk to only Rice Krispies-size rather than the Wheaties-size they had been.  Most disappointingly, the roofs were blanketed again, and I was just remarking to Stu about how excited I was to SEE the roof again after months of snow & ice...the buildings in our complex have such a lovely color palate.

Today, I am back to optimistic. Its about 37 degrees and the sun is shining. I finally got rid of our Christmas tree this afternoon (I know its March! I don't want to hear about it, either!) I found a super, super cheap copy of the most-popular-ever Swedish cookie recipe book Sju Sorters Kakor while I was out buying toilet paper. And the House passed a monumental health care reform bill in the US. That is something to be optimistic about. 

St Patty's Day

We weren't quite sure what to expect with Swedes and St. Patrick's Day. Its a "holiday" most Americans celebrate with relish, even if they aren't one ounce Irish. Interestingly, in DC, we try to avoid Irish bars on St. Patrick's Day since they are always so packed. Last year, we found ourselves at Commonwealth, a British pub at Columbia Heights. But thankfully, like Halloween, the Swedes have absorbed it in fine form. The free local paper was filled with ads from Irish-y bars announcing they were opening early for all-day celebrations, music, and lots & lots of Guinness.

In what I hope becomes a tradition in our household, Stu made a fanta-bulous from-scratch Shepherd's Pie. I'm so proud of him. 

After several helpings, we didn't manage to waddle out of the house until about 8:30, and most of the friends we were meeting had gotten to the bar many hours before. We headed out to Gamla Stan to The Liffey, an extremely popular Irish bar, even when its not March 17th. And what did we find?

Yes, that is a line, more than a dozen people deep. 

So we decided to try O'Connell's just down the street. They had live Irish music. And also, a line:

 

I don't like to wait in line. I appreciate Sweden for its penchant for queuing; it makes life more organized. But when it comes to a line for a bar or a club, I'd just as soon go elsewhere. So Stu & I decided to skip the Gamla Stan options and go meet other friends at The Limerick in Vasastan.

Yep, you see correctly, also a very long line. For the third time!

Great that there is Irish spirit in Stockholm! But its still cold in Stockholm. And, as I mentioned, we don't like waiting in lines outside. So in true Anne & Stu fashion, we ended up at a non-Irish bar on St. Patrick's Day, The Man and the Moon. It might even be British? Its just around the corner, and I had wanted to check it out for a while.

 

Its quite a nice little place. I'd go back. And the best part: no line, no crowds, no crazy drunk people (well, there were a few potentially inebriated people wearing giant foam Guinness hats.) We both enjoyed an over-priced Murphy's and called the evening a success.

This is Stu, conquering a giant snowmound in the name of a successful St. Patty's Day. And next year, we'll try to get out earlier. Or go to a Mexican bar.