With all of the craziness that this summer brought, I am very behind on my blogging. I have decided to post the last of the summer-fun in two parts. There will be another blog post coming in the next few days. After the Gavin's left in late July, we had a few days to get the house in order before Marci, Doug and their three kiddos arrived. They were our last guests to stay in our apartment on Kungsholmen.
They landed around 3:00 and we all headed to Boulebar for a fun afternoon of boule (Swedish bocce ball), lunch, and some drinks outside as we soaked up the gorgeous weather. It had been six months since our families were last together, so we had lots and lots to catch up on. The kids didn't skip a beat, and of course we didn't either.
I had grand plans for the next day, so we went home, crashed, and the following morning we had to pry the jet laggers out of bed. We were taking a ferry to Grinda, one of the Archipelago islands. I had heard from many that this was the place to go, especially with kids. It was described to me as a beach.... with lots to do. Well, coming from the U.S. we envision beaches to be something very different than the Swedes do. It was quite the interesting adventure... to say the least. Since we chose the hottest day of the year to take this venture, the ferry was jam packed and it was standing room only. Steve, Doug and the older kids managed to finagle their way into the restaurant and sat at a table for two hours. Marci and I squeezed onto the deck with Natalie and Chase, and sat like sardines for two hours. We passed the time with lots of chatting. The woman behind me was more into our conversation than her husband's. At one point I was tempted to turn around and ask her if she wanted to join us.
It was fabulous to get off the boat and as we walked to our "beach" destination, I quickly realized that this was not going to be the 'beach day' that we were anticipating. The dirt and grass were not exactly the sand we were hoping for. The stink from the porta-potty was not exactly the sweet ocean smell we longed for. And... the snake in the water that swam over our legs was not the dip in the ocean we dreamed of. Despite the twists.... we had an amazing time hanging out with our dear friends and watching the kids climb rocks and enjoy the day together.
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| these two still love each other more than ever |
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| Sammy and Cameron |
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| Just entering the island after our boat ride |
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| Fun in the sun |
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| Jakey |
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| One of the hottest days of the year... island was packed |
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| Smitty doing what Smitty does best.... climbing |
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| daddy love |
We decided to jump on an earlier ferry and head back to Stockholm for dinner. The ride back was much less crowded, so the kids were able to play games and eat snacks the entire way home.
We showered and walked to Primo, the restaurant below our apartment. The adults enjoyed dinner on the patio while the kids played at the park across the street. The day ended around 11pm, but it felt much earlier since it was still light outside.
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| picture taken around 10pm |
The next morning Marci and I woke up for a run and workout in the park. The groups then split for a few hours. Marci and I took Natalie, Chase and Sammy to Junibacken, while Doug took Cameron and Smith to the Vassa Museum. Steve and Jake headed to soccer training.
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| Pippi's house |
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| having fun in Pippi Land |
We all met for lunch back at the apartment and decided it was a perfect day (it was well over 80ºF) for canoeing. It seemed that all the Stockholmers had the same idea, and since we didn't have a reservation, we didn't get to canoe. The kids were able to swim in the Baltic Sea and everyone was happy.
That evening the adults were able to go out, thanks to our awesome babysitter Sam. We started with drinks at Gondolan (located in Söder with the best views of the city). For dinner we ate at Nash and Chow. The dinner was delicious and then we walked around the city and had drinks at various locations. We laughed and laughed because the people watching was incredible. I wish I could have taken pictures of some of the stuff we saw.
What I loved so much about Marci and Doug's visit, is that they wanted to see and do everything they could in the five days they were in Stockholm. There was no wasting time. So keeping in the spirit of moving, Doug, Marci and I did a walking tour of city center the next morning, while Steve stayed home with all six kids. I think Steve is the kid whisperer, because all the kids love hanging out with him.
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| Marci and me on our tour |
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| Old time trolly |
Amelia did a great job of touring us around, and afterwards we all met at Parliament where we had "front row seats" to the changing of the guards. That is until the worst thunderstorm that ever hit Stockholm came, and we all had to run for cover in the gift shop, while the guards did their thing in the storm. After waiting over an hour, in the extremely hot and stuffy shop, we decided it was time to move on. The lightening and thunder had ceased and we made a run for it.
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| We were slap happy in the gift shop |
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The rest of the visit in Sweden consisted of a girls day in Gamla Stan, taco dinner night, and a day at Skansen.
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| The best candy store in Gamla Stan |
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| Rolling the candy |
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| Natalie and Sammy in a tiny tunnel in Gamla Stan |
I've written about Skansen many times in my blog posts, but Cameron was able to do something that none of our other visitors did. He was the mail delivery boy.
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| ready to deliver mail |
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| Cam blowing the horn for a mail delivery |
He had to deliver mail from the post office to one of the stores in the town. The lady was waiting for her letter, so she greeted Cam with a big smile.
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| Cam presented the store owner with her mail |
She did not like me though, and let me have a piece of her mind. Apparently cameras with flashes are NOT permitted in Skansen, and she let me have it while I was snapping her photo with Cameron. Oops!! At least I was able to get a picture out of it.
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| Old School Work |
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| The very best of friends |
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| moose |
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| reindeer |
The following day was the dreaded day in the Payne household. We (actually the movers) were packing up our apartment so they could move us across town. Moving day is unfortunately very familiar to us, and each time it's just as awful as the first time. Poor Steve, Jake and Natalie had to stay home while the rest of us headed to London. They joined us later that night. Not sure what we were thinking when we thought moving and going on vacation in the same day was a good idea.... but needless to say, it happened. The rest of us headed out very early Tuesday morning, decided to go to Sirap for breakfast, and then took Arlanda Express to the airport. When we arrived at Sirap, we realized that they were closed for the summer (very common here in Stockholm) and decided to eat at Expresso House instead. Later that afternoon we arrived in London to begin the next journey of the "Kenney's European Adventure".
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| Love this crew |
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| view from the London Eye |
Our house was in the heart of London. It was a cluster of apartments that were bought to create a house. We were in a fabulous location, with the Tube only a few blocks away. Since we had a lot of things to do and see in a very short amount of time, we hit the ground running. First stop, a pub, for some good ol fish n chips.
The kids loved the apartment and they had a great time sorting their rooms and deciding who slept where. This house was the biggest hit of all!
We woke up Wednesday morning and headed to the London Eye, ate lunch, ordered food from a man that had the craziest laugh I've ever heard. The kids still talk about his laugh. We then saw the Lion King and it was fabulous. The kids all loved it as well. Doug and Steve had some"guy" time and they met an old friend of Steve's and hung out at a pub for a few hours while we were at the show. We all met up afterwards for Indian food, first time for the Kenney's.
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| The gang in front of the London Eye |
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| heading into the show |
Thursday was our tourist day, we rode the Hop on Hop off bus all day and saw all that London had to offer.
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| We loved the London phone booths |
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| Love this bridge |
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| Big Ben |
We even spent too much money on Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. We did laugh a lot while inside though.
That evening Natalie watched the kids as the adults headed out for dinner. The next day Natalie flew home to Florida. It was very sad to say goodbye to her after having her with us for six weeks. I hope she had as much fun as we did!
Friday was our last full day with the Kenney's so we started the day with a walking tour of the Royal Gates and Buckingham Palace. The kids were finally able to see a changing of the guards.
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| horse guards |
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| Then petting the horses |
Since we were on a tour, the guide took us to a "secret" place where there was a much smaller changing, and the kids could see and hear all that took place.
The rest of the crowds were backed up for miles.
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| Chase watching the horses |
Chase was able to see the statue of the Grand Ol Duke Of York. This was special for us because I have been singing that song to Chase since he was a baby.
Later that day, Marci, Samantha and I went to Kensington Palace for high tea and then toured the queens palace for an amazing girls day in London. It was so nice to have Sammy as a surrogate daughter for the day. The boys of course had zero interest in tea and museums of queens. It was so cool to see the gowns, the jewelry, and the overall lifestyle of the queens through the ages. They even had a small reenactment of a typical day for a queen. We were all fascinated.
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| Samantha on the queen's stairs |
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| imagine wearing this everyday |
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| High tea with the girls |
Our last night in London was so fun, but also so sad, as we all knew we had to say goodbye the next morning. We had dinner at Amici, an amazing Italian restaurant owned by a local family. We loved the patio and surrounding condos. The staff was so friendly and the service was fantastic.
After dinner, we went to find ice cream. Since we couldn't find an ice cream store, we decided to go to the grocery store and buy the kids ice cream there. I'm not sure what got into all of us (yes, the adults were crazier than the kids that night), but we actually got kicked out of the store for being too loud and wild. Steve and I were throwing ice cream cones to Doug while he was standing on line. We were laughing so hard, we were crying. The store manager was ringing the bell for security and we all got reprimanded. We did manage to get ice cream though. Poor Doug took the brunt of that joke, as he had to stand on line and face the manager. The rest of us escaped out the back door crying from laughter.
We waved goodbye to the Kenney's on Saturday morning. It was a sad day for all of us, even Jake and Nat didn't want this trip to end. But we knew that we will be seeing them this summer on our annual summer vacation.
After the send off, the Payne's went for breakfast at Tommy Fields Pub where Smith lost a tooth. This was the start of a series of lost teeth. In the next two weeks, he lost four more teeth, making him the official Jack-o-Lantern of our family.
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| First tooth gone |
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| five teeth gone |
The Arsenal game was the big event that day, but before heading that way, we went to Notting Hill and ate lunch at Whole Foods. My boys were as excited as I was for that meal. After the game, we went to Earl's Court to another one of our favorites in London, for Chinese food.
The next day we flew home, or should I say, to move into a new home. We had a long day ahead of us, and we knew we had to hit the ground running... but that run turned into a crawl when Arlanda airport lost all power and we waited over an hour for our luggage to come out. We finally left the airport and headed to our empty apartment to finish packing the "leftover" things that were left behind by the movers. We then brought the boys to our new apartment since they had never seen it. Unfortunately, there was a lot to still move over from the former apartment and Steve had to make a number of trips back and forth that evening until well past midnight. Finding a hotel in Europe that will allow five people in one room is VERY rare so we thought we hit the jackpot when we found this hotel.... until we walked in, saw four bunk beds, and realized this was not the five start hotel we though it was. I'm actually quite embarrassed admitting that we stayed in this dump, but after the day we had, the beds did their job for seven hours. The heat index in that room was enough to roast a turkey, but Steve borrowed a small fan from reception and we made it through the night.
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| boys sprawled on the bunk bed, notice 3 kids in two beds |
The next morning temperatures hit 85ºF, there was no a/c of course, and fans were sold out in the entire city. Apparently temperatures hit record highs. The poor movers earned their money that day. It was a long day, but finally all of the boxes were safely inside. Well... not all arrived safely. They shattered our t.v. We spent the next 12 hours unpacking boxes and getting our house arranged before our next visitors arrived only four days later. This was my incentive after those long, hot days of unpacking boxes.
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| raspberry daiquiri at Taco Bar |
Here are the pictures of our undecorated house.... free of boxes though.
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| center of house in main hallway |
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| kids playroom |
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| Jake and Chase's room |
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| kitchen |
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| living room |
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| master bedroom |
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| Smith's room |
Our first night sleep in this apartment was not all that we thought it would be. The old men below us showing off their old cars as they raced down Sveavagen was too much for these two parents that just spent the last 14 hours moving their family across the city to deal with. We were up all night. We couldn't close the windows that night in fear that we would roast. It was an adjustment as we all settled into our new home, but here we are now, two months later, and it IS all that we thought it would be. Especially for Chase.... he is loving his tub.
This apartment's door, locks like a hotel door. The instant it closes, it locks. So can you guess how many times we had to call a locksmith in the first two weeks we lived here? THREE!!! Yes, we paid over $500 to a locksmith just to let us in our home. We now have five copies of keys made, and my friends around the city each have one. I've called on Heidi three times already for her key. It might be cheaper for us to change the locks. The first time, Smith, Chase and I sat outside for three hours waiting on Steve and Jake to come home from buying a new t.v. For those of you wondering, yes, they moving company did buy us a new one. Why did I wait outside and not just call Steve to come home? Well... my darling four year old closed the door behind us while I was moving boxes into the hallway, and locked not only my keys inside, but my cell phone as well. Needless to say, I met all of my neighbors that day as we sat on the front steps to our apartment complex.
Thursday afternoon Chase had to say goodbye to his buddy Alex who was moving back to Hawaii. It was a sad day for me as well. I had to say goodbye to a friend too, his mom Yvonne. The boys had a lot in common, they're both from America, both the youngest of three boys, and both very active and energetic. Chase really misses Alex not being in his class this year. Did I mention that there are only three boys in a class of 15 this year.
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| The final goodbye hug |
Friday came for and Eulyn and Caleb arrived. We were all very excited to see them. Thanks to both of them, the finishing touches on my apartment were completed. We went house shopping almost everyday they were here and it was awesome. We also had to shop for some clothes as well. The airlines lost their luggage for three days, and when the bags finally arrived at our apartment, they were wet and smelled like mold. Since Eulyn shops for a living, she was quick and efficient and came home with enough of a wardrobe to get her and Caleb through the next few days. I also came home with some new clothes. hee hee hee
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| Eulyn in our overstuffed car |
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| riding home with a full car of goodies |
Of course we stopped to see our favorite places in Stockholm, had cocktails, ate good food, and enjoyed fika. We scheduled a night out with Åsa and Jimmy so that our favorite friends in Stockholm could meet some our best friends from America. It was a great night!
We also found time to ferry to Fjäderholmarna.
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| The boys LOVE Eulyn |
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| relaxing on the hammock |
The last day Eulyn and Caleb were in Stockholm, there was a festival all around the city. Here in Sergels Torg, we watched an amazing performance by these very talented people. The kids were mesmerized.
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| The rope performance was breath taking |
That evening we ate dinner and had some fun at a few of our favorite hangouts. It was great to spend time with two of our favorite people. It's hard to believe that Steve, Caleb and I have known each other for over twenty years.
Eulyn and Caleb leaving officially marked the end of summer. We had 11 fun filled weeks of visitors, and traveling, and it was now time to step back into reality. Thursday afternoon, the kids and I met our friends at Vasaparken for our second annual SIS meet and greet.
It was so fun to see everyone again and enjoy time together before school started back up a few days later.
That weekend soccer kicked in again, and we spent both Saturday and Sunday at the fields watching all the boys play. The weather was amazing and the sky was beautiful. We were all enjoying the last few weeks of sunshine and blue skies.
Steve and I took the boys to Taby mall before school started and I have to share something that was so brilliant to me. We used our Sunfleet carpool service, reserved a car, and drove to the mall. It's a little outside of the city, but still only 15 minutes by car. While in the parking garage, I discovered how smart the Swedes, or maybe Europeans, really are when it comes to crowds. Each parking space has either a green light or red light above it. While driving down the row, if you see a green light, you know that spot is open, a red light means it's occupied. What a brilliant idea. All you have to do is glance down the isle and look at the lights to know if there's anything available.
That was my positive observation of this great country. Now I'll give my feedback on how they can improve. While in a grocery store, the workers that are unloading the boxes, will not move out of your way, or even care that you are trying to get down an aisle. What they are doing is more important than you buying the products. Perhaps the store owners should look into this small problem, they could actually be making more money if they taught their employees that the customer has the right of way.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog coming out in the next few days. I will soon be up to date with my news.
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