My last week or so in Stockholm was action packed as I tried to cram in every last thing I hadn’t yet done in Stockholm, and to see everyone one last time before I left. I didn’t succeed in either aspect, but I came close. First on the list was to finally see Millesgården which is an outdoor museum that highlights the works of Carl Milles in a cool open garden museum. We had gone out the night before and there had been talk all night about how we were all going to go to this, but after waking up the next day the only person we were able to convince was Sara.
It was really cool, in a beautiful location, and we took a tour and so we learned a lot (like how he spent a lot of time in Detroit- what up).
Later that week on Wednesday I ventured with Ida to her cabin on the archipelago. She was having her big 30th birthday party on Saturday (her birthday was in April, but she wanted to celebrate it at her cabin in the summertime- cant say I blame her!), but I wanted to go early to hang out and enjoy the archipelago in the summer. Blake and I visited her cabin in the spring and I completely fell in love with the place (I’m still working on getting into her family will somehow :) ). So I met Ida up for grocery shopping to get supplies (enough for dinner and breakfast for about 30 people and then our own food supplies for 5 days) jumped into the boat, picked up her dad, and then sped on over to their island.
The next day, Ida and I ventured out on a sailing expedition. The original plan was to go overnight, but we had some issues with the motor, so it would have been hard to moor the boat, so we just went out for an afternoon. It threatened to rain for awhile, but it turned out to be a nice afternoon after all, and I learned how to sail!
On Friday, I just tried to be helpful during party preparations, which mostly involved me staying out of the way and relaxing, which was fine by me!
Then Saturday was the big day where almost 30 of Ida’s closest family and friends ascended on the island for some tips promenade (sort of like a walking quiz), some good drinks, and some delicious food. Blake joined me on Saturday for the party since he had to work during the week. (Don’t feel too bad for him- this guy gets 5 weeks of vacation!) The party was a success, and it was great to get out in the archipelago again before I left Sweden.
On Monday, I finally got a chance to see my favorite Swedish soccer/football team play- Hammerby. Stockholm has 3 major football teams, but Hammerby was the obvious choice since a) their colors are green and white, and b) they are Södermalms team, which is the island I lived on. So we went with Erik, Henning and his gal Stacey, who was visiting from California. Hammerby lost, but we had a blast learning some of the cheers.
The next day Blake and I met up with Björn and Ulrika for a little swim near their apartment in Kungsholmen. It was gorgeous and quite warm all day. That is until we made plans to go swimming and then the clouds came out. Everyone else still was brave enough to jump in, but it was too cold for me, so I designated myself as a photog.
On Friday, it was Blake’s birthday, so celebrations were in order. After work (well, after everyone else got off of work) we met up at this cool outdoor café on Djurgården called Josephina’s on a beautiful day:
After a few drinks there, we made our way back to our apartment. That’s when the real fun began. I had made some yummy Jello shots (which are hit or miss with Swedes) and some cupcakes for Blake’s Birthday:
Blake’s biggest birthday surprise was a wii from his mom. His mom, Priscilla, had asked me what he wanted, and I knew right away that he really wanted a wii. I wanted him to get pumped up for his birthday, so I told him his mom got him something. As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew he was going to guess a wii, and so I added, well- you might not like it. So then he not only had no idea what it was, but also he was worried about opening it up in front of everyone. Well to play this up even more, I only wrapped up one of the games in a CD case that his mom had sent it in, which was some girly music. So when he opened it up, he really had no idea. It was great. When he finally figured out that it was a wii though, he was super pumped and loved it.
So we played some drinking games (Henning lost) and then played some wii (this time we kept a better eye on Björn so that he wouldn’t break our tv again).
And we took a lot of pictures:
Since we aren’t just satisfied with one day of celebrations, we had to have another one on Saturday. Björn and Ulrika hosted us, along with Pär and Ylva, Andreas, and Ida. We spent the beautiful afternoon in the park playing some kubb and hanging out:
Then we went to Björn and Ulrika’s apartment with the amazing view for some dinner.
It was a really great evening, and it was ended with a rousing game of Caps that Pär didn’t win for once (Björn did)! The only downside of the evening was that Blake sustained an injury- he sprained his finger while playing dome (American) football. But I am happy to report that the patient has made a complete recovery!
To continue on with the excitement of my last week or so in Stockholm, we met up with Björn and Ulirka on Sunday to do some kayaking. We got a late start, but we somehow made it all the way around Kungsholmen. I didn’t bring my camera, so no pictures, but it was beautiful and quite challenging.
The final evening was spent with a wonderful dinner cooked by Pär and Ylva and we were joined by, you guessed it, Björn and Ulrika. It was a great way to end my time in Stockholm.
To see all of the highlights from the last few weeks, click here.
I want to thank everyone who helped me have the best last couple of weeks in Sweden. I had a great time and I will miss all of you! Come visit me anytime and don’t worry- I will be back! And with that, I am signing off from my very last blog post.
Peace,
Courtney
