Christmas #3

We celebrated Christmas with Papa Kaj and Anneke a little late since the brothers have both been sick this week. We had some good snacks, great wine, and some fantastic presents!

We really have been good this year!

Magnus, Johanna, and Johan in desparate need of another drink.

Papa Kaj having a good time.

Magnus and Johanna are enjoying the champagne.

´Family portrait. (Yep, I got a tripod for Christmas!)
From top left: Papa Kaj, Johan, Magnus, Monkey, The Frog, Johanna, and Anneke

Slottsskogen

Today it finally stopped raining and the sun even came out so we ventured out to Slottsskogen. It is a beautiful park located in the center of the city, filled with kids running around, penguins, moose, and we even made it for feeding time for the seals. There is even a frisbee golf course! We are definitely all over that when we come back in the summer. Good times!

Many beautiful waterfalls throughout the park.

T. enjoying the seals and the sun.

Feeding time for aforementioned seals.

Feeding time for another kind of animal.

Swedish Mountain Goat

It's good to be home.

Master of the Sås

Leif seen here hard at work doing the weekly crossword.
I am convinced this is how he trains his mind to come up with so many good recipes.

(Pronounced sauce, but with a slight New York accent...at least that is how it sounds in my head) I could not let this trip go by without giving a shout out to Leif, who has cooked us some amazing meals during our stay. From 2 different kinds of herring, to shrimp with garlic and curry sås, to salmon with a delicious sås made of roe and garlic, and my favorite (besides the herring, of course) was a delicious bergtunga (translates as mountain tounge), but we think it is similar to sole, with another delicious sås, and I do believe garlic was involved, as it usually is. It was so light and flaky and fantastic presentation as well. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures to do these meals justice, as we ate fairly quickly since we could not resist!

Tack så mycket Leif! You are the best!

Middag och en bio

Tonight P. and I went out on the town for dinner and a movie. First we went to Smaka for some beer and appetizers, which of course consisted of a herring plate....very nice presentation I might add. Then we went for some pasta at an Italian joint before we went to see Michael Clayton. Very excellent movie, and job well done by George Clooney. A few interesting things to note about seeing a movie in Sweden: all of the seats are reserved, like you are going to a concert. It is a pretty slick idea, actually. Also, I discovered that seeing a movie in Sweden is really not that different that seeing a movie in the states (other than the Swedish subtitles...I am going to get this language down yet!) People still chew their popcorn quite loudly, open their candy (we did have to get a bag of bilar) at inappropriate times, and forget to turn off their cell phones.
It really is a small world.

Nothing beats Pripps Blå and knäckebröd.

P. very happy to be inside from the pouring rain.

Herring plate. Mmmmm.

Where are we?

Visa större karta

Adventures in Sweden Continue....

The past couple of days have been very relaxing. We spent Christmas Day sleeping in and then playing a session of Guitar Hero with Magnus in the afternoon. That game rules! I recommend the '80s edition! Good stuff! Unfourtunately, now both Magnus and Johan are feeling under the weather, so we are on our own for a couple of days. Apparently the bug that was tormenting us in the states has followed us to Sweden.

Last night we went to have dinner with Papa Kaj and Anneke. She chefed up quite a feast with the usual French flair consisting of foie gras, goat cheese stuffed turkey breast with veggies, and a delightful sorbet with fresh fruit and red wine sauce for dessert. Not to mention the accompanying wine was deelish! I think all of that French cuisine in Pegomas has been rubbing off on her. We have postponed our gift exchange until later in the week when the brothers are feeling better.

Today it is pretty cold, dark and rainy. This has given us a great opportunity to catch up on our Swedish music videos and possibly go and do some shopping later.

Hope this finds all of you well and having fun playing with your new Christmas toys!

In Sweden.....

even the taxis are Volvos!

Merry Christmas!

P and T anxiously await a package from Tomten.

Happy Birthday Gram!

Birthday greetings going out to my Gram who is 85 years young today! If there is one thing I have learned from you, it is to always keep your sense of humor! Thanks for always making me laugh! Love ya' back!

Note: Please see aforementioned reasoning for lack of pictures in previous entry: Happy Birthday Dad!

God Jul!

Pronounced 'Gode Yule'. Christmas Eve is the big celebration in Sweden (as opposed to Christmas Day.) We are getting ready for more glögg and then julbord, so it is a good thing I went for a run this morning! (I know! I couldn't believe it either.) Later, Tomten will arrive to deliver the Christmas presents!

So far it has been a very relaxing day, and now the Christmas carols shall commence in the background, and so will the festive cocktails! I love that Bing Crosby transcends all countries! But unfortunately, so does Elvis.

Merry Christmas to all.....

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

Peen was telling us about one of her favorite Christmas diddys: "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". She can be seen here via raw footage doing her best Ethel Merman impression. It makes us laugh every time. Enjoy!

Day 2 - Swedish Madness

Yesterday we spent the day shopping in the Swedish madness on the Avenyn in Göteborg, since we tend to do everything last minute, including our Christmas shopping! Lots of hussle and bussle, just like in the states, except I don't understand what anyone is saying to me. Also, just as I predicted, flat, knee high leather boots are all the rage. (just as we discussed Eeps!)

We ended the evening with a trip to Liseberg, which is the biggest Christmas market in Scandinavia. It is a beautiful place lit up with thousands of lights, with lots of little shops, crafts, and many places to eat and have a bit of glögg, which is the Swedish version of mulled wine, and it is tasty!



We then went to the top floor of the Gothia Towers for julbord, which included every type of herring you can think of, ham, salmon, meatballs, sausages, and I even tried some reindeer.

It was a fun-filled day and great to see the fam too! Today we will finish our shopping and hopefully find some time to relax. Perhaps I will be hitting my Rosetta Stone lesson 2!