Exploring Stockholm

6/27: Bob got up early and walked Sam to the ferry to meet Wendy and Mats. He then took a long walk and got some amazing photos before the rest of us got up!

We all set out and explored, ending up at the Palace

Charcot in Stockholm 

In the right place at the right time - free sandwiches offered to us on the street!

Changing of the guard

Quinn posing like the figure behind him

Simone loved the crowns

We saw a marching band of middle schoolers walking through the city streets (loud!)

It was a long day in the sun! We bought salmon and salad at the local market and made dinner at home. Off to Oslo tomorrow!

Final Stockholm thoughts: historic, beautiful, old (our apartment building was 400 years old!), hot! (No AC in our apartment), time with family, touristy, ferry’s (lots of water and islands). We loved our apartment in Old Town - we would definitely return!

Grönd Lund with Sam!

6/26: Bob and I set out on a walk to briefly explore Old Town before the kids got up. Can I say it again….what a beautiful day!

Sam arrives to spend one day with us in Stockholm before heading to Åland for 3 days with Wendy and Mats. Then he’s off to Munich for a summer internship.

What fun to be together!

What fun to be together! Coffee and pastries in our kitchen to start.

A few video games before we leave.

Off to Gröna Lund, the amusement park in central Stockholm.

When we arrived, there were no metal detectors, but there was security checking our bags. Bob happened to have his leatherman (small knife, pliers, screwdriver, etc) tool with him, and when security found it they called over the supervisor. We asked him if we could go put it in a locker, and he pulled us aside, out of earshot of his colleagues. He told us that knives are illegal to carry in ALL of Sweden, and he is supposed to arrest the person on the spot. Whoa! But, he said, Bob (and all of us) did not fit the profile of ‘problem people’ so he just confiscated it and let us go. Phew!

The kids had a blast on all the rides.

Omg Simone’s face!

An afternoon beer right outside our apartment.

Last dinner together with the family and Leena.

Goodbye for now! We had a blast together!

 

Goodbye Åland, Hello Stockholm

6/25: Wendy, Mats, Bob and I started the morning with a walk on yet another sunny, beautiful day! Then it was time to clean up, eat the last bits out of the fridge, and get rolling to Mariehamm to catch the ferry to Stockholm. Leena was with us, so fortunately we had enough room to transport all of us and our bags on this part of the journey.

The kids had never been on a boat this large, so that was thrilling.

They took off exploring while we enjoyed the scene on the back deck.

Glass bottom floor on the boat!

We had a lovely dinner with amazing views.

Coming into Stockholm was beautiful.

We met up with one of Bob’s college roommate's brothers (Andrew Maier) who lives outside of Stockholm.

The view from our cool apartment in the heart of Old Town Stockholm.

Last day in Åland

6/24: Another gorgeous day! We’ve told Wendy and Mats that we don’t believe that the weather isn’t always perfect in Åland! We set out in the morning to collect the nets that Mats and the kids placed yesterday.

We caught fish (10). Very exciting! We can’t wait for another scrumptious Aunt Wendy fish fillet dinner tonight!

Uncle Mats threw one out of the bucket onto the floor of the boat - we were all squealing - not Bob of course - he was howling laughing at us! (What you can’t see here is me behind Simone picking up my legs and putting them over the side!)

Fear and laughter!

The kids were able to touch the fish after they were officially not flopping!

Watching Uncle Mats clean them was eye opening.

Ewwwwww says Quinn. We saw lots of the organs and the contents of the stomach (little minnows!)

Then we (Uncle Mats) threw the guts onto the rocks for the seagulls to enjoy. 

After lunch we headed to the Åland castle.

The summer of the ‘mew’

Quinn stuck in the jail

Charcot with the Finnish, Åland, and Swedish flags

Picking up fresh new potatoes from the local farm to go with the fish fry tonight. You leave 5 Euro in the box (for 2 kg of potatoes).

Thank you Aunt Wendy and Uncle Mats for catching, cleaning, and preparing all this yummy fish!

Last activity of the day is our final sauna, swimming in the ‘lake’, and Simone and Uncle Mats horsing around on the paddle board

The name of their cabin

What an incredibly picturesque scene. We loved every bit of their whole property! So many wonderful memories together - we’re already excited for our return.