The American Store

So after living in Sweden for approximately 16 months, I finally ventured into the "American Store" for the very first time (and only because I was in the neighborhood).  And yes, there really is such a place.  I had heard all about this store, especially when we first arrived here.   When I was searching for things like chocolate chips or baking soda....I would hear "they have that at the American Store".  For some reason, I just never hopped in the car to drive the twenty minutes to investigate.  Instead, I improvised or asked my Swedish friends what I could use as a substitute.  I now chop up blocks of chocolate (which are relatively cheap) for use in my cookies and I learned that baking soda, marshmallows and other essentials are now available in the regular supermarket...I guess I'm lucky I didn't move here ten years ago!

"A True American Tradition"....it even says so on the bag!

So what DO they sell at the American Store and did I buy anything?  Well, there was a huge selection of BBQ and other sauces, many of which I had never seen before.  There was also a wide range of convenience foods...including pancake mixes and those cans of cake frosting that never expire!  

I was also reminded of some "American" items that I have never seen in the shops in Sweden, like Reese's peanut butter cups, Altoids, and Pop-Tarts.  In spite of all the interesting and colorful goodies within my reach, I did not make any purchases that day.  First of all, I have been baking a lot (more about that in another post), so I don't buy much in terms of pre-made cakes, cookies, etc. anymore.   Also, everything was crazy expensive and I just couldn't justify paying triple for things I really don't need.  I do have to admit that I was tempted by a bag of candy corn...but it appeared to have spent a long time on the shelf, so I took a pass.

For my Swedish friends....have you seen these before??  Yum!

Even though I didn't buy anything, I think the store is a fun idea.  I am fortunate enough to get back to the U.S. at least once a year to stock up on my favorite things, or I can beg my friends (or more likely my mom) to send me stuff.  Not everyone here has that option, so this store gives them a chance to satisfy a craving for a Pop-Tart or a can of Mountain Dew.  It is also probably fun for Swedes to pick up fun foods that they discovered during a trip to the states.

After being a bit "underwhelmed" by my choices at the American shop, I realized that the foods I really miss generally come from restaurants....Chicago style pizza, a medium rare ribeye steak or perhaps lobster mac & cheese.

Why can't they sell THIS at the American Store?

Ok....now I'm getting hungry...it's time for a snack!

Dirty Laundry...For Real

After several posts about fun and travel within and outside of Sweden, I'm returning to my "blog roots" with some quirky observations about a rather mundane task...doing laundry.  And yes, you guessed it,  I am the one (mainly) responsible for this joyous task.  The kids and hubby put their own clothes away...usually...but I am typically on the hook for the rest of it.  For those of you who do not do laundry, don't like stories about doing laundry or are looking for a tutorial on how to DO your laundry...this post is NOT for you.  For the rest of you (if there's anyone left), please read on.

There are a few obvious differences between our laundry "facilities" here compared to what we had in the U.S.   In our last home in the U.S., we were fortunate enough to have a GIGANTIC washing machine and comparably sized dryer.  I could get away with doing just a few loads of laundry per week, and the machines were also big enough to accommodate big batches of towels, sheets, etc.  Here I have a "smallish" washer with a "smallish" dryer stacked on top.  I'm guessing these are about half the size of what we had back in the states....never anticipated that "washing machine" would make the list of things I miss from the homeland.

The "equipment"

The other noticeable difference is the TIME it takes for the machines here to wash and dry a load of clothes.   The "average" wash cycle is an hour and fifteen minutes and drying seems to take forever.  Now I'm not saying this is as archaic as going down to the river and washing our clothes on rocks, but it is definitely a step back from the high efficiency machines that I had before.  Call me spoiled or demanding, but I see nothing wrong with wanting to make an unpleasant chore more efficient!

We know some people that have only a washing machine and hang all of their clothes to dry (I'm pretty sure that arrangement would show up in one of my worst nightmares).

No, thank you.

I also must admit that although we have lived in Sweden for over one year, I really have no idea if I'm even using the machines correctly.  For those of you who recall my steep learning curve with using the oven, you might be amused to hear that I have have faced similar challenges with the washing machine.
There are three different symbols that look like cotton, something that resembles a butterfly, and a bunch of other settings that I cannot decipher.  All of these have different power usage and temperatures....my SOP is to pick something that looks "average" and hope for the best.

Decisions, decisions...

The last funny thing (ok...funny to ME) about the laundry situation is the washing "supplies".  In the U.S I needed three things....super concentrated liquid laundry detergent, dryer sheets and some kind of stain remover.   Here I have found that there are some liquid detergent options, but there is also a larger selection of the powdered kind (does ANYONE in the U.S. use powdered detergent anymore?).  I use the powdered stuff (maybe because that is what the hubby was using when we moved here so I kept buying the same kind), but I am still totally guessing when it comes to how much to put in the machine (I think our clothes are generally pretty clean, so I will assume that I'm using enough).  There are also no dryer sheets, only liquid fabric softener.  The liquid works ok...but is it unreasonable to suggest importing some Bounce or Snuggle sheets to combat static cling?

The basics...

but I miss this little guy!

So there you have it....not particularly glamorous...but there are certainly some differences between the laundry situation in the U.S. and Sweden (and it's my responsibility to share these things with you!).  Too bad the clothes just can't wash themselves...

Is this in my future?   A robot that can do the laundry??

Road Trip to Italy

It's been a while since my last post....I guess that's what happens when you are on vacation for three weeks (yes, really, three weeks!).  There is a lot to cover, and I will not be overly offended if you decide to skip my narrative and just scan through the many photos.  This year we decided to take a "proper" summer vacation.  When I say proper, I mean enjoying summer like those in Sweden and escaping from work for at least a few weeks.  The hubby created our detailed road trip itinerary which included a few days in Munich and the remainder of the trip in Italy.   Here are the highlights....

Munich
I'll be honest, I didn't really know much about Germany before this trip.  When thinking of Germany,   "efficiency and beer" come to mind (interesting combination, if you ask me).   After a long day of driving, we arrived in Munich, ready for the sightseeing to commence.

The girls and I were looking forward to seeing a few of the castles in Bavaria.   Our first excursion was to Neuschwanstein Castle which is just amazing!  From what I understand, Kind Ludwig II (who was a bit crazy) had this castle built as his personal refuge.  Over one million people visit this castle annually, and it was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty's castle (and probably others).   For more history on this castle and it's interesting history, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle

Near Neuschwanstein is another castle which was the childhood home of the crazy King Ludwig.  Also beautiful, but not as impressive as the other...in my opinion.

Hohenschwangau Castle 

On the second day, we wandered through the city and saw several churches, the city hall, etc.  I have to admit that the highlight of the day (at least for me) was our visit to Hofbräuhaus....and I don't even like beer!  Since we arrived early in the day, the restaurant was relatively empty.  We found a good seat where we could relax, enjoy some schnitzel and listen to the oom-pah music!

The hubby is especially happy!

Pretzels as big as your head!

We stopped at one last castle on the way out of Germany.

Linderhof Castle

On to Italy...
Our next seven days were spent in beautiful Tuscany.  We stayed at an Agriturismo called Il Piastrino.  For those of you unfamiliar (as I was) with an Agriturismo, it is basically an independently owned farm that the owners use partly for accommodations.  We ate breakfast there every morning and dinner with the other guests every couple of evening which consisted of fantastic homemade food and, of course, lots of wine, made with their very own grapes.

Indoor seating for breakfast and dinner

An aerial view of "Il Piastrino"

We did a significant amount of sightseeing during these seven days (while still managing to get some time in at our quiet swimming pool).  To be honest, many of these places blend together in my mind...Vinci, Florence, Pisa (ok- I can recognize THOSE pics), Sienna, Volterra, San Gimignano, etc.  Here are a few of my favorites...

The girls in Vinci

The youngest practicing her photography skills

A necessary tourist stop!

Pretend that you like each other...

One of many gelato stops- yum!

How long do I have to pose like this??

Beautiful view in Tuscany

Girls in Florence at Il Duomo

Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence

After a whirlwind of sightseeing...and a LOT of walking, we headed north for the last ten days of our trip.  We stayed near Venice at Ca' Savio....a campground offering a range of accommodations from "bring your own tent" to air conditioned cabins.  Our cabin was not air conditioned, but had a bathroom and small kitchenette...it certainly had a "rustic" feel to it.

Cabin Sweet Cabin

The campground was a few minutes walk to the beach and also had great swimming pools and fun activities for the kids...all of which make life pretty simple for mom and dad.

About halfway through our stay, I was shocked to see one of my best friends from the Chicago 'burbs walking up to our cabin.   She and the hubby had secretly arranged for her to fly to Italy and meet us...needless to say I was thrilled to have her join us for the next few days!

Our sightseeing in Venice was limited to one day...we were enjoying the beach and the pool and simply didn't have much energy left for excursions.

Mixed reactions to the vaporetto ride on the Grand Canal

More ice cream??  Yippee!!

Basilica at Piazza San Marco

The family "plus one" at Piazza San Marco

"the girls" at Piazza San Marco

Whew!  That was quite a trip!   I now understand why people say that they need a vacation after their vacation.  All in all, this was wonderful journey for our family with beautiful sights, amazing food (for me, that means pizza nearly every day), great wine and a surprise visit from a friend.  Ciao!

One of my favorite Swedish things

It's hard to believe that we are beyond our one year anniversary in Sweden, and I have not yet talked about the wonderful Swedish custom known as "fika".  Perhaps it's because if you Google 'Swedish fika', you get nearly 900,000 results...clearly many people are aware of this phenomenon.  However, I'm guessing that some of you who follow my blog are not already experts in all Swedish customs...so I will give you my take on things.

So what is this fika thing anyway?  First of all, it is pronounced "fee' ka"...I wouldn't want you to read this and then start bragging to your friends about your knowledge of Swedish "FIE ka"...you could lose some credibility.  As a verb, fika (loosely translated) means "to have coffee".   It is also used as a noun, for example, "It's time for fika" or "Would you like to come to our house for fika?".   You can have work fika or what I would call social, or non-work, fika.

At many workplaces (maybe not many...but at least some), there is morning AND afternoon fika.  It's an opportunity to sit and chat with your colleagues while enjoying a cup of coffee.  It is not mandatory to attend workplace fika (you may find yourself too busy from time to time).  However, if you rarely take part in it, people may think you're a little weird or a bit antisocial.

Now on to the good part....the food and drinks.  Yes, coffee is a BIG part of fika.  The Swedes appear to be very proud of their coffee drinking (both in quantity and in strength) and you can get a few strange looks if you show up to fika and ask for a Diet Coke.  I have noticed a few people that drink tea...which is also acceptable (but not always available).  Personally, I rarely drank coffee before moving to Sweden....now I drink it pretty regularly (chalk up a few points for peer pressure!)

ok...so most fika does NOT have coffee like this...but it's pretty!

Beyond the coffee, there are typically snacks involved (which is AWAYS a good thing in my book).  Pastries, including cinnamon rolls (or kanelbullar in Swedish), are common fika fare.  On a side note, the cinnamon rolls that I have enjoyed here are not of the "Cinnabon" or Pillsbury variety and are not slathered in gooey icing.

Pillsbury cinnamon rolls- oh how I loved these as a kid! 

I suppose I can manage with the Swedish variety instead....

I enjoy baking and have contributed to fika at both my and my husband's job a few times....with cupcakes, brownies and other "American" treats!  Sometimes I think of Fika as a "second breakfast" or early lunch when it includes bread, cheese, fruit, etc.

Now a bit about the non-work fika.  Having a few folks over for fika is a good "getting to know you" exercise.  It's not the huge commitment of a dinner party and it's great when you don't have a lot of time for guests.  I'm not sure if there is an official time limit on a fika, but it's probably a couple of hours at the most.  I hear that fika is also used in the dating world...similarly as a "getting to know you...don't want to invest in taking you to dinner just yet" activity.  My dating here in Sweden has been a bit limited, so I don't have much to contribute to this part of the discussion.

I can look back over the past year or so and think of some really good times enjoyed over fika (and I'm not just talking about the food!).   I think this might be a nice custom to adopt in the U.S. as well.   There are a few Swedish restaurants and bakeries near Chicago, so maybe some of you can stock up on the right pastries and get this new tradition started!

My "Excursion" to Ven

For my friends and family with a short attention span, this post is for you.   Not too long and lots of pictures!

Yes, I know it sounds cliche', but I was in need of a little "me" time.  The weekdays are filled with work, kids, a few activities and the normal requirements for maintaining a household.  The weekends are generally spent as a family...often getting together with friends and their kids.  I'm not complaining...I love that we tend to have more "family time" here in Sweden.  However, I really haven't made much time for myself to explore, shop or whatever.   Now that I have attempted to adequately defend my need for a day (or part of a day) on my own, I will get down to business and tell you a little about my trip.

A friend of mine suggested that I travel to a small island called Ven (FYI it sounds less like "vehn" and more like a person from the south saying "van").  Ven is located between Denmark and Sweden and the area of the island is just under 3 square miles.

The island of Ven

To get there I drove about 35 minutes to the ferry and then had a 30 minute ferry ride to the island.   I got there extra early for the first ferry which departed at 8:30am...I wasn't sure how this whole thing worked, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it.

Ticket and map....check and check!

Although many people bike around the island (cars are few and far between), I had decided to explore on foot this time.   There is a bike rental place with tons of bikes....adult and kid bikes, tandem bikes as well as various bikes with kid seats, etc.).  I think a bike will be necessary on the next trip.

Do you have something in yellow?

I walked past several shops and a few bed and breakfasts to an old, small church on the west side of the island.   I found a nice patch of grass and had a little picnic lunch.  

St. Ibbs church, built in the 1200s

Beautiful view from my picnic spot

Ven really is a peaceful place....I enjoyed simply wandering around the island, checking out the views and the "wildlife" (mainly pheasants and wild, aka "giant", rabbits).   I was hoping to buy some cheese at one of the small shops, but sadly it wasn't open when I passed by.   The goats, however, were available for a photo.

Say "goat cheese"!!

My understanding is that Ven gets quite busy once the children are out of school, so I'm happy to have had the opportunity to check it out on a slow day.   I'm looking forward to the next visit when the hubby and kids will join in and we can bike around the entire island, see the shops and have some locally made ice cream!

Goodbye for now

Sweden- The First Year

It is hard to fathom, but it has been one year since our family flew across the ocean to begin "Our Swedish Adventure" (the hubby had a six month head start, but we began our time here as a family last April).  As I thought about what to write to commemorate such a momentous event...I pondered a few options- "10 Best Things About Living in Sweden", "10 Worst Things About Living in Sweden", "How to Survive without Target and Trader Joe's", etc.  Instead, in an attempt to not overgeneralize, I will simply provide a few observations from the past twelve months.

Observation 1- Kids really DO learn languages quickly

Yes, yes...we have all heard that before (I had probably even uttered those words myself without knowing a THING about the process). However, I never witnessed this transformation in the U.S., especially not through the language of my own children!   For those of you who don't know, our two girls attend a local Swedish school rather than an International School (which was the original plan).  Their language came slowly at first... learning simple, useful words like "No!" "Look!" and "Stop!" They also enjoyed singing in Swedish.

Pippi Longstocking aka Pippi Långstrump is a favorite

Fast forward one year and both girls are speaking Swedish fluently.   In fact, they have begun speaking Swedish to each other at home (even when no other Swedes are here).  Unfortunately, my process of learning the language has progressed much more slowly...when I recently asked my youngest how my Swedish was coming along, she answered (in Swedish) "Not Good!" Nothing like a little family support!  We had heard that their Swedish might accelerate when they realized that mom and dad could no longer understand them...that appears to be a pretty accurate statement.   It would be great if they could learn one more language while it's this easy!

Observation 2- There is such a thing as bad weather, EVEN with good clothing.

Ok...I said it.  Over the last year, I have heard MANY times that "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing".  Blah Blah Blah.  Sorry for delivering this shocking news, but sometimes the weather really IS bad.  Like when you don't see the sun for weeks at a time or when it snows in April.  

Bad weather, good clothing

Good weather, good clothing

I will agree the weather is much more "manageable" in proper outer wear.  Additionally, I love that the kids go outside during the school day, every day, regardless of the weather.  However, I still maintain that cold, overcast and spitting rain should be called out...it's straight up bad weather.  As for me, I have commuted to work (yes, on the bike) when it has been raining (and occasionally even when it was snowing).   We survived the dark, damp winter...but that doesn't mean I liked it.  I now have a clearer understanding of why the Swedes really celebrate the arrival of spring!

Observation 3- We can adapt to new food choices

Before moving to Sweden, I had a few stereotypes of what the food would be like...imagine Swedish fish, meatballs and fermented fish in a jar.   Much to my relief, I have found that there is more to it than that.  I won't go into great detail on this one as the food topic may someday have its own special moment on the blog.

When it comes to cooking at home (which we do nearly all of the time), I have been able to make (or slightly modify) almost all of my go-to recipes.  This includes Mexican food which is a family favorite...I also know several Swedes that enjoy "taco Friday" at their homes. When it comes to restaurants, our selection in Lund is TINY when compared to the suburbs of Chicago, but we have found pretty good pizza, a few tasty burgers and sushi good enough to satisfy my occasional cravings!   Also, because it's so cheap, we have to have a meal at Ikea every time we visit.

Don't forget the ice cream cone!

When I sit and think about all the restaurants, and food in general, that I miss from the U.S., I tend to get a bit nostalgic, but it really hasn't been that difficult to adjust.  However, I think it's safe to say that fish in a jar...or in a tube....will never be on my list of favorites.

This is for real...sorry...just can't do it!

Observation 4- No country gets everything right

Yes, I know this one seems pretty obvious, but I think it's natural for people to have pride in their country and to think, perhaps, that they have things all figured out.  Don't worry, I'm not going to weigh in on the differences in child care, taxes, health care, etc. in Sweden versus the U.S.  (that would surely be a quick way to lose friends, in two countries).  However, I WILL say that it has been eye opening to observe and discuss some of our differences.  Having the opportunity to experience life here in Sweden has allowed me to start seeing things from a different perspective.

I like you both

 Observation 5-  Roundabouts can be a GOOD thing!

I have to say that I was nervous about the thought of driving in Sweden because there are LOTS of roundabout (at least in our neck of the woods).   I think I had only experienced these alleged traffic fighting circles a handful of times in the U.S. and I was a bit confused about how, exactly, to navigate them.   Now I feel pretty comfortable with the "rules" (although my husband may not completely agree) and most of the time they really keep the traffic moving.  Even when there seems to be a "huge" backup (a very relative term coming from a Chicago driver), things move along pretty quickly.  

Simple, right?

Observation 6- I am a little bit brave

Who would have thought I would use the word "brave" to describe myself?  Generally speaking, I have never been a big risk taker.   In fact, if you had asked any of my friends for a Top 10 list of THEIR friends who they thought would be most likely to move overseas, I can almost guarantee that my name would NOT be included.  Although I moved two hours south for my college years (pretty crazy, I know), I have lived the rest of my life within a thirty minute drive of where I was born.  So, yes, I think one has to be a bit brave to move away from a great job, wonderful friends and supportive family and into the unknowns of a new country.  That being said, I certainly miss my family and friends, but they will all be there upon our return to the States.

If only I could have that HAIR!

This has been, at times, a scary, exciting, enlightening, frustrating, and happy year...at least for me (hopefully we have made things a little less scary and frustrating for our girls). I don't know exactly how long our Swedish adventure will last, but my goal is to make the most of this experience.  I'm also grateful that a wonderful friend encouraged me to start writing this blog and helped me get started...it is a lot of fun...please feel free to comment or suggest future topics.  Thanks for reading!