Tosselilla

When my friend Camilla invited us to join her and her daughter at Tosselilla, I thought "Sounds great, I love Italian food!" Turns out that Tosselilla is an amusement park in Skåne (the region of Sweden where we live)...and is only about a 40 minute drive from us.  Oh...ok....that sounds like fun, too!  Before I continue, I must disclose that this excursion occurred BEFORE our trip to Paris, but I didn't finish the blog post in a timely manner (and THEN I didn't want Disneyland to steal the spotlight from this more modest park...so I waited).   The hubby thought I delayed posting this so people don't think that all we do is take our kids to amusement parks!

The first thing I noticed when pulling in to the parking lot is that Tosselilla appears to be in the middle of a forest.  Even though it seemed like hoards of people were piling in to the park, being surrounded by nature made it seem less busy and somehow more relaxed.  Kind of like the anti-Disney.

Satellite view of the park (or at least part of it)

We entered the park and the kids immediately headed toward a playground.  One of the interesting things about Tosselilla is that there are several jungle gyms, bouncing pads and other options for physical play mixed in with the typical rides.  Most of these are surrounded by wood chips or sand (I can't escape from all of the sand in this country!).  The girls played at several of these areas throughout the day.  I see liability as the main reason why these areas - with a certain risk of injury- are not so common back in the States (the crazy lawsuits seen in the U.S. have not yet migrated to Sweden).

Ellen helping CeCe with the zip line!

Of course, it wasn't all about the playgrounds...the girls definitely enjoyed the other rides as well.

Malena is on the left- she went on this ride over and over....

Now when I saw this next area of fun, I had a mix of emotions....part "oh my gosh, how fun...I remember those!" and part "ewwwwww gross....a big pot of germ stew!"  Of course, the girls thought it was the best thing ever and luckily didn't end up with TB or whooping cough after their ball pit experience.

How fun is that??

Next it was back to the open spaces...a quick stop to visit the goats....not exactly Six Flags, right?  For about the cost of a quarter, you could get food to feed the goats- unfortunately the children were mobbed by larger goats while the "kids" waited for the leftovers.

Malena with one of the babies....awwwww!

CeCe makes her way over....

Next we stopped for lunch.  Another nice thing about the amusement parks around here (Disneyland NOT included) is that you can bring in your own picnic lunch.   They even have barbecue pits where you can grill hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.  The Swedes seem to take their picnic-ing very seriously- our friends had pasta, sausages, fruit, vegetables...the works!

After lunch, we headed for the water park.  Water park?  Uh oh.  For some reason, I had in my head that there were only "water rides" at Tosselilla.  I had brought along towels for the girls, and even extra clothes, but no swim suits (even though my friend told me she was bringing her daughter's suit).   It was also a little chilly so I didn't figure the kids would want to do much that was water related (I know....that was a very stupid assumption!).   So I ended up just having them wear their shorts in the water.  Of course, up until this moment, every beach or fountain we have encountered has children all over the place swimming in their underwear.  However, on the day I forget the bathing suits, all of the other kids are styled in proper swim wear.  Luckily, my topless children were not evicted from the water park for indecent exposure!

Malena tested out two of the water slides all by herself (of course I didn't have a bathing suit, so there was no chance of me accompanying her!).  Here's a quick (5 seconds quick) video of Malena on one of the slides...watch those other kids scatter!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6BA_UtVuiw&feature=youtu.be

After we got the kids dried off and dressed, we stopped for a quick snack.   After eating, Malena walked over to the edge of a small lake and came RUNNING back, saying that I had to come and see the fish.  I wasn't in a huge hurry....I've seen fish more than once....but I have to admit these fish were more entertaining than any I had seen in a while.  They were right next to the shore, almost piled on top of one another (which leads me to believe they were waiting for some type of snack).  When we started throwing them pieces of bread, it was total chaos!  I think watching these fish was one of the highlights of the day.  Note to self...our next outing will involve a loaf of bread and the closest pond!

Watch your fingers!

Well, it had been a full day and I was trying direct my girls toward the exit.  However, I was diverted by a "Mom, can we please do the boat ride? Please?"  I agree, but there is no "boat ride" in sight.  I see a only a four seat, human powered paddle boat...with only one of the three of us possessing legs long enough to pedal!

Thanks Mom!

One last thing....I did let the girls have ice cream on our way out of the park...and I think I referred to it as "dinner".   Nothing like one more sugar rush to complete a day of fun!

Road Trip to Paris!

We had been talking about taking another summer trip (and the hubby had been scolded by the Swedes for not taking more vacation aka "holiday" time) and had thought driving to Paris might be an option.  The thought of a road trip was a bit scary....the drive time from Lund to Paris, not including stops, was over 13 hours- that's a lot of quality time with the family!  However, Paris was definitely on our "to see" list, so we decided to make the most of our opportunity to travel and take the trip.   (FYI- This is going to be a bit lengthy, so if you're thinking of reading it all in one sitting, I will suggest grabbing a drink or a snack before getting too comfortable)

We loaded up the Audi wagon last Monday morning and headed out.  It was a a tad bit crowded in the car...suitcases, stroller, cooler, etc.   Not to mention that CeCe (sitting behind her dad) barely had room for her little feet.

Here we go!

Our plan was to drive to Cologne, Germany (over halfway to Paris) where we would stay for the night.  The girls did pretty well considering they have limited means of entertainment.  Past experience has shown that reading and even watching DVDs in the car can result in some motion sickness for both of them...bleh!  So we took no chances, and they were left with music and audio books!

With my (extremely) limited European travel, this was my first experience with "Sanifair" at the German rest stops (so of course I have to share).  Essentially you pay 70 Euro cents to use the rest room (kids are free if they aren't tall enough to reach the coin slot!).  Then you get a voucher (for 50 Euro cents) to use for snacks, drinks, etc. in the shop.  I'll admit that the bathroom was quite clean...although I'm not sure that I would have trashed the place if it had been free....

I hope you brought Euro coins!

The drive to Cologne should have taken about 8 hours (maybe 9 with pit stops).  Unfortunately, with necessary potty stops, construction traffic (just like home), and some crazy weather....it was about an 11 hour trip.  Ugh!  We unloaded, had a quick bite to eat, and then crashed.   We had just a few hours for sight seeing the next morning before we got back in the car.  Of course it was raining (I think it followed us) but we managed to make the most of it..and checked out a beautiful cathedral.

Pardon the scaffolding!

And we're off again!   Day two of driving was much less painful...we stopped north of Paris and wanted to get a good night's sleep in preparation for (dare I say) Disneyland Paris!  The girls had not been to either Disney park in the states so we thought this would be a great surprise (or perhaps it was more of a "let's get this Disney thing over with" situation).  Either way, the girls were very excited to see the Disney castle.

I brought their princess dresses from home!

Soon after entering the park, the girls patiently waited...and waited....to have their picture taken with a princess.   Sadly, CeCe's reaction to Cinderella was similar to her reaction to Santa Claus (she's very excited until she's actually face to face with this strange character).  At least we got her in the photo!

One sister is a little more excited than the other!

We spent a few more hours at Disney, successfully finding a few activities that did not involve waiting in lines for an hour or more.   We finished the day with a train ride around the park.

Mom and CeCe on the train!

Buh-bye Disney!  I think that should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, don't you???

The next day was a whirlwind overview of the must-see attractions (or at least a few of them) in Paris.   Because we were traveling with a four and six year old,  we were content to view these landmarks from the outside.  Making a child stand in line for hours to see inside a church or art museum is just mean (even if they are REALLY nice churches and museums!).   So be prepared to see a bunch of pictures from the periphery, without a whole lot of narration (I will include a few links or blurbs from Wikipedia for a little added culture).

First stop, the Notre Dame cathedral.   It was beautiful!  Construction on the cathedral started in 1163...wow!  So we stopped...took a few photos...and kept on walking.  For more historical info, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris

Love the pics of the whole family!

Next we started our trek to the Eiffel tower....stopping for a bite to eat and to take a few photos.  We realized that when searching for a place to eat in Paris, you should just be prepared to spend a fortune.  If your food is cheap, your diet Coke will cost at least $5.  Sorry for the tangent...let's keep going.

So much beautiful architecture

As we are walking, I am so grateful that we brought the stroller (only the small one, though...the two seater wouldn't fit in the car!).  The girls put on a lot of miles and were happy to take turns "resting" while I got plenty of exercise by pushing around an extra 40 or 50 pounds.  It seemed like it took us forever....but we finally made to the Eiffel tower and it was impressive!  The pictures don't do it justice, but I will (of course) share a couple anyway!

Still smiling after walking for miles!

A slightly different perspective

We made one more stop before calling it a day....at the Arc de Triomphe which "honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces"  (thank you, Wikipedia!).

Our second, and final, day of sightseeing was much more relaxed.   We found a beautiful place called Le Jardin des Plantes which was a large botanical garden (if you hadn't gotten that from its name).  While walking through the garden we found a cute carousel....with no line!

Lions, giraffes and ostriches...Oh my!

Near the garden we found a zoo and thought the girls might enjoy that more than shlepping through some other historical sights...I think we were right.  I have to admit that I also enjoyed the zoo and saw a few animals that I had never seen before!

A King Vulture...a face only a mother could love!

The rest of the afternoon consisted of lunch at cafe' Hugo (named for the famous French poet and writer....best known for the novel Les Misérables) and a leisurely walk through an "artsy" area to check out a few galleries.

The hubby showing his photography skills at the restaurant!

One of the other highlights of visiting Paris was spending time with our friends (more friends that I have met through the Hubby) Mette and Kim...and their dog, Luna.   We were able to have a couple of relaxing evenings on their deck, drinking wine and relaxing after a busy day of sightseeing.  The girls really enjoyed their time with our new friends...mom and dad might as well have been invisible.  Sigh!

Much love for Mette!

Now it was time to head "home" to Sweden (saying that still seems a bit strange).  As we were driving, I could tell that the hubby wanted to make the drive in one day... he kept a close eye on any fluctuation of our ETA on the GPS.  I just sat quietly in my co-pilot seat...praying for no rain, no traffic and no campers on the autobahn.  We stopped briefly a couple of times for food (the Kid Meals in Germany are remarkably similar to those in the U.S.) and let the girls play at the rest stop playgrounds.

Ready for a long nap in the car??

I knew once we left Germany that any chance of a hotel stay and a second day of driving had been eliminated.   Luckily, CeCe fell asleep (after only a minor meltdown) and Malena was content listening to my iPod (I was too tired to care that she had switched from Kids Bop to Lady Gaga).  After a measly fifteen hours in the car, we made it home safe and sound (and exhausted!).

It was quite an exciting week...I would definitely go back (at least to Paris...not so sure about Disney).

Just had to sneak in one more photo!

What Has Become of Me???

I'm letting you know up front that as you read, you may find yourself wondering things like, "Where is she going with this?  Is there something more productive I could be doing right now rather than reading this blog?"  Try to be patient. It has been a bit of a long week....the hubby is out of town, it's been raining almost every day and my girls have been forgetting to turn on their "listening ears".  Oh, and just try to start a job search in Europe in the summer when everybody is on "holiday"!  So just keep reading, cut me a little slack and be happy that I am not attached intravenously to a bottle of Riesling!

Calgon, take me away!

While the hubby is away on business, I tend to look around the house and see what might need to be cleaned or "organized" (yes, I am well aware that this is not normal behavior).  My husband usually "loses" a few thing during this process and, I must say, is not always pleased.  Anyway, organizing usually involves a trip to Ikea and who doesn't love that?  Unfortunately, by now most things have a place and I am left to simply do more cleaning- booooooo!   Sadly the dust bunnies here multiply very quickly (just like the real bunnies) and I have plenty to keep me occupied.   During my cleaning, I found myself (more than once) moving around a laundry basket full of crumpled dress shirts.   Now I must backtrack a little.....

Over the years, the hubby has grown a nice collection of button down shirts.  Back in the states, these would be taken to the dry cleaners to be laundered and pressed.   Even when we were living an ocean apart, he would return from Sweden with a suitcase full of wrinkled shirts and, you guessed it, take them to the cleaners.

And yes, he is man enough to wear pink!

When the girls and I moved to Sweden, I observed the familiar pile of button down shirts.  Over time, I noticed that while the shirt pile didn't grow, it also didn't make it to the cleaners.  It simply moved from place to place (all of them inconvenient in our small house).  After further investigation, I discovered two reasons why these shirts had not found their way to the magical place where very nice people take your clothes and return them to you in ready-to-wear condition.  1) Dry cleaners are pretty much non-existent here in the land of (extra) business casual and 2) the ones that do exist are crazy expensive.  I guess that's why the hubby has resigned himself to jeans and golf shirts for work....no sense in adding to the pile of dress shirts that may never be worn again.

Recently, however, he found a dry cleaners in Malmö (which is about a 30 minute drive from here) and was going to bite the bullet and drop off the shirts. Perhaps this place was less expensive than the one, yes one, dry cleaners that is listed in Lund (thereby justifying the drive).  Anyhow, things kept getting in the way and the shirts never made it out the door.  The hubby then left on Sunday for a week of business travel.  So the shirts continued sitting...mocking me...in a laundry basket at the back door. (I know you're still waiting for a point to all of this...give me just a little more time!)

Now, before I go any further I must disclose that I do NOT iron.  My mom irons, but I guess the ironing genes skipped a generation.  I will, however, drive to the dry cleaners or might hang wrinkly stuff in the bathroom while I'm taking a hot shower (I heard the steam removes the wrinkles!).  Sometimes I will even wear things that should have been ironed first... for shame!   I had two irons in our old house but could never find either of them...not that I was looking very hard.  If the hubby and I had signed a pre-nup (which we did not) it would have stipulated that I am to do NO ironing (or windows...or dusting....sorry, I digress).   

You get the idea!

You now understand my relationship (or lack thereof) with the iron but are still wondering, "Where is she going with this?"  Not to worry, it will become clear to you now...

Here is where my hatred of ironing meets my hatred of the of pile of crumpled shirts meets my hatred of paying out the nose for dry cleaning.  In a moment of possible insanity (remember the rain, the crazy children, etc.), I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I selected four of the shirts, tossed them in the washing machine, then hung them up to dry.  Now what?  Do I dare attempt to iron these myself?  Almost like a gift from the heavens, the homeowners had left behind an iron and a smallish ironing board.

Just what I wanted!

A few "How to iron a dress shirt" Google searches and YouTube videos later, I decided to give it a go.  As I mentioned, the weather has been crappy and perhaps the ironing helped me rationalize watching a lot of E! and ESPN.  

American TV....hooray!

After limited success with the iron's steam function, I dragged the girls out past their bedtime in their pajamas so I could track down a proper spray bottle.   Four dollars seemed a little pricey, but I was desperate and it ultimately turned out to be a wise investment.  I was suddenly on a mission!


Three days and several hours of hard labor later, I had ironed ALL of the shirts!  All four?  Not even close.  I ironed all TWELVE shirts!  I think they look pretty darn good, although I'm probably not the best one to judge (and if you know what's good for you, you won't judge either!)

The hubby is 6'8"...no need to display the whole shirt!

So the questions remain.....am I becoming so frugal (ok, cheap) that I would rather just do this myself rather than spending $100 on dry cleaning?  Am I trying to be extra domestic since I am not currently working "outside the home"?  Or perhaps this is just my sweet way of saying "Happy Birthday" to my hubby! (it's like giving him a closet full of new shirts, right???).   After much pondering and a few glasses of wine, I'm still not sure that I have the answer.


For the record, ironing is not an "acquired taste" and I have not learned to enjoy it during this experience.  Here's hoping for a sunny day so that I might avoid discovery of any additional domestic talents!  

The Hair Scare

I'll admit this post is geared a little more toward the ladies...or those men who take a special interest in their grooming and understand how difficult it can be to find people to help maintain their appearance!  Up until yesterday, I have had one haircut in Sweden (to the tune of $70).  It was an acceptable haircut, but I don't feel the need to continue down that path every six weeks!  I also had my hair highlighted once (I bought an "at-home" kit and my friend Hanne did it in her kitchen...it looked quite good!).   Getting your hair done, especially highlighted, is quite expensive here.  It makes you wonder how the Swedes maintain their blond locks...they can't all be natural!   Nonetheless, I wanted to get my hair cut and colored before our next trip.

The haircut was fairly simple....I simply stopped at the shop (Hot Cuts!) where the hubby gets his hair cut by Dani (a guy).  This place is one step above the local barber (i.e. they advertise that they also cut women's hair).  Dani wasn't in, but Thurid (a girl) was...she was outside enjoying a cigarette when I walked up.  She seemed to barely speak English (or perhaps just didn't want to make small talk), but she gave me a perfectly ok haircut for just over $20.  Mission accomplished!

The color was a different story.  I had asked around for recommendations and received a few.  However, no matter where you look there are horror stories about color gone wrong, even at the "fancy" places.  After my haircut,  I happened upon a small salon in downtown Lund and asked about getting my hair colored.  I spoke to a man (perhaps the owner or manager) who listened to my request....I wanted some highlights as well as some lowlights (sorry again fellas)...and he seemed to understand what I wanted.  He quoted me a reasonable price and I set an appointment for the next day at 10 a.m.

When I arrived for my appointment, I reiterated my request (for highlights AND lowlights) and the manager translated this information for the gal who was actually going to work on my hair.  I had even brought in a translation of what I wanted to have done (Google translate isn't the best, but it's better than nothing!).  In spite of all this, the gal still seems a little perplexed which made me a tad bit uneasy....as you might imagine. (By the way, I will continue to refer to my stylist only as the "gal"...I used my best Swedish to ask her her name, but I could not understand her reply).  I then pulled up some images on my phone of lovely highlights a la Jennifer Aniston....I finally think she understood!

Just make me look like this, ok??

Then she gets to work with the fancy tin foil.  Why we even go through this silly looking process makes me wonder sometimes.  After a few minutes, I noticed that she is only using one color (the bleach) and not a second color for the lowlights.  I'm sure she has a strategy for the second color, but I feel compelled to ask her about it.  She summons over the manager/translator and I go through the whole explanation again...wondering if it's too late to make a bee-line for the door!  After a few more minutes of discussion, pointing, and photo perusing, I think we are FINALLY all on the same page.  She continues to work...

After all of the bleaching foils are strategically placed, the gal looks at me and says "OK?" As in ok we're done??  What about the other color??  I really have no idea what to say or do at this point.  If they haven't figured out what I want by now, do I really want this woman to put anything else on my hair?  I just nod and say "ok" right back.   I'm petrified.  And I wait...

You don't really think I'd use my own picture, do you??

I have plenty of time to ponder my options if this whole deal goes horribly wrong....Do I have any cute hats?  Would I look ok with G.I. Jane haircut?

I wait about 10 minutes and then take a peek under the foil...my hair is looking VERY light.  I'm about ready to cry thinking of how this might look.  After what seems like an eternity, the gal comes to check me and determines that I need 10 more minutes.  I think of asking her if that's really necessary, but she wouldn't understand me anyway.   So I just keep my mouth shut....and wait.

She finally returns and checks the color.  She seems to think it's perfect.  The stylist next to us takes a peek and gives a nod of approval.   My gal takes out the foils, washes my hair and wraps my head in a towel.  Back at the station, I mentally prepare myself for the towel removal.  Deep breath....

Whew!  At first glance, my hair certainly looks blonder, but does not appear to be orange and is not falling out....these are both good signs.   She takes her time drying my hair and I'm finally starting to calm down...at least a little.   When all is said and done, I am MUCH blonder.....which is I guess ok for the summer.  I then ask her to style my hair to give me a bit more of a European look.  Do you like it?

German beer girl meets the Swedish Pippi Longstocking!

Just kidding!   Here I am with my new hair...CeCe (my four year old) took the photo, so don't judge too harshly!

I am officially blonder than my children!

Although I actually am happy (or perhaps relieved) with the results, Lord knows what it will look like when it starts growing out!  Will I ever set foot in that salon again?  The place that did the exact OPPOSITE of what I asked them to do?  The place that caused me to sit for two hours terrified that I was going to have to shave my head?  The answer is a resounding "NO!"

Hopefully my next trip to a new salon will be a little less "hair"owing!

Summer is here! (At least for a day!)

For those of you keeping up with the weather in Lund (not many of you, I would imagine), you know that it has been quite rainy and chilly here.  In spite of that, the Swedes (and the Brosdal's) still make weekend plans and generally follow through with them....rain or shine.

This past Saturday turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day, and we made the most of it!  In fact, our day was probably a little "over-scheduled" which I'm sure is not very Swedish.   Here are a few highlights from our super-fun Saturday....

Since the sun was shining, we decided to head down to beach at Falsterbo.  Although the girls enjoyed their first trip down here (probably because we had cake for breakfast at a local coffee shop), the weather that day was chilly and drizzly.   Today they were able to trade their raincoats for swimsuits.  Before hitting the beach, however, we had a quick stop to make.

We stopped in to a cute little shop in Falsterbo to buy clogs, yes clogs, for the whole family.  Several of our friends (men and women) swear by these comfy (and very Swedish) shoes and the hubby thought we should all have a pair.   So, now the girls have a pair and the hubby will soon have a pair (for those of you wondering, they DID have his size....but he needs to have the shoes painted and personalized!).  I admit I am holding off on the clogs....at least for now.  My shoes can only be SO sensible!

How do these look?

Then it was time for a little sun and sand.   As you head down to the beach (here and at many other beaches in the area), you will see these little tiny "beach houses", often in a rainbow of colors.  I'm really curious as to what people keep inside these...I guess I'm just going to have to be a nosy American on our next visit and take a peek!

The girls really are loving the outdoors and are getting quite accustomed to hanging out by the water.  Jeff brought his "good" camera, and enjoyed taking some photos!

Cece's first photo shoot

As usual, Malena was more interested in getting into the water.  She also had some fun "air drying" as it was quite windy!

After the beach, we headed to the house of some of our new Swedish friends.  Our girls were especially excited as they were going to meet the kids of these friends for the first time (twin girls who are 6 years old!).  The weather was still beautiful, so we had a nice BBQ outside and all of the girls had a great time...it's fun to watch Malena and CeCe try out their growing repertoire of Swedish words!

CeCe, Ebba, Matilda and Malena

And the fun continues....on the way home from Falsterbo, we stopped at the Fotebiken Viking Market.  A friend of Jeff's was "working" there, so we thought we would check it out.  This place is part festival, part craft fair, and part people dressed up and living like "Vikings".  I'm not sure how long people live outside in this pretend Viking land, but a few of the residents could have used a good shower!  I thought this would be right up the hubby's alley (with the Viking heritage and all), but he was a little underwhelmed by the whole experience.

The Viking village (and craft tents)

I think CeCe is eyeing the wooden sword!

By now it's about 4pm and we are heading home.   To relax and enjoy a quiet evening of TV?  Not so fast....we have a birthday party to attend!  A co-worker of Jeff's turned 60 and we decided to join in the celebration.  After a quick stop at home for a shower and a snack, we headed up north to Helsingborg.

Several of Jeff's co-workers were in attendance, and it was nice to see some familiar faces.  The girls found some other children and took off to play.

The evening's entertainment was quite...well...entertaining.  A "one man band" was playing guitar and singing mostly American classics!   As I was watching the party-goers get their collective grooves on...I knew I had to capture the fun on video...it's just something I couldn't put into words.  If you listen carefully, you can even hear the Traveling Wilburys (The video is only 30 seconds long... don't pass it up!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26pxeJpxDdE&feature=youtu.be

As usual, we stayed later than we had planned.  We finally dragged the girls away from their new friends and jumped in the car.  After about five minutes, I turn around to see a familiar sight in the back seat...

Why are you keeping me up so late??

Here's hoping for more summer-y days in southern Sweden!