Trip to Gran Canaria

If you're looking for a post that's heavy on photos and light on text, this one is for you!   The girls recently had a week off from school for a winter break called "Sportlov".  Some Swedes take the name seriously and do something active....like skiing.  Our family opted to find a location with less, not more, snow and warmer temperatures where we could be predominantly in-active!

Our destination was Hotel Orquidea, a family friendly resort in lovely Gran Canaria, the second most populous island of the Canary Islands (I admit I had to check a map when we booked the trip...the Canary Islands are just off the west coast of Africa).  If nothing else, this move to Sweden is improving my knowledge of world geography.

An evening view...pretty peaceful without those crazy kids!

One of the benefits of this resort was the organized kid activities.  Each morning, the girls enjoyed two hours of "camp".   The camp leaders kept the kids busy with fun activities.  

The girls in their camp "uniforms"

While the girls were at their respective camps, I enjoyed two hours of laziness by the pool.   I realized that I can be a really fantastic "relaxer" if I put my mind to it!   The hubby couldn't sit still for too long, so he spent some time taking pictures and trying out the hotel gym.

On the girls day off from camp (I guess they needed a break from all that fun), we booked an excursion which was perfect for families who wanted a sampling of island activities.   The eager participants were picked up from the hotel in Jeeps and driven to our first activity.....camel rides!

This is going to be fun....right???

Before we got there, they girls were very excited about the idea of riding on a camel.  However, the process of getting the camels off the ground (back legs first) and starting the journey (CeCe got nose-to-nose with one of these one-humped beasts) proved a bit daunting.  However, once we got going, everyone enjoyed the ride.  They put the hubby and I on the camel right behind the girls (you probably figured that out from the photos).

Now everyone is  happy!

After the ride, the girls had a chance to feed some of the other camels.   

What big eyes you have!

And what big lips you have!

Next we got back into the Jeeps and headed for a scenic overlook where we could take some pictures.  I'm not a big fan of heights, but I have to admit these views were amazing.

Daddy and his girls

Next was a stop for lunch, but there was one more camel that needed a little snack first.

That's my girl (and yes, I had to bribe her to do this!)

After lunch, we took a trip into a (very) small town where we were able to wander around and take more pictures.   Like I said, this excursion had a bit of something for everyone and if you didn't like one part there was comfort in knowing it would soon be over.

Not a bad place to live!

Favorite pose from the trip...rock on!

The final phase of the excursion was taking the Jeeps "off roading" through the mountains.  Basically this involved riding on dusty, rocky roads that were (in my opinion) too close to the edge.  For all I know this could have been our driver's first day on the job....but I was too afraid to ask.   Of course, we purchased the video of this trip so I could appreciate all of the scenery from the comfort and safety of my own couch!

The oldest enjoying the view

Our fun filled field trip was followed by two more days of sun and relaxation.  It was a much needed break from the dreary Swedish winter.

Say "cheese"!

Now that we are back in Sweden, the hours of daylight are noticeable greater which gives me some hope that spring is not too far away.   For now, we will just have to savor the memories of the warm sun.

What's for (school) lunch?

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to post some short "blurbs" on the blog in addition to my (more frequent) longer stories....in the event that you don't have so much "blog reading" penciled in your calendar.   This particular post is beyond a blurb... I guess my resolution is a work in progress!

Now on to the topic at hand.  When we moved to Sweden, I was a smidge nervous about what my children would be eating for lunch at school.   Alright...alright...nervous was perhaps an understatement...I actually thought that they might starve!  I suppose I had visions of plates loaded with pickled fish and other "new" foods that my girls would refuse to ingest.

Salmon, herring, potatoes...you get the idea

Going back to when the girls first started school, I was asked by the teachers to tag along for the first couple of days (this is when the girls were riding the big bus- see earlier post if you missed it).   Among other things, this provided me the opportunity to see what sorts of food they would be offered (and if they would eat it!).  The first food was a simple school-provided snack at about 9:30;  their teacher pulled out a bag of assorted fruit and distributed it to the eager children.  This is similar to snack time in the U.S., although that fruit might be in the form of "fruit snacks".   Personally, I find these morsels pretty tasty, but they are not exactly what you would find growing on a tree.

It looks a little more like "Saturday's candy" in Sweden

When lunchtime arrived (which was eaten outside unless it was quite bad weather), the teachers pulled out a few different containers  of food that had been prepared back at the school.   First there were several bowls filled with fresh vegetables....shredded carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.   This was quite a change from some schools in the U.S. where the squishy (over)cooked vegetables have been sitting around in a "warmer" for a few hours...not super appetizing as I recall.  I'm not going to pretend that all the kids here filled their plates sky high with these more attractive veggies....but most of the youngsters were hungry enough to give some a try.

Then there was pasta with two kinds of fresh sauces, and a choice of milk or water to drink.  I ate lunch with the children and it was surprisingly tasty.  This is the meal that their teachers ate as well (with coffee to drink).  The afternoon snack was a simple sandwich (open face with a piece of cheese).   Other days that choice could be yogurt or fruit.  I have to say I was mildly impressed with the simple, yet healthy food.  I was also cautiously optimistic that my children would not, in fact, have a hunger strike at school.

"What did you have for lunch?" became one of my favorite after-school questions, partly due to general interest and partly because I was quietly comparing it with the typical U.S. school lunch.   Lucky for my girls, they now are sent home with a school lunch menu and can avoid the interrogation.  First of all, these menus are visually appealing.  Of course, it tells us what the children will be eating each day (with a daily vegetarian option for the non meat-eaters).   Then there are also some pictures and "fun facts".   These include informing us (kids and parents, I suppose) that they serve white "fiber pasta" and some organically grown foods.  I especially like the section that asks if you can become smart by eating fish....can you??

Small print, I know...but you get the idea

The food isn't anything fancy, but it is freshly made, not fried and generally not "icky".  Pasta, fish, chicken or beef in some form are pretty standard on the menu.   They also serve rice with curry sauce on occasion (a favorite of one of my girls), falafel, and some other selections to broaden their food horizons.  A far cry from the fried chicken patties and tater tots that I recall from my youth ( Tater tots ARE considered a vegetable, right?)

The kids (even my 5 year old) go through the lunch line and serve themselves.   My oldest told me that sometimes there is a limit to how much of a certain food they can take (perhaps a max of 7 meatballs), otherwise they can take as much as they want.  On the flip side, there is little tolerance for wasting food.  The phrase "Stoppa maten i din mage, inte i soptunnan, tack" is posted on their menu which means please put your food in your stomach, not in the waste bin.

I guess this is the "American" version!

Although I hear rumors of the "Western diet" moving this direction (and have seen some evidence to support that), I am for now quite happy that the typical U.S. school lunch has not yet crossed the ocean.   While writing this blog, I completed a tiny bit of research on current U.S. lunch menus and found that some appeared a little healthier than I remember (although quite a bit of variation exists).  I know that Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama are on the rampage, so perhaps things are moving in the right direction.  I also must disclose that I have only seen the lunches at one school (and I understand that differences between schools exist here as well), so if YOUR Swedish school counts french fries as a vegetable then I want to hear from you!

My girls certainly don't LOVE their lunch every day, but it's comforting to know that they aren't starving (and are offered choices that I would most likely eat).  Maybe it's just the chef that makes the difference...

Sorry....I couldn't resist!