Summer is starting to come to a close (in Sweden, that week is long gone), which means that it is time for crayfish. We had a nice Swedish crayfish dinner last night. When the in-laws where here last week and I served some American (read Cajun) crayfish. I have to admit, they were not nearly as good. It is probably the only Swedish food that I miss. So it is extra nice that you can get them at Ikea.
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2011
Swedish Dinner
Summer is starting to come to a close (in Sweden, that week is long gone), which means that it is time for crayfish. We had a nice Swedish crayfish dinner last night. When the in-laws where here last week and I served some American (read Cajun) crayfish. I have to admit, they were not nearly as good. It is probably the only Swedish food that I miss. So it is extra nice that you can get them at Ikea.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
A special kind of club
Sitting down at breakfast yesterday morning, my tongue felt a rough spot on a tooth in the back of the mouth. I ignored it, since I have a dentist appointment in a couple of weeks. Unconsciously I was still playing with it. I did not notice that I was until I felt something move. Of course it was the tooth. With very little assistance, a gigantic filling came out. It is not too shocking, I do have really crappy teeth.
The girls thought that this was great, especially Z. They determined that I was now a member of a special club- The Missing Tooth Club. Z is a member, so is Grandma and a friend of theirs in Texas. I feel honored to be a member. I am hoping that I am not a member for very long though. The lucky thing for me is that it is one of my back teeth. All the other members (that we know of course, we are ignoring everyone else). have one of their front teeth missing. Plus I am hoping not to be a member too long. The dentist is booked for the first part of next week.
It was determined that the Tooth Fairy would be coming. The only issue is that in Sweden they do it a little differently. They place the tooth in a glass of water and then in the morning coins will be in there and the tooth is still there. I thought that we should wait until M gets home, but Z would not have anything to do with that. It had to be last night. My favorite thing about the missing tooth though has to be the words of wisdom by Z- "You can either save the money or you can spend it on anything you want" (the last part was in a greedy little voice.
The girls thought that this was great, especially Z. They determined that I was now a member of a special club- The Missing Tooth Club. Z is a member, so is Grandma and a friend of theirs in Texas. I feel honored to be a member. I am hoping that I am not a member for very long though. The lucky thing for me is that it is one of my back teeth. All the other members (that we know of course, we are ignoring everyone else). have one of their front teeth missing. Plus I am hoping not to be a member too long. The dentist is booked for the first part of next week.
It was determined that the Tooth Fairy would be coming. The only issue is that in Sweden they do it a little differently. They place the tooth in a glass of water and then in the morning coins will be in there and the tooth is still there. I thought that we should wait until M gets home, but Z would not have anything to do with that. It had to be last night. My favorite thing about the missing tooth though has to be the words of wisdom by Z- "You can either save the money or you can spend it on anything you want" (the last part was in a greedy little voice.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sime08
A while ago work sent an email out to everyone and asked if anyone would be interested in attending the Sime08 conference in Stockholm. I took a quick look at the proposed agenda and said that if there was space available, then why not. As it got closer and closer, I started to question my decision to attend. Work was/is busy and the more I looked at the agenda, the more I wondered if it would really be worth it.
It is a two day conference (the first of the two days is today) dealing the tech. Basically it is a nerd’s conference. That is not really fair, a Star Trek conference is a nerd’s conference. This is dealing with real issues and real things, so it is actually the Super Geek’s Conference. The website says that on the days of the conference, “the smartest people in Sweden will go missing.” I almost hate to admit it, but I enjoyed almost every speaker today (the first day) and I actually got motivated to do something with www.DnMAdventures.com. I mean, I get motivated all the time, but I mean actually motivated. That is hard to believe.
The highlight was actually two different speakers. Joi Ito was excellent. His presentation was a mixture of entertaining and yet it was very informative. He started a company called Creative Commons, which allows people to share information/photos/music (you get the point) legally and to the benefit to all parties. The highlight though was Dave Sifrey. He presented a new business of his called Off Beat Guides. It is very frustrating to a certain extent, but it is an amazing idea. It is personalized guidebooks. It is brilliant (and has officially made Christmas shopping a whole lot easier), but I talked to M about this very idea 6 months ago. I just did not have a clue on how it could be done and now it is.
A while ago work sent an email out to everyone and asked if anyone would be interested in attending the Sime08 conference in Stockholm. I took a quick look at the proposed agenda and said that if there was space available, then why not. As it got closer and closer, I started to question my decision to attend. Work was/is busy and the more I looked at the agenda, the more I wondered if it would really be worth it.
It is a two day conference (the first of the two days is today) dealing the tech. Basically it is a nerd’s conference. That is not really fair, a Star Trek conference is a nerd’s conference. This is dealing with real issues and real things, so it is actually the Super Geek’s Conference. The website says that on the days of the conference, “the smartest people in Sweden will go missing.” I almost hate to admit it, but I enjoyed almost every speaker today (the first day) and I actually got motivated to do something with www.DnMAdventures.com. I mean, I get motivated all the time, but I mean actually motivated. That is hard to believe.
The highlight was actually two different speakers. Joi Ito was excellent. His presentation was a mixture of entertaining and yet it was very informative. He started a company called Creative Commons, which allows people to share information/photos/music (you get the point) legally and to the benefit to all parties. The highlight though was Dave Sifrey. He presented a new business of his called Off Beat Guides. It is very frustrating to a certain extent, but it is an amazing idea. It is personalized guidebooks. It is brilliant (and has officially made Christmas shopping a whole lot easier), but I talked to M about this very idea 6 months ago. I just did not have a clue on how it could be done and now it is.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Train Week!!
This week is suppose to be dedicated to trains (and specifically the train weekend we just took), ironically the train into work yesterday was over an hour late, so I am running late with everything. Anyway, today is a simple one, this is the postcard that we bought on our train weekend and sent to Grandpa and Grandma. It is actually one of my favorite postcards I have seen in a while.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
The Lidingöloppet
Stage one of the Swedish Classic is over for me… again. It should have been stage three, but it did not happen as planned (just in case, the Swedish Classic is 4 sporting events that a participant has to complete within a calendar year. They include skiing, biking, swimming and running). This time around I started with the one that I was the most worried about- the Lidingöloppet. It is “only” a 30km trail run, though it is known as the toughest footrace in Europe. To me, the idea of running for 30km sounds miserable, though it is something that had to be done and now that it is over, I hope to never do it again.
It started easy enough. My start time was at 1:30 (I was under the impression that it was at 1:00), so I got there way too early. After waiting around for several hours, I ended up seeing a couple of people I knew. We turned in our bags and then walked to the start line a couple of kilometers away. Before the race, I had done a fair amount of training. I had run two times per week on average, at least one of them around 15km, though nothing ever more then 15km. To be honest, it felt as though I was ready. My body was feeling good, I felt pretty sure about myself, but I still was a little nervous about the race. The idea of running 30km is scary, or at least it should be a scary thought and for sure a scary thought to me.
One big difference between the Lidingöloppet and other races is that the start time is determined by when you registered for the race, not how fast you think that you will run it. That means that even though we were one of the last groups to start, the potential winner of the race may start right next to me (or the person who would be the slowest of the race might be there as well). So when the race started, I hung back a little. I knew that I did not want to run with the fast guys, so I stayed in the middle of the pack. Boy am I glad that I did. After about ½ a km, the trail broke off to the right and to the left. Of course by this time, the fast people were up front. Right as I was reached the Y in the trail, several people behind me started to scream. Everyone had turned left, when we should have turned right. I quickly turned around and was back on the right trail, but every person who hurried to the front of the pack, were now in the very back and had to run an additional kilometer. I laughed so hard, that I am sure that I my energy level dropped. I went from the middle of the pack to one of the front ten people.
The first couple of kilometers were tough, though the first couple of kilometers of running are always tough. At the end of first 10km (59min 52sec), I was feeling good. The pace was good, slow enough that I thought that perhaps I would be able to keep up with it. After the first 10km, the track started to get smaller and smaller. At some points during the race, the track was barely large enough for two people to walk next to each other, let alone 30,000 people run together. At 15km, the trail was more up and down and pretty narrow. Even with that though, I had managed to maintain the same pace (1hr30min26sec) and was feeling pretty good.
That all stopped at kilometer 17, my knee locked up on me. I pulled over to the side for a minute to stretch it out and it helped instantaneously, but it was not long before it locked up again. Both knees were sore by the time I reached 20.2km (2hr14min06sec). I rested for a couple of minutes to take some additional water and snacks, but most importantly to stretch out both knees. I did not want to stay too long, because I knew it would be tough to get back going if I waited. So I pushed forward, still running some, but walking a whole lot more. The sad part is that my body felt good. I really did not feel tired, it was just that my knees had given up on me. The hardest part of the race began after 25km mark (2hr52min21sec). The biggest hill was after that point, and everyone walked up it (I wanted to crawl). It was grueling, to put it lightly. From that point until the final 500 meters, I pretty much just speed walked. Walking, I would pass people that were running. Then on the downhill, if my knees would allow for it, I would run as best as I could.
Stage one of the Swedish Classic is over for me… again. It should have been stage three, but it did not happen as planned (just in case, the Swedish Classic is 4 sporting events that a participant has to complete within a calendar year. They include skiing, biking, swimming and running). This time around I started with the one that I was the most worried about- the Lidingöloppet. It is “only” a 30km trail run, though it is known as the toughest footrace in Europe. To me, the idea of running for 30km sounds miserable, though it is something that had to be done and now that it is over, I hope to never do it again.
It started easy enough. My start time was at 1:30 (I was under the impression that it was at 1:00), so I got there way too early. After waiting around for several hours, I ended up seeing a couple of people I knew. We turned in our bags and then walked to the start line a couple of kilometers away. Before the race, I had done a fair amount of training. I had run two times per week on average, at least one of them around 15km, though nothing ever more then 15km. To be honest, it felt as though I was ready. My body was feeling good, I felt pretty sure about myself, but I still was a little nervous about the race. The idea of running 30km is scary, or at least it should be a scary thought and for sure a scary thought to me. One big difference between the Lidingöloppet and other races is that the start time is determined by when you registered for the race, not how fast you think that you will run it. That means that even though we were one of the last groups to start, the potential winner of the race may start right next to me (or the person who would be the slowest of the race might be there as well). So when the race started, I hung back a little. I knew that I did not want to run with the fast guys, so I stayed in the middle of the pack. Boy am I glad that I did. After about ½ a km, the trail broke off to the right and to the left. Of course by this time, the fast people were up front. Right as I was reached the Y in the trail, several people behind me started to scream. Everyone had turned left, when we should have turned right. I quickly turned around and was back on the right trail, but every person who hurried to the front of the pack, were now in the very back and had to run an additional kilometer. I laughed so hard, that I am sure that I my energy level dropped. I went from the middle of the pack to one of the front ten people.
The first couple of kilometers were tough, though the first couple of kilometers of running are always tough. At the end of first 10km (59min 52sec), I was feeling good. The pace was good, slow enough that I thought that perhaps I would be able to keep up with it. After the first 10km, the track started to get smaller and smaller. At some points during the race, the track was barely large enough for two people to walk next to each other, let alone 30,000 people run together. At 15km, the trail was more up and down and pretty narrow. Even with that though, I had managed to maintain the same pace (1hr30min26sec) and was feeling pretty good.
That all stopped at kilometer 17, my knee locked up on me. I pulled over to the side for a minute to stretch it out and it helped instantaneously, but it was not long before it locked up again. Both knees were sore by the time I reached 20.2km (2hr14min06sec). I rested for a couple of minutes to take some additional water and snacks, but most importantly to stretch out both knees. I did not want to stay too long, because I knew it would be tough to get back going if I waited. So I pushed forward, still running some, but walking a whole lot more. The sad part is that my body felt good. I really did not feel tired, it was just that my knees had given up on me. The hardest part of the race began after 25km mark (2hr52min21sec). The biggest hill was after that point, and everyone walked up it (I wanted to crawl). It was grueling, to put it lightly. From that point until the final 500 meters, I pretty much just speed walked. Walking, I would pass people that were running. Then on the downhill, if my knees would allow for it, I would run as best as I could.
When the final 500meters were posted, I started to run as fast as I could. This is a difficult thing for me. My nature is to take it slow towards the end, needing additional motivation to continue running. My motivation was simple, I wanted to look good. I finished with 3 hours, 36 minutes and 27 seconds. I am happy with the final time, though I am not overly impressed. People who run the entire way, or almost the entire way, are more impressive to me. Even if they have a slower time then what I had.
At the end of the Vätternrundan (bike), they were asking people if they thought that they would ever do it again. The overwhelming response was no. I knew at the end of that race that I wanted to come back and do it again. I am not so sure about the Lidingöloppet though. I like the idea that I am finished with it, but I do not think that I will ever do it again. I would consider running another long race, like a marathon, but never the Lidingöloppet. Maybe it should be the Athens Marathon or the New York Marathon. First I have to get ready for the Vasaloppet (skiing)- only 138 days remaining.
At the end of the Vätternrundan (bike), they were asking people if they thought that they would ever do it again. The overwhelming response was no. I knew at the end of that race that I wanted to come back and do it again. I am not so sure about the Lidingöloppet though. I like the idea that I am finished with it, but I do not think that I will ever do it again. I would consider running another long race, like a marathon, but never the Lidingöloppet. Maybe it should be the Athens Marathon or the New York Marathon. First I have to get ready for the Vasaloppet (skiing)- only 138 days remaining.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Sore Legs and Weak Knees
Sore legs and weak knees, that must mean that I just did the Midnattsloppet again this year. My goal for running it was under one hour (last years time was 59 minutes and 57 seconds), though I have done almost no training for it. So it was not for sure if I actually would reach/beat my goal. It was also a first for a couple of things- the first time running with music and the first time running with a knee brace. Last year when I got to km 8, ny knee popped and it hurt for days after. So I wanted to protect it as much as possible.
Timing of the event was horrible. A couple friend that we have called on Thursday to say that they were in town from Australia and wanted to meet up, so I had to miss the first night with them. The race was colder this year. As I was standing there waiting for our time to go, I was freezing. The positive side was that this year I did not have to go pee before the race started (learned that lesson last year). Eventually our number got to start.
For some reason, the first 3km is the hardest for me. Part of me wanted to stop there and just call it a day. The nice part about running in a large group like that is that I control my speed. Normally I would try to run faster then I should, but in a group, I keep it under control. By the forth km, I was feeling good. Around 7km is the big hill. I do well running up it. I don’t know why I can run up a hill. The sick part is that I enjoy running up the hills, it feels good. By the 8th km, I was feeling great and it only got better. I actually finished strong and could have “easily” gone on. I guess in reality I did go on further, since I had to get to the train station. In the end, I managed to complete the 10km loop in 55min 20sec, over 4 minutes faster then last year.
I am using the Midnattsloppet as a training for the Lidingöloppet. The first of the Classic for me (I had to start over, typical). A 30km race that is off road the entire way. Sounds like a pain, so I am not sure why I am doing it. They say it is harder then a marathon. It is only 29 days until the race and I have not really trained that much. My goal, right now anyway, is less then 4 hours. Maybe, with some additional training, I will be able to do it.
Sore legs and weak knees, that must mean that I just did the Midnattsloppet again this year. My goal for running it was under one hour (last years time was 59 minutes and 57 seconds), though I have done almost no training for it. So it was not for sure if I actually would reach/beat my goal. It was also a first for a couple of things- the first time running with music and the first time running with a knee brace. Last year when I got to km 8, ny knee popped and it hurt for days after. So I wanted to protect it as much as possible.
Timing of the event was horrible. A couple friend that we have called on Thursday to say that they were in town from Australia and wanted to meet up, so I had to miss the first night with them. The race was colder this year. As I was standing there waiting for our time to go, I was freezing. The positive side was that this year I did not have to go pee before the race started (learned that lesson last year). Eventually our number got to start.
For some reason, the first 3km is the hardest for me. Part of me wanted to stop there and just call it a day. The nice part about running in a large group like that is that I control my speed. Normally I would try to run faster then I should, but in a group, I keep it under control. By the forth km, I was feeling good. Around 7km is the big hill. I do well running up it. I don’t know why I can run up a hill. The sick part is that I enjoy running up the hills, it feels good. By the 8th km, I was feeling great and it only got better. I actually finished strong and could have “easily” gone on. I guess in reality I did go on further, since I had to get to the train station. In the end, I managed to complete the 10km loop in 55min 20sec, over 4 minutes faster then last year.
I am using the Midnattsloppet as a training for the Lidingöloppet. The first of the Classic for me (I had to start over, typical). A 30km race that is off road the entire way. Sounds like a pain, so I am not sure why I am doing it. They say it is harder then a marathon. It is only 29 days until the race and I have not really trained that much. My goal, right now anyway, is less then 4 hours. Maybe, with some additional training, I will be able to do it.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Road to England
The trip to England was a bit of an experience this time. It took three nights to get here, with the first night only a couple of hours away from the house. The second night was in a tent in Aalborg Denmark and the last night was on the ferry between Denmark and England.
The tent night was interesting. I was not overly interested in staying in a tent. I love camping, but I am guessing that I am going to get my fair share of it this summer. M was driving though, so she decided. It rained during the night...of course. The girls loved it though. They got sleeping bags for Christmas last year and thought that it as the coolest thing ever to sleep in their very own sleeping bags in a real tent. They were warm and happy all night. I wish I could say the same about M and I. We fought for the sleeping bags and were a little cold the entire night. In the morning we quickly put up the tent before it started to rain again (we failed).
The last night we took to the ferry from Denmark to England. M thought that the boat was a little small. It was not the biggest boat I had seen before, but it was not small. In reality, the boats to Åland have more things to do on them then this one and we were on this one for 18 hours. I guess it was a good thing that we did not have any alternatives on what to do- we slept for 12 of the 18 hours. While we were taking a little fika in the food area, we sat next to 3 couples chatting. They were all chatting about the different yachts that they own/have owned. Then they started to chat about the different places they took dance lessens- "I took a month long tango lesson in Argentina." "Well, I look a salsa lesson in Africa." The conversation went on and on. The joys of having way too much money.
We arrived in England with no problems and even got to the flat with out any problems. It is pretty nice and sits right on the Thames. So much so that I am going to have to be extra careful with the girls in the back yard.
The trip to England was a bit of an experience this time. It took three nights to get here, with the first night only a couple of hours away from the house. The second night was in a tent in Aalborg Denmark and the last night was on the ferry between Denmark and England.
The tent night was interesting. I was not overly interested in staying in a tent. I love camping, but I am guessing that I am going to get my fair share of it this summer. M was driving though, so she decided. It rained during the night...of course. The girls loved it though. They got sleeping bags for Christmas last year and thought that it as the coolest thing ever to sleep in their very own sleeping bags in a real tent. They were warm and happy all night. I wish I could say the same about M and I. We fought for the sleeping bags and were a little cold the entire night. In the morning we quickly put up the tent before it started to rain again (we failed).
The last night we took to the ferry from Denmark to England. M thought that the boat was a little small. It was not the biggest boat I had seen before, but it was not small. In reality, the boats to Åland have more things to do on them then this one and we were on this one for 18 hours. I guess it was a good thing that we did not have any alternatives on what to do- we slept for 12 of the 18 hours. While we were taking a little fika in the food area, we sat next to 3 couples chatting. They were all chatting about the different yachts that they own/have owned. Then they started to chat about the different places they took dance lessens- "I took a month long tango lesson in Argentina." "Well, I look a salsa lesson in Africa." The conversation went on and on. The joys of having way too much money.
We arrived in England with no problems and even got to the flat with out any problems. It is pretty nice and sits right on the Thames. So much so that I am going to have to be extra careful with the girls in the back yard.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The New Youth Hostel
Sweden is getting a new youth hostel. I guess that in and of itself is not big news. Sweden, as a general rule, is very youth hostel friendly. They really are not too much on the "youth" part of the title. It is more families then backpackers staying there.
This youth hostel is going to be special though. It is going to be in an old Boeing 474 at Arlanda Airport (Stockholm). They are taking all the seats out and making 25- 3 bed bedrooms on the main floor. On the 2nd floor there will be 2- 2 bed bedrooms.
The plane has been sitting at the airport since 2002. It will open next year about this time. Attached you can see the plans for it and the guy who is behind it.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sorry to interupt this regularly published blog (cough cough, I promise I will get better at it), but I thought that I tell about the adventure we had this weekend. We took Z camping for the very first time and the second time for N. It was a place in Enköping Sweden where M grew up. She has been wanting to take me there since I moved here, but this was the first time. We went with my brother in law and his girlfriend.
On the Texas adventure (which I will finish writing sooner...or later), we bought a new tent. Our small camping tent was a little small for the four of us. So we got a four person tent. It is huge. I think our entire flat could fit in there. Which is fine, not like we are going to be hiking with it (22lbs). The problem was that it was about 35 mile winds as we were putting it up for the first time. The wind was blowing so strong that the tent was actually flat. We managed to get it up, barely. Of course, then the wind stopped. Murphy's law.
Both girls loved the tent, especially N. Z loved the sleeping bag. They shared with us, but they are going to get their own for Christmas, yes we have already bought them.
If you want to read more, then you can read more on the American Dad blog site. The address is located on the side!
On the Texas adventure (which I will finish writing sooner...or later), we bought a new tent. Our small camping tent was a little small for the four of us. So we got a four person tent. It is huge. I think our entire flat could fit in there. Which is fine, not like we are going to be hiking with it (22lbs). The problem was that it was about 35 mile winds as we were putting it up for the first time. The wind was blowing so strong that the tent was actually flat. We managed to get it up, barely. Of course, then the wind stopped. Murphy's law.
Both girls loved the tent, especially N. Z loved the sleeping bag. They shared with us, but they are going to get their own for Christmas, yes we have already bought them.
If you want to read more, then you can read more on the American Dad blog site. The address is located on the side!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Swedish National Day
Yesterday, the 6th of June, was Swedish National Day (and N’s 1.5 yr birthday). After living in the country for almost 7 years, this is the first year that we celebrated it. The thing is, last year I became a Swedish citizen. That means that I have a Swedish and an American passport, makes me feel like I am James Bond traveling with two passports. I was suppose to be out of town, but because of unforeseen circumstances, I did not get to extend my trip. So I was actually in Sweden.
Every year on the Swedish National Day (which only became an official holiday last year) the local governments have a special ceremony for the new citizens from the previous year. When I thought that I was going to miss it, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed.
I drug the entire family with me to the ceremony. It was a beautiful day, so we walked into town. Before the ceremony started, so had a picnic lunch in the park (which is full of Linnè stuff). The ceremony itself was located in the Uppsala castle in one of the ball rooms. Even through I have lived in Uppsala for 7 years, I have never been in the castle before. They gave some Swedish food and a little cider. Then the actual ceremony began. Three speeches were given, but I missed them. It is not the easiest thing in the world to listen to speeches when you have a 2 month and an 18 month old. N loved the traditional folk dancing and the choir.
The part that I thought was the most interesting was the number of people there that were truly proud of the fact that they were now Swedish. It was one of those experiences that made me happy at the end of it. M disagreed with me, but I think that I have never seen so many people happy about being Swedish at the same spot before. They were obviously proud of the fact that they are Swedish. From my experience, most Swedes will hide the fact that they are proud of their heritage.
We skipped the parade into the park. It was past N’s nap time, so we needed to go home. In the evening we went out to the lake and grilled. We all took our first swim of the year in Sweden. Overall it was a very nice day.
Yesterday, the 6th of June, was Swedish National Day (and N’s 1.5 yr birthday). After living in the country for almost 7 years, this is the first year that we celebrated it. The thing is, last year I became a Swedish citizen. That means that I have a Swedish and an American passport, makes me feel like I am James Bond traveling with two passports. I was suppose to be out of town, but because of unforeseen circumstances, I did not get to extend my trip. So I was actually in Sweden.
Every year on the Swedish National Day (which only became an official holiday last year) the local governments have a special ceremony for the new citizens from the previous year. When I thought that I was going to miss it, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed.
I drug the entire family with me to the ceremony. It was a beautiful day, so we walked into town. Before the ceremony started, so had a picnic lunch in the park (which is full of Linnè stuff). The ceremony itself was located in the Uppsala castle in one of the ball rooms. Even through I have lived in Uppsala for 7 years, I have never been in the castle before. They gave some Swedish food and a little cider. Then the actual ceremony began. Three speeches were given, but I missed them. It is not the easiest thing in the world to listen to speeches when you have a 2 month and an 18 month old. N loved the traditional folk dancing and the choir.
The part that I thought was the most interesting was the number of people there that were truly proud of the fact that they were now Swedish. It was one of those experiences that made me happy at the end of it. M disagreed with me, but I think that I have never seen so many people happy about being Swedish at the same spot before. They were obviously proud of the fact that they are Swedish. From my experience, most Swedes will hide the fact that they are proud of their heritage.
We skipped the parade into the park. It was past N’s nap time, so we needed to go home. In the evening we went out to the lake and grilled. We all took our first swim of the year in Sweden. Overall it was a very nice day.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Last of April in Uppsala Sweden
The last of April, otherwise called Valborg, is a holiday which is celebrated in Sweden. The holiday (though most people do not actually get it off), is basically a “coming of spring” celebration. Most of Sweden has to work during the day, but not in Uppsala. If you find yourself in Sweden for the last of April, the only place to be is in Uppsala. It is a full day of activities.
There is a strict set of guidelines that one has to follow in order to do everything in the traditional set (though in reality, it does not matter at all). You start the day off with rice porridge, strawberries and champagne. The funny part about this is that most students never make it to class first thing in the morning or never actually get up before 10, except for today. Breakfast has to completed by 8:30, because at 8:30 you head to the centre of town for the boat races.
The boat race is a little special. The tradition goes back 20 some odd years when a couple of engineering students were out drinking (as students do) and decided that they were going to build a boat to float down the Fyris river which goes down the centre of town. Every year since then, students have built boats out of Styrofoam. The night before the big “race”, everyone builds their boat in the soccer field of a local high school. At 9 the next morning the race begins. The boat are usually creative. I have seen everything from a huge longhorn cow, the Millennium Falcon or a bowl of spaghetti from the Italian exchange students. It is not so much a race, but more of float down the river and through the rapids. Most of the boats are destroyed going down the rapids, which is part of the fun.
After the race, everyone either heads to the local System Bolaget (the only place in Sweden to buy alcohol) or home for a little rest. At noon it is time for lunch. The traditional lunch of cooked potatoes and flavored sill is on the menu. The best place to have it is around the castle (only problem with this is that there is no toilets, 10,000 drinking students…). The food is important, but the most important part is the snaps and beer/cider.
At 3, all students gather below the library, located by the castle. The president of the University walks onto the balcony and makes a speech. No one can hear what he says, and in reality it does not matter. He then takes off his hat, which all students have, and waves it. Followed by all 10,000 students take off their caps and do the same. Then all at once everyone starts to run to one of the nations (student clubs) for Champagne.
Up to this point, it is pretty standardized. All students will be doing this with very little variation. In the evening, the activities will vary. Most people will do one of four activities. Every nation has a ball with a nice meal and lots of drinking, though you have to buy your tickets in advance for it. Another option would be to have/go to a personal party with lots of drinking. The final two are for the more boring type of people. At 7, the best choir in Uppsala, who is having their party in the castle, will come out and sing traditional spring songs. This is a nice option, even if you go to a party. The final event for the day is traditional for all of Sweden, they have a bonfire. The biggest is out by Old Uppsala. Of course, usually more drinking is involved for this as well, but you could also bring the family.
So if you find yourself in Sweden in the end of April, you need to try it out!
The last of April, otherwise called Valborg, is a holiday which is celebrated in Sweden. The holiday (though most people do not actually get it off), is basically a “coming of spring” celebration. Most of Sweden has to work during the day, but not in Uppsala. If you find yourself in Sweden for the last of April, the only place to be is in Uppsala. It is a full day of activities.
There is a strict set of guidelines that one has to follow in order to do everything in the traditional set (though in reality, it does not matter at all). You start the day off with rice porridge, strawberries and champagne. The funny part about this is that most students never make it to class first thing in the morning or never actually get up before 10, except for today. Breakfast has to completed by 8:30, because at 8:30 you head to the centre of town for the boat races.
The boat race is a little special. The tradition goes back 20 some odd years when a couple of engineering students were out drinking (as students do) and decided that they were going to build a boat to float down the Fyris river which goes down the centre of town. Every year since then, students have built boats out of Styrofoam. The night before the big “race”, everyone builds their boat in the soccer field of a local high school. At 9 the next morning the race begins. The boat are usually creative. I have seen everything from a huge longhorn cow, the Millennium Falcon or a bowl of spaghetti from the Italian exchange students. It is not so much a race, but more of float down the river and through the rapids. Most of the boats are destroyed going down the rapids, which is part of the fun.
After the race, everyone either heads to the local System Bolaget (the only place in Sweden to buy alcohol) or home for a little rest. At noon it is time for lunch. The traditional lunch of cooked potatoes and flavored sill is on the menu. The best place to have it is around the castle (only problem with this is that there is no toilets, 10,000 drinking students…). The food is important, but the most important part is the snaps and beer/cider.
At 3, all students gather below the library, located by the castle. The president of the University walks onto the balcony and makes a speech. No one can hear what he says, and in reality it does not matter. He then takes off his hat, which all students have, and waves it. Followed by all 10,000 students take off their caps and do the same. Then all at once everyone starts to run to one of the nations (student clubs) for Champagne.
Up to this point, it is pretty standardized. All students will be doing this with very little variation. In the evening, the activities will vary. Most people will do one of four activities. Every nation has a ball with a nice meal and lots of drinking, though you have to buy your tickets in advance for it. Another option would be to have/go to a personal party with lots of drinking. The final two are for the more boring type of people. At 7, the best choir in Uppsala, who is having their party in the castle, will come out and sing traditional spring songs. This is a nice option, even if you go to a party. The final event for the day is traditional for all of Sweden, they have a bonfire. The biggest is out by Old Uppsala. Of course, usually more drinking is involved for this as well, but you could also bring the family.
So if you find yourself in Sweden in the end of April, you need to try it out!
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