single men

in sweden can adopt children and there seems to be a rise in this phenomenon.

interesting eh?

well, i can't tell you the number of fathers i see pushing strollers here.

its just a different world out here.

sista sondag i juli

the last sunday in july.

this is how i started my morning on the balcony.

just imagine complete pindrop silence as well. i went for a walk at 645am and i was the ONLY person moving around outside.

swedes are not early morning risers, thats a fact. :)

its about the socks

ok folks. do you ever think about those ankle or pom pom sport socks you own? hell, i never did when i was living in the OC. whenever you need to get more or add to the 10 pairs you already have, you pop into the TJ Maxx or Ross down the street and get your irregular nike, addidas or no name brands in the generic 3-pack, that'll run you max $5. RIGHT? well, here in sweden, its just a little bit different.

so i had used up my absolute last pair of nike sport socks. the ankle bits were starting to wear thin. So, i headed to the local sportwear store called InterSport and figured it would be an easy transaction. But, i was in for a surprise. Not only did they not have a big bin of them, but they had literally 10 varieties on the back wall and all in single packs with the minimun price being approx. $15!!!!!!!! I stod there speechless and dumbfounded that this was the predicament i was in. WTF? there's like a gajillion WalMarts in China, why can't we get one???

So, because i was lucky i got one pair, that was on sale for $12. And im gonna appreciate them like they're the most expensive pair of sport socks i ever bought, cause they are.

Just a tale of conveniences because you out there in the OC, have them at cheap prices, and you don't know it till you live in Europe. Im soooo bringing an empty suitcase the next time we come stateside...its worth it.

slight stall of the swindu

due to a little waffle break in brussels.
will post more about this clean, swedish life soon. :)

my hog friend

while walking the town yesterday, we came across this funny guy. the hedgehog. he was on his own trip walking on the sidewalk and didn't mind being photographed.

swedish carnies!!!!!

here in nyköping, we got no stinkin circus minimum...oh no...
we got the max, CIRCUS MAXIMUM!!!!

and carnies are carnies everywhere, scary!

nykopingshus

this is the castle of nykoping. its not a castle of german or english standards by any means, but it's actually just right for this little town.

cafe food

one would think food at a cafe would be pretty basic, nothing fancy. but here, presentation is really important and here you can see an idea of what a vegetable quiche and swedish pancakes looks like. the pancakes were about $7, gulp, but they were good said the man. quiches are really popular here and can be found at most cafes and restaurants. pancakes are not necessarily for bfast only, its eaten as a meal so it can be for dinner too. i like that.

the kommun of nykoping is really good about keeping this town colorful. when its the season of sunny days, you will find lovely baskets and pots of flowers everywhere. makes it a nicer place to be.

escar-ewwe

ok. so snails of any kind are gross. growing up in southern calif. one gets used to crunching many on the way out the door. they seem to be everywhere. then i move to sweden and seriously have never seen snails or sniglers (snail in swedish) like these. there are albino ones (see pic) and then massive midnight blue/black slugs (pic hopefully soon). they are really, really huge even though this pic may not do them justice.

and as with everything else in sweden, these sniglers get taxed too. hah!

the real sweden

got this off a chat group for people like me living here, thought it was pretty complete on reasons for living here. so just a glimpse for y'all yankees:

Where else can you:

buy an affordable (well, almost - and compared to other capital cities) flat in a capital city,
walk out of your flat, go 10m and swim in the sea/lake/river before breakfast
take coffee on your balcony at 0630 in 20+C temps
wander back out of the flat and catch probably the best integrated public transport system to work,
take lunch on a beach,
meet friends for a grillfest in the evening by another beach
chill out in bars with some of the best looking girls in the world
have access to the widest range of wines in one shop (if you can remember/are able to get up in time on a saturday)
wander home at midnight in almost daylight
go cross county skiing from outside your flat in the winter
go alpine skiing (-ish) in the city
skate over the sea for miles and miles
play kub (which has rules that must be the swedish revenge for cricket)
dance like a frog around a maypole
booze cruise it to Finland for 18 hours at tax free prices for alcohol
relax due to good job security
take the worlds 2nd best saunas (well, Sweden isnt quite Finland.....)
get free swedish lessons
get paid a chunk of money every month by the company for doing sports (a tax thing)
get tax paid back on all interest paid on all loans (boat, car, house....)
get many many months of paternal leave
get the ability to take a year off for whatever and then return to your job, protected by law
go kajaking, sailing, kiking, treking, running without having to travel anywhere

Granted....I love Sweden...but you have to add:

Deal with people who are grumpy and unfriendly for over half the year because the sun is non-existant...
Pray that you never catch anything harsher than the common cold because good luck to you if you have to wait for medical care...but its free!!!
Have your coat held hostage by the coat mafia that is stationed at ever bar and restaurant...
Have to pay outrageous prices for crap service at bars...
Get to eat sill...
Be forcefed powdered, flavorless mashed potatoes...
Pay a tax just for owning a TV - does not matter if you are only using it as a huge monitor...
Get phone calls from people that want to sell you underwear...over the phone...
Delight in the eviceration of your monthly paycheck by the tax authority...

But I do love living in Sweden...really, I do...

my nightstand

just cuz.

summertime

and the living is lighter, literally. midnight, 23:00, 22:00