Tag Sweden
On Tuesday we left our idyllic little cottage and made a small excursion to the city of Falun. We started by going to the former home of Carl Larsson, a famous painter from the late nineteenth century who lived up here with his wife.
Both he and his wife Karin seem to have been very creative people because the house was pretty special with his paintings and her tapestries all over the walls and furniture.
After lunch we went to Falun copper mine, a world heritage site that used to be the major provider of copper for the entire world. … Read the rest
On Monday morning my dad and my brother went to pick up the van that we rented. We loaded up our stuff then headed north, with a short stop at the city water tower to look at the view. Around lunch we arrived at our cottage at the lake Haggen in southern Dalecarlia county.
The cottage is right on the lake and Yini’s parents seemed to fall in love with the view as we took a tour round the house while my mom prepared some lunch. After lunch the women went grocery shopping while I and Yini’s dad went fishing. … Read the rest
Perhaps I had a little too much fun on Friday night because I wasn’t feeling too good on Saturday morning. So, instead of going out sightseeing again, Yini took her mom shopping in the big shopping center Nordstan while I and her dad relaxed on the sun deck of the hotel.
When Yini and here mom were finished with shopping, we took our bags to the train station and got some lunch before we got going. However, because we had lunch at the station instead of bringing on to the train we missed the one we planned to take and … Read the rest
We spent Friday exploring Gothenburg city, following the suggestions my friend Sofie gave us the night before. We started with the sightseeing boat Paddan that took us around the various canals and rivers of the city. Yini’s parents really enjoyed it, and thanks to a great guide so did I.
After that we went to the small market selling food from different countries, but I was the only one who was hungry so we didn’t try as many foods as I thought we would. Instead we went to Kronhuset, one of the oldest buildings in the city, and looked around … Read the rest
On Thursday we had already shown Yinis parents most of the places we wanted to show, but we took a short drive to the meadows at the far end of the village, and just strolled around taking in the view and breathing in the fresh air. There is a special kind of enjoyment in these simple pleasures.
After some lunch in the sun, we packed up our stuff and took the train north to my old hometown Göteborg. We found our hotel, an old ship that had been converted into living quarters, then went downtown to meet up my friends … Read the rest
On Wednesday me and my wife commendeered my parent’s car and took her parents out out for a drive, showing the most famous spots on the Kullaberg peninsula.
We started with the old farmhouse Himmelstorp up on the hill in the beach wood forest. There is a cafe there which is normally full of hikers stopping by for ice cream but now everything was closed. The parents-in-law liked it a lot all the same.
We continued out to the tip of the peninsula and the lighthouse. The landscape there is spectacular and we had some excellent weather, the four of … Read the rest
This summer, me and my wife decided we should bring her parents to Sweden to let them see a bit of my country. Unlike my parents they do not speak any English and are not used to independent travel, so me and the wife will spend a lot of time guiding them.
We took off late on Sunday evening, but due to a traffic jam at the airport we were delayed and missed our connecting flight. After a long wait in the transfer hall of Amsterdam airport we finally arrived in Arild on Monday evening, tired but happy.
On Tuesday … Read the rest
I should have written about this earlier but I kept forgetting, so a little late, here goes:
As Chinese New Year drew closer, we finished up the work in Switzerland and planned to go back home. I however, did not go back to Taiwan. Instead I took a short flight north to Sweden were I met up with Yini at the airport. A few hours later, my parents came to pick us up and we drove north. Since we started fairly late, we slept one night in Gävle about two hours north of Stockholm. The next day we continued up … Read the rest
The world outside the window is bleak and grey. The bare tree trunks form grey shadows against the milky white sky, the thin branches radiating skywards like so many fingers. The buildings in the distance look deserted, like empty shells. We pass over some water but it is inky black, not a ripple on the surface, with sheets of broken ice floating dismally by the edge. The ground, clear of snow and ice despite the season is either a naked soil black or covered in sickly yellow grass. The dead world outside mirrors the emptiness inside me, a desolation of … Read the rest
When I woke up this morning I felt sure my cold would keep me indoors all day but, with the sun shining brightly through my window, I decided a small cold couldn’t kill me, grabbed my bike and ventured out. That turned out to be a stroke of genius, for here I am, a bright blue sky above, the sun on my face for the first time in ages, and I’m walking on the Ice. Admittedly, I’m really just crossing a small, man made bay and I know that it doesn’t sound all that impressive, but given the dreary weather we normally … Read the rest