We're here in Chicago--the girls' first visit--and we have a spectacular view from our 17th story hotel room. In fact, Amelia just came running over to her sister, saying, "Emma! Emma! I just saw Big Ben!"
We laughed, and she was embarrassed, but we told her she should feel proud. How many five-year-olds would know enough to make that mistake?
Now she knows that it's the Wrigley Building, but she prefers to call it the "Wrinkly Building."
This was on our breakfast table every morning, along with Gevalia coffee, knäckebröd, cheese, ham, liverwurst, and pickles. And you probably thought caviar was a luxury item.
(My Finnish friend tells me that this product isn't caviar as we understand it--it's a paste containing cheaper teensy red fish eggs. When I tasted it, I agreed with her. I like caviar. This stuff . . . not so much.)
Since I had only a short time in Rattvik, I only spent a short time downtown, after the stores on the main street were closed. Probably that's just as well, since I liked every single expensive item on display, from the homes listed for sale in the realtor windows to the lego sets in the toy shop to the shoes (oh, those shoes).
I paused to admire the clothing in one window and realized that it all had my name on it. Literally. It was a storefront for the clothing line b.young, and everything in the window was gorgeous. As the website puts it:
b.young is clothes for the cheerful and attractive woman. She knows what she wants and values fashionable, quality clothing.
b.young is a line that is constantly developing, where customers are provided with fashion and quality at competitive prices. The line is a total concept, emphasizing the coordination of color choice from the inside to the outside.
Clearly these clothes are intended for me. The picture on that website looks just like me, too.
The tradition of "fica," a coffee break. Everywhere I went in Dalarna had great fica spots. Atop a nearby mountain:
At a nearby historical site, the local senior citizens performed (pretty well, too) Swedish songs to accompany our fica:
My brother-in-law on his parents' porch enjoys his coffee:
And here was his view:
Given the quantities of coffee, rich cream, and yummy pastries, you'd think that everyone would be chubby, but not so--people walk everywhere, despite the hills. In fact, European travel really points up how fat Americans have become. But this particular American reveled in Princesstårta anyway.
One striking feature of Sweden is that so many things make sense. Good use of space, for example. Check out this shower:
Doors and fixture attach directly to the wall, and the floor has a drain in it. I wish I'd taken a picture of the showerhead because the height adjusted or you could unhook it and use it as a spray nozzle. Water was heated via geothermal energy--pipes travel deep underground and the water comes out hot. Wow!
I also liked the toilet, which I deliberately didn't photograph because I didn't think the cool stuff would show in the photo. The seat is molded so that it fits over the edge of the bowl (rather than resting on top with little round feet, as all my toilet seats do). Advantage--less yucky stuff to clean off under the seat. Plus in Sweden they have two options for flush: one with a lot of water, one with just a little water. Advantage--I'll let you figure that out. :)
And check out this oven! It uses the same amount of space as my oven at home, but you can cook two dishes at different temperatures. I suspect this oven is more energy efficient, too, since the oven itself is smaller. Maybe they can't roast a huge turkey in the oven, but I don't roast huge turkeys very often myself. And this appliance gives more than just four little sealed burners on top. You can also make one long burner that stretches the width of the stove. *sigh*
However, I did use one Swedish appliance that had the stupidest "feature" I've ever seen: a telephone that required you to press a button on the handset in order for the person on the other end to hear you. Why would anyone invent a phone for which the default setting is mute? I'm still trying to figure that one out.
I sure hope I can go back to Sweden with my whole family. Just look at the photo--need I say more?
Since returning, I've been immersed in collective bargaining, start of Emma's kindergarten, start of classes at my university, new position AND new dept chair.
You'll be hearing more from me soon. Heartfelt thanks to everyone for the good wishes (and for noticing I was gone--snif!)
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