Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Kara's Parents Last Day in Stockholm

We had an amazing time in Switzerland with my parents but we only had one more day to show them Stockholm before they flew home so we tried to make it count.

On Wednesday, August 27th I took my parents on a walk around our neighborhood.  (I posted earlier that we did this the morning before we left for Switzerland but I got the days mixed up and my OCD isn't going to let me keep it in the wrong order so you can skip over the next few pictures because they are just copied and pasted from the last blog.)

We walked around by the waterfront by our apartment before going to Drottningholm.
This tree is in the park by our apartment.  The middle of the tree is filled with cement but they added lines to make it look like tree bark.
These grass squares were full of people in the summer.
 The waterfront area by our apartment was recently redone just a few months before we moved into our apartment.  It is one of the most popular waterfront areas in Stockholm and it is pretty obvious why that is the case.

 I love this view.  I pass this spot when I run.  We are definitely going to miss our little island when we move back home.

We hopped on the metro and then a bus before arriving at Drottningholm which is the summer palace of the royal family and where they actually live.  I think Drottningholm is really pretty and much better than the Royal Palace on Gamla Stan.


You can take a tour of Drottningholm which Jake and I did in June when we visited Stockholm before we moved here but the tour was pretty boring so we skipped it and just walked around the beautiful grounds instead since it was such a nice day.
We walked by the building that looks like a circus tent and the Chinese Pavilion.
We had Thai food for lunch after visiting Drottningholm.  Thai food is really popular in Sweden because a lot of Swedes go to Thailand for vacation and they love the food so now there are lots of Thai places around the city.
After lunch we went downtown to do a little shopping and to show my parents what the big department store, Åhlens, looks like.  (Åhlens is similar to Von Maur or Nordstroms.)  
Jake met up with us and then we went to Södermalm to meet my friend Lisa and her son Gray for fika.  I wanted my parents to meet Lisa and for Lisa to meet my parents.  Since they both hear about each other I thought putting faces to names would be a good idea plus I was able to meet Lisa's mom and sister when they were here earlier this year.  Södermalm is the hippy part of Stockholm that we have nicknamed Lawrence (Kansas) because it just has a different vibe.

After fika we walked to get a better view of Stockholm from a raised street in Södermalm.

This is Gröna Lund which is an amusement park.


We stopped by City Hall on our way back to the apartment.



Before we called it a night we walked by the rocks close to our apartment.  We call them the lizard rocks because in the summer they are covered with people sunbathing and from the metro the people look like lizards soaking up the sun.  During the summer the rocks are full of people barbecuing and picnicking with friends.  We wanted to have a picnic with my parents on the rocks but we ran out of time and it was getting kind of chilly at night but they could at least see how beautiful it is.

 I love this picture because there is a power boat, sail boats - big and small and kayakers all enjoying the water.


These are the rocks by our apartment.

*I thought I would mention some of the things my parents brought us so that I would remember all the random stuff we've asked people to bring when they visit.  They brought us: allergy medicine, eye drops, Living Beyond Yourself bible study by Beth Moore, Italian seasoning (the ones they have here don't taste the same), butterscotch chips (I like to eat these by themselves or mixed with chocolate chips. Not healthy but SO good!), fruit snacks, shoe covers (vented bags that my mom made to put my indoor shoes in when I put them in my backpack), elastic with clips on each end to pull my sheets tight under the mattress, and sheets for our sleeping bags so we can use them if we stay at a hostel or if it is too warm for a sleeping bag.  She made the shoe bags, elastic with clips for my sheets and the sheets for our sleeping bags.  If you don't have someone in your life who can sew and make all of the random projects you come up with, you are missing out!  They also brought junior mints for me, beef jerky for Jake and some slippers to wear around the house but those were all surprises.  Thanks for bringing all of our goodies!

The next morning I took my parents to the airport bus stop and hugged them goodbye until we come home around Christmas.  We had such a great time with them in Stockholm and in Geneva and the rest of our trip in Switzerland.  Thanks for flying out to see us and for looking at all the everyday stuff that makes up our lives here!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...