Apologies for the blogging absence - when Santos and I haven't been out doing stuff, we have been spending time with Torgny, Meggi and Matilda (and Snoddas!!), my old host family. Or else we have been busy being lazy, haha. Here is a bit of a recap of what we have been up to lately.
A Day at Stendorren (The Stone Door)
A few days after we arrived, my host family offered to take us out to Stendorren, a beautiful place about 20 minutes from Sodertalje. Meaning the Stone Door, Stendorren is an archipelago consisting of forest and, well, stone. It's a popular spot for picnicking and camping Swedes, especially in summer. We took the family dog Snoddas with us, who demonstrated crazy rock jumping abilities. This is especially odd as he is afraid of the stairs at home!
Meggi with Snoddas, me, Santos and Torgny. All rugged up and ready!
Santos. Contemplative.
Matilda!
I <3 Kanelbullar
I really, really do. Cinnamon buns are an extremely popular sweet in Sweden and it is easy to see why - they are amazingly awesome. Since coming back to Australia after my exchange year, I have attempted to make kanelbullar twice and both times they didn't turn out quite right. When I made them with Matilda one evening, they were perfect. Santos ate 8 of them that night, and then had about 6 a day after. So good!
Skansen
Last week Santos and I also headed to Skansen, the open air zoo and historical area in Stockholm. With pure skill (and pure chance!) we decided to visit on the 125th anniversary of Skansen, meaning that entry was 1 SEK, the original price of entry back in 1886. Despite being extremely cold, it was extremely cool (word play). Santos saw his first moose, first brown bear, first bison, first wild boar, first reindeer, first lynx, first squirrel and first wooden house with grass on the roof. With much less skill than previously demonstrated, we somehow forgot my camera and had to resort to taking pictures on Santos' phone, which I will have to upload at a later date.
Vasamuseet + Stockholm
Santos and I also decided to visit the Vasa Museum, a huge building that houses the Vasa, a massive ship that sunk on its maiden voyage back in the 1600s. The King who commissioned it apparently kept changing the design and insisting on there being two levels of cannons, the first ship of its kind to do so. Due to this and the oversize masts, the Vasa was extremely top heavy and was too narrow to accommodate the required amount of ballast. Consequently, the ship overturned in the first squall it encountered, very soon after it set sail. Fifty sailors lost their lives. The ship was unable to be pulled up at the time, and its location was lost in history. However, it was found again in the 1950s (I think) and was slowly dredged and pulled onto dry land. Due to the nature of the waters of its resting place, the ship was almost totally preserved and has been painstakingly restored. It is a beautiful sight.
The Nordiska Museum, which we didn't go into. But it is prettier than Vasamuseet.
A replica of the ship, with replica people shouting in horror as it goes down.
Santos and his fellow villager, horrified as they learn of the fate of the Vasa.
Santos, chilling out and eating pea soup with a crazy man.
Cass and Santos
xx
We are now in Berlin, at the Amstel House youth hostel. It's not super luxurious, but we have our own room, breakfast is 5 euros and there is free wifi in the lobby. I will post more about our adventures tomorrow.
Bravo and thanks for the latest update, Cass. Those cinnamon buns look so good. Hope you have discovered the secret ingredient or method for a repeat performance in Perth. A few of the photos brought back memories of our visit to Sweden to visit you and your host family. Of course, Snoddas was not resident at that time. He looks as cute as the dog we met ... I forget its name but remember that it was Swedish for 'warrior', right? Hope you get to meet Jacob and his family in Germany. Continue to have a great time. Take care and keep well. xo
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