Reunited at last

Reunited at last
Originally uploaded by tabita.

Whew - arrived here in Sweden on Sunday. Couldn't really sleep on the flight, so that day is mostly a blur. I do remember wrapping lots of presents by recycling paper from my mom's kitchen couch and handing out a few of those. The Jelly Bellies were a hit.

Monday, I went for my first run here and made some observations on the blurring of the gender roles in this country. I saw two dads and two sets of children/dogs out for walks. The first dad was pushing a twin buggy with two crying children and had a little one on a tricycle riding behind him. As if that wasn't enough, he also had a big dog flanking the buggy. I saw the second dad in the woods with one little girl and a big net. I'm not sure if the purpose of the net was for catching frogs, butterflies, little fishies, or whatever got in the way. I saw zero moms out pushing strollers.

Yesterday, I decided to venture out on the bike (doing a little cross-training to avoid injury) early in the morning. I drove down several bike lanes until they ended in some neighborhood until I found the most beautiful little dirt road. It wove through the green countryside with surprises around each bend - a horse pasture here, a big cage of bunny rabbits there, a stretch of trees that had been carved into strange creatures... It was an amazing way to start the day.

Today, I woke up to pouring rain, so since I couldn't go for my run after breakfast, I took a nap. Only in Sweden on vacation could I take a nap one hour after waking up. It was swell. I woke up at 10:30 and found that the rain had stopped, laced up my running shoes, and headed out toward the little dirt road again. Marvelous.

I think I have finally recovered enough sleep to function properly, which is nice. I have discovered that sleep is quite essential to my well-being.

Check out flickr for some more pics involving some Kubb playing that took place tonight. The "Green" team won, thanks to Rebecka - she is the Kubb Queen! I'm a kubb loser, but that's OK. At least I was on a team of winners.

It's light for so long in the evening. Everybody should be able to experience this. It is truly amazing. Until later then...