If you haven't noticed, we have been AWOL for about two weeks. We've had a lot of things to do, all requiring a fair amount of planning, prep work and recovery time at the end. We still hope to fill you in on all of these events in the next week. Here's a quick summary of what has happened.
Two weeks ago - Scott took a trip with some coworkers to a cabin decently far out in the archipelago. First time really seeing the islands and some nice photos to share.
Last week - Vacation in Prague and Bratislava
This week - Miranda's mom and sister are in town. The day after they arrived we took a cruise to Helsinki, Finland and just got back today (two nights on board and the day in between on Finnish soil). More photos to share, and hopefully we'll even have a few posts authored by our first guests!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Prague and Bratislava
Where to start and what to say? More difficult than you'd think. We returned from Prague and Bratislava a few hours ago and have some rave reviews. As expected, Prague was incredible. Maybe even more incredible than expected. And although I had heard good things about Bratislava before planning this trip, I was still pleasantly surprised with just how much I liked that city.
Both cities were full of areas that would have made the dirtiest areas of Oslo and Copenhagen look as clean as my grandma's sparkling kitchen stove, but I expected that out of two Eastern European cities, and unlike in the Nordic cities, I think the shady areas actually added a bit to the charm of Prague and Bratislava. Walking out of the run-down sections into the beautifully-groomed historical areas felt almost magical at times. And seeing what has become of the Communist-era block housing was fascinating. Beyond that, it's impossible to describe what I thought and felt.
I've tried to continue with this post time and time again, and frankly, there's just too much to write. I want to give the details like I've done for our previous trips, but it's overwhelming. Impossible. Both cities were amazing, and although alike in many ways, 100% different.
Prague was massive. Prague must have been very rich at one point, or multiple points as it had an incredible mix of Gothic and baroque. The city had more tourists than any place I have ever seen, and it seemed like they had one tourist shop for every tourist walking the streets. Prague's buildings and streets screamed that there was a history and a story to be told, but the Czech museums did nothing to tell that story. Most of Prague felt safe, but there were also streets that we chose to avoid both day and night, even though they led directly to one of the hotels we stayed in. Prague had our favorite restaurant. A hole in the wall, but with great food and half liters of quality beer that were cheaper than any other beverage on the menu. Plus, it didn't look like the type of place where you'd want to order tap water. Outside of the tourist areas you could still feel the weight of Communism, but the city was so big that if you chose to stay near the center you would never know that those areas existed. So much of what I have said may seem negative, but the good stuff was so enormously good that it far outweighs the bad. The uber-tourist feel got a bit old and made the city feel unnecessarily crowded, but that aside, the city was amazing. Final review, Prague is beyond description, but so far it tops our list. Go there.
Bratislava is situated among the Carpathian Hills with a tiny old city. Half a mile by half a mile, maybe? The Danube runs through and at that point the river is best compared to the Mississippi running along Iowa. It was obviously a much poorer city than Prague with only one dominant structure from the past, a massive castle that towered over the city. If it weren't for the fact that our tourism book told us that the castle had burned down in the early 1800s and was rebuilt starting in 1951, we never would have known that it wasn't the original structure in front of us. As a tourist, there really wasn't much to do from a sight-seeing perspective. The castle, some small but pretty churches, some old city fortifications and the classic narrow streets. At the same time, the old city felt so comfortable. And hardly any tourist shops! I could have spent my entire vacation sitting on a different restaurant patio for each meal, enjoying the great food and watching the people stroll by. It was so peaceful. Even though there were obviously tourists, the streets were never crowded. Hanging out in the city just felt nice. Unfortunately, Miranda caught a killer cold during our main stay in Bratislava, which brought a very early end to our stay in Bratislava. It was better that she got sick in Bratislava instead of Prague, but it was still a bit of a downer. Back to the influence of Communism...If you were looking for the stereotypical signs of Communism, you could find them within just a few blocks of the old city. Final review, Bratislava was quite nice and very relaxing. Don't make a special trip there, but if you're ever passing from Prague to Budapest, or have some extra time in Vienna, make the trip into Bratislava. You won't regret it.
We took a lot of photos and hope to get them up soon, but in reality know that it may be a while.
Both cities were full of areas that would have made the dirtiest areas of Oslo and Copenhagen look as clean as my grandma's sparkling kitchen stove, but I expected that out of two Eastern European cities, and unlike in the Nordic cities, I think the shady areas actually added a bit to the charm of Prague and Bratislava. Walking out of the run-down sections into the beautifully-groomed historical areas felt almost magical at times. And seeing what has become of the Communist-era block housing was fascinating. Beyond that, it's impossible to describe what I thought and felt.
I've tried to continue with this post time and time again, and frankly, there's just too much to write. I want to give the details like I've done for our previous trips, but it's overwhelming. Impossible. Both cities were amazing, and although alike in many ways, 100% different.
Prague was massive. Prague must have been very rich at one point, or multiple points as it had an incredible mix of Gothic and baroque. The city had more tourists than any place I have ever seen, and it seemed like they had one tourist shop for every tourist walking the streets. Prague's buildings and streets screamed that there was a history and a story to be told, but the Czech museums did nothing to tell that story. Most of Prague felt safe, but there were also streets that we chose to avoid both day and night, even though they led directly to one of the hotels we stayed in. Prague had our favorite restaurant. A hole in the wall, but with great food and half liters of quality beer that were cheaper than any other beverage on the menu. Plus, it didn't look like the type of place where you'd want to order tap water. Outside of the tourist areas you could still feel the weight of Communism, but the city was so big that if you chose to stay near the center you would never know that those areas existed. So much of what I have said may seem negative, but the good stuff was so enormously good that it far outweighs the bad. The uber-tourist feel got a bit old and made the city feel unnecessarily crowded, but that aside, the city was amazing. Final review, Prague is beyond description, but so far it tops our list. Go there.
Bratislava is situated among the Carpathian Hills with a tiny old city. Half a mile by half a mile, maybe? The Danube runs through and at that point the river is best compared to the Mississippi running along Iowa. It was obviously a much poorer city than Prague with only one dominant structure from the past, a massive castle that towered over the city. If it weren't for the fact that our tourism book told us that the castle had burned down in the early 1800s and was rebuilt starting in 1951, we never would have known that it wasn't the original structure in front of us. As a tourist, there really wasn't much to do from a sight-seeing perspective. The castle, some small but pretty churches, some old city fortifications and the classic narrow streets. At the same time, the old city felt so comfortable. And hardly any tourist shops! I could have spent my entire vacation sitting on a different restaurant patio for each meal, enjoying the great food and watching the people stroll by. It was so peaceful. Even though there were obviously tourists, the streets were never crowded. Hanging out in the city just felt nice. Unfortunately, Miranda caught a killer cold during our main stay in Bratislava, which brought a very early end to our stay in Bratislava. It was better that she got sick in Bratislava instead of Prague, but it was still a bit of a downer. Back to the influence of Communism...If you were looking for the stereotypical signs of Communism, you could find them within just a few blocks of the old city. Final review, Bratislava was quite nice and very relaxing. Don't make a special trip there, but if you're ever passing from Prague to Budapest, or have some extra time in Vienna, make the trip into Bratislava. You won't regret it.
We took a lot of photos and hope to get them up soon, but in reality know that it may be a while.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Nightclub in Prague
They have free internet access at a nightclub. Crazy!!!
Oh yeah, and we wanted to say hi while we have a chance. Prague is awesome.
Oh yeah, and we wanted to say hi while we have a chance. Prague is awesome.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
New Age Viking
It's been awhile, but a few weeks back I returned from a weekend "business" trip to Minneapolis and felt like a new age viking returning with my spoils from war. When Miranda arrived in Sweden we immediately started a list of everything we wanted to buy once we returned to the U.S. It continued to grow and grow as we learned about all of the little things that we loved but couldn't find here. Unlucky for me, I returned to the U.S. before Miranda, so I got the job of buying everything on our list.
It was actually a very nice trip, even if it was extremely short. I randomly met an old college friend on my flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. Found out that he's working in Dubai and was on his way back to the U.S. for a six week summer break. I chatted with his brother and dad after clearing customs, then got in touch with another good college friend who picked me up at the airport. After that the weekend was a blur. I got to spend a decent amount of time with most of my college friends, attended a professional seminar, saw a fair number of coworkers and most of my post-college friends, spent a lot of time with Miranda's family and got to play fetch with my cat Helius (yes, he really plays fetch, and when I was in the house, he didn't want to do anything but play). I spent even more time with my parents, got in some nice runs on the Mendota Heights trails plus a long run around all of the lakes in Uptown, and I even got to compete in a local 5K on Harriet Island and Lilydale Road. Everything about the weekend was a rush, but it was so nice to see some familiar faces for once. I felt bad that I couldn't dedicate much time to any one given person, but there was just too much to do.
It was good to be home, and it was amazing how quickly I fell into my old way of life. Plans every night with non-stop errands. I know it was a special situation, but the long lists of things to do just seemed too normal. My first day in town I tried to be very Swedish and took the Light Rail downtown, then walked all the way across downtown to my seminar. It felt good. Not dependent on a car. That night I was going to catch a bus to a friend's party, but another friend offered to give me a ride in that direction. I got dropped off about two miles away and wandered around the neighborhoods (not knowing where I was going and amazed that there are no sidewalks in Columbia Heights) until I found my destination. You have no idea how many "who's that crazy guy?" looks I received from passing drivers. Yeah, it was 80 degrees and humid, and during my hour lost in the suburb, I was the only person walking.
So the next day I went back to my American ways. If I wasn't shopping I was driving...a few loops from West St. Paul to Minneapolis to Roseville to West St. Paul. Probably about 50-75 miles a day. It was ridiculous. It wasn't necessary, it just happened. More than anything, it made me realize just how spread out the Twin Cities really are. Everything is so close and accessible that it's no big deal to drive to the next destination, but once you add up each stop you realize that you've gone way farther than you ever intended. It also made me realize how much I love the layout here in Stockholm. Having everything you need within walking distance makes life so much simpler.
So as I said, I took advantage of the weak dollar and listened to my cravings (Chipotle was amazing. Never take that for granted!) and bought like a madman, or as I said, attacked the city like a new age viking. I won't list everything, but this picture might give you an idea.
The bike is a story of bad timing. I've had my eye this specific model for a while, but never wanted to buy it at full price. For some reason I hopped onto Craiglist Minneapolis about three weeks after moving to Stockholm and found a used version of the bike for a price too good to pass up. Miranda's parents really came through for me in making the transaction, and it has been sitting in their basement ever since. The bike is a messenger bike, and I'm pretty sure that, excluding the messengers, I'm the fastest city rider in town.
Lastly, a funny story. When Miranda's parents dropped me off at the Minneapolis airport there was a Channel 5 TV van. We commented that we hoped nothing big was happening, but otherwise forgot about it. Apparently Channel 5 did a news story on pick-pockets at the airport that night, and my butt, hidden under big-pocketed shorts, was featured on the news! Kendell recognized me lugging my bike box and carry-on into the airport as the camera zoomed in on my rear end. To add to the irony, I had diamond earrings in my pocket for Miranda. Probably one of the best pick-pocket targets at the airport that night. Luckily, the earrings were delivered to Miranda without any problems. And for those of you who know about Miranda's "engagement earrings" theory, I want you to know that these were not engagement earrings. Just a "thank you for moving to Sweden" gift. Or as we jokingly call them, "domestic partner earrings."
It was actually a very nice trip, even if it was extremely short. I randomly met an old college friend on my flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. Found out that he's working in Dubai and was on his way back to the U.S. for a six week summer break. I chatted with his brother and dad after clearing customs, then got in touch with another good college friend who picked me up at the airport. After that the weekend was a blur. I got to spend a decent amount of time with most of my college friends, attended a professional seminar, saw a fair number of coworkers and most of my post-college friends, spent a lot of time with Miranda's family and got to play fetch with my cat Helius (yes, he really plays fetch, and when I was in the house, he didn't want to do anything but play). I spent even more time with my parents, got in some nice runs on the Mendota Heights trails plus a long run around all of the lakes in Uptown, and I even got to compete in a local 5K on Harriet Island and Lilydale Road. Everything about the weekend was a rush, but it was so nice to see some familiar faces for once. I felt bad that I couldn't dedicate much time to any one given person, but there was just too much to do.
It was good to be home, and it was amazing how quickly I fell into my old way of life. Plans every night with non-stop errands. I know it was a special situation, but the long lists of things to do just seemed too normal. My first day in town I tried to be very Swedish and took the Light Rail downtown, then walked all the way across downtown to my seminar. It felt good. Not dependent on a car. That night I was going to catch a bus to a friend's party, but another friend offered to give me a ride in that direction. I got dropped off about two miles away and wandered around the neighborhoods (not knowing where I was going and amazed that there are no sidewalks in Columbia Heights) until I found my destination. You have no idea how many "who's that crazy guy?" looks I received from passing drivers. Yeah, it was 80 degrees and humid, and during my hour lost in the suburb, I was the only person walking.
So the next day I went back to my American ways. If I wasn't shopping I was driving...a few loops from West St. Paul to Minneapolis to Roseville to West St. Paul. Probably about 50-75 miles a day. It was ridiculous. It wasn't necessary, it just happened. More than anything, it made me realize just how spread out the Twin Cities really are. Everything is so close and accessible that it's no big deal to drive to the next destination, but once you add up each stop you realize that you've gone way farther than you ever intended. It also made me realize how much I love the layout here in Stockholm. Having everything you need within walking distance makes life so much simpler.
So as I said, I took advantage of the weak dollar and listened to my cravings (Chipotle was amazing. Never take that for granted!) and bought like a madman, or as I said, attacked the city like a new age viking. I won't list everything, but this picture might give you an idea.
The bike is a story of bad timing. I've had my eye this specific model for a while, but never wanted to buy it at full price. For some reason I hopped onto Craiglist Minneapolis about three weeks after moving to Stockholm and found a used version of the bike for a price too good to pass up. Miranda's parents really came through for me in making the transaction, and it has been sitting in their basement ever since. The bike is a messenger bike, and I'm pretty sure that, excluding the messengers, I'm the fastest city rider in town.Lastly, a funny story. When Miranda's parents dropped me off at the Minneapolis airport there was a Channel 5 TV van. We commented that we hoped nothing big was happening, but otherwise forgot about it. Apparently Channel 5 did a news story on pick-pockets at the airport that night, and my butt, hidden under big-pocketed shorts, was featured on the news! Kendell recognized me lugging my bike box and carry-on into the airport as the camera zoomed in on my rear end. To add to the irony, I had diamond earrings in my pocket for Miranda. Probably one of the best pick-pocket targets at the airport that night. Luckily, the earrings were delivered to Miranda without any problems. And for those of you who know about Miranda's "engagement earrings" theory, I want you to know that these were not engagement earrings. Just a "thank you for moving to Sweden" gift. Or as we jokingly call them, "domestic partner earrings."
Eastern Europe, here we come
We've been blogging at a pretty slow pace this month, mostly because our free time has been dedicated to making last minute plans for an upcoming vacation. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be flying to Bratislava. We'll spend the night there, then catch a train to our main destination, Prague, where we'll stay for four nights before returning to Bratislava for two more nights. In the end we'll be out of town from Sunday to Sunday with little connection to the outside world.
We have not done much research on either city yet, but know just enough to be excited.
A couple other blog posts are in the works, and hopefully we'll be able to polish them off before we leave, so be sure to check in soon.
We have not done much research on either city yet, but know just enough to be excited.
A couple other blog posts are in the works, and hopefully we'll be able to polish them off before we leave, so be sure to check in soon.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Photo blogging
Today we're sharing a collection of our top 10 photos from the past week to give you a quick peek at the spectacular skylines, gallons of fresh air consumed and quality time we've been enjoying in town.
#1 - Certainly the most vibrant sliver of a rainbow we've ever seen.
#2 - A bird's-eye view of the half sun-shower, half partly-cloudy day that divided just outside our window.
#3 - Ten o'clock on a Saturday night.
#4 - Assembling a commuter bike from Minnesota.
#5 - Hot air balloons dotting the skyline during a run.
#6 - A sunny picnic lunch at Mosebacke torg.
#7 - Showing off the success of Midsommar sales.
#8 - A late night out on the town (see the 2:30 a.m. sunlight).
#1 - Certainly the most vibrant sliver of a rainbow we've ever seen.
#2 - A bird's-eye view of the half sun-shower, half partly-cloudy day that divided just outside our window. 
#3 - Ten o'clock on a Saturday night. 
#4 - Assembling a commuter bike from Minnesota.
#5 - Hot air balloons dotting the skyline during a run.
#6 - A sunny picnic lunch at Mosebacke torg.
#7 - Showing off the success of Midsommar sales. 
#8 - A late night out on the town (see the 2:30 a.m. sunlight).
Friday, July 4, 2008
Is today a holiday?
I'm working on the fourth of July for the first time in over eight years. No parades or fireworks either...what a bummer.
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