The Truly Artificial Sweden-ers

Hej (hello) from Sweden! Taryn and Kendell are writing this blog, for those of you that don't know we are Miranda's sister and mom, respectively. We would first and foremost like to thank our hosts for doing everything they could to make our trip very special, and for putting up with us for two weeks!

From the moment we stepped off the plane we were lost. Only due to Scott's detailed step by step instructions did we find our way through customs and on to find our luggage. After finding our bags and converting our U.S. dollars to Swedish crowns we walked out of the airport only to be bombarded by a million cab drivers all yelling, "You come with me!" Being the only two possible customers in sight it was a bit intimidating. Thanks to Mom finding the cheapest one we were off on our way to find Miranda and Scott. Our very nice cab driver informed us after we had left the airport that he was a very new cab driver and would do his "very best" to get us to our destination, and he "really hoped he could do it." They weren't the most encouraging statements but we smiled and sat back for the scenic drive. After several wrong turns, one dead end, and few chuckles from the backseat (us) we finally reached our destination. Waiting for us outside the building, Miranda and Scott finally came into view, both with big smiles on their faces.

Our trip was eventful from the moment we arrived. Miranda and Scott took us on a seven-mile "stroll," as they called it, just a few hours after stepping off the plane. The days didn't get any less eventful as we averaged at least several miles of walking every day. The city of Stockholm is beautiful, and the streets have been packed with people daily. Mom says every day looks like Christmas shopping, with the constant traffic of people.

Some of our favorite things we saw here were the Skansen open air museum, the Vasa Museum, canal sightseeing boat trips, our cruise to Finland, the Nordic Museum, the Nobel Museum, City Hall, the new Batman movie, Miranda's birthday cake (princess cake, a traditional Swedish birthday cake), the beautiful city itself, the Europride parade, and last but not least our most favorite sight was Miranda and Scott. It was so nice to spend time with both of them after not getting to see them for months!

A few of our favorite Swedish dishes included the princess cake, lasagna, Swedish pizza, Swedish meatballs, kabob sandwiches, Max (a Swedish hamburger chain), Biff Rydberg and McDreams (chocolate cake sundaes from McDonald's), plus tacos and stir fry at home, and Miranda's homemade chocolate cookies.

Our trip was great, and Stockholm is truly a beautiful city! Thank you again Miranda and Scott, we love you both!