A week after returning to Europe from Texas, I met up with one of my favorite travel partners - my dad! Though we had just seen each other, he wanted to plan one last trip to Europe before we moved, and preferred to come at a point in my pregnancy where I was still able to travel. Over the six years of living in Europe, my parents have traveled with us to a lot of fantastic destinations throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. One place Lar never got to that is on his bucket list is Sweden. This was an especially important destination for him as 3 of his 4 grandparents all emigrated from Sweden. My grandmother visited some of her cousins in Sweden many years ago, and though we haven't kept up the connection with them, we wanted to embark on our own father-daughter heritage trip to Sweden.
As he was only visiting for a week, we decided to meet up in Stockholm for only two days to hit the highlights of this beautiful city, before returning to the NL for the remainder of his time. This was my fifth trip to Sweden and I was so glad to be returning once more and have the opportunity to meet up with my Swedish friends there.
Lar and I met up at the Stockholm airport on March 13th and immediately hit the ground running exploring the city in the brutally cold temperatures. Though I was used to our never-ending winter weather this year, dad was a little shocked by the highs in the upper 20s during our time there. That afternoon, I walked him a little around the city and finally ended at the beautiful Östermalms Saluhall. This market hall from 1888 had numerous food counters of decadent desserts, fish, meats, cheeses, ready-to-eat items, and several restaurants. We enjoyed browsing the Swedish delicacies and enjoyed a late lunch there.
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| Östermalms Saluhall |
That evening, we met up with my first BU exchange student friend, Peter. He recently had a baby, so I was so excited to see him and hear all about his new adventures of parenthood. It's incredible to think that we first met in 2005, both in our early 20s, and now he's a father, and I'm about to be a mom. My how life changes! We were later met by my fave Swede, Maria, and her cousins Anna and Martin. They all enjoyed seeing/meeting my dad again, and I feel so blessed to have my own Swedish posse each time I visit. I cherish these friendships so much, not only because they have stood the test of time, but also because they really are some of the most kind, thoughtful and generous friends.
The next morning, we hit the ground running seeing the sights of Stockholm. Armed with our Stockholm Card, gifted by Maria, we were able to see all the major museums and sights for free. The first stop was the City Hall, or Stadshuset, where they hold the Nobel Prize banquet each year. The building is situated perfectly on the water, looking out over the rest of city, situated on 14 islands in the archipelago. I have many of these same pictures from our time in Stockholm in August, 2011, but they look quite different this go round with ice and snow everywhere.
That night, we had a special dinner planned with Maria and her family. She was so sweet to organize this and I was glad my dad was going to be able to meet her dad and step-mom. We met up with Maria and Jakob near our hotel and had a lovely nighttime walk through the city to the restaurant. When we arrived, we took at elevator to the top floor and were absolutely blown away by the incredible views of the city below. But, it wasn't just the views that were outstanding - our dinner was as well. My dad
couldn't stop talking about the venison he ordered, and I was in heaven eating lamb and a dessert with 'Hjortron,' a delicious berry and delicacy only found in northern Scandinavia.
Maria's family is absolutely outstanding, and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to get to know them during my previous visits to Sweden and it was extra special for my dad to meet them. Maria's dad and stepmom have been wanting to plan a trip to Texas for a while, so we're hoping they will make it happen in the next few years when we'll be near enough to tour guide them around.
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| Nighttime walk through Stockholm |
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| Dinner with the Lilliestierna Clan |
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| Me and my Swedish sis, Maria |
The highlight of any trip to Sweden is always being able to spend time with Maria. I feel so blessed to have been able to spend so much time with her in the past 6 years, and I never would have thought when I first met her in 2005, that she would become one of my dearest friends for life. Though I'm so sad to be leaving Europe and my proximity to her, I know we will continue to make reunions happen throughout our lives. I can hardly wait to see her this weekend for our next BU exchange student reunion in Sittard!
Our final day in Stockholm, Dad and I visited the famous Vasa museum. This Swedish warship, which never made it out of the Stockholm harbor before sinking, is the world's only surviving 17th century ship. When you walk into the museum, you are immediately taken aback by how large it is. Over 95% of its original parts have been preserved and it truly is a sight to behold. It has been nicknamed the "Great Failure" as it never served its purpose as a warship, however I argue that its failure is actually a"Great Success," as we now have insight into the building and life of sailors from this period we would otherwise know nothing about.
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| Vasa Museum |
Afterward, we walked to the Skansen Open Air Folk Museum where we could view buildings, churches and farm houses transported from all over Sweden. They had re-enactors who would tell us about life in Sweden during the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition to visiting various farms, we also visited the glassworks shop, furniture workshop, and general store. It was the perfect way to spend our final afternoon in Stockholm, enjoying the yester-year of Sweden.
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| Skansen watermill |
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| View of Stockholm from Skansen |
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| 18th century church at Skansen |
I feel so fortunate to have been able to share this special trip with my dad, exploring our Swedish heritage together. Though I am proud to have Swedish blood running through me, I am even more proud to have real Swedish friends that keep me connected with all things wonderful and current about Sweden. Tack så mycket, Svenska vänner!
Back in Sittard, we spent the weekend exploring new local areas Lar has yet to experience. On Saturday, we took him to the village of Monshau, which still looked like a winter wonderland in mid-March. We enjoyed perusing the town and the beautiful half-timbered buildings, lunch at a cafe and a late afternoon coffee and waffle snack.
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| Monschau, Germany |
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| Monschau, Germany |
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| Monschau, Germany |
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| Monschau, Germany |
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| Monschau, Germany |
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| Monschau, Germany |
On Sunday, we attended church where Lar was kind enough to help me teach Sunday School for the second time. The kids absolutely adore him and it was so fun being able to share this experience with him. Afterward, we ate lunch in the Sittard square and enjoyed a lazy afternoon at home.
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| Sittard Square |
Another major priority for my dad during his trip to visit us was to stock up on some Scotch from the Natex. He was quite impressed with the selection during his first visit to GK and wanted to make the most of our last shopping days remaining. He ended up purchasing 7 bottles that we'll be sending back to the States for him. I hope that will last him a while!
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| Ah, the Scotch! |
We spent our final morning together going for a run, biking around town and chocolate shopping at Sittard's Rousseau chocolate factory. Jon was able to take the afternoon off and we all trekked to the nearest ferry crossing over the Maas River into Belgium for a Belgian beer and snack that afternoon. I'm going to miss living so close to both the German and Belgian borders, making these unique excursions so easy!
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| Along the Maas River in Belgium |
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| Enjoying Belgian beers in Belgium |
It was a fantastic week spent with my dad filled with new adventures and an excellent final hoo-rah visit in Europe. Although I love traveling with both my parents at the same time, there's something special about getting one-on-one time with each of them every once in a while. I feel so blessed to have had this incredible father-daughter time together, especially before I have a little one of my own. Whether we were traveling, running, or simply relaxing at the house, I will always cherish the memories of this week. Thanks, Dad, for being the most amazing, fun and cool father a girl could every hope for. I love you so much!
1 comment:
Gorgeous people, gorgeous scenery, wonderfully descriptive writing! Felt like I was there!
Mother
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