Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow
Infiltrating Sweden one cinnamon bun at a time
“Someday, when the weather is better…” began my son the other day. “Um, the weather is sunny and beautiful outside,” I replied before he finished his sentence. A surprised look and then a smile came over his face. “Oh!” Living in Sweden, “Someday when the weather is better…” is a stock phrase that I have … Read more
Q: Why can’t we have this vending machine in Sweden? A: Because it would make me very unhealthy in a short time. It’s not good for me to have easy access to Ben&Jerry’s ice cream.
My husband and I just got back from a short weekend trip to London. For anyone who read my book, you will be delighted to know I was able to ride the tube going in the direction of “Cockfosters” (and still had to smile every time), and I actually saw a crumpet for the first … Read more
I bought some tickets for a show tonight. I had the option of buying cancellation insurance. I decided to look through the requirements to see if anything seemed reasonable. I declined the insurance – mainly since they didn’t cover anything nuclear or radioactive. I mean, c’mon! Doesn’t someone in that situation DESERVE a refund? Also, … Read more
This was in our local grocery store while we were in Italy:
Before our recent Italy trip, I browsed the internet for good restaurants in the area we would be staying. I found one place with great reviews on TripAdvisor. However, I don’t recall seeing the words “40 minute uphill pilgrimage” in the description. We found the address and a sign for the restaurant that pointed up … Read more
… but they still don’t deliver to our house.
My husband loves the logo of Hausbrandt coffee, an Italian coffee that we can’t get in Sweden. So when I saw that we were staying close to their headquarters, I wrote to ask if we could visit and perhaps purchase some espresso cups with the logo. Apparently, they don’t give tours, but decided to give … Read more
We’ve just returned from a week long trip in northeast Italy. One of the highlights of the trip was a restaurant/amusement park called Ai Pioppi. Ai Pioppi is an amusement park built in the woods by a man who runs an outdoor restaurant. Nothing is electric – it’s all run by kinetic energy. There are … Read more
If you’ve read my latest book As Long As I Have My Own Bathroom, then you’ve heard my complaints about Venice being something like a human maze experiment. Just to underline my theory, here’s a picture of the directions to St. Marco’s Square:
My family and I are spending a week in Italy near the Dolomites. Sadly, 2 are under age 12 and the other is Swedish, so they will not understand my numerous Dolomite jokes.
I visited my 5th grade son’s school earlier this week and I noticed kids’ projects taped to the wall for their English lessons that said, “I Have a Dream” (they’re also studying human rights). Most kids had written things like “My dream is that no one should be poor.” “My dream is that there will … Read more
Friday’s conversation with the kids: Me: The kids at school will probably be talking about it so I thought I should let you know that Prince died. Kids: Our prince? The prince of Sweden? Me: No, no no! The music artist. Do you remember who that is? Kids: (with sad face) Yeah, it’s the one … Read more
In Stockholm, many businesses can be found in one building. While looking for directions to a doctor’s appointment, I noticed that the address was listed as a place called “Pizza Hatt.” First, I will state the obvious, in that the owners are hoping a few people will be confused between the words Hut and Hatt … Read more
Ever wonder what the A-Team theme sounds like in French? Wonder no more! https://youtu.be/oGO-33Fmhw8
I work part-time as a translator for Swedish to English documents. My oldest son tried to translate a paper his school sent home about how he should prepare for singing in a concert. I don’t think he will be following in my footsteps any time soon.
Buy my new book “As Long as I Have My Own Bathroom” and learn the secret of the mysterious Leprechaun Museum. Available on Amazon (for the U.S.) – http://amzn.com/1530292964 Available Amazon.co.uk (for the UK) – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1530292964 And AdLibris (in Sweden) – http://tinyurl.com/jyjfkro And most likely on other Amazon services around the world so just check! … Read more
Had a very detailed discussion yesterday on the subway with my son about the dangers of future prediction. As he is too young to have seen the movie “Minority Report,” I had to fill him in on why we shouldn’t predict crimes that haven’t happened. I also had to explain this: Me: What if you … Read more
My husband and kids have wanted to visit Japan for quite a while. Of course they all want to go there because it’s a video game paradise, and it would be a cool place to go, but I’ve never been completely sold on spending that much money and flying so far for a trip. However, … Read more
