Sweden and the snow

The snow is still kicking around these days. I flew into Edinburgh just fine about 2 weeks ago and then that evening as I was roaming the streets it began to snow, like really snow. The next day the airport was closed. Needless to say I  was glad to not have another Berlin experience. A couple days later it rained and began to melt. Just how I like it, a good Vancouver Island winter, well, on a normal year that is. Then it was time to head to Sweden where I was very warned about the cold and the snow. I would get wierd looks when I said I was going there in January but this was just the way it was. I went to visit a friend, Andreas who I was a student with at bible school. We hadn't seen eachother for nearly six years so that was pretty cool. There was definately snow but I could work with it and it actually wasn't as cold as I expected it to be so all was well. We headed into the downtown of Norrkoping one day which is about 45 minutes south of Stockholm. We went to a work museum where we saw a lot of things that the Swedes made in the past. In one area there were 20 companies posted up on a wall and you had to guess which ones were still Swedish, not bought out by any other country. All but one have been bought out, even IKEA! I forget the name of the one remaining but it was some sort of bank. We went to a really neat sciency place after. You could try different things that I am not going to try and explain but it was like a miniature Science World for those of you who know what that is and then there was a photo gallery of a man, Lennart Nilsson, who takes beautiful photos  inside the body, like of fetuses and all that jazz. Pretty impressive. After that we saw a 3D Imax film of "Sea Monsters"...we both fell asleep. The next day Andreas was working so I hung out with his parents and guess where we went? IKEA!!! Yes, right in it's homeland. So special. It sure made me want to decorate my house that I don't have. We finished off the shopping extravaganza with a good 'ol Ikea meal. Beautiful really. Andreas and I headed to Stockholm one day as well which was pretty fun.The weather wasn't too nice and the snow on a scale from white to brown was more or less on the brown side so I didn't really get the "Stockholm is sooo beautiful!" experience but the architecture is quite something even on its own so with or without the sun I was satisfied. We visited the castle and saw the changing of the guards, took a walk to a place that over looks the city and also went to the Vasa ship museum. In 1628 it departed from Stockholm only to sink 20 minutes later because it was too narrow and too tall. 300 years later it was taken up out of the waters and now is in its own museum. It seriously is quite something. If you are ever in Stockholm I highly recommend that. There was a little video afterwards as well...we fell asleep again.
I spent the night in Stockholm because I flew out to Holland the next day and then that was that. Six days in Sweden. The End.

Me at IKEA

Stockholm

Lennart Nilsson Photography

Andreas in Stockholm jumping for joy!

And me in Stockholm jumping for joy!

The Vasa Ship, picture really doesn't do it justice.