Word for the day - näckrosen

Hej hej!

So after all the excitement of moving in and rampaging about with Nosh and Chantal, I've had a couple of 'normal' Stockholm days. This is the road that my road is off, and the way I cycle to KI in the mornings. It's lined with blossoms all the way down, and a nice downward slope on the way in to work. (But a nice upward one on the way home, invariably into the wind).

It's a really lovely bit of town. I am trying not to get too attached to it, or to my little flat, since I am moving again in ten days. But I do like it a lot. The nearest tunnelbana station is called Näckrosen, which translates to water lily - how delightful! I am thinking it might be because of this lake:

Beautiful Råstasjön (which I believe means Rasta Lake) at sunset last night.

Råstasjön is only about ten minutes from the flat, and is so lovely. It's a good distance for a wander round in the evenings, a fact which has been observed by most of Solna judging by the number of people there were there last night. It's also incredibly noisy, with geese and black headed gulls all making a heck of a racket. The geese just wander across the path and hiss at you if you dare to go near them, which is unavoidable , since they are on the path. My two favourites have three goslings, who they also lead out into the way of everyone else, and then get really irate if you look their way. Also, it seems that people in Sweden don't jog. They either ramble, or run for their lives. As though there is a velociraptor chasing them. No middle ground. 

On the way home I diverted to walk near the church, on the off chance of seeing the hare chums again. I thought it was a long shot, but I was hardly even into the park before one of them ran in front of me. I sat by the church for about 15 minutes watching them eat like grass might be endangered. Glorious hare chums!

It was a 'red day' in Sweden today, which is the equivalent of a bank holiday. This meant that there were a few less people at KI, and I was less embarrassed to stand outside and take a photo like a bit geek. Here's my new building:

It's great! There are lots of windows so at the moment there is lots of light. In the winter I imagine there might be lots of dark. And snow. Since I didn't have to be in at all today (it seemed unnecessary to have a day off after three days at work) I left a bit early, and went for an explore in Hagaparken, the big English-style park to the north of the city. It really is English-style, they have written that on all of the information boards. 

South gates to Hagaparken. There are a lot of crowns around.

It's right next to the E4, which is the motorway we followed for about 500km from the west coast to Stockholm. Despite this, about five minutes into the park I found myself about 2m away from a deer. An actual deer! I am not sure if she or I were more surprised, but honestly Stockholm! Hares in the middle of the suburbs and deer in what is basically the equivalent of the meadows. We had a few moments of staring at each other, before she leapt towards me, scaring the heck out of me (do deer ever attack?!), and then quickly off into the trees. At which point I spotted the manic Springer spaniel who had scared her.

There is a lot of my favourite colour about at the moment, with the sun shining through the new leaves. 

I feel like I should dislike everything about this photo. Who defaces a tree?! And how saccharine. And it’s not even an anatomical heart. But for some reason, I like it anyway. Maybe it's the colours.

It’s like I live in Center Parcs.

Seriously.

Right now though I am home, and I have to go and find some dinner. Sushi? I hope you are all having fun May times. 

Hejdå!

Laura x