Guest Blog - Duffers and JH (staying above the law...)

First of all, let's make it perfectly clear that we're not here to make friends.
We're just trying to stay above the law and make it to our next birthdays...

The City of ENTERTAINMENT

We kicked off the trip by visiting the largest Ikea in the world, where we befriended a shark and cockatoo. We also indulged in some delicious pizza and weinerkorvs (that's hot dogs, to the non-Swedes out there).

Entertainment in Stockholm is fruitful and varied. For example, of an evening, we have known to find ourselves swing dancing in a converted cinema, gallivanting in a theme park, and loitering fruitlessly outside a club, at the mercy of Stockholm's rude bouncers and non-existent queuing etiquette. The latter evening was salvaged by personalised cocktails in a much kinder establishment.

No entertainment section would be complete without bridge. Needless to say, we have whiled away many a happy hour playing three-person. Our hearts ache for the absent Bam. But luckily, we have coordinated our nail polish, our pajamas and our cards, so all is well.

The city of HISTORY
"DO NOT TOUCH THE CANNONS."
Brush with the law number one occured at the palace, home of the Swedish Royal Family (God bless 'em). Foolhardedly, we thought it acceptable to have a photo with a cannon. How wrong we were. The booming tones of the palace guard still resonate today. For future reference, when in Stockholm, as a general rule we would recommend staying well clear of cannons.

This is not the offending photo, which has been burnt from the camera.

History in Stockholm isn't always dangerous. We also spent a lovely evening in the Nobel Museum, seeking inspiration from wonderful, artistic scientists who had sketched their discoveries. We also enjoyed reading about and watching short films about the incredible historical figures who have won the Nobel prizes over the years; truly an inspiring museum and well worth a visit.

The short film about the achievements of Dr Duffin is under construction.

The city of GEOGRAPHY

Stockholmers love a boat; they literally can't get enough of them. And what better way to learn about the geography of the city than to ride one?! Our boat expeditions have been numerous. We sailed the seven seas of the greater Stockholm area, nourished only by macaroons and diet coke. Scurvy was rife, but luckily we pulled through. Our destinations included Djurgarden (home of the theme park, see above, and nordic animals, see below) and the Archipeligo, consisting of shedloads of islands.  "It is pretty spectacular; it can have a capital if it wants one" - LH Comley, 2012.

Jen left us for dead on Lizard Rock.

Survivor of the Lizard Rock Disaster, 2012.

The city of SCIENCE AND NATURE
Nordic animals have played an integral part in this trip, most notably the moz (moose). On Laura's day off (huzzah!) we took a day trip to Skansen, a lovely big open air museum full of animals and very old Scandinavian buildings. We frolicked with the likes of otters, seals, goats, bears, rabbits, bison, hogs, wolves, reindeer, and a cheeky lone fox. Obviously this frolicking occurred on the other side of the appropriate glass/fencing provided for safety; we are staying above the law, after all.

Such is the magic of Skansen that houses grow out of the ground. Perfect for grazing goats.

We have been fortunate enough to observe the most ferocious of the nordic animals in its native environment at close proximity....MISCHA. Laura is sharing her flat with the most delightful, hard-of-hearing, up-in-your-grill cat. We are big fans of her work, except when she is all up in our grills and/or drinking our water straight from the glass.

The city of ARTS AND LITERATURE
We spent a lot of time reading our books, but this was too boring to photograph.

The city of SPORTS AND LEISURE (including FOOD AND DRINK)

Sushi. Macaroons. Diet Coke. Pimms. You get the picture. It's been delicious.

We ate sushi literally every other day; Laura had it twice on Friday. Other delicious meals/snacks have included a lovely vegetarian meal (spice for some, hammocks for all), a delightful cafe overlooking the water (an ideal setting for bridge), and a spectrum of ice creams. Travellers among you, take note - when buying ice cream in Stockholm, do not yield to the pressure of Jen's bladder and be tricked into paying 590 SEK for ice cream. Turns out, this is a total rip-off. We would suggest that 350 SEK for 2 scoops (400 with sprinkles) is a reasonable price.

Happy 4th of July, chums! Gnocchi and the Union Jack...as American as apple pie.

"But isn't it almost Jen's birthday?!" I hear you cry. Don't worry, we've got it covered...

Laura, like the team player she is, covered the sports category by cycling to work. Jen has pitched in with some successful sprinting up to catch the T-Bana at short notice. Duffers does not excel at sports; this shouldn't come as a surprise. However, we were all enticed into some energetic swing dancing. Jen was amazing, whilst Kathleen struggles to walk without falling over, so you can imagine how that went.

The city of WHIMSY
Fans of the blog will be wondering, where are the pictures of people emulating statues?! Don't worry friends, here they are, Pimms and all!

Stockholm, we salute you!