A Splash of New York

So, our guests from New York are on their way back home- it was awesome to see them and to be with friends from home for a few days!

Admittedly, their being here did confuse my brain a bit- arriving straight after Easter when I was exposed to almost all Swedish language and culture for three days straight at my in-laws, it felt extreme to be with them with no transition. They instantly noted that I picked up an almost-not-really-Swedish-accent when we met up on Sunday and by Tuesday I sounded like a New Yorker again. Going (running) to SFI straight from dropping them off at the train station on Wednesday was pretty unproductive as my mind was not really understanding Swedish again yet.

On Easter Day morning (don’t worry, we celebrate on Saturday here in Sweden!) hubby and I went to Goteborg. We stayed at the Ibis – a boat hotel!

http://www.hotels-world.com/tp.hotels.in/goteborg/hotel.197745/vastra-gotaland.goteborg/ibis/ibis-hotel-goteborg-city.htm

Then we all set out with two museums in mind. We went to the Goteborg City Museum, which has the remains of the only viking ship in Sweden (or at least the largest amount/best preserved). The exhibit also showcased weapons, coins, jewelry, pieces of clothing, and more. The rest of the museum was a little more broadly  themes around Swedish life, culture and history, not only the viking age. We then took the tram to the Art museum, which has the largest amount of Scandinavian art.

Later on we made our way to Fangelset, the venue for a melodic death metal show, an old prison across from a cemetery. Our guests were very interested in seeing the metal scene in Sweden, so going to a show was top priority. The bands we saw were Agalloch and Velnius, both from the U.S. ironically, but nonetheless the crowd and atmosphere was Swedish. While death metal isn’t exactly my scene, it wasn’t my first time going to a show and I immediately saw that this was different. My husband must have seen me looking around because he leaned over and explained that Swedes just stand and listen, pay attention and appreciate. There was a lack of wildness that I had anticipated, there was no movement anywhere outside the slightest head bang which usually stayed within a 30 degree angle like an exaggerated and aggressive nod of approval. There was no dancing, moshing, moving, talking- I felt like I was standing amongst the  zombies. Eventually we spotted two or three who really stood out in the crowd, but would still be considered tame. There was also a lot more personal space, no pushing or shoving or standing on top of each other. It was a fun change of pace.

The next day we went back to Halmstad, the contrast between Goteborg and a smaller town was unpleasantly exaggerated by being a red day (holiday) and the windy rainy weather. Our options for Monday were extremely limited but we made the best of it by introducing them to Swedish pizza for lunch, relaxing, having a home cooked diner, playing pool, and then going to McDonald’s since it was sadly the only place open to just sit around and have some coffee.

The next day we set out for a Swedish Lunch Special, which is from 11- 3. After looking at a few menus and options we found a place just in time (2:45), most places were already done serving and we were the only ones at the restaurant that late in the afternoon. I was excited that our guests loved the traditional food and were impressed by how cheap lunch specials are in Sweden. Then I showed them the castle, old prison, and church. Site seeing is no fun in the rain so we were going to cut it short as we stumbled upon a cafe which I have seen before but haven’t yet tried.

It turns out to be the second oldest building in Halmstad (Aside from the castle and church) and it was absolutely perfect and picturesque! I will definitely be going there more often, they have good coffee, a great selection of tea and a charming…everything. We took quite a few photos and I plan on going back for more! It was nice change to step away from the larger cafe chains in town.

A few hours later we all got dressed up and went to Verona for a nice dinner. They loved the food and really enjoyed the planksteak- success! I really wanted to get a photo of the four of us, but it just never happened. Afterwards we went to another coffee shop until it closed.

Even though the weather was gloomy and it was a holiday we had a great visit and it made me even more excited to visit home in June/July! It was special to have guests from New york after being here only 5 months! I love playing host and showing people around, hopefully next time we have guests we will have more room and nicer weather!

Tour of My Local Swedish Library: “Rundtur på mitt Lokala Bibliotek”

Yesterday I ‘killed two birds with one stone,’ or ‘Hit two flies with one slap,’ as they say in Sweden. I decided to A) get my act together and hunker down to study some Swedish B) finally visit the library that has intrigued me ever since I’ve laid eyes on it three years ago. Using my Rosetta Stone, dictionary and grammar books is something I could easily do at home but I have always needed a serene atmosphere to focus. It’s been over 2 two years since I’ve stepped foot inside a library, which is where I spent most of my free time when I was in college and miss it terribly. Being surrounded by books feels like home to me. I’ve always thought that this library was beautiful, a glass huge structure built  hovering over the river.  While all three of my colleges had spectacular libraries, this one put all the public Queens libraries (that I ever frequented) to shame.

Venturing into the library seems like a small feat but its uncharted territory to me which is always  a bit scary. But it’s a library and that’s something I am familiar with- that’s something I can’t imagine can change too drastically from country to country. I am accustomed to poking into stores, browsing Swedish merchandise, hearing the cashiers speak in Swedish – but the library is different. It’s like walking into a bubble, a place to be quiet and respectful. I immediately wanted to whip out my camera and start taking photos of everything but it didn’t seem too appropriate and I decided to be sneaky instead of obnoxious.

The “Stadbiblioteket,” meaning “The City Library,” is modern, roomy and organized with a cheerful bright lime green theme throughout the three floors. The chairs are comfy and the view is just perfect. There is a full sized tree growing in the center of the building that reminds me a lot of my high school because we had the same thing, which is not very common. (I wasn’t able to get a good photo of it, sadly) It doesn’t feel stuffy and stale like the local libraries I’m used to. There is a beautiful wooden spiral staircase and glassed exhibits scattered around. The shelves remind me more of cozy home book shelves because they are not as packed and daunting. Above is a photo of the self check out, not something I’m used to seeing in libraries in the states, but maybe I just haven’t seen it.


I absolutely adore these circular bookshelves, so much more inviting and fun- really breaks up the boring space that libraries often have. High ceilings, all glass, couches and even a bean bag area for the kids to lay around in as they read. While I didn’t spend much time trying to understand where one section started and the other began you can tell its a place for everyone. The kids area is extensive, there are also study rooms, available PC’s, a cafe and loads of magazine racks.

All and all the trip was a good one, although I looked around and took photos most of the time and only studied for about 30 minutes- but it is a start and now I have a new place to go!