Sweden: Day 3

Day three in Sweden starts a little rough.

I am up at 2:00AM. Struck with my usual jet lag insomnia. I read a few chapters of A Homemade Life. It is a great book, but all about food and I.Am.Starving.

Dig into my emergency stash of Lara bars and try not to wake Maddie up.

We have an early morning run planned and I want to enjoy it. Try counting back from 100 by multiples of three.

Sleep finally comes over me and I get a few solid hours of shut eye.

I wake up. It is Sunday. I am in Sweden. Still can't believe it.

I think about cancelling our run, but decide it would do my body good after all the sitting I did on the flights here. (Not to mention we have many many more bakeries to cross off our list!)

There is a chill in the air as we set out for our run. The destinaton: Boson.



Maddie tells me Boson is on the edge of Lidingo (the island where she lives), the beginning of the Archipelago, and where all of the elite athletes in Sweden live and train.




Our route there is about two miles. We disregard a trespassing forbidden sign, and then I see this,







I am awestruck.

Now I know why Maddie wants to live here.

We decide to explore the trails around the area, and I decide I need to become an elite Swedish athlete so I can live here.

Maybe it is time to become a ski jumper, I mean - they have the jump for it...



There is too much to see and our run quickly becomes a run.STOP.takeaphoto.run.STOP.takeaphoto. We decide to hike this trail a few days from now and bring my monster camera.









The trail. Oh the trail. I just started running trails in Washington and thought I had it made. This trail trumps everything in Washington. I practically set up camp and will send for Nic + necessities later.

Sixty minutes later we return to the house. The family is eating breakfast. We get ready for the day and chat a bit. The husband sneaks off to work on the pool he is digging in the backyard with a Polish guy.

On the agenda for the rest of the day is more sightseeing. Which means more walking until we happen across a bakery.

This vacation rocks.



We hop on a metro and hop off at a stop near a park Maddie loves. Even in the winter, I can see why.





I still can not get over the colorful, architecturally interesting buildings. Why don't we build them like this in the States?




Maddie tries to master the pensive stare.

Our ultimate destination is Djurgarden, a calm oasis, and royal land since the 15th century. The island is also home to many famous museums, walking paths, and cafes.








Jenny Lind was a famous lady...and that is all we know.
{ah ha! Maddie - Jenny Lind was a famous opera singer in the 19th century. often known as the "Swedish Nightingale"}



The views of Stockholm are beautiful.

But our noses and stomachs ultimately lead the way on this chilly day. And we just so happen to stumble upon Rosendals Cafe. This place is amazing. An organic garden open to the public. An apple orchard, a few grape vines, and a cut-your-own flower garden.

I need to come back in the Summer.



But I digress, I am getting off track. We came for baked goods, and baked goods we will have.

Situated in glass greenhouses, we enter the cafe.



And sit down with piping hot coffees to warm our chilled fingers and a lunch made for Swedish queens.



Carrot cake & biscotti.

Maddie is happy. And even lets me take few too many photos of our eats.



And then gives me the I needed to start eating 8 minutes ago glare.

A glare only she can give.





We finish and head back out into the windy day to explore the rest of the grounds.







And then continue walking around the island. I make a mental note to come running here later in the week.







A canal cuts through the island and beautiful paths wind along each side.







We spot a few people riding horseback and I immediately think of my friend Leah and snap a photo for her. She would love this place.

Anyone would love this place.





Anyone would love this place.







We head back to Gamla Stan so I can get a few good photos.

We arrive around 3:00PM, just as the sun is setting.

We need to remember to plan our days better. Photos in the AM, inside activities in the afternoon.

The sun sets so early here.





We pop into a department store quickly so Maddie can buy a hat to warm her frozen ears. And continue our walking tour.









As the sun sets over Stockholm, we head to dinner (where did we go Maddie?).

We hop on the metro, and then the bus. We walk up 97 steps to Maddie's neighborhood.

Maddie loses the hat she just bought.

Day three in Sweden. 15 days to go.