Lagom is the Swedish word for “just the right amount,” which every tour/museum/personally idly discussing the Swedish will tell you sums up the Swedish approach to life. They’re very pro moderation (except when it comes to drinking!) and that reflects itself in their architecture and civic life. For example, compared to the historic cores of … More Politics in the Land of Lagom
Today I set out to explore Uppsala, the city in Sweden I’ve been staying in for the last couple days. It was a beautiful day – the kind of perfect fall weather that’s warm enough for a light long sleeve shirt, sunny, but still crisp. (Meanwhile it was 102 degrees in LA today.) Uppsala was … More Keep the Bishops in Check
Today’s entry won’t involve pictures because I didn’t take any, but it was a great day at probably just as photo-worthy, I was just distracted by company. I left Helsinki this morning on a Norwegian Air flight that took off at the same time as it landed (time change!). Helsinki’s airport is basically personnel-free – you … More The Oldest Town in Sweden
Well, I’ve officially broken the trip record for the number of steps taken in one day – today I clocked in at 33,273 according to me slightly inaccurate phone’s count. It’s funny because it didn’t feel particularly walking-heavy, at least compared to other days. I think that’s because Helsinki is so small so I did … More Finnish Whistles
This morning I tried to wake up a little early so that I could do some more sea-watching from the boat before we made landfall. We were losing an hour so I spent waaaaaay too long trying to figure out when that meant I should set my alarm for and finally settled on the wrong … More Yrjönkadun and Other Words Nobody Can Spell
Tonight’s entry is going to get photos added tomorrow when I have internet access that doesn’t hover somewhere in the “total joke” range. I spent my last morning in Stockholm walking around, popping in and out of gift shops, bakeries, candy stores, and anywhere else that stuck my fancy. I followed a bunch of other tourists … More Do I Know You?
I’ve passed the halfway point! The schedule is a little less consistent and a very un-researched from this point on. I literally have no idea what else I’m going to be doing. Tomorrow I leave for Finland (land of my THIRD trip currency) on the overnight ferry so fingers crossed I figure it all out … More Beyond the Halfway Point
What a day! Brad and Angelina: dunzo. Lila Nordstrom: exhausted. A rollercoaster indeed. Last night Inger helped me map out a day of museum-ing, and musee I did. By day’s end I had clocked in at four museums, one of which was kind of a fluke, but three of which I SAW with a capital … More The Good Viking
Today I planned to let myself sleep in until 9 but lo and behold, I’m obviously beyond the jet lag stage because I naturally woke up at 8:30, which is much earlier than I wake up naturally even in the states. I was excited to get out and do some exploring, but I realized I really … More The First Gravlax
Hello from Sweden, land of fish in a tube! Well I made it to the motherland, though I may not survive much longer since the guy sitting next to me on the train probably gave me the plague. Between hacking sessions he was downing beers and rice cakes at an alarming rate (you read that correctly), so it … More The Motherland
Lila is Traveling 