Sommarlov 2017: Örebro

Our trips to Sweden usually come every 2-3 years, but this year it seemed important to return for a consecutive summer.  The boys need to experience culture and language and become a true participant in their second country of citizenship. More importantly, we love to vacation together and Sweden is pure magic in the summertime (if the weather is good.) 

The older boys flew ahead with the grandparents a few weeks earlier, and Anders was stoked to reunite. Our 11 hour long-haul flight was a little delayed, but the experience was not nearly as traumatic as Anders' first trip.  After landing in Stockholm we hopped on a bus for the 3 hour journey to Örebro.  At 10PM it was still light outside.

The boys were asleep when we arrived but were up early the next morning to greet us at 5AM.  When jet lagged, they're allowed to watch Barnkanalen (Swedish childen's programming) until it's late enough to go outside to play. Despite our best efforts, the jet lag kicks in when we least expect it.

Every other year the city hosts an outdoor art exhibit called Open Art. We love how many of the installations are meant to be manipulated, all with the beautiful backdrop of the city's landmarks. The city center became one big art gallery, and every time we came out even for the most mundane errand, we were delighted with art.

Open Art also houses a free kids workshop at a nearby museum, giving the boys space and supplies to create 7 days a week.  We went back at least 3 times for them to work on their creations.

We indulged in the Swedish candy tradition by visiting the biggest candy store I've ever seen.  With over 500 types of loose candy, it deserved Anders calling it "Candy Land." 

Almost 5 kilos and almost $50 later... but we couldn't go home without sampling a little of our loot.

One of Linus' favorite things about his time in Sweden is his ability to bike around the city with ease. From the apartment you can get to the city park and gardens, town center, and nearby nature trails.  I loved taking my morning runs with Linus leading the way. One day the 5 of us rode to the children's park on Stora Holmen to play, then over to Wadköping for fika.

On our final day in Örebro we celebrated Magnus' birthday at the city's Nature House.  The park was once a dump, but the city invested in reclaiming the land and converted it to a nature reserve.  The Nature House itself houses an amazing cafe and restaurant.

After our lunch we took to the trails and were delighted by an abundance of wild raspberries and wildflowers.

Later that night Mattias and I followed up on a tradition of our own: the shrimp boat.  Rakbåt travels down the Svartån canal and into the Mälaren (Sweden's third largest fresh water lake.) For a fixed price you get a dinner of all-you-can-eat Swedish shrimp and all the fixings.  But we also come for the Troubadour who leads the entire boat in song. Drinking, cruising, singing, and eating shrimp-- that's my idea of a date.