Thursday, August 22, 2002
PlankstekIntroducing...THE PLANK. One of my goals has been to indulge in the plank experience and last night after a few beers Mikaela and I decided we were up to the challenge.
The Plankstek is Sweden's culinary contribution to world fare - along with 75 varieties of herring - and what a contribution it is.
A big steak served on a hot plate surrounded by piped mash potato, some tomato, a sauce and asparagus wraped in bacon. We sobered up completed after eating it. And as you can see, we ate it all.
Tonight I am off to have another Swedish experience, Friskis & Svettis leading outdoor aerobics in the park at Gardet. I am taking my camera. This should be funny.
I went kyaking on Saturday which was great fun, but bloody tiring. I went with Sanna from my department and some other people from the office. We stopped off at an island for lunch, had a swim and wandered around the island then headed back. We had to be very careful about ticks as they're pretty bad here, and Sanna told a very scary story about a friend who discovered one in the worst possible place - I'm sure you can imagine. It was a bit of a struggle cause I'd been out the night before to Mikaela and Gav's for dinner, then to watch the US foreworks display and then to a pub. So I wobbled home at around 1ish or so and was up early for the kyaking.
After we'd finished paddling Gustav and Pelle took me to see a castle, and we discivered an accoridan playing contest. I had left my camera in the car so no photos of that but it was great fun. I also bought a traditional herring on a bread with sauce thing. I was enjoying it until I ran out of sauce and then realised it had been covering up the true taste of the herring.
Tomorrow night it's the ABBA Tribute Concert and on Saturday I'm taking a day trip to one of the islands in the archiapelago.
That's about it for now, hello to everyone, talk to you all soon.
Yvette
xxx
Posted at 1:06 AM
Just returned to the office after lunch with Mikaela. The restaurant was lovely - everyone goes out to a proper lunch each day here, and has a little meal in the evening. So there's always yummy food to be had during the day. We went to a restaurant in an old 18th century building and sat in the courtyard - we had a fantastic samon steak and potatoes, and it only cost $13.
Just the thing as we're feeling very ordinary after last night...went to Grona Lund which is a massive fun park where an international firework competition is held each year on the river, and last night was an Australian firework company. I walked down, it took about half an hour, and when I got there Mikaela and Gav (her Aussie boyfriend) had beers waiting. So it continued til midnight when we wobbled home. Note glamerous photo.
The fireworks were pretty good, big and loud and colourful, and Gav and I got to sing along (quite badly) to 'I still call Australia home'...and come home with the Aussie flag that was a table decoration, but it will look better on my table I think.
I now have the contact details for a Japanese Karaoke bar in Stockholm...it took quite a bit of investigating, but I finally found it. Apparently when all of Corporate Communications is back from holidays we'll be going out for a Welcome Yvette dinner so I am going to force everyone to go to the Karaoke place and do some bonding with Dancing Queen and some Carpenters. There'll be some great photos for that one.
Happy Belated birthday Shanth!!!!!
It's pub night tonight. Free beer and wine from 4pm.
Below is a page from my Lonely Planet guide to Sweden...I don't think I'll be going to this particular part of the country...
Posted at 4:42 AM
It's soooo hot here today, at least 30 degrees although Mikaela thinks it's about 38. I have a full week of social activities, thank goodness since my TV hasn't arrived yet so nothing to distract me at home.
Tonight I'm going to a ballet performance in a park called Vita Bergen with a girlfrom work called Mikko (her name is Maria Mikko, but she likes Mikko better) and some of her friends. She is buying us a bottle of wine at lunchtime - as bottle shops shut at 5pm each day, and we are taking some food and blankets. Should be nice, considering the beautiful weather.
Tomorrow I'm doing yoga - free for employees, and then Mikeala, her boyfriend Gav and I are going to watch an Australian company do a firework display. It's part of a festival where each night a different county provides food, music and a firework display. We are hoping for some VB's. Thursday night is Pub Night at work - free drinks from 4pm, and Friday night I'm hitting the town with some of the girls from work, most of whom I'm yet to meet so looking forward to that. Saturday I'm going kyaking with Susanna from the office and a group of work people who I also haven't met yet. Hopefully my tele will have arrived by Sunday as I think I may need a rest day.
I'm going to try to put up some more photos which I took last night with work's digital camera. The first is of the office, the second of some water looking out from Gamla Stan, on my walk home yesterday. The third is my shopping centre and the last one is self explanatory!
Posted at 5:20 AM
Hello, Another sunny day in Sweden...still can't believe the tan I have. Had a nice weekend, went to 'the beach' which is a small sandy spot on the M?laren river in the city, with Mikaela from work.
It' so funny, as soon as there is a spec of sun slmost every Swede seems to pull of their clothes and go lie in it, no matter where it is. I think even office workers go to the park behind our office and lie in the sun in their undies dring lunch hour. Mikaela came around for dinner Saturday night, and we went out at around 10.30pm...because alcohol is so expensive people tend to drink before they go out. But because we were not on the shandy's but white wine and gin, we could only have one beer at a close-by pub before going home at around 11.30pm. Sunday was a hangover day. Today I met up with Soren Jensen who used to work in the Sydney office, and now works here in Stockholm, for lunch, which was great.
I have a few things to tell of Swedish life that I have picked up, but only time right now to post some pics of me at some of my collegues at our desks as it's approaching 4.00pm home time.
Have to admit though I did work back til 6.30pm last night...a few reasons but one was that our vessel Don Quiotje was rescuing 22 men from a sinking Turkish shipping boat off the coast of Africa, so I worked back until we got word the rescue was complete.
Anyway the photos are of Mikaela - at the top, Lars who is working on our internet site, Amelie (gold hair) who works on the intranet, Birgitta (short brown hair) who is the office manager and me! (I'm not sure is Lars and Amelie's photos are working so I'll post them tomorrow.
Posted at 6:28 AM
It's Friday afternoon and only one more hour to go til hometime - summer hours are 8.30am to 4pm, we should be doing this at home...went out for a few beers last night at a very cheap bar where my shandy was only 22kronor, or around $4.50 so not bad at all. The weather has turned a little cooler the last couple of days, but it's supposed to be stinking over the weekend, so I will take lots of photos and have them developed so I can finally post something interesting. I will also take some shots for the files of Rove's 'What the'...slut means end, ut fart means sort of means driveway, and two popular lollies are Skum and Plopp. It's strange seeing signs saying Slut and Fart all over the city.
Anyway, as I mentioned the flight over was great, and I had a fantastic farewell at a the airport. After I met taxi driver with Yvette sign at Stockholm airport, Ase from the relocation agency met me at the apartment and made some breakfast - salami and cream cheese on hard bread, tea and orange juice. Had a shower and then she took me for a drive around Stockholm. The underground is close by, there's a Quickimart around the corner and I'm about a 30 minute walk from the city. Stockholm is absolutley beautiful - one third parkland, one third water, and one third buildings. We went shopping and my four small bags of groceres cost me around $200 which was a bit of a shock, I had to run to the bank to get more money to pay for it! I was back at the apartment by midday. It took ages to unpack but I was spurred on my needing to find my swiss army knife so I could open a bottle of red. Set up a l ttle section on the (small) entertainment unit with Wayne Lucus, the photo of Renay and I, the flashing James Rose, Muriel photos, Jax rock, Paddington bear, James 'Stockholm Stockholm' lyrcis and a few other bits and pieces.With no tv I sat and drank the red and read my Lonely Planet.
At 3pm I went to sleep and woke at 5 the following morning and by 7am was out the door for a four hour walk around Gardet where I live and into the city. Found an outdoor swimming pool and headed down later in the day to do some laps and had a lay in the sun.
Not sure what I'll be up to for the weekend. If it's sunny Mikaela and I will go to eth 'beach' and lie in the sun, and I maight take a boat tour around the city...I think I'll be using my trusty guidebook to see what else I can do. I need to ring Rebecca's friend Simon as well, he's another Australian living in Stockholm. Hopefully will have a few adventures! Talk later, Yvette
Posted at 6:03 AM