“Huh? Arc-a-pel-a-go!”

Our final day in Stockholm we took a boat tour of the Stockholm archipelago. We wanted to get a better look at the approximately 24,000 islands!

After the boat tour, Hannah and I visited the Nordiska musuem. We raced through as many displays as we could before the museum closed. We both wished we had arrived earlier, or visited on a different day. It was interesting to see scenes of Swedish life such as: table settings, clothing, holiday decorations, etc.

Following the museum it was time for ice cream. (Anytime is ice cream time for Hannah!)

That afternoon while crossing the street I was startled to hear someone call out my name. To my surprise… there was John, a friend from college. What do you know?

photo by Hannah

Stockholm was a beautiful city…

…but I think we were ready to head back to Abu Dhabi. If not for the dusty desert views, then for the good friends and a chance to settle in before school. The next morning we headed back to UAE (with just a few hours wait in Istanbul). Finished!

xo, jill

Two days left!

The next morning we headed back into town for some more exploration. On the way to the National Historical Musuem, we stopped in at this pretty church. Service had just ended, but we didn’t stay for the coffee and cookies.

photo by Hannah

The history museum was interesting, especially the Viking exhibit. Unfortunately, it was colder inside the museum than out!

Next, we rode a quick little ferry out to Djurgarden. The ferry was loaded with families, their small children, and their children’s balloons. Sebbe explained that the families were coming back from “the soo.” It took Hannah and I several minutes to realize he meant, “the zoo.”

photo by Hannah

We walked around the island for a bit and admired the park and buildings.

Here’s the house we stayed in.

There was a super awesome neighbor cat with unique markings… but I was told he had to stay outside. Bum out.

xo, jill

Complete with Swedish guides.

The next day Hannah and I arrived back in Sweden. We met up with her friend, Sebbe, who lives just outside of Stockholm. After depositing our luggage and a train ride back into town, we met up with a few more of Hannah’s friends.

We spent the afternoon and into the evening strolling around Stockholm with our Swedish guides.

Apparently guard duty isn’t as prestigious as it may look. The Swedish boys told us that it’s more of a punishment than an honor when you’re serving military duty. On top of that, the only thing they are really guarding is their own weapon. They’re not allowed to make contact with visitors.

I guess they aren’t as disciplined as the Buckingham guards because Sebbe launched into conversation with them at every opportunity.

We headed over to Gamla Stan, the old part of Stockholm. It has the cobblestone charm, plus all the tourist shops.

We took a long, chilly trek out to a vegetarian restaurant. The place looked amazing but turned out to be a bit too expensive for us. Plus, the prayer circle happening in the adjacent room was a little unusual… I thought their message board that said, “Lettuce pray.” was just a joke. At least we were afforded a beautiful after dusk view of the city.

xo, jill

Called Malmo.

The next day Hannah and I took a bus to Malmo. Despite being the third largest city in Sweden, it still felt pretty small. And cute.

We took a stroll down the main street, passing this gentleman and his companions on the way.

A little market was up and bustling. The vendor talked me out of the strawberries I was eying and assured us that we needed some fresh Swedish raspberries. I think he was right.

photo by Hannah

We visited a shop dedicated to specialty foods from America. It’s funny to see the items the shopkeeper stocked. Some of the brands were new to me, but I enjoyed the Boylan soda we used to sell at the Pickford.

After returning to Lund, we walked up to “the hill.” The hill probably couldn’t be smaller… but luckily it’s a pretty flat place so the view was rewarding.

We watched this guy try and fail multiple times to take off with the wind… so we thought. Turns out he was just practicing his steering skills.

xo, jill