Except for about 18 hours of the trip (take a wild guess at which 18 hours I am referring to), we had a terrific time with uncle Dan, aunt Maria, Samuel and Jacob.
This is going to be a marathon post, so put your seatbelts on!
August 1st at O'Hare waiting to board. Looks like Eliot's all ready!
On the flight to Stockholm we had the bulkhead in Economy Plus, and we sure took advantage of the extra space and quickly made ourselves at home.
After we arrived on August 2nd, we headed into the city for some sightseeing as we had a 10-hour layover before we could go to Ostersund (where the Laven's live).
This was on the Arlanda Express, which takes you from the airport to the city in about 20 minutes (it's a 40-minute drive by car). It had free Wi-Fi!
We had no idea that Stockholm is made up of many islands. One of them, Djurgarden, holds Skansen, which is Sweden's first open air museum and zoo. These were on the ferry to Skansen.
After finishing Skansen we headed back to the ferry, but stopped for some ice cream first.
On the ferry back to where we got off the train, which took us back to the airport.
We were exhausted the whole day as no one slept much on the plane, and it finally caught up to the kids waiting for the train back to Arlanda airport.
We got to the airport a little early before heading to Ostersund. Mommy loves this picture.
More sleeping for Simon at the airport.
This is the view from their balcony in Ostersund. The time the photo was taken? 10:02pm! Very cool to be at this latitude during the summer.
The next morning in their living room.
Later that morning my brother and I played tennis near his office at the university, while Maria and mommy took the kids to a park near their apartment.
The kids were really into offering us lots of food and drink from their gourmet kitchen.
This was taken early that evening before dinner. You'll notice I have a halfway decent shirt on for this photo; it's because we had a photo shoot done in town earlier, and you'll probably see a few of those in the next few weeks.
The next morning, which was August 4th, in their kitchen.
Looks like the kids had a good time.
I am captivating, aren't I?
Samuel and Jacob love movie time.
Later in the afternoon Dan and I had another tennis match, while the moms and kids walked around town and went to another park.
This train sure stopped them in their tracks.
After that exciting afternoon a pit stop for ice cream was in order.
And on to more sightseeing.
Eliot really liked this giraffe, so much so that it was a gift from Samuel and Jacob, and when we got home Theo liked it even more!
The morning of August 5th. This was my favorite photo of our nephews.
Later in the morning we headed to Linsell, which is a very small village about 90 minutes from Ostersund. Maria's mother grew up here, and quite a few generations of her family lived here as well.
This was taken on the way during our lunch break.
Simon loves our phones so much that he can even fall asleep while still hanging on to it!
This video was shot shortly after we arrived. It's a house that Maria's family owns, and was built in the late 1930s. Her great uncle lived here until about 10 years ago or so.
We cannot laugh enough while watching it. It was so nice seeing the kids having so much fun playing together.
This is in front of the house that all of us stayed in while in Linsell. Maria's mom grew up here. We have some serious police officers on the beat in this town!
Linsell had a lot of rain, and as you can see Simon enjoyed splashing around in the water.
This is a swing set that Maria and her sister used as kids. It was recently brought to Linsell and still getting some good use.
Jacob LOVED Eliot and was so cute with him.
The next morning Samuel was being very silly in sneaking up on his dad while still sleeping. Although Simon spoiled the surprise as you'll hear shortly.
But uncle Dan recovered quickly and after breakfast we all went for a walk/bike ride.
The "Red Room" in the house had a lot of puzzles, toys and books.
Look at that affection between in-laws.
To me this looks a lot like Daniel N. Laven, circa 1978. Fran/Liz do you agree?
Another bike ride for Sam later in the afternoon. He just learned a few weeks before we arrived, so was itching to get out as much as possible.
Jacob was starting to get tired and it was beginning to rain, so he hitchhiked onto our stroller for part of the way home.
After the walk we stopped at the Linsell Bar for some ice cream. Notice a theme here?
Don't take a photo of Dan while he's drinking a beer. Well, we didn't listen to him.
By the time we returned, the weather had improved and the sun appeared. Therefore, it was time to mow the lawn. It's a family affair.
Our last tennis match was played in a skiing village about 20 minutes away. It was played on a blacktop/gravel type of surface, which was a first for me, but it was a good time due in part to the background. I've never played tennis before with the mountains watching.
This was taken the next morning, August 7th. Some folks are saying that Eliot has some Bosley in him. What do you think, Bosleys?
Later in the morning we all went to Sveg (pronounced SVEEG), which was about 20 minutes away. They had a very nice swimming pool, and everyone had fun. Mommy even went diving! We don't have any photos or videos to prove it, but you'll just have to take my word for it (and Simon's).
In the early evening we went on a walk, and Simon wanted to give their stroller a try.
The next morning. This one might have to go in my office.
Samuel decided to build a train in the kitchen, and everyone eventually got on board.
Out for another morning walk.
This is the church in Linsell. Maria's parents were married here and quite a few of her family members are buried in the cemetery outside of the church. It was built in the late 18th century.
This is part of the property. See that little figure in front of the barn? That's SOL, folks. He had a big smile on his face for this picture.
I had to post a shot of the three kids in the bath, although Samuel wasn't looking too happy here. Perhaps he's beginning to outgrow bathing with siblings and cousins?
A nice shot of some of the property, with Simon "mowing the lawn."
This Volvo clean diesel station wagon served us VERY well on the trip. And it was the first time I had ever driven a six-speed manual transmission.
We left Linsell for Stockholm (about a six-hour drive) the morning of the 9th. On our way we saw a sign for a cafe and thought we should check it out. So we pulled off the highway and headed down a dirt road. The "cafe" was part of someone's property and they ended up just having coffee and some small snacks, so we didn't stay. But we did think the animals were cool.
We call this the Howling Dogs video.
Stockholm is currently going through a lot of construction, so near the end of the drive Dan and Maria needed to figure out how to get us to where we were staying.
Interesting position for Eliot when he fell asleep that night.
In Stockholm we stayed at Langholmen, which was a prison until 1975. It is now a very nice hostel and hotel. We all stayed in former jail cells in the hostel.
They had a very nice breakfast buffet. And you can see we are far into our trip because I haven't shaved at all.
After breakfast we walked around Stockholm. The weather was very nice and it was a very enjoyable day learning a bit about the city.
City Hall.
I thought this was a neat part of the old city. This was also very close to the royal church/burial grounds, which until 1950 or so is pretty much where every Swedish royal figure's final resting place is.
Another shot of City Hall. The three crowns signify the close relationship between Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Jacob had to take a potty break on our way to City Hall, and it was a good place to stop, rest and take some photos.
Behind City Hall
As we walked to the royal palace both Jacob and Simon wanted to tame the lions.
The building on the right in the distance is the Grand Hotel, one of the top hotels in Europe. Foreign dignitaries often stay there when in town, and you'll know where these folks are from as their country's flags are flown during their stay.
We had lunch in the middle building here. We met Maria's dad and his fiancee' there, who were visiting for the day (they live in Orebro). This is right near where the Nobel prizes are given each year (except the Peace prize, which is handed out in Oslo, Norway).
After lunch we walked around town some more.
It was a lot of walking, and Jacob zonked out for part of it.
We finished our tour in the mid afternoon, and then took the subway back to the hostel.
This one's for you, Grandma Frau/Fun.
Looks like Eliot approves of Simon's new toy plane.
When we got back Dan took a nap and we hung out on the grounds of the hostel. There was a nice beach and other areas to sit.
Another example of Jacob being sweet to his little cousin (MARIA, PLEASE POST THE VIDEO OF JACOB TALKING TO ELIOT HERE).
I shared a cell with SOL.
On the flight back to Chicago on August 11th. Unfortunately, the kids barely slept. But this was a nice moment.
Eliot was under here somewhere.
This might have been his one happy moment on the flight.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we were on the plane for 90 minutes before taking off due to some mechanical issues. Not fun. And no economy plus on the way home, either :(.
Simon was a trooper, so after we landed at O'Hare and got our luggage he was rewarded.
But wait, there's more!
Taken Tuesday afternoon.
And look what arrived on Tuesday!
Eliot can now roll from back to front, so most likely crawling is coming to a theater near you. This was taken Tuesday evening. Also to note here is that Eliot is in the crib; We had it moved into his room while we were gone, and Simon transitioned to his bed without missing a beat.
Thanks to Tia for sending this gift.
We took this today during a nap in the car. He is one relaxed guy.
Wadsworth is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, and earlier tonight mommy and Simon went to check out the festivities, while I stayed home to make sure Eliot didn't burn the house down. Looks like they had fun.
On the flight to Stockholm we had the bulkhead in Economy Plus, and we sure took advantage of the extra space and quickly made ourselves at home.
After we arrived on August 2nd, we headed into the city for some sightseeing as we had a 10-hour layover before we could go to Ostersund (where the Laven's live).
This was on the Arlanda Express, which takes you from the airport to the city in about 20 minutes (it's a 40-minute drive by car). It had free Wi-Fi!
We had no idea that Stockholm is made up of many islands. One of them, Djurgarden, holds Skansen, which is Sweden's first open air museum and zoo. These were on the ferry to Skansen.
After finishing Skansen we headed back to the ferry, but stopped for some ice cream first.
On the ferry back to where we got off the train, which took us back to the airport.
We were exhausted the whole day as no one slept much on the plane, and it finally caught up to the kids waiting for the train back to Arlanda airport.
We got to the airport a little early before heading to Ostersund. Mommy loves this picture.
More sleeping for Simon at the airport.
This is the view from their balcony in Ostersund. The time the photo was taken? 10:02pm! Very cool to be at this latitude during the summer.
The next morning in their living room.
Later that morning my brother and I played tennis near his office at the university, while Maria and mommy took the kids to a park near their apartment.
The kids were really into offering us lots of food and drink from their gourmet kitchen.
This was taken early that evening before dinner. You'll notice I have a halfway decent shirt on for this photo; it's because we had a photo shoot done in town earlier, and you'll probably see a few of those in the next few weeks.
The next morning, which was August 4th, in their kitchen.
Looks like the kids had a good time.
I am captivating, aren't I?
Samuel and Jacob love movie time.
Later in the afternoon Dan and I had another tennis match, while the moms and kids walked around town and went to another park.
This train sure stopped them in their tracks.
After that exciting afternoon a pit stop for ice cream was in order.
And on to more sightseeing.
Eliot really liked this giraffe, so much so that it was a gift from Samuel and Jacob, and when we got home Theo liked it even more!
The morning of August 5th. This was my favorite photo of our nephews.
Later in the morning we headed to Linsell, which is a very small village about 90 minutes from Ostersund. Maria's mother grew up here, and quite a few generations of her family lived here as well.
This was taken on the way during our lunch break.
Simon loves our phones so much that he can even fall asleep while still hanging on to it!
This video was shot shortly after we arrived. It's a house that Maria's family owns, and was built in the late 1930s. Her great uncle lived here until about 10 years ago or so.
We cannot laugh enough while watching it. It was so nice seeing the kids having so much fun playing together.
This is in front of the house that all of us stayed in while in Linsell. Maria's mom grew up here. We have some serious police officers on the beat in this town!
Linsell had a lot of rain, and as you can see Simon enjoyed splashing around in the water.
This is a swing set that Maria and her sister used as kids. It was recently brought to Linsell and still getting some good use.
Jacob LOVED Eliot and was so cute with him.
The next morning Samuel was being very silly in sneaking up on his dad while still sleeping. Although Simon spoiled the surprise as you'll hear shortly.
But uncle Dan recovered quickly and after breakfast we all went for a walk/bike ride.
The "Red Room" in the house had a lot of puzzles, toys and books.
Look at that affection between in-laws.
To me this looks a lot like Daniel N. Laven, circa 1978. Fran/Liz do you agree?
Another bike ride for Sam later in the afternoon. He just learned a few weeks before we arrived, so was itching to get out as much as possible.
Jacob was starting to get tired and it was beginning to rain, so he hitchhiked onto our stroller for part of the way home.
After the walk we stopped at the Linsell Bar for some ice cream. Notice a theme here?
Don't take a photo of Dan while he's drinking a beer. Well, we didn't listen to him.
By the time we returned, the weather had improved and the sun appeared. Therefore, it was time to mow the lawn. It's a family affair.
Our last tennis match was played in a skiing village about 20 minutes away. It was played on a blacktop/gravel type of surface, which was a first for me, but it was a good time due in part to the background. I've never played tennis before with the mountains watching.
This was taken the next morning, August 7th. Some folks are saying that Eliot has some Bosley in him. What do you think, Bosleys?
Later in the morning we all went to Sveg (pronounced SVEEG), which was about 20 minutes away. They had a very nice swimming pool, and everyone had fun. Mommy even went diving! We don't have any photos or videos to prove it, but you'll just have to take my word for it (and Simon's).
In the early evening we went on a walk, and Simon wanted to give their stroller a try.
The next morning. This one might have to go in my office.
Samuel decided to build a train in the kitchen, and everyone eventually got on board.
Out for another morning walk.
This is the church in Linsell. Maria's parents were married here and quite a few of her family members are buried in the cemetery outside of the church. It was built in the late 18th century.
This is part of the property. See that little figure in front of the barn? That's SOL, folks. He had a big smile on his face for this picture.
I had to post a shot of the three kids in the bath, although Samuel wasn't looking too happy here. Perhaps he's beginning to outgrow bathing with siblings and cousins?
A nice shot of some of the property, with Simon "mowing the lawn."
This Volvo clean diesel station wagon served us VERY well on the trip. And it was the first time I had ever driven a six-speed manual transmission.
We left Linsell for Stockholm (about a six-hour drive) the morning of the 9th. On our way we saw a sign for a cafe and thought we should check it out. So we pulled off the highway and headed down a dirt road. The "cafe" was part of someone's property and they ended up just having coffee and some small snacks, so we didn't stay. But we did think the animals were cool.
We call this the Howling Dogs video.
Stockholm is currently going through a lot of construction, so near the end of the drive Dan and Maria needed to figure out how to get us to where we were staying.
Interesting position for Eliot when he fell asleep that night.
In Stockholm we stayed at Langholmen, which was a prison until 1975. It is now a very nice hostel and hotel. We all stayed in former jail cells in the hostel.
They had a very nice breakfast buffet. And you can see we are far into our trip because I haven't shaved at all.
After breakfast we walked around Stockholm. The weather was very nice and it was a very enjoyable day learning a bit about the city.
City Hall.
I thought this was a neat part of the old city. This was also very close to the royal church/burial grounds, which until 1950 or so is pretty much where every Swedish royal figure's final resting place is.
Another shot of City Hall. The three crowns signify the close relationship between Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Jacob had to take a potty break on our way to City Hall, and it was a good place to stop, rest and take some photos.
Behind City Hall
As we walked to the royal palace both Jacob and Simon wanted to tame the lions.
The building on the right in the distance is the Grand Hotel, one of the top hotels in Europe. Foreign dignitaries often stay there when in town, and you'll know where these folks are from as their country's flags are flown during their stay.
We had lunch in the middle building here. We met Maria's dad and his fiancee' there, who were visiting for the day (they live in Orebro). This is right near where the Nobel prizes are given each year (except the Peace prize, which is handed out in Oslo, Norway).
After lunch we walked around town some more.
It was a lot of walking, and Jacob zonked out for part of it.
We finished our tour in the mid afternoon, and then took the subway back to the hostel.
This one's for you, Grandma Frau/Fun.
Looks like Eliot approves of Simon's new toy plane.
When we got back Dan took a nap and we hung out on the grounds of the hostel. There was a nice beach and other areas to sit.
Another example of Jacob being sweet to his little cousin (MARIA, PLEASE POST THE VIDEO OF JACOB TALKING TO ELIOT HERE).
I shared a cell with SOL.
On the flight back to Chicago on August 11th. Unfortunately, the kids barely slept. But this was a nice moment.
Eliot was under here somewhere.
This might have been his one happy moment on the flight.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we were on the plane for 90 minutes before taking off due to some mechanical issues. Not fun. And no economy plus on the way home, either :(.
Simon was a trooper, so after we landed at O'Hare and got our luggage he was rewarded.
But wait, there's more!
Taken Tuesday afternoon.
And look what arrived on Tuesday!
Eliot can now roll from back to front, so most likely crawling is coming to a theater near you. This was taken Tuesday evening. Also to note here is that Eliot is in the crib; We had it moved into his room while we were gone, and Simon transitioned to his bed without missing a beat.
Thanks to Tia for sending this gift.
We took this today during a nap in the car. He is one relaxed guy.
Wadsworth is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, and earlier tonight mommy and Simon went to check out the festivities, while I stayed home to make sure Eliot didn't burn the house down. Looks like they had fun.
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