Göteborg

Yesterday it snowed all day in Göteborg, which they tell me is really unusual this time of year. Even more snow is expected in the coming days. In the morning we woke up early and met with Mia for breakfast. Her daughter Julia joined us, and Mia's husband Bosse came by at the very end. It was really nice to see and visit with Mia again and meet her family.

Julia, Christine, Linnea, Mia, Kevin, and Annali

After breakfast we went back to Lena's to meet with Gunilla and her family. We had such a nice time with her, Anders, and their boys. Elliot understands quite a bit of English already; Noah, on the other hand, was quite shy about being around us - I think he was nervous because he couldn't understand us. During our chat, Gunilla mentioned to us in an off-handed way that she has designed most of the "traditional" Christmas decoration line for the IKEA stores for 2011! She didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but I certainly do - I can't wait to see how it all looks! She is such an amazing artist, and I love her style!

Lars, Noah, Elliot, and Gunilla

 In the evening we were able to relax and enjoy spending some time with Lena, Paolo, and two of their daughters: Sandra and Erika. We watched Sweden playing in the world final women's handball game against world- and Olympic champion Norway. (Handball is kind of like a cross between soccer and basketball.) Sweden has never been in the finals, semi-, or even quarter-finals, so everyone was VERY excited that they made it so far. Evidently, Norway has beat every team except Sweden by at least 12 points this season, so it was a pretty exciting game. Sweden was able to lead the game the entire first half, but then ended up losing by only 4 points. It was neat experiencing such a Swedish cultural phenomenon!

Paolo, Sandra, Lena, Erika, Linnea, Ebba, and Annali

This morning Lena took us around town and down Avenyn, which is the main shopping street in Göteborg - very cool! We went to the top of the tallest hotel in Göteborg and looked out all over town. Then we went to Junggrens' Cafe, one of the oldest in Göteborg, and had a little fika. When we returned to Lena's house, we packed up our things, and Lena drove us to Cilla and Lars' home in Jonsered (just a few miles northeast of Göteborg).

Lena, Ebba, Linnea, Annali, and Kevin

Annali and Little Baby

A typical view in downtown Göteborg

On Avenyn ("The Avenue")