Sweden - July 2024

After leaving the UK, we flew to Sweden to spend 10 days with Kersten, Mia, Byron and their kids Sally and Kaj.  We arrived into Stockholm where Kersten met us at the airport.  We then took the tram over to the central station where we met up with Mia and the kids.  Byron arrived later that evening via car.  

Stockholm

We stayed for two nights at a friend of Kersten's house which is about 5 minutes away from her apartment.  It was a nice two story home with four bedrooms so that we could spread out and also spend some time together.  After getting settled in, Kersten took us to her apartment where we had a snack.  It was then that Kerstin and Mia finally told us the itinerary of our trip - they had kept it a secret until we arrived!  We then on a brief walking tour of the area.  For dinner, we met up with the kids at Krubb Telefonplan where we had some yummy chicken and feta bowls and a couple of beers.  

Skansen

The next day, we did a mini-tour of Stockholm.  We first took the ferry over to an island where we walked around Skansen, an open air museum that showcases various homes/buildings of Sweden dating back to the 14th century.  We also saw a few animals (e.g. bears and owls).  We had lunch at Restaurangen Bla Porten, which is a cafe with nice outdoor seating - we shared a fantastic feta/lentil/tomato salad and a traditional meatball dish with mashed potatoes.  Kersten then took us on a mini-tour of the city via buses.  

Touring around Stockholm

That evening, we all went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert.  We got to the Strawberry Arena which is attached to the Mall of Scandinavia and each got a quick bite to eat at the mall.  Kersten got us floor tickets which were great to be up closer to the band. The concert was amazing - they played non-stop for a little over three hours and the band sounded really great!

Bruce Springsteen Concert

The next morning, we headed out for a week in Northern Sweden after having breakfast at the house.  Shawna, Kersten and Keith drove in one car (a rental) while Mia and the family drove in their car.

Sundsvall

We spent one night here on our way up north to break up the trip.  On the way, we stopped at a roadside rest stop for a quick lunch and then stopped in Hudiksvall for a pastry and to meet up with a colleague of Mia's who lives there - we did a brief walking tour of the town.

Hudiksvall

In Sunsdsvall, we stayed at the Clarion Hotel which had nice rooms for a standard hotel - what was even more amazing was that dinner (buffet) and breakfast (also buffet) were included in the rate.  After checking in, we had our dinner and then did a walk around town - hearing all the reasons from Mia why Sunsdvall was not the best town.  She works here on occasion and it happens to be a 'rival' town to Ostersund where she lives.  It was quite funny.  We walked to the top of the hill just north of town in the Bergfotsvagen park and climbed to the top of the Norra Berget Friluftsmuseum tower which had nice views of the town below.  

Top of Norra Berget

The next morning, Keith and Shawna did the hike up the hill again and then we left to continue our journey north after having breakfast.

Ulvon

We took the ferry over to one of the islands off the Northern Coast to Ulvon where we stayed for two nights. The island is very cute with a small fishing village on the south side where the hotel and a few restaurants are located.  We stayed at the very cute Ulvo Hotel where we had a wonderful room with a balcony overlooking the water.  Breakfast was included with the room which was a buffet - we enjoyed this both mornings, sitting outside with views of the water.

Ulvon

Ulvo Hotel

After we checked into our hotel, we walked about 3km to the northern side of the island where a friend of Kersten's (Anna and Bjorn) has a campsite with their family.  Her friends have a nice plot of land overlooking the water with a small house build in the '40s that is not livable - they plan to rebuild but for now, they set up a large tent and stay there for a week at a time.  They cooked sausages for us which we enjoyed after the kids (and Keith) did various 'competitive' dives (judged by Shawna) into the lake from the pier.  Back at the hotel, we had a couple of drinks before retreating to bed.

Hanging out at Anna and Bjorn's campsite

The next day was chock full of activity.  After having a leisurely breakfast, we did a three hour hike along the rocky coast and then took a path through the forest back. The distance was not far but it was slow going on the rocks.  The coastline was beautiful! We then had a quick snack of pastries from the local bakery and toured the museum (which showcased the history of fishing in the area) and local church (which had beautiful colorful paintings on the walls inside and is touted to be the oldest wooden church in Northern Sweden).  Mia, Shawna and Keith took turns on the paddle boards which was really fun to be out on the water and to see the village from the water.  The last activity of the day was playing paddle where everyone took their turn hitting the balls. Shawna stayed behind at the hotel to catch up on reading.

Hike around the island

That evening, we had dinner at the hotel - Kersten's friends joined us. We first had a few drinks in the bar and then sat down for dinner.  We shared a baked goat cheese appetizer and a fish for our entree - both very tasty.  

The next morning, we went for an hour walk up a hill near the hotel to the Lotsberget platform and then packed up and took the longer ferry back.  We went grocery shopping to stock up for the next few days and then drove to Docksta - the next leg of our journey.

FriluftsByn / Docksta

We stayed for three nights at FriluftsByn, a very cute campsite located on a lake outside of Docksta and close to the Skuleskogen National Park.  The campsite has cabins as well as tent sites, along with a restaurant, toilet/shower facilities, a lounge area and activities for kids.  We got one cabin where Keith and Shawna stayed - it had a double bed along with a sofa, table with two chairs and a few other stools for sitting.  It also had a kitchenette - small refrigerator, hot plate for stove, microwave, coffee pot and kettle.  The rest of the crew stayed in tents but used the cabin for meals and for changing clothes and relaxing.

The cabin at FriluftsByn

After checking in and getting settled, Kersten and Mia cooked dinner - pasta with meatballs and arrabbiata sauce along with a salad,  We all ate it on the picnic table outside of our cabin.  We then did an hour and 45 min hike up the mountain in the Skuleberget nature preserve that was next to our campsite.  It was only 3 miles but about 1K in elevation gain.  The sun was quite nice so we got some beautiful views of the valley.

On top of Skuleberget

The next day, we went into the Skuleskogen National Park and did the Tarnattstugan Loop from the south entrance which is a 10 mile, 1.5K elevation gain hike that took us up the narrow, rocky canyon called Skattdalskrevan and then along a sandy beach.  It was cloudy and a bit misty so we didn't see much of the views from the top but got to experience the hike in the misty clouds which was cool.  Mia and Kersten had several 'fika' stops which were rest stops to have coffee/tea and biscuits so it took us over six hours to complete the hike! That evening, Byron and Keith (OK, mostly Byron) cooked a veggie chili with salad - much to Shawna's pleasant surprise, the chili was very tasty! We then played a couple of rounds of Monopoly deal.

Skattdalskrevan

During our last full day here, Bryon and the kids did the Via Ferrata while the rest of us went back to the park to do a one way hike from the north entrance to the south entrance, taking us up a small mountain and then back over to the canyon - this time we climbed up on the ridge and had amazing views of the surrounding area since it was sunny.  We went for 7.5 miles, 1K elevation gain and it took us over five hours - there were a few stops for tea, lunch, calling Jan from the mountain top and picking berries! While we repeated some of the hike from the day before, it was really nice to be on the ridge and see the views in the sunshine.

View from our hike

That evening, we booked the 'burgers and beer' night at the campsite where we enjoyed some yummy burgers and beer (aptly named)! We stayed to listen to the local musicians who were quite good and enjoyed the people watching.

Dinner at our cabin

The next morning, we packed up after breakfast and said our goodbyes to Mia, Bryon and the kids. We then drove back to Stockholm, breaking up the journey to have lunch at En Liten Sjokrog, an excellent restaurant on the water that was recommended by Mia. We shared a fantastic salad with smoked trout and a fish with sautéed vegetables. We also shared a smoked shrimp appetizer amongst the three of us and a couple of desserts.  We were quite full!  We stopped again in Uppsala to stretch our legs - first walking around the grounds of the Gamla Uppsala Museum where they have old burial mounds and then around the old part of town to see the church, castle and the university where Kerstin took some of her classes.  We had a quick bite of savory pie with an apple cake for dinner at Kafferummet Storken, a cafe frequented by students.  We made it back to Kersten's close to 9pm.

Lunch at En Liten Sjokrog

Stockholm

Our final day in Sweden was spent doing some laundry and admin catch up in the morning after a nice leisurely breakfast at Kersten's apartment.  We then did a wonderful two hour kayak around Langholmen and Reimersholme (two of the islands in Stockholm) and across the water to the city hall.  It was sunny and beautiful to see the city from the water.  We had a light lunch at Bullbon, a small cafe, where we had lentil soup with bread and then had a scoop of ice cream at Sno - our usual salted caramel - the ice cream was very creamy.

Kayaking in Stockholm

That evening, the three of us met up with Helena, Hakan, Victoria and Lasse for drinks at Urban Deli, a rooftop bar.  Helena and Victoria also worked at Kandersteg with Keith.  Helena was not feeling great so they left after the bar and the rest of us had dinner at Rolfs Kok - a great restaurant that Kersten selected.  We shared a pork chop with Kersten (it was enough for two people) and then Keith and Shawna also shared a lamb rib dish.  We then ended the evening with our final 'pastry of the day' - enjoying some madelines with a caramel cream.  Everything was delicious.  

Drinks at Urban Deli with Kersten, Helena, Hakan, Victoria and Lasse

The next morning, Kersten spoiled us once more with breakfast and then we left for the airport to fly to Munich.

Europe - September 2019

Keith was able to get a couple of weeks between jobs at Wolff and LivCor so he opted to use that time to book a trip similar to four years ago, visiting friends in Scandinavia and the UK.

Sweden

The first leg was getting from Phoenix to Chicago on Labor Day Monday - using Southwest on points and then connecting to Iceland Air through Reykjavik to Stockholm.  Since SWA uses Midway, Keith used this opportunity to get between Midway and O'Hare on the Chicago metro - it took almost two hours but only cost $3, so hard to beat the price.  He only got about three hours sleep total on Iceland Air.  

The flight landed about noon on Tuesday - so after clearing customs and getting the express train to Stockholm Central Station he was able to meet Kerstin at the Starbucks in the main station at about 2pm.  After a coffee to wake up we headed back to Kerstin's house so Keith could shower and wake up a bit more.  We then went back into central Stockholm, doing a bit of walking around before going to dinner at Restaurang AG, famous for being meat-centric.  We shared a Swedish and Finnish steak for our entree - Kerstin declared the tie going to Finland.

Keith and Kerstin

Wednesday morning we went for a walk before both going into the city together - with Keith getting the Arlanda Express back to the airport for his internal flight to Ostersund.  The flight landed at noon but Mia did not get off work until 3pm so Keith took the bus to the university and just read in the student union until Mia wrapped up work.  We first had a coffee at Wayne's Coffee - a knockoff of Starbucks with even the font and color of the logo the same.  We then walked back to the house until the kids and Byron came home.  We had an adult-only dinner at Restaurant Vineri Ripan where we shared three entrees and a bottle of wine.

Keith, Mia, Sally, Byron, and Kaj

On Thursday Byron and the kids headed to work/school, so Keith walked Mia to the school to get a bit of exercise.  He then walked back to the house to shower and pack before getting a cab to the airport and a flight back to Stockholm.  Starbucks Central Station was used again as a meeting spot - this time arranging to meet Heidi there after she got out of school.  Keith had not seen Heidi since 1990 so there was a lot of catching up to do.  So we could walk around easily Keith put his luggage in one of the storage lockers in the station.  We took a bus to near where dinner was and then walked to Fotografiska, a photography museum with the "best museum restaurant in the world".  We walked around the museum first and then went to the restaurant - we were early so they comped us a glass of champagne each which was worth it!  Dinner was delicious - it is primarily vegetarian though we were able to add a fish selection with one of the courses.  Since we were early we also got a super table with a great view of the ocean and city.  After dinner we walked along the waters edge and used a bench to call Hanna in Finland - chatted for 15 minutes, though Peter was in Australia so missed him.  We went back to the central station to meet Helena who had just flown in form a work trip in Amsterdam.  We said farewell to Heidi and Keith went with Helena to her house for some cheese and a couple of bottles of wine with her and Hakan.  It was a great to catch up with both of them, albeit for a short evening.

Keith and Heidi

The Friday morning Keith and Helena went for a walk before he had a shower and headed to the airport yet again, this time to fly to Bergen!

Keith, Hakan, and Helena

Norway

As luck would have it, Patrick had just moved to Bergen three weeks earlier and Lauren had flown in the same Labor Day Monday as Keith flew out.  So he was lucky to be able to spend a long weekend with both of them as their first house guest.  It was an easy flight from Stockholm to Bergen, with a 45 minute train ride on the Bybanen light rail into the city from the airport where Patrick was waiting.  Because jet lag was not solved yet, the first stop was Kaffelade  for a coffee.  After that we took a bus to the house, getting the first taste of the walk up the hill every time we went to the house.  Being up on the hillside the house had super views of the city and bay - with fantastic windows to present the view.  After giving Lauren a quick hug Keith and Patrick went for a walk up Stolzekleiven, a steep 722 stair trail up to the ridge. Dinner was at Pinvinen, a gastropub where Keith ate a reindeer stew. We stopped for drinks at two places that night: Henrik øl- og vinstove and Kråken.

Patrick, Lauren and Keith

On Saturday we all woke up at 7am and left the house at 8 to get the Ulriksbanen cable car up to the plateau where we hiked the Vidden Trail for 14 kilometers to Floyen.   It took about 6 hours with some rocky trails, but we successfully made it to Floyen where we had beers, calzones, and shared a cinnamon roll before walking back to the house.  The weather was stunning all day so the views were spectacular.  We were all quite sore after the walk but showered and rallied for a big night out.  The first stop was Bien Basar for dinner.  The evening included Bibliteket Bar, Bar 3, and BarBarista.  Keith and Lauren started the dancing at one of the bars, and we wrapped up the evening dancing again at Bibliteket.  A fantastic night out.

Fjord Cruise

We were all pooped so slept in until about 10am which was way more Patrick's style than the 7am alarm the previous morning!  We took the bus into town and grabbed some fish and chips for breakfast/lunch before boarding the Rodne Cruise for a Fjord trip to Mostraumen Fujitsu.  It was stunning scenery and again fantastic weather.  Also much more low key after the previous day!  After the three hour cruise we grabbed a coffee at Kaffemisjonen.  It was then over to dinner at Fjellskal for some seafood: fish soup, sashimi, a fish entree, and "veiled peasant girl" for dessert.  We opted for a final cocktail at No Stress Bar before going home.  

The Monday morning required getting up at 6am to get the light rail back to the airport for a Norwegian Air flight to Gatwick for the next leg of the trip.  

England

The flight landed at Gatwick at 10:15am.  After quickly picking up the Sixt car rental Keith drove to Guildford where he met Rachel and Quintin at Positano where they had been several times.  Keith arrived a bit early so walked the high street before lunch.  It was great catch up with both of them for a few hours until Keith had to drive into London to check in at the Hyatt Churchill just off Hyde Park.  The front desk clerk noted that Keith was last at the hotel in 2009 for the UK/Ireland trip.  Keith was able to shower again and then walk over to Sabor where he met Melissa for a wonderful dinner of catching up.

Keith, Quentin, and Rachel

Keith and Melissa

The Tuesday morning was not quite as rushed, so Keith was able to go for an hour walk around Hyde Park as well as use the business center computer to crank through some work email.  It was then a two hour drive to Rachel's, past Colchester.  Rachel had left a key by the door so Keith could let himself in - though she was home shortly after his arrival.  The first agenda item was taking Lola for a walk along the Orwell river followed by a beer and a camembert plate at the Butt and Oyster pub in Pin Mill, Suffolk.  We then met Emma and Amy after school and then Oliver arrived home from work.  Oliver prepared our pasta dinner and we just chatted before bed.

Keith, Amy, Rachel, and Emma

Wednesday we saw the girls and Oliver off to school/work before Keith embarked on the next leg - a drive to Aston Clinton to have lunch with John, Peggy, and Nicola.  Peggy made a wonderful salmon lunch and Keith was able to chat a lot with Nicola who he had not seen in almost 20 years.  Then at 2pm it was back on the road for the two hour drive to Birmingham to see Charlie, Lena, Lena's aunt Thuraya, and of course two-week-old baby Felix.  Lena was nursing and needed a nap when Keith arrived so after a quick gin and tonic Keith and Charlie went to the store to pick up a couple of bottles of wine to tide us through the evening.  The rest of the night was chatting, snacking, eating, and drinking with some time with the baby whenever he was awake.  With the new baby and Thuraya in the house Keith got a hotel on points at the Hampton Inn Jewellery Quarter just a quick walk down the road.

Charlie, Felix, Keith, and Lena

On Thursday Keith was up, showered, and back at Charlie and Lena's house for coffee and breakfast before heading back on the road.  The first stop was Luton Airport to drop of the rental car, then an Uber to Ewan and Sharon's house in Hertford.  While we had seen the Parrys only a few weeks earlier in Switzerland, Ewan had open heart surgery the week before so it was good to see him and the family.  Keith and Ewan went for a 15 minute walk - one of the first times Keith could walk faster than Ewan!  Sharon came home and we had lunch, then Kirsty arrived as she had come down for the weekend.  Kirsty and Keith went to The Old Barge pub for a drink as Ewan napped and Sharon ran some errands, then we walked home to see the kids when they got home from school. We chatted with them, had some ice cream, and then Sharon dropped Keith off at the station to head to Liverpool Street and then the Docklands Light Rail to Canary Wharf, where Keith had booked an overnight at the Marriott Canary Wharf on points.  It was Keith's first time to visit the area - it was a hive of activity at all the restaurants and bars after work.  It required a quick check in and shower before immediately leaving to meet Susie for dinner at The Ivy  it was a great dinner and fun to catch up after four years since he had seen her and Mike.  

Lewis, Sharon, Ewan, Kirsty, Keith, and Madeline

Friday was pretty easy - just shower, pack up, and take the trains to Gatwick to catch the West Jet flight to Phoenix via Calgary.  Keith bought a popcorn-priced upgrade for the first leg so was able to get a bit of sleep on that flight as well as do some reading for the new job.  The departing flight left 1.5 hours late but fortunately the connecting flight was just a late (or they held the plane) so Keith made it home to Phoenix the Friday night.

It was a fantastic whirlwind trip catching up with old friends.  

Sweden and UK - Sept 2015

Keith was able to manage 3 weeks time off between Aimco and Continental so he decided to catch up with friends in Sweden and the UK.  Shawna could not get extra time off but was able to join for an extended weekend in London.

Sweden

Helena, Victoria, Keith, and Kerstin

Friday Sept 11 was my last day at work (though it was technically extended to Oct 2).  I ran the 9:30am stand up meeting, said a few goodbyes, and then headed home to pack and then to the airport for a 2pm flight.  There was a 4 hour connection in Chicago, which worked out well since the SAS flight to Stockholm was in the international terminal which took some time to get to.  That flight was easy with a 4 hour hour sleep.  Stockholm was very quick to get through so I was out the airport seeing Helena within 20 minutes of landing.  Helena drove me to Kerstin's house where we had a delicious lunch of tomatoes/mozzarella and reindeer stew - delicious!  Helena stayed for lunch and a chat and then headed home as she had a dinner that evening.  Kerstin and I went for a walk down to Lake Malaren before having a shower and heading to a party of her friend Sofia with a crazy cat theme.

Keith, Andreas, Victoria, Kerstin, and Lasse

The next morning (Sunday) Kerstin and I took the subway into the city and then the boat to Skansen which is an open air museum that has houses like the traditional Swedish villages.  We then left the museum to meet Victoria, Lasse, and Andreas for a brief lunch.  We then all walked along Strandvagen and through Gamla Stan (old town).  The last stop was at the old city hall where we were hoping to go up the tour - unfortunately the tour was sold out.  Helena met all of us on the water side of the city hall - we then walked a bit more to Sodermalm, passing the "smallest house" and seeing the view from Fjallgatan.  Victoria and family then headed home, with Kerstin, Helena, and I grabbing a beer and sitting outside at the Beefeater Inn.  Dinner was at Rolfs Kok - it is a favorite of a friend of Kerstin's.  Dinner was delicious - and Hakan joined us and we had a really enjoyable evening.

Mia and Keith

Monday I got up early and took a cab to the airport for an 8am flight to Ostersund.  Security was light for the domestic flight so I was at the gate quite early and even slept on the flight.  Mia was working until 11:30am so I took a bus to town and camped out at the cafe in the library near Mia's school.  Mia picked me up and we dropped my stuff at her office before heading to Arctura for lunch - this is a restaurant at the top of the city hot water tower so provided some fantastic views.  After lunch we walked over to Froson where we got to see the house that Mia and Bryon had bought and will move in to in November.  The house has a great view of the lake and 2 floors plus a cellar so heaps of space - they will rent out part of one of the floors.  We walked past the ski hill and then grabbed a coffee before heading back to the school to get my stuff and then back to Mia and Byron's rental flat.  Mia's parents were in town so it was fantastic to see them - I had last seen them exactly 10 years prior at the wedding on Froson.  The kids were also great - three years older than when we last saw them in Australia.  Mia's mother made dinner for us which was delicious.  We stayed up chatting for a while - then had to sleep as I had a 7am flight the next day to Edinburgh.


Scotland

Val, Keith, and Lorraine

Bryon drove me the next morning to Ostersund airport - I connected through Stockholm and made it to Edinburgh by 10:30am.  I picked up an Avis rental and then drove to Valerie's house.  Val is selling the place and moving a couple miles down the road, so there were a few boxes around as she was still packing.  We had a bit of a chat before heading to Vittoria on the Bridge for lunch with Linda and Lorraine.  It was fun to catch up with them.  Valerie then drove me around central Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat before going back to her house so I could pick up my car.  I then headed over to Kirsty's place which was about a 45 minute drive in the afternoon traffic.  Kirsty and I went for a walk along the river before heading to dinner at The Outsider - which funnily enough was immediately next door to where I had lunch.  Dinner was delicious - starting with a couple of G&Ts and a bottle of wine - and another bottle of wine back at Kirsty's!

Kirsty and Keith

Grace, Kate, Paddy, and Pete

The next morning I headed out at 7:30am (same time as Kirsty goes to work) to head up to Dunfermline to see Pete and Paddy.  I was not sure of the last time I was at their house - but it was fun to see the house again.  We had a delicious breakfast and then Kate stopped by with her youngest Grace who is about two years old.  We chatted for a total of 5 hours before I drove to Glasgow.  The first stop was Anne's house so I could drop off my stuff.  It worked out really well as Anne was getting home at exactly the same time to pick up Eloise to take her to work - so I got to see both of them and then could get sorted at the house for an hour.  Anne came back and we chatted before she ran me into the city - she lives on the east side and I was meeting Kevin on the west side.  Anne dropped me at the subway station and I went a few stops to then meet Kevin for dinner at the Hanoi Bike Shop.  Kevin and I had not seen each other in 30 years since my summers in Berwick so it was really fun to catch up with each other and family stories.  At 9pm I took a cab back to Anne's - she was home by 10pm and we drank wine until 2am, including chatting with Eloise when she got home at 12:30am.

Keith and Kevin

Anne, Eloise, and Keith

On Thursday morning Anne made a bit of a breakfast fry up before we drove up to Falls of the Clyde.  This is an old wool mill that is now a world heritage area.  The buildings were very well preserved - we did a walk up the river and then a tour of the old mill.  Following that we went to Anne's friend Mary to take the dogs for a walk and have tea and scones.  We had to leave to get Anne's iPhone at the store so picked that up and headed home.  I had an hour nap as I was wrecked - it was just what I needed for the night out!  Before dinner we stopped by Anne's parents who I last saw in 1990 on our way to the Irish reunion.  We picked Eloise up from work and then went to dinner at the Ox and Finch.  We stayed up chatting until past midnight - when I had to go to bed as I had a 7am flight to Gatwick.

London

Keith and Shawna

It was an easy drive to Glasgow airport.  The only drama was that the front left tire went flat a quarter mile from the rental place - so I just drove slowly the rest of the way and dropped it off.  This was before the place opened so I left a note and caught my flight.  It was only an hour to Gatwick and I was able to sleep most of the way - before catching the Gatwick Express to Victoria and then the Circle Line Tube to Temple station.  The ME hotel was only a 5 minute walk from the tube stop on the Strand.  The hotel is quite cool - perhaps
my Duke shorts were not fitting for the place.  However, the great news was that I was able to check in early so was in the room by about 11am.  I did a heap of clearing emails until Shawna was able to get here at about 2:30pm.

Keith and Shawna

Friday night dinner was at Opera Tavern, a tapas style restaurant only a block from the hotel - the lamb cutlets were excellent.  It was an early night since Shawna was wrecked from the trip.  Sat morning I grabbed breakfast from Starbucks and then we headed out for a food walking tour of East London with Eating London.  We met the  group at Spitalfields Market and went to about 8 restaurants trying items like cheese, fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding, and beer.  The neighborhood is quite dynamic - much better than the old reputation of East London.  After eating we went for a walk through St James Park, Green Park, and Hyde Park before heading back to the hotel - in time to get cleaned up for dinner at Kopapa - another tapas joint in the Covent Garden area.

Sunday morning we went for a walk, had lunch at Cote Bistro, where my parents have been, then got last minute tickets to The Play that Went Wrong.  It was a slapstick play and pretty funny.  We then picked up our luggage and headed over to Melissa and Sebastiano's place near the Fulham Broadway tube stop.  Sadly their daughter Elise had been ill the night before so we cancelled our dinner plans and just ate at home.  Elise is adorable even when she is sick! Sebastiano grilled some tasty ribs which was paired with a light salad.  We had a few bottles of wine as well and caught up on our lives.  Shawna's flight to New York was the Monday afternoon so we were able to go to Borough Market for a walk around (Rak and Sim had recommended it) and grabbed Indian and Lamb at the take away counters.  We then walked along South Bank before getting the tube back to Melissa's.  I had dinner at Melissa's and then an early night.

Keith, Melissa, and Sebastiano

Keith, Peggy, and John

On Tuesday I headed out for a day trip to see John and Peggy.  I was able to get the 10am train from Marlybone to Wendover.  John picked me up and we headed to their new house in Ashton Clinton.  After chatting a bit we walked across the road to The Bell - a historic old pub where I had the fish and chips plus sticky toffee pudding.  I caught the 3pm train back, headed to Melissa's for a shower, and then headed back out to meet Susi and Mike at Skylon.  I had not seen them in ages so it was a great chat and catch up.  The following day time was free so I did a lot of walking around Regent's Park and Primrose Hill - I had never seen them before.  I returned to the house yet again to meet Loveday for dinner at the Greek Larder.

Loveday and Keith

South of England

Keith, Amy, Oli, Emma, and Rachel

The following morning I left London and took the train to Colchester. It took almost an hour and a half to cross London during rush hour to Liverpool Street.   I did manage to make the 9am train and then got a cab to the Europcar rental place before driving to Rachel and Oli's place in Dedham.  Rachel and I were able to get a few hours of catch-up in, including lunch at the Essex Rose Tea Room and a walk around Dedham Vale, before going to the school to pick up the girls.  Amy and Emma are really cute kids - we first stopped by The Sun pub for a drink and then went back to the house for dinner once Oli got home from work.

Keith, Amy, Daphne, Thomas, and Dave

The Friday morning I left the house and headed around the M25 to head to Daphne and Dave's house in Fleet.  There was no traffic so was going to be an hour early - so made a game-day call and drove over to Guildford where I stopped by the University of Surrey and my old stomping grounds during my exchange year.  I parked near the Hotel and Catering School - walked around that and peeked into Lakeside restaurant before walking to the other side of campus to see my old dorm - Mole 3.  I was able to get up the stairs but could not get into the actual common area.  I then had to dash back to the car and head over to Daphne's to see her, Dave, and the kids. We had a chat at the house and then all went to lunch at Chequers at Well and ate outside.  From there we all went for a walk around Fleet Pond before going back to the house so I could head over to Rachel's.  It was only another 45 minutes or so to Corhampton.  Rachel and I were able to catch up for a couple of hours before Quentin came home from London - when we started off with some Prosecco before walking over to dinner at The Shoe in Exton, accompanied by several more bottles of wine.
 

Keith and Rachel

On Saturday I drove the 2.5 hours to Taunton to see Kathy, Keith, and the kids.  We went straight to
lunch and then walked around town and some fields before driving off to Charlton to see Dawn and Stuart.  They live in a 200+ year old house Stuart was cutting the grass so Dawn and I had a tea in the back garden and then took the dog for a walk before heading to dinner at the Mendip Inn.

Keith, Molly, Kathy, and Daniel

Keith and Dawn

Ewan, Keith, Madeline, Lewis, and Sharon

I had to get up at 7am for the 4 hour drive to Ewan's place in Hertford.  I got there around noon because of some motorway work - Sharon and Madeline were home so I chatted with them until Ewan and Lewis came home from rugby.  Ewan, the kids, and I went to town and ended up at the local fair taking in a few rides - then we headed back to the house, saw Sharon's dad and brother-in-law, and then headed back to town to have a few beers at The Old Barge where we last went with John and Jo and learned the finer points of what is a coot.  Dinner was a delicious lamb tagine at home and then off to bed.

Keith, Martin, and Michelle

I left Chez Parry at 8am with Sharon and the kids to head to Heathrow.  Traffic was rough as expected but made it to the airport in plenty of time.  The flight was out of Terminal 2 so was a good experience other than the long lines.  I took Iceland Air through Reykjavik as that was the cheapest flight - so the first leg was quite quick.  I was reading my Kindle in Reykjavik airport and I hear a "hey Keith" and look up - there were the Haiders on their flight home from Paris.  I slept a bit on the leg to Denver.  Shawna was in California so I used that as an opportunity to see Kelly for dinner at Lola before heading home at 10. 

London / Norway / Sweden - Sept 2005

Trondheim, Norway

This trip worked out perfectly!  Rachel & Oliver getting married in London on Sept 3rd and Mia & Bryon getting married in Sweden on Sept 10th - one week apart.  So, we headed off to Europe for a week of fun.

Accommodations:

Chateau Melissa/Charlie (London) - We stayed at a friend's flat in London - you just can't beat the price!

The Petersham Hotel (Richmond) - We stayed here for Oliver and Rachel's wedding.  Beautiful hotel!

Best Western (Trondheim) - Functional hotel in the heart of the city.

Hotel Geiranger (Geiranger) - Nothing special but convenient.

Best Western (Oestersund) - A good, central hotel where we stayed for Mia and Byron's wedding.

Hilton (Heathrow) - What you would expect from an airport hotel.

Activities:

London

Rachel & Oliver's
Wedding

We flew to London overnight, leaving on the Thursday night so we could have a day to recover from jet lag before Rachel's wedding.  We hung around London on the Friday, had a bit of a nap, and then went out for dinner with Charlie/Melissa on the Friday night to a fancy dinner. Of course we ended up having way too many drinks which made us a little (lot) the worse for wear when we got up Saturday morning.  It was a bit of a rush to get a taxi out to pick up Keith's morning suit for the wedding, check in to the hotel, then speed off to the Rachel and Oliver's wedding ceremony.  The wedding at Holy Trinity Church in Twickenham and reception at the Ham Polo Club were beautiful (actually hot and sunny - very impressive for England!) - it was wonderful that we were invited.

Our flight to Trondheim left the day after Rachel's wedding.  We were able to sleep in a bit, then dropped by the wedding brunch before heading to Gatwick to get our flight, arriving in Trondheim at 11:15pm that night to check in to our hotel.

Norway
Since we were be back in Trondheim at the end of the trip, we immediately headed 6 hours southwest to Geiranger to see the fjords.  Unfortunately our entire time in Scandinavia saw rain and clouds which was a bit of a disappointment (but not suprising).  In addition to Geiranger, we also stayed in Stryn and Dombas, taking in more of the gorgeous scenery.  We spent three full days in this area before we needed to take the six hour drive to Oestersund via Trondheim.  During our time there, we did a few hikes, took a boat ride and saw a few glaciers.

Geiranger

Sweden

Mia and Byron

We arrived in Oestersund in mid-afternoon and checked in to the hotel.  Oestersund is in central Sweden and is a town of 50K people.  Mia and Byron live in Frosen, which is small island on lake Storsjon.  We went for a walk to see the area and actually saw Mia and Byron driving around town - it helps that it is such a small place!  The Friday night we attended a pre-wedding party where Keith was really pleased to meet a few old Kandersteg friends, including Kerstin Bergsten who was on staff in '90.  After a lot of drinks and catching up, we headed to bed.

On Saturday, we did some more walking before meeting at the Froson church for the wedding.  It was really cool to see Mia's mother dressed in traditional Swedish wear!  The wedding was perfect and the reception was a lot of fun. 

The next day we had to get up and drive back to Trondheim for the flight back to London where we spent a quick night at the Heathrow Hilton before jumping on the flight home the following day.

Glacier in Norway