Upon arrival in Copenhagen, I gathered my bags (one hiking backpack, one large suitcase, and my carry-on- impressive!) and wandered like a zombie into a giant crowd behind barricades on either side waving tiny Danish flags. I thought to myself, oh crap, how am I ever going to find Christopher with all these people? And then suddenly, he was right beside me! He explained he had simply jumped the barricade as soon as he saw me. Seriously, he is the best!

We spent the evening watching the first four episodes of Welcome to Sweden, which by the way, is hilarious and will be premiering in the U.S. on July 10th on NBC. Greg Poehler’s character is even from Ohio! The show is very accurate with all the steps one must take to emigrate to Sweden and it highlights the cultural differences, which make for some pretty awkward moments for Greg’s character. I think every two minutes I would think to myself, I’m finally here too! This is my life now!

On Monday morning, we drove to Malmö so I could leave my finger prints and get my residency card. The employees there allowed me to be measured while I was wearing my boots. In Sweden, I’m 161 cm tall. That’s a little taller than 5’3″, the tallest I’ve ever been in my life! I knew I loved this country.

That evening, Christopher and I met his parents and sister, Johanna, for dinner. It was so great to meet them since we had only previously Skyped a handful of times. They are all so nice and welcoming and we had a wonderful dinner. I also learned that there is no such thing as a doggie bag in Sweden. If you don’t finish your dinner, you don’t get a box to take the rest home. You have to make sure your eyes aren’t bigger than your stomach!

Tuesday was Christopher’s birthday and he had no idea what I had in store! We started the day with an “American” breakfast of bacon and eggs over easy. Luckily, it was a beautiful day and we had a picnic lunch at a nearby park.

 

 

 

 

We spent the afternoon having a fika (Swedish coffee break) at his parents house and then we got ready for dinner at a fondue restaurant. Johanna helped me pick out the restaurant and made reservations for me so I could surprise Christopher. It’s almost impossible to surprise him so he had already figured out where we were going for our picnic and the restaurant his sister suggested for dinner. It really was the perfect day!

On Wednesday, we went to Ikea to get a couple chairs and a table for our balcony. Christopher had found a nice patio set within our budget that was in stock at the closest store. We spent awhile time looking at all the home scenes in the store. We found our balcony set on display and decided the table was too small, but that didn’t prevent us from buying  a lot of other random stuff. We left without the items we planned on buying, but I now have a great nightstand that Christopher built! Turns out, building Ikea furniture is just as frustrating no matter what country you’re in.

Friday was Christopher’s last day off before returning to work so we wanted to spend some quality time together. We went to the beach, which is within walking distance of our apartment. I thought living close to the lakes in Minneapolis was a treat, but oh my, this is amazing! You know where to find me pretty much every weekend this summer!

 

 

I’ve been in Sweden a little more than a week now, but I just have to share a little surprise I had planned for my sister, Erin, before my departure.

Before I received my decision regarding my visa, I had been conspiring with Erin’s boyfriend, John, and her roommate, Jess, to surprise her with a visit. I couldn’t possibly leave the country without seeing my little sister! We discussed dates and whether or not she should take some time off work until we decided that I would already be at her apartment when she got home from work. As soon as my visa was approved, I booked a flight to Boston and then another flight the following day to Copenhagen. As John calls it, Operation Sibling Surprise had been set in motion!

After spending the afternoon with my friend Lauren, I went to Erin’s apartment to wait for what felt like an eternity. I don’t know why, but I was so anxious and nervous for her reaction and if I had successfully kept this visit a secret. Jess was kind enough to take a video of Erin arriving to the apartment:

After the shock wore off, we got ready for dinner. John, Jess, Erin and I went to a new restaurant called Ward 8 that Erin had been wanting to try for awhile. About 30 minutes after dinner, Jess suggested ‘second dinner’ at a nearby pizzeria called Regina’s. As you can see, it was a really great idea.

The next day, Erin and I went on a veritable food tour of Boston. Yes, we walked around and saw the sights but mostly we ate. Since it was my last day in the U.S., we were able to justify pretty much any indulgence. When was the next time I was going to have raw oysters and clams?? I was only moving to a city right next to the ocean for heaven’s sake!

Or how about cannoli from Modern Pastry? We’ll take two.

By dinner time, I was sure I would never be hungry again for the rest of my life. So we did the most American thing we could do; we went to a family style Italian restaurant. After about two bites, I gave up. The pasta had won. And while the overstuffed feeling was thankfully temporary, all the memories of spending time with Erin will last a lifetime!