Or Skiing, Shopping and Sightseeing

Some weekend. I had two days off because my family (my parents, sis and her two kids) came to Sweden to celebrate my Dad’s 70th birthday.

My mini-vacation started with a great day of skiing. New snow, suitably cold weather and sunshine – can winter get any better?

Then I had to change the pristine winter scenery to the hustle and bustle of Stockholm. It was strange being in a big city again… and I discovered that I can live without them. Big cities smell weird, there’s a lot of people, and the city folks keep even their trees fenced in. I prefer mine wild and untamed, thank you very much.

(Yes, the picture above right is just about the worst I’ve ever published in this blog. I didn’t have the time or the inclination to do anything better either – just wanted something for illustration purposes!)

We even managed to squeeze in a visit at the Vasa Museum. The lighting is very low in the museum, so I had to push my camera and lens to the limit – 24mm, lean on the railing, ISO 1600, f4 and IS – and I got away with handheld shots at 1/8 sec!

Overall I must say that it was a great weekend. I didn’t have a single fight with my parents, I didn’t even get irritated (other than mildly, once, but no one’s perfect). You want to eat lunch at McDonalds? Sure, who would want to eat real food anyway in one of the many restaurants all over the city! We ended up on the wrong floor at the department store because you didn’t check the store guide? No worries, I love the escalators! Oh and I’m sorry I didn’t remember that —gården doesn’t always mean —puutarha in Finnish. My bad, for living abroad for 12 years!

But that’s just me being hyper-sarcastic. I can do that, now that I’m alone again. Otherwise, I have come to realise that the older we get, the better we get along. Deep down, I think I miss my family more than I’m willing to admit. Happy 70th, Dad!