Åland Island begins

There has been a lack of blogging lately as well as just time spent on the Internet in general. Us girls have made it to Åland Island, a group of islands, way up north between Sweden and Finland. This group of rocks in the middle of the ocean is where our Farfar's family is from! 

We arrived via a cruise ship on Wednesday the 18th of September. Neither of us had ever been on a cruise ship before and the Viking Grace was a Nordic haven! We scored the best seats on board, sitting in comfy swivel seats with massive windows around us. We were exhausted from only a couple hours of sleep, but determind to keep our eyes open to watch the amazing views between Sweden and Finland...so many little islands to see!

We arrived 5 hours later to the land of our history. Cousin Bo picked us up and, at that point, we had no idea what we were in for. We quickly became attached to each family member and the land itself. 

Bo gave us a short tour of the main town (very small boat town) and then took us to his amazing country/water-side house. We had fika (coffee and snack...a daily tradition) while we chatted. Berit (his wife) came home from her job as a midwife and instantly started to whip up the most scrumshis dinner (I swear we never have time to get hungry in Sweden). Berit allowed us follow her out into her huge garden and pick many fresh veritables for dinner! How great it felt to be in the beautiful country, eating fresh food and meeting family! After dinner, We were shown old photos of when our parents visited Åland and told old stories. Neither of us can explain the connection we feel with our family here! It truly is an amazing place! 

Later that night, berit took us in a real Finish sauna. She heated the little hut by the sea with a wood stove, before we stepped in (the way our mothers made us - birthday suits). After sweating perfusly for 15 minutes berit taught us to run down the dock and jump into the freezing cold Baltic Sea! 

It was a beautiful experience with berit as she told us old Finish sauna ways. In the old days women used to have their children in the sauna during winter, because it was the easiest place to keep warm and clean! It is also called "The Holy Place".

Our sauna obsession continued on in the first two days of being on Åland as we took 4 saunas! Each one offering a new experience and memory! 

We finished our night with a late night intensive Swedish lesson from Bo! As we shut our eyes to fall into dream land, we reveled in how blessed and thankful we felt to be a part of such an amazing family!!!

Here comes the rain

Nordic museum behind us

Huge statue of king Gustav Vasa

Some of Djurgården 

Ferry ride back to catch our tram home for dinner

Last night jet lag struck again, it's a monster that takes apparently 24 hours for every 1hour of time change to kill. We were up till 3am and awoken by the alarm at 10am. It was a slow moving morning on which we made our own Swedish breakfast (yoghurt och kafé). We then embarked on the adventure of making sandwiches to take with us. This was an interesting chore seeing as we couldn't really read any of the items in the fridge. We were lost without mayonnaise!

We finally made it back into Stockholm city around 12:30pm. We are really getting used to getting around on the public transit systems! 

We did not have a detailed plan for the day but found ourselves on the wonderful Island  of Djurgården. This is a place within the bustling city where ppl can go for sanctuary. Full of nature and history. 

We ended up escaping the rain and visiting the Nordic museum, where we found ourselves bathed in Swedish history! By the end of our two hours there, we were exhausted. So much to take in on jet lagged sleep! 

After our wonderful dinner back at the house with the cousins we had a dance lesson! Kirdy taught the salsa,rumba and bachata while Gladys taught some traditional Swedish dancing! 

Now we shall sleep with the sound of the rain! Godnott

Love 

KJ's

Stumbled upon Swedish royalty

Breakfast

Jog är svenska flika 

Josefine 

In the crowds trying to photograph the royal family and the hot single prince!

Sneaking photos in the palace

Royal palace outside

Dinner at Josefine's

Our first day in the motherland started off wonderful with a very swedish breakfast- partridge, lingonsylt, mjölk, bread, skinka, äspplenmos och smör!

Thank you Jan-olvo and Gladys for our metro/bus/ferry tickets! We felt like locals using public transit to get to central Stockholm to visit with Josefine (another cousin). 

We hadn't planned anything for the day, but it so happens that the king of Sweden has been in reign for forty years and there was a celebration. We walked the old town of Sweden, ate salmon and spinach pie, heard the king's speech and then got the chance to enter the palace! 

You wouldn't believe how many people were there and how long it took us to get into the palace courtyard. We were squashed by many people with the same idea in mind- take pictures of the royal family. It was a great royal experience that has never happened before (they don't usually let people into the palace courtyard). We stumbled upon free entrance into the palace while searching for a WC (bathroom). We snuck many photos and were in aw of the ability to imagine ourselves royalty living in the palace. 

After our royal galavanting, we made dinner and apple pie at Josefine's cute IKEA furnished apartment in the central Stockholm. 

What amazing random day we could experience here is Sverige! Loving it so much! We rode two different trams to get home, finding our way with the little Swedish we are learning! 

We will be heading back into the city tomorrow to explore by ourselves! We hope and pray to find Kirdy's kindle in the SJ train lost and found tomorrow!

Godnatt

Love

KJ's

Everyone in Sweden shops at IKEA

So tired after an hour sleep but on the train to Sweden!

Kelsey studying Swedish 

Gladys och Jan-Olov

Once we were finished our amazing breakfast at our hotel in Copenhagen, we strapped on our backpacks and headed to the train station. Thank goodness we arrived to the ticket counter early because a line formed after us. We activated our eurail passes and off we went. 5 hours later and one lost kindle (pray its in the sj train lost and found, we will look tomorrow), we were greeted by Gladys and Jan-Olov (our parent's cousin). They showed us stockholm as we drove through a marathon (literally..), but we found our way. Two comfy beds awaited us at their cute IKEA model apartment. Gladys made us soup!! Then we walked the town, as we had a swedish lesson.. One of many. They made us dinner- stew and rice, with lemon cake for dessert. Our beds were calling for us and we finally slayed the jet lag monster and fell asleep (at 9pm). Our first night of sleep in 72 hours! Ah, so good!

Love

KJ's

Our day in kopenhaven

Royal palace

Danish bar with Megan 

Smörgåsbord 

Shocked, as we looked at the clock, reading two pm. We had indeed missed our free breakfast offered by the hotel. Still tired, we got dressed and headed to get some food. Latte and chai with our crassants as we saw fellow travelers and Danish enjoying their coffee and wine. 

We then walked to a spiral tower that looks over the entire city...only a thousand (plus) steep steps to walk up!!! :) We met some lovely other tourists on the way. As we walked further, we stumbled upon a castle with a huge courtyard and some fury hatted guards. They stood/walked, straight faced as we tried to sneak a picture with them. We then searched for the little mermaid and along the way we saw more amazing architecture. The city has really come together for us, as we know where some things are and, most importantly, our hotel. 

Later, we met up with Megan, Kelsey's friend who is studying aboard in Denmark, for pizza. We experienced a danish bar where the bar tenders wore suspenders and beer maiden costumes and jägermeister on tap. We continue to blend in with the Nordic people as we repeatedly get spoken to in Danish.

Kirdy has decided to try a beer on each city we visit to compare and alert the world of the best beer. Copenhagen beer tasted like a wheaty, yeast laden Budweiser. 

After the bar, Megan showed us the studio that she studies architecture at and we met some of her classmates. Everyone has been very friendly here in our travels. 

That night our jet lag continued and we were awake till 5:30am only to sleep an hour to catch our train to Stockholm! It has been our dream to go to the motherland ever since we learned what varsågod och tack så mycket meant! 

So excited

Love, 

KJ's 

Jet lag - 1. Kj - 0

We had a wonderful couple of hours as we tried to out smart jet lag and walked around the city of Copenhagen taking plenty of pictures. :) The city is full of history, great architecture and lots of people on bikes (literally full bike highways). 

After walking for a few hours, we headed back to the hostel to shower up and head to bed, only after making our first visit to a Scandinavian grocery store.... It was like walking into miniature, brightly colored chinese 711...and this is their "super market?" We ended up buying crackers and fresh mozzarella for only $.89 each! Not to shabby for one of the most expensive places on earth!  

So after dinner came sleep! Finally right? We were sure we out smarted that jet lag monster....except that this post is being writen at 3:30am... Each of us woke up wide awake around 2am (5pm pacific). And here we lay jet lag 1 KJ's 0. 

 Pray for rest for us in these upcoming nights, otherwise Europe will have two zombies walking around!!

Love

KJ's

Planes, trains and lots of walking

Made it to Copenhagen!!!!

Dinner on the plan! Actually pretty great

Sleeping kirdy, awake Kelsey

September 12, 2013

The ten hour flight wasn't unbearble. We were greeted with a pillow and blanket, that we may or may not have stolen for later use. As we were entering the plane Kelsey was bombarded by the flight attendant speaking to her in Danish! 

Each seat had its own tv screen that had many features including watching a map of where the airplane was flying to, a camera of whats in front and below the airplane (only useful in daytime, which our plane ride was short of). The selection of movies, shows, music (if I could get mine to work) and games were of plenty. We had nice great (blond) flight attendants that took good care of us, serving a full course meal with drinks, followed by coffee time. (Note to self, don't drink coffee then take a sleeping pill, they cancel each other out).

 It's an exciting time in our lives and it was only a ten hour and fifteen minute trip away. Who knew adventure could be so close?

We arrived at Copenhagen, Denmark around one and we made our way through customs... or very much lack there of! All that happened was a stamp in our usa passports before baggage claim (the officer didn't even see the two red SAS blankets I was smuggling)! 

We managed to buy a tram ticket in half Danish half English and got on the right tram THE FIRST TIME, look at us world travelers! 

Well now we are attempting to stay awake till the night so we aren't to horribly jet lagged, probably not going to be successful!  What a gorgeous city, although it'll have to wait to be discovered by the kj clan until after we sleep. Goodnight! 

Cheers

KJ's

Take off day

Here we sit, awaiting our adventure. T - one hour till take off. We are both so ready to be on our way! I, kirdy, been traveling since 6:30 this morning, and after all my layovers and flights in just really ready to get ON that plane. Kelsey had a bit shorter commute but is equally anxious! 

I have to say I've never stood in line for a foreign air carrier and felt like I blended so much like I did today in line for SAS (Scandinavian air). Everyone was blond and tall! I can tell you it won't be like traveling through Asia or South America where there is no hiding. (Also as I waited for 5 hours in the sf international terminal I entertained myself with a little game of guess the Americans...very entertaining) 

So I thought it would be cool if Kelsey and I wrote down our expectations and feelings as of now, and then compare them with when we return.

Kelsey: because of the different people we will meet with various backgrounds, I hope to listen with open ears, speak with love and act in a way God calls me to. This trip was in my "plans", however, I never imagined it would happen so quick or even length of our tripe. I know God has great plans for us over seas because of how many doors he has opens for us to travel there. It's really exciting! Please be praying for guidance and discernment while we are away. I know God will protect us as he promises.  He has truly blessed us.

Kirdy: I'm super stoked! I'm so excited to dig up our roots, meet our relatives and meet fellow travelers along the way! I'm nervous for certain things like language... Not being able to read signs and not being able to communicate really scares me (no matter how many countries I go to). I also have this fear of "looking" American! I know lame, but I've never liked to stand out in foreign lands! Besides those fears I'm just really excited to see how our lives change, we grow and God works! 

Ok time to board!!!!!!!

Cheers

Kirdy and Kelsey

The Day Before Take Off

Day Before Take Off

September 10, 2013

 Today has been filled with crazy running around last minute shopping, packing and preparing. Kelsey and I thankfully have the first 2 weeks of our trip planned and laid out (Sweden and family)... as for the rest of our 2 months, well we are excited to see where the wind takes us! We have a global Eurrail pass and plan to put that thing to good use! 

As of now both our packs are packed (mine weighing in at 32lbs). As I was putting the final touches on it, I got a bit teary eyed realizing I'm not only leaving for the trip of a life time with my amazing cousin, but my whole life is packed up awaiting my next move upon my arrival back to the states. I know that after this trip both Kelsey and I both have big decisions and new life courses we will be taking, which is why this trip falls at the most opportune time!

I can't speak for Kelsey but I know for me I hope to just gain a bit of perspective, adventure, independence and disconnect! We have the chance to go back and discover our Swedish roots, meet so much family, and really disconnect from our  fast paced, wifi, constantly available lives and reconnect with a bit of history, family and adventure!

We are both so excited and really appreciate your prayers, thoughts, good juju and what not sent our way! We've been so blessed to be able to go on this adventure and we are so blessed to have each other! I couldn't think of a better person to spend the next 2.5 months with than my bestest cousin!

Cheers,
Kirdy