Sweden 020806

Hej!
I'm still in Sweden. It is cold and snowing here, but not unbearable by any means. I have been taking taxis though to try to stay out of the cold a bit. Anyway, as always, here are the lists:
OK…
So, I know that I need to stop with the lists, but I love them…
I have so new favorite things in Sweden:
-Cardamom cookies… mmm…
-Breakfast at the hotel J. They have this great Blackforest ham, provolone cheese, and dijon mustard that I make sandwiches out of. I add some tomatoes, green pepper and cucumber, and they are to die for. The fruit and vegetables here actually taste and smell like they are from a garden. They are also much smaller. Also, the oranges are the sweetest that I can ever remember having.
-The bread is the best that I've had anywhere in the world.
-Bakeries. They are amazing here. Leave it to the Swedes to concoct some of the most amazing confections.
-Working by the fire and watching the snow fall outside. Last night, the internet in my room was acting funny. It is wireless, so I went and sat by the fire in the common room and worked. It was snowing outside. The J is an amazing hotel and it was really a great scene. http://www.restaurantj.com/eng/Hotel_J-NS/j_mainframe.htm The website doesn't do it justice though. I love this hotel.
-The tubs don't have overflow drains, so you can fill them all the way up!
-Final Sales at H&M. I went crazy. I bought tons of stuff for Claron. Now, Jerry won't be the only styling one!

Old favorites:
-Ahhh… heated bathroom floors. Please remind me that if I ever buy or build a house, this addition is worth every red cent! There is nothing nicer in the morning.
-McDonalds! It is great here. The salads are actually nice. I went to Donald's today. They had fresh flowers (Easter Lilies in Ikea vases) on top of all of the trash cans and they were playing Death Cab for Cutie. They have some new menu additions. Now they have a McFeast with a whole grain bun. It is also impeccably clean, and the people are super nice. Why can't Donald's be like that in the States?!
-I get kicked out of the office at 5 p.m.! =-)

Things that don't quite measure up:
-Spaghetti. The sauce was too thick and chunky.
-Indian Food. It was way too salty. I can't wait to get to the UK.
-The Taco Barn! It was scary… I just laughed. I didn't eat there.
-The prices. All I can say is I'm glad that I'm not paying for it!
-The toilet paper! Ouch! It is rough! It is even worse than the cheap american brands.

I do love Sweden. The Swedes really know how to make a person feel at home. It is so lovely and organized. I would move here if it weren't so unforgivably cold and dark in the winter. I'm really looking forward to coming here in the summer for Jerry's wedding.
I find myself doing strange things when I'm here. I start speaking Swed-lish. I always say Hej or Hej Hej (Hi), Hej då (Bye) and Tak (Thank you). I've learned what all of the credit card promptings mean and can do it by myself. I've conducted entire transactions, and the person didn't know I wasn't Swedish or they just didn't say anything. It is kind of funny actually. Sometimes, they can tell that I'm foreign. Today, I got hit on by a bunch of teenagers at McD's. It was really quite funny. I was in a mood anyway. They kept looking at me and laughing. After the third round of giggles, I stuck a carrot up my nose and crossed my eyes. One of them came over and asked where I was from. Funny kids. They all look like D to me.
I almost forgot… the fashion update!!! We'll call the fashion here "Bohemian Beauty." All of the skirts are very flowy and colorful. There is a lot of velvet in the winter collection. A lot of brown, turquoise and fuchsia. The jewelry is funky, clunky and interesting. The fashion is quite lovely. It really goes well with the beautiful women and looks great on them. I am glad they went away from "Tattered Eskimo."
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and can't upload any new pictures until I get home in March. Until then, I'll update the blog with ones that I took before.
I leave for Russia tomorrow. I'm really not looking forward to this! It is going to be super cold. If you want anything from Sweden or Russia, get your requests in now. It doesn't look like I'll be coming back here on this client again. There is a new line up of countries in the summer… I'm not sure whether I'll be going though.
Anyway, I'd better get back to work. I talked to the UK today, and they told me "Cheers" a few times. I really love that phrase! It is so fun!
So, Cheers!
Amanda
P.S. A big welcome to those new on the list. I post the archives on a blog. Here is the address: http://amandastravel.blogspot.com/
I also have a blog that I do for an elementary school in Delaware. I'm about to post an update there as well: http://stanleysadventure.blogspot.com/
I post all of my pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/asarnoci
P.P.S. I joined MySpace. It is so addictive. Here is the link to my profile: http://www.myspace.com/amandaridge