Soccermania - Stockholm derby

The Swedish church works with the national Soccer association and we have free tickets to all the games we care to watch! When my team, AIK (from Solna outside Stockholm) played one of the archrivals Djurgården (from the uppercrust part of central Stockholm) we took the chance! Farfar (grandpa) Ingemar, Klemens, Bibbi and I joined the crowd at Råsunda stadium in Solna...








Farfar Ingemar, Bibbi and Clement in the VIP section...great seats!



















AIKs supporters, organized in the Black Army (team colors are Black and Yellow) give Djurgården's goalie a bright welcome when at kick-off for the second half! It was a hell of a hoot, hearing the songs from the core supporters who stood at opposite sides of the field.

Uppsala Indian summer 2009

Noble vikings were buried in these mounds with slaves, animals, jewels, and other useful things for that eternal ride. Where the church stands the old heathen temple stood and no doubt a good old time was had by many when Thor, Oden and the other gods got their due. In the 800s Christian missionaries started working the crowd and some 200 years later a new church was built on the rubble of the old temple. There it still stands, albeit demoted from its cathedral status in the 15th century, but still very much worth a visit. Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) is located a mere 5 km walk north from the new cathedral.
Grandma Riitta enjoys the company of Birgitta, Klemens, and Pia at Gamla Uppsala during Indian summer days in September, 2009.
Contours of love on one of the ancient burial mounds in Gamla Uppsala.

















Classic Uppland landscape in Gamla Uppsala, bathing in the setting September sun.

September 2009

Uppland landscape in Old Uppsala, a few miles from where we live...

Vacation time came and went. We found ourselves in September, busy with school, work and settling in. The village of Sunnersta, 7.5 kilometers south of Uppsala cathedral is now our home. Farmor (grandma) Riitta visited us when Tanja went to Holland for a week of family time in Amsterdam and Apeldorn. Birgitta and farmor spent time reading at night.




We found a new home too, a house we will move into December 1, on Sjövägen here in Sunnersta. Birgitta has already found her special spot down by the lake. There by Mälaren she takes in the sun on her own log, 20 meters from our house.

Uppsala is located some 45 minutes north of Stockholm. 5 kilometers north of the city center is old Uppsala, Gamla Uppsala with the ancient cathedral, build on top of the old heathen temple by the burial grounds of generations of local folks, kings and servants alike. A special place with walls that could tell a tale or two for sure.