Sweden Trip Day 1 - Red or White?

September 7th - finally! The day had finally come for me to take my second trip to Sweden, or was it really my first? I had been when I was three so I'm not sure if that really counts because I don't remember...although there are plenty of pictures to prove I was there - me in all my three year old naked glory - running around the lake at my Aunt Berit's house with my sister, both of us squeezed into a bucket with our tiny heads sticking out. My mom has a copy of it somewhere, I'll have to have her dig it out.

I was really excited but I must admit I had been running nonstop the weeks beforehand. Going overseas is serious business and costs a lot of money up front. I wanted to make sure I had the right clothes, presents for everyone, etc., etc. We brought everyone Bath & Bodyworks lotions because they don't have them over there and they had been requested.

The first thing I noticed when I got on the plane was a baby sitting close to us crying. At that point I was really happy so I tried to be calm and think, poor thing, cabin pressure, new mom - I have patience, the baby will fall asleep soon after we take off. Then another baby, then another, and another, and another. Five hours into the ten hour flight, the babies are no longer crying, they are screaming. At this point I still have a bit of patience. My mom and I both take an Advil PM hoping we can get some sleep over the screaming. I'm super tired because I barely had any sleep the whole week before I left. They bring dinner, in all honesty, it was horrible. It was meatballs and pasta in tomato sauce with peas. Yuck. I ate it. I asked for a Diet Coke - don't be fooled, it's not the same, it's really regular Coke with less sugar and unequivocally NOT the same!

By this time the baby behind my mom has been kicking her chair non-stop and the parents are both asleep, the dad blissfully snoring away while his devil child is constantly kicking my mom's chair!!! Stuff like that makes me nervous.

Somewhere about two hours before we landed I started to feel a weird sensation in my gut, and it wasn't good. By the time I got off the plane I was in a total fog, all I could hear were screaming babies, I couldn't stay out of the bathroom, I was sweating and clammy and I just wanted the plane to LAND!!!!!!

I got off that plane and I have never felt so miserable in my entire life! We pick up our luggage and as we got to the point where everyone was going to meet us I was blinded by the flash photography of my Aunts!

After that it's all kind of a blur, we landed in Copenhagen, Denmark, so my cousin Ingrid borrowed her daughter's car (she doesn't have one, she bikes everywhere) and we all headed over to Sweden.

The beautiful table waiting for us when we arrived at Aunt Kerstin's! From left to right, Stina, my old babysitter, Aunt Rigmor (pronounced ring-more, although not correct, it's what we American kids use, my mom, Aunt Berit (pronounced bear-it), my counsin Ingrid.

My favorite - Smörgåstårta - which I couldn't even enjoy because I felt so horrible! Berit made this one and it is absolutely beautiful! I have the recipe if anyone is interested!

Berit and Ingrid showing off the awesome desserts I wasn't able to fully enjoy! Ugh!

After we were done eating all the Aunts and Stina got out their calendars and planned our itinerary...notice the comically smug look on Ingrid's face at the planning session...that's Kerstin on the right.

You can't see it in this picture but Stina on the left has her calendar out too...

Where was I? After I took a few photos I went upstairs and slept, but not without many warnings about how I wouldn't be able to sleep later on that night - HA!

Something happened earlier in the day that really sums up my whole first day in Sweden, which I don't why it does, it just does...on the plane a complementary alcoholic beverage came with dinner, I asked the fine Flight Steward what kind of wine they had, he looked at me with all seriousness and indignation and said, 'red or white'.