West Bend! Who knew you had it in ya?

I hate you and I hate Valley Forge and I will NOT go!

I was reading Chuck Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live yesterday (he is amazing and hilarious and references the Quad City Thunder in the book BTW) and got to the part where he talks about visiting Macon, Georgia to see where the guys from the Allman Brothers Band died, and I realized that I had been to Macon and how hilarious my brother and I thought it was to yell "Macon Bacon!" the rest of the drive to Florida. It also made me start thinking about all the other crazy trips my parents took us on every summer and random places we visited. Such as the aforementioned Valley Forge excursion, where my brother hid in the back seat with a blanket over him and wouldn't talk to anyone because he was so mad that we were being forced to see yet another historical sight. There were a lot of similar events. I think I cried once because I didn't want to go see a crazy shirtless man wrestle an alligator in the middle of the Everglades. We definitely visited some sort of dinosaur/archaeology/bones dig place in Montana or something....banana trees outside the Alamo...buffalo blocking the entrance to public restrooms in Wyoming..good times. And my dad visiting the visitor's center at EVERY SINGLE PLACE. Even when we had been there before.

Maybe this is fodder for some sort of crazy-family-hilarious-memoir....or not.

The Archipelago

Took a cruise around the islands of/around Stockholm. They said that lots of people have their summer houses there and just commute during the summer. I also learned that the majority of the TV that Swedish people watch is subtitled American TV...and that some Swedish people sound Australian when the speak English. It is a crazy place with tasty herring and lots of very nice blond people. And there are totally a bunch of H&M's and 7-11's all over.

Ahoy, matey. How do you spell "matey"?

The Vasa Museum (or Vasamuseet which is way more fun to say) was super cool, basically this giant super-old ship that was preserved in it's entirety in the Stockholm bay. And it's in really good condition since it sank on it's very first trip....which is sort of funny, and makes me think about how many historical museums benefit from the stupid mistakes of the past. Anyways, the museum building itself was pretty cool, there were a bunch of different levels because the ship is so huge, and the building itself looks kind of ship-ish.

The last photo was taken in the National Gallery-they had this exhibit about exploring new ways to display art (as opposed to the standard pedestal/painting on the wall/benches in the middle look), like putting all these old busts together on scaffolding. Makes a little more interesting, like a big modern work of art made from little old statues. Good stuff.

Stockholm-from May

I think there was a picture exactly like this last one in my guidebook. Definitely one of the greatest things about Stockholm is all the water everywhere....kind of a pain if you want to do things in different parts of city and you have to find a bridge to cross, but the beauty is worth the blisters.

Swedish store windows are fun in a creepy way.

A New Adventure.

So, May was mostly an exciting, chaotic few weeks with my Norway and Sweden trip, family visits in Switzerland, my 22nd birthday, college graduation, and subsequent attempt and fail at a return to Europe.  Apparently we were all misinformed about the rules, and non-EU people can only stay for 3 months in all of Europe, not just one country.  So the passport control Belgian dudes sent me back to Chicago and that was that.  

For now I'm in North Carolina hanging out with family and figuring out what to do next....and the 85 degrees and sunny forecast for most days doesn't hurt. Or the prevalence of tasty barbecue and seafood (like what pizza is to New York City).

Andrew Bird in Stockholm

It was super cool to be right next to the stage.  Thank goodness I can't read Swedish and showed up 4 hours before the show actually started.

A little bit of the south of France...

"Sometimes it's more heroic to lose."

Two of the greatest books about two of the coolest guys ever.  I highly suggest them.

"I believe that life is basically a process of growth-that we go through many lives, choosing those situations and problems that we will learn through.  I believe that we form our own lives, that we create our own reality, and that everything works out for the best. I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked out for me."

-Jim Henson

Versailles: three times is probably enough.

Took my parents to Versailles while we were in Paris, since it is definitely worth checking out if you haven't before.  I'm more of a fan of the gardens and Marie-Antoinette's little hamlet, but the insane size and opulence of the chateau is pretty amazing, and the entire thing definitely makes me think "well of course the peasants hated them! this is ridiculous!".  Also ridiculous is the amount of people there, waiting in the ticket line, the line to get in, the bathroom line...thats why the grounds are nicer because they are huge and people are more spread out. It's a very cool place though...you can rent bikes and rowboats and golf carts or go running or whatever.  This time around we went into Le Grand Trianon and Le Petit Trianon, the vacation home and Marie-Antoinette's digs, which were small but interesting and not crowded.  And then of course, the Hamlet, my favorite part...which makes one realize how totally awesome it would have been to be able to have an entire perfect Disney-princess village to one's self. Probably not worth it considering the outcome, but it was probably a blast while it lasted.  It's kind of cool that they still use it as a farm/animal sanctuary, with cows and ducks and sheep and everything.  

Ouchy take two!

Mmmm cheese

My parents just left yesterday, it was super fun having them here, and very strange to see them leave and then spend Easter alone watching Gilmore Girls and eating poptarts. It was definitely a new experience leading people around Europe...I don't think anyone's going to hire me as a tour guide any time soon. Our first little trip was to Gruyere, about 50 minutes from Lausanne (longer if you can't follow the google maps directions). It's a little higher up in the mountains, very old and quaint with a castle and walled village, and pretty amazing views of the Alps. The town is probably most famous as being the home of Gruyere cheese, the delicious salty expensive cheese.

There was a really old wheelchair at the castle that I thought was cool, I'm not sure how the guy got around with those little joysticks, but apparently there was a trapdoor and pulley system they built so the wheelchair could get to the second floor. Those smarty pants Switzys I tell ya!