The largest IKEA in the world

As I'm writing this I'm on a train up to Abisko and, for being north of the Arctic Circle, I must say it is doggone hot! I don't know what the temperature is outside,  but it's like a sauna in here. Maybe this is how Swedes get their tropical island experience. I'm doing my best not to sweat since it might be a week or more before I can take a shower again.  But anyway....

Why else would one go all the way to Sweden except to go shopping at IKEA? The largest IKEA in the world(!) is just outside of Stockholm, and there's a free shuttle that runs every hour to take you there. Since it was raining and all the museums were expensive and IKEA was free (as long as you don't buy anything, which I didn't (Ha! Take that IKEA! You just drove me 20 km for nothing! (Not that I have anything against IKEA. I actually really love it and wanted to buy a lot of stuff. But I could get everything cheaper in America, and how do you get a new end-table home on a plane anyway? Even if it is neatly packaged in a nice, little, flat box?))).  The IKEA bus was so packed that not everyone could fit. And this was on a Wednesday afternoon. I guess we know where the Swedes go for their home furnishings...

In "the states" I would always go to IKEA to pretend like I was in Sweden. And here I was actually in an IKEA in Sweden. It was kind of like being in a fractal. And it was exactly the same as being in an IKEA at home. Except the kids were much cuter (sorry, American kids) and everyone was speaking Swedish. So, if you've ever been to an IKEA, you can basically say you've been to Sweden.

While I was waiting for the bus back, I crossed the street to the grocery store, just to have a look around. Being somewhere like Sweden it is very easy to forget that you are in a difference country most of the time. Until you see something like this: A very normal, smallish grocery store with regular grocery store items, and then a whole huge section that is only shoes.

Just a little bit "off."

When I think of dry hands I always think of vikings.

Back in Stockholm. This is SoFo, the "happening" district.

And this is what my car would look like if it were Swedish:

Stockholm has nicer flower boxes on its bridges than most people have on their windows!

Lilly pads in the city:

Not quite the same as the viking burial mounds I saw in Norway...

People (and me) enjoying a sunny afternoon in the park:

There was also a band playing and people (not me) dancing in the park:


Now it's time to get on a ferry for a trip through the Stockholm archipelago!

I think I was sitting next to Rick Steves: "Now, when I'm going on a boat through an archipelago, I always like to wear an all-purpose 'go anywhere' shirt, a good pair of comfortable shoes, and some wrinkle-free slacks."

This is where I'm going to be staying on my return trip to Stockholm! Seriously! It's a hostel! I already have a reservation!!!

A fun looking amusement park:

The Swedish version of a hoagie: cold meatballs, pickled vegetables, beet salad, and lettuce (with a thick layer of butter under the lettuce) on rye bread. (I bought it from the dinning cart on the ferry.)

It seemed like there were hundreds (and there probably actually were) of little islands like this:

A quick shot of a Swedish child:

A big'ol ferry

On each of the thousands of little islands, there would be at least a few people enjoying the sun. Doesn't anyone in Sweden have a job? Socialists....

And then there was only me.

Next stop: The 900 meter long island of Finnhamn for the night!