The Secret to Happiness found in Sweden (Country #17)

Hej Hej 
This is the standard Stockholm greeting  pronounced, "Hey Hey". It is weird to walk into a bar or restaurant and have people calling, "HEY" out to you at you all the time. I kept wanting to answer, "WHAT"?

Why go to Stockholm, you ask? Well, why not. I found some cheap tickets and a *somewhat* cheap hotel (nothing is really cheap in Sweden). And Sweden is part of transit-friendly Scandinavia, so you know you won't need a rental car. With that, we were off for a long weekend to the land of socialism, Swedish meatballs, and blonde hair.

Oh and Arctic coldness, like January in Chicago-cold. If I had ta-tas, I would have frozen my ta-tas off there. At least it was blissfully sunny, which I learned makes a huge difference to a faux-Londoner like me who really hasn't seen the sun for months. The cold isn't quite so bad under a bright blue sky.

What to Do - Or Not Do
Stockholm doesn't have a ton of traditional "tourist attractions", which was nice. There wasn't pressure to SEE and DO everything. We mostly just walked around the city; through the old town, past the Nobel Museum, along the icy canals, through the shopping area, around the university.......everywhere.

Douche.

OK this was part was effing cool. We went to the Vasa Museum, sort of accidentally - as in, hey there's a museum over there. Let's go. The Vasa Museum contains a giant historic ship (that sank on it's maiden voyage but was recovered), the bones of the people that sank with it, and some interesting exhibits about what it was like to work and live on a ship at that time. Let me summarize, life was not pretty backthen.

Anyway, the ship sank in 1628 and was salvaged from the bottom of Stockholm harbor in 1961. As in, it was pulled up practically in one gigantic piece. It lives in the Vasa Museum now. The ship is like 98% original thanks to its preservation in the cold, brackish water in the harbor over all those years. We were in here for a while, it was pretty damn cool and we are geeky over shit like this.

I look so happy, geez.

Better.

Oh man, this was my bad. We went to some sort of museum of Swedish life or something. It was like a sad V&A museum, and the V&A isn't all THAT great. After 5 minutes, Dave gave me 10 more minutes to see the rest of the place, including the audio tour. He was not impressed. Well at least it was......well......warm in the museum.

King So-and-So, the caption below him says "Be Swedish".

Actually Stockholm itself is friendly, easy to get around, and everyone speaks English. I think just walking around was my favorite thing that we did there.

More cruising the city.

And Finally......The Secret to Happiness
Perhaps it is the fish. After all, fish oil is good for your brain and health and such. Dave looks really happy there, or maybe it's just the wine.

3 kinds of herring, my Grandpa Glaser would be so proud.

Or Maybe......
Perhaps happiness lies in the redic social benefits that Sweden has. Man, if I was ever to have a baby - I would move here (that is a lie, I'd die of cold). These dads are so involved it is REMARKABLE to see. Perhaps it is because of this:

• Parents receive 480 days leave for each child. Of this, 60 days is reserved for each parent, while the remaining 360 can be shared between the two parents as they choose. For most parents, 390 days of the shared leave is paid at "sick-pay" level, which is set at around 80% of their salary up to a maximum of £2,553 a month. The remaining 90 days is paid at a "minimum" level of £16.70. If the second partner takes more than the minimum 60 days, each parent receives an additional "gender equality bonus" of £4.64 a day.

Armies of dad's pushing strollers, WOW.

And the Real Secret to Happiness in Sweden
LONG UNDERWEAR under everything. Seriously, my purple, German long undies rocked that country. I walked around in the 20 degree-weather and I was "comfortable" (not crying). I may start wearing these babies around London under my clothes - all the time. Dave is a lucky, lucky man.

Looking good, I was so not meant for cold temperatures. Nice socks Dave.

Skiing in Switzerland is the Shiznit (Country#16)

That's right mo-fos. We went skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland. Home of the Matterhorn, for those of you that don't know. And it was awesome! Shall we list the reasons for awesomness, yes we shall:

• You get to ski in two countries. Our ski-passes were good in Switzerland at Zermatt and in Italy at Cervino and Valtournenche.
• It is a cool crowd, skiing is religion here. OK there were a lot of Bogner-wearing, fur-collared douchebags; but overall people of ALL ages were considerate, skilled skiers. You wouldn't believe the people I skied behind thinking they are in their 20s, and when they turn around - they are like 70. Dave was checking out old ladies all day.
• These Swiss are uber-linguists. Everyone spoke Italian, German, English, and French. I fit right in (that is a lie) thanks to my recent German and French lessons. I made reservations and ordered food without significant levels of grunting and pointing.
• No driving. This is why you don't get many Europeans in Tahoe. You cannot properly apres-ski if you have to drive home. And the Europeans love their apres-ski more than the ski, as demonstrated by all manner of lovely bars to choose from on your ski home at the end of the day. OMG there was even a Champagne-only bar. I love Zermatt.
• The Matterhorn. Seeing it in-person (and not just at Disneyland) was really super cool. Check it out in the photos that follow.

I lost my favorite hat (there) that I got from J.B. like 20 years ago. Boooooo.

And don't think it was sunny everyday, because it wasn't.

Shall we just ski to Italy then, maybe it is warmer there.

 
And how could I forget to mention the food: all forms of meat, raclette, fondue, local Valais wines, weissbier...... Also, don't forget that you can SKI TO ITALY, so the Italian food on the mountain and in the towns will bring tears of happiness to your eyes.

It is possible to get fat while skiing 6 hours per day?

Yes it is, but oh so worth it. See how ecstatic I am.

Dave is effing lucky I love to ski, because it really could have gone another way. I HATE to be cold - as in, I despise anything less than about 55 degrees. Hence, I will be quite happy to leave London and move back to balmy Northern California. Anyway, to ensure I will enjoy I my ski experience and won't complain *too* much, here is what I wear to ski on a somewhat windy day in the 20s.

Ski jacket, hat, scarf, jog bra, 4 shirts, ski pants, 3 pants, 2 socks.

Yup, all of that - plus boot warmers. I belong in Hawaii, that is what it comes down to. But, as I mentioned, this ensemble ensures my (and Dave's) ski-happiness and warmth.

In case you are wondering, we stayed at the Matterhorn Blick Hotel. It was a simple hotel in a perfect location in the center of Zermatt, but like everything else in Switzerland - it was EXPENSIVE. Holy crap, hold on to your credit card. And it wasn't just the hotel, we had to not look at the prices on menus for fear of going into shock. Did we just pay 27 Francs for a pizza? Yes, we did. Mother-effer that part of the trip sucked.

View from our balcony, enjoy it Dave. We'll get the bill next week, gulp.

Here is the old part of Zermatt, I heart historic villages.

I suppose we'll see you all skiing next year in Tahoe. Man that is bittersweet with memories of Zermatt still so fresh. Ski on friends!

Goin Skiing Goin Skiing Goin Skiing!

The Flying Monkeys are off to Zermatt, Switzerland tomorrow for a week of skiing. Yes an entire week of skiing, beer, German practice (Zermatt is in the area of Switzerland that speaks primarily German, rather than French), nude spa-ing, and good food.

Zermatt is NOT easy to get to from London, a short trip is not really feasible. We are flying to Geneva, then hoping a train for the 4-hour ride to Zermatt (you could fly into Zurich but it is more expensive and about the same distance from Zermatt).

Also, you cannot even book most hotels and rentals at ski resorts in Europe for less than a week, which says a lot about the humane and family-supportive vacation policy and culture. I learned in German class that the word Urlaub (holiday or vacation) doesn't even get an article, like "the holiday". This is because the Germans take several per year......it isn't "the vacation" - it is just one of many. Jerks.

As far as weather, we are expecting sun and warm temperatures the first few days with some chances for snow later in the week! We have been warned that the resort is not super snowboard friendly - so probably lots of flat spots that I will have to pull Dave over using a pole - what a weenie.

Anywho, I'll let you know how it was when we get back. xo

London Marathon Training Update - 17 Miles, Done!

Well things are going quite well with my London Marathon training. Almost £1300 has been raised for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (thanks everyone for donating). I am slacking a bit in my training, but that is my M.O. (come on, I had a nasty stomach flu THEN a cold). Also, I am exceptionally lazy. However, I only have 2 months to go so this is really time to push the mileage up.

Today was a major milestone, 17 miles! It was my longest run since my last marathon a few years ago. I ran wayyyy out in northwest London with the Gade Valley Harriers. They organize a series of  three training runs for the London Marathon, which I HIGHLY recommend. The races cost £5 to enter and include marshals, cheering, water, gummy bears, and post-race juice, tea,coffee, and cake. Talk about getting bang for your buck, er pound!

So here is a summary of the run:

Miles 1-4: Can't feel my hands, wish I had another layer on, the course is a bit slippery from the light snow falling - but I am feeling strong and continually pass people the first few miles.

Mikes 4-8: Yay, I have hands again. And holy crap where did all these hills come from? Feeling a bit tired around mile 8 but must push through! If I slow down I will get cold, and if I stop I'll freeze to death.

Miles 8-12: WTF A CASTLE, am I the only one that thinks that is super cool (apparently yes, it is Ashridge Castle for anyone that wants to know).

Miles 12-17: Cold hands again, if I run faster it will get better. Gummy bears handed out at mile 15 save my ass, never underestimate how 100 calories of pure sugar can boost your mood and speed. At mile 16 I catch a train of 8 women speeding by, I duck in with them and finish very strong and very happy

The next Gade Valley Harriers London Marathon training run is 20 miles on Sunday, March 24th. I will be there.......

We are skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland the first week of March, so my running will be lighter this week. I need to be recovered and rested to keep up with Dave on the slopes because he will ditch my ass.

Barcelona - Yup, As Good As They Say

Well, Barcelona lived up to it's high expectations. Seriously, every person we talked to about traveling in the last year told us we had to go to Barcelona. So we did, and it was gooooood - the food, the architecture, the super mellow people, the wine, the excellent transportation system, the history.......everything.

Once again photos say it best.

View of Las Ramblas from our balcony.

The Gaudi house.

Sagrada Familia.

Love me an old church.

Oh and the race! I completed the Barcelona Half Marathon in 1:43. I felt good the entire time and maintained a steady pace throughout the race. It helped that the course markers were in kilometers, so I couldn't psych myself out over how many miles I had left the way I normally do. I just ran at a consistent effort and enjoyed the day.

As an aside, the Spanish are really mellow racers. First of all, everyone was just so polite - and there were lots of men with colorful neckerchiefs running. Why not be stylish! True to stereotypical form, none of the Spaniards lined up until about 30 seconds before the start. Everyone was simply smiling and chatting away, and there wasn't a mass pushing rush when the start cannon fired.

Also stereotypical perhaps, after the race you got an orange, a banana, and a bottle of water. No corporate sponsors pushing weird BS supplements, no bagels with cream cheese, no burritos, no bags of chips, no pizza, no beer (OK I missed the beer part) like you get in the US. It was refreshingly simple and nice.

You eat at MEAL times in Spain, not ALL the time. This is something we should all try to emulate for the sake of our waistlines.

Dave chose to sleep-in on race day. The bed was adjustable, who can blame him.

After the race, we accidentally stumbled upon the La Laia Festival, which is a celebration of the feast day of Santa Eulàlia - the ancient patron saint of the city of Barcelona. The festival is a few days long and is Barcelona’s biggest annual event for kids. They all dress up and parade down every street in the Gothic Quarter with drums and instruments and weird gigantic Papier-mâché statues that honestly freaked me the eff out. 

Weird and creepy gigantic statues.

Also, there were lots of Catalan cultural events, dancing, and music associated with the festival. It was a nice weekend to be in the Barcelona, and normally I really hate festivals and the hype and crowds that go along with them. It is just too many effing people for me. But February is low season in Barcelona, so it was pleasant and mostly locals.

Dancing, man I wanted to join in.

Old ladies making lace in the square.

More creepy festival weirdness.

This was Dave's favorite part of the festival, the fireworks marking the end.

You can do this shit when you have national healthcare, can you imagine the lawsuits in the US.

Now, these are not the professional kind of fireworks you see 100 feet in the air, but rather the halfass kind buy at the store and light yourself and hope not to set your own limbs on fire in the process. Seriously, I have never seen anything like it - check out the video below. And these are little KIDS all having the time of their lives with discount fireworks. The entire square just exploded as everyone lit their fireworks at the same time. It was crazy, I thought my hair was going to catch on fire......

I do feel like you need some time in Barcelona and the surrounding area to really figure things out, a long weekend was NOT enough. There is just so much history and culture, you barely get a sense of it in a few days. I definitely hope to make it back for a longer trip at some point in my life.

Marathon Training Update

Uhm OK drama queen Amie, sorry for that last post. In case no one has noticed, I am mercurial. That is just how it is.

What a difference a day makes. My head-cold is almost gone. Today it is bright, sunny, and a balmy 46 degrees outside - no really, that is warm for London lately. It was a perfect day for a run through Hyde Park. I had the pleasure of catching the changing of the guard with all the horses and the band, which is really only cool to catch during a run in the winter. In the summer there are 15,000 douchebags crowded around Buckingham Palace taking pictures with their Ipads (will y'all cut that out, you look redic holding up a giant Ipad to take a photo), and generally being in my way.

Anyways, I ran 5.2 miles at a moderate pace, with a few pick-ups in there for good measure. I am tapering for the Barcelona half Marathon, which is on Sunday, February 17th at 8:45 a.m. Woo hoo!

We are leaving for Barcelona today. Neither Dave or I have ever been, but everyone we meet here in London has told us that Barcelona is the shit. And there is nothing like training for a marathon/running a race while traveling. I never have to say, "no I shouldn't eat that, I want to be hungry for dinner". Guess what, I'll be hungry in 5 minutes......gimme. And what better place to be hungry than in Barcelona!

The course looks like it will give me an outstanding tour of the city. We are staying about 1K from the race start at the Hotel Montecarlo in the Gothic Quarter, so I can just jog to the start. Easy-peasy. Something tells me Dave will be sleeping in.


As far as a goal for this race, I suppose I'd like to finish around 1:40. The course is flat and I know there will be official pacers for a 1:40 finish. I am just not sure how many people are racing. There could be 30,000 people out there and I will never even see the 1:40 pacer.

But really, I will be happy just finishing strong......hopefully, stronger than I did at the Watford Half Marathon 2 weeks ago. The photo below says everything about how I was feeling at mile 12.5 during that race: head down, shit form, the elastic waste drawstring hanging out of my pants, struggling not to barf - fun. I did that race after a nasty bout of the stomach flu where I couldn't eat anything for a week before. Probably not my smartest move, but I finished nonetheless.

So happy running! I'll post an update on the trip next week when we are back.