Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

  City Hall was first on the agenda this morning.  We had an appointment to meet with the Director of the Municipality's Social Department.  We discussed care for the elderly, health care and prescription costs for citizens in Sweden.  As Americans, we were surprised to discover that if we moved and became Swedish citizens, we would immediately be covered by their health care system.
  We toured the City Council room where local politicians vote on local policies.  The city of Borlänge faces the same issue with immigration as many American towns.  We had the opportunity to visit Tjärna Ängar, an integration community that is devoted to giving residents support with learning the language, laws, and social customs of Sweden in order to gain the best opportunity for success.  
  Lunch was served at Cozmoz, which is another social project in the community.  Its goal is to temporarily employ young people (as cooks, waiters, bussers, etc.) and provide them with the mentoring and coaching necessary for them to get a job in the free market.  This is a two-fold plan, as it also works to prevent crime within this age demographic.  
  Our afternoon activities wrapped up with a visit to a glass studio led by local artist, Roland Backlund.
  While the team rested, Blake was hard at work training with IK Brage, a second division in Sweden soccer team.  
  The three Borlänge Rotary clubs meet four times a year as a collective group for dinner and a lecture.  We were fortunate enough to be a part of this dinner event.  

Monday, May 21st, 2012

  Today our team transferred to the town of Borlänge where we did a presentation for one of the three local Rotary clubs.  We then had the opportunity to talk to the founder of BoomTown, a facility funded by the European Union that strives to give a select group of musically-talented individuals an opportunity to explore three main areas for success in the music industry: education, networking, and business.  

BoomTown

  Blake was able to train with a local soccer team before heading out with Allen to a soccer game.  This was a big day for Blake as he signed with Edsbyn football club, a Division III team in Sweden, through the end of June.  

Photo Taken by Jan

  The team then shared dinner with our hosts Jan and Susanne.  

Sunday, May 20, 2012

  We were able to catch up on some much needed rest as we left Falun around noon today.  We arrived in Rättvik in time for lunch and then went to several art exhibits (where Cara added a piece to her souvenir collection!)  

Cara with Pysse Hellström, the Artist

  A walk through the forest was next on the agenda where our team was captivated by the beauty of Sweden's wilderness.

  In addition to all the wonderful people we have met and the wonderful opportunities we have had on this trip, we could not believe our luck when we discovered that the inspiration for Jim Henson's muppet, The Swedish Chef, actually lived in Rättvik.  After one swift phone call and 15 minutes' time, the real Swedish Chef, Lars Bäckman, appeared.  For those of us who grew up with The Muppet Show, things couldn't have gotten more surreal.  

The Team with The Swedish Chef

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

  Today was a very interesting day that started with a tour of the Biografmuseet or Moving Pictures Museum.

The Team (and Charlie Chaplin)

  After lunch we toured an old iron mine that has been reimagined as a place for art exhibits called Verket.
 

Members of The Team Taking Pictures of an Installation at Verket

  The team had dinner at O'Leary's where we stayed to watch Chelsea and Munich in football.

Friday, May 18th, 2012

  Falun's town hall was first on our list of places to go today.  After discussing the town's politics and sharing fika together, there was a bit of free time to explore the town before going to our Rotary meeting of the day.  Our team visited the Falu County Hospital in the afternoon before splitting.  Cara, Kristi, Allen, and Steve met with Anna-Karin (a member of the Swedish GSE team) and spent time at her home with her family while Blake did a sports-related activity.

Kristine Church, Situated Next to City Hall, Was Built in 1655

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

  It was an early morning for us today with rise and shine at 6 a.m. for a day of tours.  We had a guided tour of the World Heritage Elsborg and Gamla Herrgarden.  We also explored the Dalarnas Museum and then had lunch before touring the oldest (running since at least the mid-13th century) copper mine in Europe, Falu Gruva.  

We Survived the Copper Mine!

After an afternoon fika at Thomas and Annelie's house, we took a guided tour of Sweden's most famous painter, Carl Larsson's home.  The evening took us to Lugnet, a large sports complex that will host the 2015 World Ski Championship.

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

  Our Rotary presentations have always included a bit of information about Bishop Hill, Illinois, the location that many Swedes settled in 1846, so it was interesting to visit the Emigrant Museum and learn the Swedish perspective about this event which sparked a mass migration of Swedes to the United States.
  We ate lunch at the Alfta Rehab Center where we were given information about and a tour of this private healthcare company.  This was our last activity in Alfta as we were transported to Falun in Dalarna County.
The evening was an adventure in the wilderness as we prepared a tent to eat under and fires to keep us warm.  We enjoyed much good food and great company before we "roughed it" for the evening.

  Steve and Blake Wave While Allen Is Hard at Work

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

  Växbo Lin was first on our agenda today.  This is a factory where flax is turned into a variety of high-quality household linen products (so high quality that the Swedish crown-princess, Victoria, chose this company to do the linens for her June, 2010 wedding).  

Hannah, the owner of Växbo Lin

  We then traveled to Söderhamn where we gave a Rotary presentation and then toured a high school that was devoted to the fine arts.  There were several highlights to our evening that started with our boat ride with the Swedish Sea Rescue Society.  

View from the Sea Rescue Ride

  A delicious dinner was served at the top of the Oskarsborg Tower with the Söderhamn Rotary club.

Oskarsborg Tower

Monday, May 14th, 2012

  This morning we said good-bye to the city of Järvso and said hello to Bollnäs.  Here we had the opportunity to investigate our various vocations.  We also discovered that the most popular sport in Bollnäs is bandy (ice skaters play a game similar in structure and rules to soccer but with sticks and a small, tennis-sized ball).  
  We toured the famous Farmhouses of Hälsingland or Hälsingegårdar in a neighboring town of Alfta while Blake had the opportunity to train with the Edsbyn soccer club.

  A Farmhouse of Hälsingland

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

The view from our accommodations here at Järvsö is stunning, and we have been enjoying exploring the city as well.  

We started this morning at the Järvsö church and then stopped at a local "old time" store. A stop at a local sheep farm gave us the opportunity to see some brand new baby lambs.  

 Blake and Cara with a Two-Day Old Lamb

We got to see a sheep farm and also visited the Järvzoo where we got to see the keeper feed the wolves, lynx and Arctic foxes.  This zoo only keeps animals that are naturally in the country.

A Bear and Her Baby Cubs

Dinner was served at a local Rotarians home after we gave our presentation.  Moose meat was on the menu as well as a homemade cheesecake unlike anything we have in America (it is a local recipe).  We had such a great time together.

The Dinner Party at Järvsö

Saturday, May 12th, 2012

It was hard to believe that this was our last day in Hudiksvall, but we packed in a ton of awesome activities before we moved on.  Everyone had the opportunity to bake traditional homemade Swedish bread.  

Steve Baking Bread, the Old-Fashioned Way

We burned off our lunch and earned our afternoon fika by walking a mile on the trails of the pilgrims and then rowing a boat on Lake Dellen.  

The Team Preparing to Row (Allen and Blake Were Our Leaders)

The sun finally came out as we were rowing back to the camp site where we had lunch, and after resting in its rays, it was time to move on to Järvsö.  

We were warmly greeted here in Järvsö and spent time getting to know local Rotarians and their wives over delicious homemade appetizers at the top of an old water tower.  We then got to be the first guests at a new authentic Italian restaurant, Pomerans Huset.  We shared many laughs and much wonderful food.  

Pomerans Huset and the Water Tower

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Today was a busy day.  We went to several craft fairs where we were able to see the wares of local jewelry makers, weavers, knitters, and potters.  It was a highlight to see a fashion show at the Forsa Folk School.  We then visited the Iggesunds Bruk paper mill and got to have a private paper making workshop with local artist, Inger Drougge.  

Steve and Allen with a Roll of Paper

A special dinner was served at a local Rotary couple's home.  We had a fun night of food, conversation, and even a little singing.

Local Swedish Folk Dress 

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

We were officially introduced to Hudiksvall by meeting their town leader (roughly the equivalent to a city mayor, though the people do not elect this person).  We then visited Bromangymnasiet (a municipal high school).  The teachers were paired with a teacher in their content area, and after giving a presentation to a local Rotary club, everyone was given a tour of this high school campus.

Bromangymnasiet (They Flew the American Flag for Us!)

Cara, Kristi, and Steve spent the evening listening to the Gävleborgs Symphony Orchestra while Blake and Allen were able to attend some sporting events.  Blake had the opportunity to train with Strands IF (a soccer team affiliated with the Hudiksvall professional team).

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

A train took our team from Östersund to Hudiksvall.  We had an opportunity to spend the evening getting to know our host families.

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Åre was our destination this morning.  This area is best known in Scandinavia for its skiing--they have more than 30 ski lifts and hosted the Alpine World Championships in 1954 and 2007.  We took a short walk around Lake Åre and were given information about the local wildlife, which includes bears, wolverines, and lynx.  

Åresjön (Lake of Åre)

This area of Sweden has been populated by the Sami people for at least 9,000 years.  We were able to eat lunch in a Sami hut where we ate reindeer which was prepared over a fire in front of our eyes.  Our stomaches were very happy with the results.  

A Traditional Sami Lunch in the Hut

In spite of having dessert after our reindeer lunch, we prepared ourselves for a visit to a local chocolate factory.  We were able to sample a variety of dark, milk, and white chocolates with coffee.  We were then able to choose anything we wanted in the shop to sample.  We are spoiled here in Sweden!

Tina and Her Creations at Tina's Prailiner

Early evening was spent touring the Wången horse and trot school.  We shared our final dinner in Jämtland with our fabulous Rotary hosts at the Wången's Värdshus.  

Our Last Dinner in Jämtland

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Östersund is known in Sweden as the "winter city" and with that comes a love for winter sports.  That love has been taken to the next level as The Swedish Winter Sports Research Center is here.  This is a state of the art facility devoted to collecting data for developing the best techniques and equipment for athletes to have that edge in competition.  

The Swedish Winter Sports Research Center

The afternoon took us to a small factory where designs are printed on fabrics and to Frösö church. 

Textile Factory

Frösö church ~ Built in the 1100s

In the evening we went to city hall where we learned about the municipality.  We then gave our second presentation of the day to an evening Rotary club.  

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

This was a day of resting and relaxing with our host families.  Cara and Kristi were able to take a walk around their host family's area and spend some time enjoying nature.

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

This has been a very interesting 5th of May for us.  It snowed all morning and afternoon today.  This seemed appropriate, however, since we spent the first part of our day at a Moose Garden.  We may have made some new Swedish friends.  

Moose Garden

The Team Posing with the Moose

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Today the team was very busy visiting various facilities and institutions related to our jobs.  Kristi visited several artists, two of which are a part of an artists' co-op called drejeriet, as well as the play therapy wing of a local hospital.  

Drejeriet

 
Cara, Steve, Blake and Allen went to Prolympia (a "free" school) where they were given information about how the Swedish education system works.

We gave a presentation at another Östersund rotary.  Although there are only about 30,000 inhabitants in this area, there are seven clubs around its "great lake" or storsjon.


The afternoon took everyone in different directions; however, we all met again at a local pub in downtown Östersund.  After our happy hour, we all went with our host families for dinner and evening activities.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Our day began with a visit to Jamtli History Land this morning.  This is a combination of an outdoor living-history museum with indoor exhibits that tell the history of Jämtland.  Visitors have the opportunity to see how life was lived in various eras of the 18th through the 20th century.  

Kristi in a 19th Century Classroom

The highlight of this museum was the Overhogdal tapestries.  These are the best preserved Viking tapestries in existence and date from between 800-1100 AD, thus making them older than the Bayeux tapestries in France.  

The Overhogdal Tapestries

Our first official presentation in Sweden was given today at the Östersund Wargentin Rotary Club.

  

The Birka Folk High School was on the agenda for the afternoon.  The headmaster gave us a presentation that explained the philosophy behind this "liberal arts" school.  This school does not function in the same way as an American high school; it is for students ages 18 and older who are interested in developing a cultural education with an emphasis on personal development.

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at our hotel.  Some of the highlights were a wide variety of Swedish foods including breads with lingonberry jam.  Eld Rimner was our first stop of the day.  This facility teaches people who have a serious interest in food about the local history and ways of preparing regional food.  It is known for its "small scale artisan food from the Jämtland region" or Mathantverk fran Jamtlands Ian in Swedish.  We also enjoyed our first Swedish fika here.  It is tradition to stop for a small pastry and a cup of coffee or tea twice during a work day--once in the morning and once in the afternoon.  We are all very much fans of this fika business and intend to import it to the United States.


We left Eld Rimner and then traveled to the top of the Östersund water tower.  Nine stories above the city is a restaurant with a stunning view of the landscape below.


Our afternoon stop was to a company called Vericate.  This company's motto is to "verify and educate." Their goal is to explore eco-friendly technologies.  We were able to experiment with their electric-only snowmobile and car prototypes.

A 100% electric snowmobile prototype

We were also given a presentation about their current project called Green Highway.  Green Highway is exploring how an electric-only infrastructure could be created and run realistically in a world where gasoline costs cripple the pocketbook (gas is running about $9 a gallon here) and take precious resources.

Dinner was at a local Rotarian's home.  We enjoyed fabulous homemade chicken liver pate, Norwegian cod, and Swedish liquor, or Punsch, parfait with raspberries (grown in the garden outside the house) and lots and lots of great conversation.

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

We arrived safely to Östersund and were met at the airport by our greeters, Mikael and Christer. We got situated and then shared a lovely dinner at the Clarion Inn in downtown Östersund where we were able to try a variety of local foods including reindeer and Arctic char (a fish similar to salmon).