Välkommen: A new chapter

Here we go, back again to whisp you away on another whimsical adventure.  It's been some time since I've checked in here, but I've managed to bag a couple more years in old Salt Lake, and a few letters on the back end of my name in the process.  After a total shot in the dark, I've landed myself a Fulbright Fellowship which has planted me in Sverige (pronounced Sver-ee-yuh, which means "Sweden") for the next year in an effort to share culture, establish connections and learn about different forms of energy production in one of the most efficient and cleanest energy producers in the world.  Yup, young Sween from little Waverly, Colorado headed over to the old world to chum it up with our ancestors and right all the wrongs of the world (or vise-versa)!

Leaving the States was a bit panicked (big surprise, right?) and melancholy.  We had a nice little cookout in Liberty Park to say farewell to the Salt Lake crowd and a mighty fine get-together at the Sweeney compound (aka. The Weasel Duck Ranch) back in Fort Collins. Some barbecued  homegrown beef, beers, tears and a few hugs and I was on my way.  Ahh-dee-yos.

During the flight over I broke the ice and struck up some conversation with the fellas sitting near me.  Henry, a basketball player from Houston, was making his first trip to Sweden and, coincidentally, heading up to Luleå ("loo-lee-o"), a city approximately 60 km (that's about 40 miles for ya folks back home) from where I would be living. He had been recruited to play for the professional team in town called LF Basket.  Oyvind, a photographer originally from Norway and now living in Stockholm, was on his way back from a photo shoot in New York City.  We had some good laughs and a couple of beers, then popped a melatonin and drifted into an uncomfortable but much needed sleep.  The attractive flight attendant awoke me with a tasty but undersized breakfast and before we knew it we were touching down through overcast skies at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, blanketed in greenery and lush forest over all areas that weren't covered in road or building.

After making my way through the terminal, featuring linear, wood based architecture, and a failed attempt to negotiate a reasonably priced cab ride, I decided to try my hand at the public transportation after receiving some sparse instructions on how to get to my destination. "First, get on the #86 bus to the Märsta train station. Then board the J36 pendeltåg commuter toward the central station and change to the J35 Bålsta train at the Karlberg station and ride to the Barkarby station, then a couple of hundred meter walk and you'll be there!"  It was a bit too much for me to put together in the state that I was in, but I took a shot in the dark, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my first mass transit experience was relatively painless.  Within an hour or so I was on the front steps of Kevin's house in Järfälla, ready for a smoked salmon sandwich on rye and a much needed nap.

Residential area in  Järfälla, a suburb of Stockholm

A few hours of napping and then off for a lovely walk through the neighborhood streets of Järfälla with Kevin, Elisia and the dog, Lea.  The weather was overcast, but relatively comfortable.  The humidity in the air keeps the skin moist and the hair curly, with a similar feel to that of the Northern Pacific Coast.  The streets were very active with other walkers, some using the traditional nordic method with trekking poles, and bicyclists.  Young and old, and everyone very healthy looking.  Nearly every house was lush with foliage, well kept and very cozy looking.  Oh, and nearly every vehicle is a Volvo stationwagon (yeah!).

Still with no introduction to the city center, and completely disoriented with no mountains for reference and dense forest covering every undeveloped section of land, the jet lag was kicking in, and with much in store for tomorrow it was time for another sleep in my cool basement flat.  Veggie curry, sauna, a shower and sleeee... 

Tomorrow, off for a train, boat and walking tour of Stockholm and then boarding the Silja line ferry to Finland for a weekend in the Finnish Archipelago.  Stay tuned!

Your's truly,

Daniel Joseph Sweeney XIV