Euro trip, part II

Amsterdam, what a city! The water, the houses, the cobblestone streets—the bikes, the trams, the church bells. Noisy, busy, crowded, fun—ideal for aimless strolls and people watching. My parents and I had a wonderful weekend in this bustling hub, which I wouldn't think twice about revisiting.

Just look at the houses. And the canals! Love it.

Our hotel was situated perfectly, right next to the Singel canal, in an area that was full of restaurants, bars, and cafes. And bikes. Bikes everywhere!

Across the street: a restaurant with a name that warms the heart of every Bank Für Alle-fan. I mean, this has to be the Dutch version of Hasse-Klas, right?

So what did we actually do during our three-night stay? First on the list was a visit at the Rijksmuseum, to check out Rembrandt's The Night Watch and other world-famous works of classical art. We ended up spending almost half of the Saturday there, walking through all four floors with a break for a good lunch in the museum cafeteria.

The magnificent museum entrance, with the bike paths going straight through the building—Amsterdam truly is the bicycle capital of the world.

The evening was spent celebrating my parents' wedding anniversary (32 years and counting!) with a three-course dinner at Humphrey's across the street followed by Eurovision (and candy) in our hotel room. The drama! The excitement! Dad was perhaps a little less eager to watch the spectacle and didn't manage to stay awake even for the entire performance round, but mom and I followed the whole thing, through the excruciating presentation of votes all the way to the triumphant end. Way to go, Måns!

Sunday started with a morning run in the beautiful Vondelpark—for me, at least. The parents took the opportunity to sleep in a little. After breakfast, the three of us walked the short distance to Bloemenmarkt, allegedly the only floating flower market in the world (can that really be true, though?). Tulip bulbs and flower seeds were purchased, and we then moved on towards Singelgracht for a 75-minute sightseeing tour of the canals.

Bulbs, seeds, flowers, and souvenir trinkets.

Dad, admiring the drying eternal flowers.

On the sightseeing tour we soon learned that the canals were quite heavily trafficked, and our captain actually bumped into a smaller vessel that wasn't familiar with the practices around the major nodes. According to him, it happens quite often—I'm not the least bit surprised, after seeing the partying that goes on in some of the boats.

The Frosts, on board.

When the tour was finished it was time for lunch, and I had checked out a promising place for some Dutch pannenkoeken: Pancakes Amsterdam. We went all in and picked three items on the creative menu to share; two savory pancakes (camembert/chicory/ham/raspberry sauce [mom and dad got that one for themselves] and mushroom/spinach/onion/paprika/pesto) and one sweet (apple crumble/vanilla ice cream). Filling and yummy—I can highly recommend a visit.

We strolled around some more, had some coffee and beer by the canal, chatted about this and that, and concluded the day with hamburgers at a neighboring pub. Early Monday morning we rolled our luggage to Station Amsterdam Centraal, where we parted ways. Mom and dad train-hopped their way back to Sweden whereas I headed to Schiphol and onwards to Seattle.

Such a fun week in Europe! First Warsaw with colleagues and friends, and then Amsterdam with the parents. Lucky me! Lucky, lucky me.

Airport introspection

This is not a particularly good photo by any standards, but the feeling I'm trying to convey is one of carefreeness and mirth—sipping on a cappuccino in the afternoon sun while talking about life and watching boats go by on the Singel. Top notch family time!

Fast-forward 17 hours: here I sit at Schiphol airport waiting to board the plane that will take me thousands of miles away from my roots once again, back to the New World. Back to the one-person family that is me.

Surrounded by fellow travellers rushing here and there, anxiously checking their passports and smartphones, I'm spending my time re-focusing and preparing for what's about to come: the last trembling months of my current affairs. This will be an intense summer, full of work and planning—but also play and exploring. Busy, yet fun—closure and new beginnings to come.

I'm ready. Off I go!

Building momentum

If you're wondering what I'm up to these days, the answer is simple: working, and fretting over not working enough (or rather, not being efficient enough). Next week will be awesome; I'm flying to Warsaw for a targeted alpha therapy symposium, which I've been looking forward to for months. I will be presenting my latest research, but also meeting with old colleagues, new colleagues, and some prospective future collaborators. All in all, it will be great. However, before I get to the point where I can feel confident and happy about the talk I'm giving I have some serious work to do. Slightly less thrilled about that part.

Still, I'm super excited about what happens after the symposium as well. It just happened that the airfare was way cheaper—about $1000 cheaper, in fact (yes, for real)—if I agreed to stay in Amsterdam for a few nights on the way back to Seattle. We-e-ell... What can I say? I'm not one to spend precious travel funding if I can save a dollar or two, so I graciously agreed to stay in Europe over the weekend and fly back on Memorial Day. Better yet, my parents are taking the train down from Sweden to meet me there, so we get to spend the entire weekend together. Yay and hurray!

But first: work and work. And fret and panic. Then work some more. Then give up, before getting back on the horse. Then work and fret and work and panic. Then? Tour de force.

Hi mom!

Second Sunday of May means Mother's Day in the States. Highly appropriate, seeing as I think of my mother every time I walk past the flowering wisteria across the street—and by every time I mean literally, every single time.

See you soon, mamma (and pappa)! Rendezvous in Amsterdam in just 12 days.

This is all very random

I was really terrible at taking pictures when I was home; I'm not blaming the fever, but it might have been the fever. (Ok, I just blamed the fever. The fever can have it.)

Anyway. Here are a few random photos that make me happy, in no particular order.

Being in Sweden means catching up with as many friends as possible, as many times as possible. This trip was no exception, although there is little documentation of the social events I attended. Luckily, some of my very best companions are selfie-addicts; thus, I can at least prove that I got to spend some time with these lovely creatures:

My faithful sisters in crime, how I miss you (and your little saplings) when I'm away!

Christmas Eve was rainy, as tradition has it, but the weather gods kindly offered a couple of crisp, cold, snowy days after that.

I'd say it qualifies as a White Christmas, especially seeing as this guy suddenly showed up at our doorstep:

Hullo, fellow Frost!

When I wasn't out frolicking with snowmen and childhood friends, most of my days in Halmstad revolved around yummy treats like these:

The not-too-shabby view from my sickbed (i.e. the living room couch):

Biathlon! For those who don't know, Swedes can't get enough of it. It's a genetic disorder we share with the Norwegians.

This year we didn't bother with putting the Christmas gifts under the tree until about 10 minutes before it was time to open them. I just kind of forgot about it (damn you, fever!). I have to say that mine had the prettiest labels, though; handcrafted by yours truly.

Yeah, and Gothenburg was pretty too.

Ok. That's all, folks. You can go home now. (Damn you, fever!)

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Admittedly, I could be merrier. Had I wished for fever, headache, a sore throat and an excessively runny nose for Christmas, then this would have been the final proof of Santa's existence. Still, it's lovely to be home and I'd rather be sick in good company than on my own in a faraway land. Believe me, I'm being excellently cared for as I'm recuperating in the warm glow of our Christmas tree.

With a bit of luck, I'll be back to my normal, bouncy self in a couple of days. If not, then Santa's dead. DEAD, I TELL YOU.

From all of me to all of you, a very merry Christmas!

No need to go postal

Mail! Ragged, patched, torn and bandaged mail. Postal services of the world, you sure do a... job. Of some sort.

Nevertheless, packages from mum are always a treat, no matter how much tape it takes to keep them together. Crossword puzzles, glögg napkins and a calendar candle; I'm all set for November and December. Amazingly enough, the candle was intact, even though it looked as though the envelope had been run over by a caravan of lawn mowers. A genuine Christmas miracle!

Tack mamma!

Double, triple, quadruple V

V for Vancouver and Victoria - for visa and victory. I'm back from my exile in Canada, and what a great intermission it was! The weather was perhaps not the jolliest during the Vancouver visit, but mum and I were quite content with the single somewhat sunny day that allowed us to explore the city by foot after my interview at the American consulate. The other days were of the more drizzly kind, forcing us to sit at various cafés, restaurants and bars in cozy Gastown, sipping on coffee, wine and cocktails, reading books, writing postcards and solving crossword puzzles. Life was hard, but we pulled through.

An inukshuk in the city's West End, off English Bay.

Steel and glass, glass and steel. (And boats.) Very Vancouver.

Next, we set sail for Victoria, British Columbia's lovely state capital on Vancouver Island, where the entire Frost family spent a couple of days last summer. This time, mum and I teamed up with my cousin, aunt and grandmother, and went sightseeing all over the place by means of feet, double-decker bus and rental car. Some attractions were revisited, others were new; high tea was ingested and vistas were viewed. A certain amount of confusion was ever-present and patiently endured (most of the time).

Colorful houseboats! Makes this Seattleite feel quite at home.

Butchart Gardens, again; almost as colorful in fall as in summer. The sweets equally filling.

The beautiful veranda where we indulged in the goodies; not too different from that of my parents' house, in hue and atmosphere.

  

Onwards! Through the greenery.

An enchanting cove, hidden behind the Japanese garden.

From Butchart we drove on to University of Victoria, where my cousin is currently studying. She showed us around campus, and the general impression was: lots of trees and lots of rather awkward deer.

Close to UVic is Mount Tolmie, an excellent spot for students to ”park”. Great view, nonetheless!

Disneyland? Nope, just the British Columbia Parliament Buildings twinkling prettily during my last morning walk.

This somewhat spontaneous vacation had to end eventually, and seeing as my passport had been successfully returned to me on Friday there were sadly no more excuses. I hopped on the Victoria Clipper back to the US this afternoon, while the rest of the gang will keep exploring the island for a few more days. I wish I could stay too, but alas! Work is calling.

Beware, however, because on Friday, mum and grandma will make Seattle shake...

Vancouver update

Application approved! Celebrations are in order. A sip of glacier water, perhaps?

Bye for now, from the Olympic cauldron.

O Canada!

After a couple of months of fruitless efforts to schedule an appointment at the US consulate in Vancouver to renew my visa, I suddenly got a break last Friday. Out of nowhere, a slot had opened up at 7 am on Tuesday morning. I dropped everything I had planned and immediately started making arrangements for a week-long stay in British Columbia, and thanks to helpful colleagues I managed to organize all my responsibilities to make it work (I hope so, at least). I definitely owe a favor or two, but it's certainly worth it to get my visa extended.

I've wanted to explore Vancouver basically since moving to Seattle, especially knowing that the train ride up is quite spectacular; mum and I are therefore rather excited about boarding the train early tomorrow morning. We'll spend a few days in the city and then head down to Victoria on Vancouver Island to see my cousin, who is doing an exchange year at the university there. What's even more exciting is that my aunt and grandmother will meet us there too. Fantastic!

The only thing that worries me is the actual interview at the consulate, but I've hopefully got all my papers in order so that I can get my passport back in time to head home to Seattle next Sunday. I ask you: cross your fingers and hold your thumbs... (It couldn't hurt, could it?)

See you on the other side!

(Image from www.canadaflagshop.com)

For the pops

Today is the third Sunday of June, which means Father's Day in the US (and about 75 other countries). It also means stupid commercials for smartphones, grills, cars, lawn mowers, and various power tools, featuring a plethora of gender stereotypes that should have stayed in the 1950s.

Anyway. My own dad is probably not seeing this as he is currently enjoying one of his favorite activities: sailing with my mum. I wish you fair winds and following seas, pappa!

And just to conclude, some wonderful Hallmark Father's Day wisdom: “Happy Father’s Day to the man who taught me how to step and throw, how to field a grounder, how to follow through and pretty much every other important thing I know about baseball and living!”

Yeah.

Back! And then gone again...

Sweden was great. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and flowers blossoming. Spending some time with family and friends was just what I needed, and I think I managed to make the most of the precious days and hours (sometimes merely minutes) I had with them all. But oh, how I wish I could have stayed longer! The thought of missing out on another summer back home hurts; no sailing with mum and dad, no relaxing with my grandmother at the summer cabin in Rådmansö, no late-night boardgaming with my brother and friends, and no evening swims in the salty sea.

Even though I brought my camera I hardly took any pictures at all; being in the moment felt more important. I managed a few snapshots though, like this postcard classic from my hometown Halmstad depicting the ship Najaden and the castle.

Complete stillness on a morning walk.

In Halmstad I also met up with my girls for a fabulous slumber party, including fika (featuring an outrageous chocolate cake by Vivi), spicy dinner at a cozy Indian restaurant, copious amounts of candy, wine, gossip, and a wonderful breakfast the morning after. In addition, I watched my popstar parents perform at a gig by the docks.

Gothenburg offered a sweet barbecue with a bunch of good friends, supportive coaching by Patrik during a fun run in Slottsskogen, lunch and coffee with old colleagues from the university, more fika and planning with a dear friend that will visit me later this summer, and some quality time with this little guy (and his sweet parents).

Being back in Seattle feels okay, albeit a little stressful; I landed on Tuesday and will take off for (another) conference in St. Louis, MO, already tomorrow. To say that I'm concerned about the talk I'm giving is a severe understatement, but I still feel rather confident that I will survive the ordeal. Somehow.

After my return on Wednesday next week things will slow down a little, which is something I dearly look forward to. Being able to focus on manuscript writing, and perhaps enjoying some of that lovely Seattle summer weather, are thoughts that sooth my worried mind. I'm sure it will be great. And after all, Christmas isn't that far away, right...?

Right.

An apology for my mother

Mum, I am so sorry. Apparently, I completely dropped the ball on Mother's Day last year... There's really nothing I can say in my defense; I just have to make sure that this time you'll get prunes.

Happy (American) Mother's Day, all ye mothers, mums, moms, and mammor out there! You kick ass.

Ceremonial

A lot of people have asked me why I chose to go back to Sweden now, instead of waiting for the holidays. It's quite simple: I wanted to partake in the Conferment of Doctoral Degrees at the University of Gothenburg, which took place on October 25.

Crystal clear? No...?

Okay, the Conferment of Doctoral Degrees (doktorspromotion in Swedish) is the university’s largest ceremonial occasion when new doctors, jubilee doctors and honorary doctors receive their insignia as confirmation of their position at the university. I was supposed to attend last year's ceremony, but since it took place shortly after my move to Seattle I chose to postpone it until now.

The 2.5-h ceremony was highly formal and perhaps not the most action packed activity I've engaged in, but I'm nevertheless very glad I went. I'm even happier that my brother, sister, mother, father, aunt, and two grandmothers could share this big day with me. And they certainly did it in style; the ceremony was followed by a banquet with formal attire, and all of them had gone through the trouble of gearing up properly for the occasion. Much appreciated!

The handsome parents.

The brother (a.k.a. the date for the evening).

 

The siblings (and the diploma).

The Frosts.

For those who have 6 minutes and 13 seconds to spare, here's a video from the University of Gothenburg showing some highlights from the ceremony.

Even though I've had my doctoral degree for over a year now, this ceremony truly marked the end of my graduate studies. Icing on the cake!