Lovely Outliers

One of the best people I have ever worked with sent me a message a few months ago that she was itching to jump on a plane and go on an adventure. She is the sort of adventurous person who has her passport on the ready, just in case a last minute opportunity jumps up. I was so thrilled to welcome her to Stockholm and to share with her this corner of my world.

She arrived carrying all the important supplies for a great week – so many snacks, beauty supplies, and helpful literature. 

Unfortunately, I was also a tiny bit swamped at work during her visit, and a few important PhD deadlines had leapt up. But Despina was incredibly patient with my neurotic stressing, and happily did solo exploring while I barricaded myself in the office, frantically pounding out work. She ended up getting to enjoy a SPECTACULAR Stockholm autumn and ended up probably seeing more things that I have in this city!

Thankfully, I was able to escape responsibility to do a bit of wandering with her. One of the important destinations was to wander through the old city, Gamla Stan.  Leisurely wandering the picturesque parts of town, both above and below ground. We left the heart of the city on Sunday, taking the bus to the picturesque and serene Hellasgarden. Here we got naked and enjoyed a few hours of sauna, which included leaping into this very cold (but very refreshing) lake between sweat sessions.

No matter where we turned on this trip, Despina’s greek heritage found her:We ended up finding our way back to Hellasgarden later that week and checked out some of the beautiful hiking trails, hung out with livestock in a picturesque pasture, and discovered the sport of soccer/football golf. Before she was allowed to leave the country, I made sure Despina had the chance to sample the local cuisine, including fried herring, lingon berries, so many mashed potatoes, and, of course, Swedish meatballs. I hope you enjoyed your taste of Sweden! (sorry for being such a stress-ball!) ❤

xox