So we have been home for 9 days or so and I have been busy but had time to blog and just haven't. Not sure why I am so uninspired. I have so much to blog about France and Israel and want to do it while it is fresh so stay tuned. I am still organizing and trying to sort out my thoughts an feelings on those places, especially Israel. I have been putting together a thank you newsletter that I am going to send out and will post here as well. Now that we really are in the homestretch I am romanticizing a bit about everything I appreciate here and the things that I really do love. Many of these things are mentioned in my blog. Helping my current feeling is that the weather has been clear, crisp and sunny. Just like autumn should be. While I am all about summer and understand the benefits and why summer here in Sweden is so beloved, I have to say that I actually think the spring and autumn has nicer weather. There are things I am looking forward to at home however. Consistent customer service is high on my list. You can get it here...like at Java Tehuset in Lund. It just isn't consistent from place to place. You never know what you are going to get. I spend way more on tea there than at the grocery just becuase of the fantastic service. I also am looking forward to fresher veggies and fruits. It isn't everywhere that it is bad here. The farmers market on the square is great. Larger grocery stores are great and have a wide (albeit overpriced) produce section. It is our local Netto that specializes in the poor produce. I have gotten carrots at home in the States and had them in my fridge for 4 months. Here they rot after 4 days. The dismal selection and the quality would turn any die hard vegitarian in to a carnivore. Never shop there on a Sunday. What I have figured is that it is too expensive to have employees over the weekend and must violate some allamansrett regarding work. So they just let the store go. No restocking, no cleaning, no employees, and no service. The germs you could collect off the carry baskets are surely a blue ribbon 5th grader science project somewhere. Just someone to make sure you pay. As soon as they can get a machine (and the labor unions) to agree they will have no employees. I took my mom over to Willy's, the local discount grocer, on a Sat evening when she was here. The place looked like a battle zone. Trash everywhere, messy, and barely any groceries especially in the produce. She was shocked. They must be saving on lighting by having it so flourescently lit but someone has to tell them that it is depressing the employees becuase they are about as charming as iguanas. So while I am sad to be leaving the neighborhood here I won't be missing the local grocery.
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2 comments:
Please post your opinion on Israel when you have a chance. I was there at the end of 95, a week before the bomb was set off on that bus in Jerusalum which was the start of this spiral of violence since. I'm anxious to hear how the country/city has changed. It was so wonderful back then.
Ikea openned in PDX. Mathieu is addicted to fish spread in a tube. We can definitely handle more stuff in the tube.
I loved this post! Amen about the grocery stores. One time I went back to the grocery store I visited often while living in Utah. I nearly cried when I saw how clean, organized, stocked it was. Then I got to the check-out stand and the cashier was kind and helpful. My groceries were bagged and I was helped out to my car. Such service. And with kids, it is always appreciated.
Hope you get to those reflections about Paris and Israel. Soemtimes it can be hard to put all those thoughts to "computer screen". Especially about Israel. There was so much I thought of during my own trip. But sometimes, it was just too overwhelming!
Hope you are getting settled in.
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