Stuck on the way...

After 2,5 days delay from skellefteå we landed 45 minutes ago in stockholm, 15 minutes ahead of schedule. So far so good. Until we got on the bus to go to stockholm. Right before the highway someone had crashed into a traffic sign resulting in the sign falling over the road. The driver took a chance to pass under the sign. And now we are stuck... waiting for fire brigade to come and lift it up.

Moving on south

Now it looks like our holiday in the north part of sweden is coming to an end. After 2,5 days of cancelled flights it looks like we'll be getting on a flight to stockholm this evening and later a flight to tokyo on monday if there is no new volcano outbreak. We've had a fantastic time up in skellefteå with sunshine every day and a lot of fun winter activities as well as relaxing moments.















Linn and Lukas gave the swings a go and practised jumping off them into the snow.















Maki and Kai going downhill with the "bob" (bob sledge?).















Niklas' family out on one of the childrens favourite winter activities in the north, to go with bob sledges after a snow mobile.















Maki and Kai waiting for someone to drill a hole in the ice to do some ice fishing.



















And that someone drilling a hole for them.















Dad with a somewhat lazy style of doing ice fishing.















Maki on the snow mobile with Niklas.















Niklas cooking the dinner using a moruka over open fire.















Out on a walk across the ice with Kai on a sledge. By for now!

Northern light

We are now up in my home town Skellefteå in the north part of Sweden for a holiday. And to prepare, practically and mentally, for the coming move to Sweden. We have had some very nice relaxing days with fantastic weather and daylight stretching through most part of the evenings.














Maki and Kai on the last flight up to Skellefteå, sometime around 22 hours after leaving our house in Ebisu. Kai was truly tired and for the first time ever could fall a sleep easily anywhere without first being carried around.














Next morning we woke up in the "lada" outside mom and dad's house. It's a traditional hay barn that we have furnished as a guest house.














We have visited Skellefteå city and the "Place of possibilities". Don't know all the possibilities the place is named after but it was at least possible to get a decent hamburger from "torggrillen", just like old days. Needless to say, quite a difference from Shibuya-ku. Very, very relaxing though.














Maybe the place of possibilities is not the best way to enjoy a holiday in Skellefteå we thought and went to the ice for a picnic. We've had fantastic weather all week with sun shine and around 5-7 degrees. And yes, this is the perfect way of enjoying a holiday in north part of Sweden!














Kai fast a sleep in the sledge.














A small fire on the ice allows for grilling tasty sausages.














Friends and family coming by the place by the sauna in the small marina in our village for a relaxing time in the sun. Also this sauna is built from a traditional hay barn, just as our guest house at home. Hay barns has been used everywhere in this part of the country and now when there are less farmers and less need for hay they tend to be used for other purpose. In my opinion they are very beautiful.














Kai enjoying the sun on the ice. Later he noticed that snow is very tasty and couldn't get enough of it. His food menu has been kind of one-sided so far and maybe he was happy to find something on the ground that was actually eatable














Kai with "old grandma" Karin in Bygdsiljum. We had a nice day together in her house yesterday.