The following day we explored a bit around where we were staying, which included visiting a “viewing-farm”.
Wednesday 27 March 2024
Outside the Museum of Technology in Stockholm, as we were leaving after a good visit.
The day began with a look out the windows at the stereotypical Swedish houses surrounding our AirBnb. I later learned that you are not free to paint your house in just any color, your neighbors may have a say, particularly in close quarters, and you need to get permission to change.
The car was doing fine, but with driving in our future, I decided to top it off with a bit of e-juice at the local mall. This one accepted a credit card entered at a website, no app required, but the parking garage needed a payment app.
Mom tagged along, and showed me the “fancy” cafe in the mall. We both had the avocado and hummus on rye bread, it was quite nice!
Back at home base, about to head to the city.
Trees you just don’t find in Iceland. This was close to KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology. Anna only has one year left of her BS studies in bio/health-engineering, but to become an engineer in Iceland (it’s a job title protected by law here) you need to finish a MS degree. We’re encouraging her to do her master’s abroad, and the Nordic countries are likely to be her destination.
I can’t remember if Google maps led us astray, or if I misread the map, but we found ourselves outside the US Embassy, which has closed the end of the street it’s on, creating a cul-de-sac. So, we we had to make an undignified u-turn, and marveled at the very sizeable security measures around the embassy. I guess it makes the weirdly fortified appearance in Iceland look tame in comparison?
The long way around to the Museum of Technology.
We had to go the long-way-around the area, and saw this building in the distance.
Driving past the US embassy again, rolling our eyes (politely) at the roadblock.
Finally, we made it to the technology museum, and I got to install yet-another-parking-payment-app.
First order of business was to feed Emma, who found herself starving. The other three gallivanted off to somewhere.
By an AI-designed, and machined sculpture. The AI network had been trained on work by some of the old masters.
They called it “The impossible statue.”
The AI didn’t do a great job on the ages, but the facial expression-reads were pretty good.
A gorgeous glassed room full or communications-equipment had a fun game in it. This was the starting point.
Running back and forth to collect clues hidden in the displays. At one point I had to teach her how binary numbers worked. Not sure if it stuck, but it was used in flagging systems.
We opened the treasure chest!
Sweden now has a lot of game/multimedia-companies. This one room showed many of the designs.
Computering.
I found Finnur playing space invaders!
It was getting late in the day, everyone was tired, so the kids spent some time playing on a PS together.
Consoles on display.
We were all both tired and hungry, so we found a place to eat lots of protein.
Protein, yes please.
The local mall.
Fed and happy, walking to the parking lot, after a good day.
Thursday 28 March 2024
Our house and its yard.
After the busy day the day before, this one was marked as “calm”.
Stretching our legs a bit, walking to the lake “behind” our house, passing a large artificial turf used for soccer/football practices.
Swedish houses being Swedish.
Another one, slightly less Swedish.
A pier, of sorts.
There was a thin layer of ice still on the lake.
Having fun walking back and forth.
The lake is loooong and skinny.
Peaceful. That blue house is a boat-rental.
Another house.
Somebody lost a boat!
Another lost boat.
A pair of ducks hiding.
Hard to get more Swedish!
At this point I opened up Strava, and saw that there were no path turn off-s for a long while, it was just this long path along the lake. So we turned back.
Legs stretched.
First cousins.
The weather was nice, so a few of us wanted to bike to a nearby farm. The others drove.
Pulling our old bike-trailer. It’s sure come in handy over the years!
The two other bikers.
The path through the trees was pretty.
Then we decided to take the shortest mapped path, which turned out to a skinny planked thing! The trailer kept falling off the sides…!
