Gamla Linköping

We have that wonderful breakfast again. Then we get Karli at 10 PM. She has a hair appointment today.

We go to Gamla Stan before the apt. It is so interesting. It would be nice to come back when more things are open and it is nicer for walking around and seeing things. We go through a museum that tells the history of Gamla Stan. Gamla Stan means Old Town in English. Evidently the townspeople wanted to make a center town area for shops and walking streets like so many towns have. They moved all the older buildings out and re-created the town on other property. That is what we are viewing. We go into the central store. We buy some tea and some wooden spoons and post cards. We just don't have time to see any buildings much and it is nearing the time of Karli's apt. so we take off.

Karli's appointment in right down in the center of town on the walking street. We were on the phone with Karli when she was walking here back in November, trying to decide which shop to use for her hair. Now we see where she was and see all the different hair salons there are. Arvid and I shop around while she is there. The center area has some booths set up with people selling things. We buy Arvid some gloves, a wool head band, and a poster. Amazing that they still have this kind of outdoor market in the winter!

That is one thing thing that surprises us about Swedish people. It doesn't matter that it is winter. They are out in full force. I mean it, old, young, strollers, walkers, bikes, everyone is here like it is a mild summer day! This is true of every day, no matter where we are. More people are walking on the streets or with their baby strollers than I have ever seen in my life. Winter? What winter? They don't change their love of activity for weather at all.

Coffee? Of course! We go have coffee and wait for Karli to call us and say she is done with the hair apt. I have been buying chai tea a lot here. They have different ways for you to buy it. Loose leaf tea is very popular. Sometimes they put it in a basket that sits on your cup of water. Sometimes they put it in a tea basket like spoon. Very rarely do you get a tea bag. Sometimes there will be larger containers that are labeled with a certain types of teas. In the container, there will be the spoon-baskets with that kind of tea already filled in it. Clever. We buy a pastry too.

Karli comes and we go back out to the market in the square. She lost a glove when we were at Lucia and it has not turned up yet. She buys some great ones at a super price. Ok. It's not quite 2 yet so we have to get some lunch before they changes the prices or close up. We give pizza one last chance. We find this cute place and Karli and I have a Honolulu pizza, her fav. It is ham, pineapple and banana! Yum.

Karli has her exam tomorrow. She has a study time planned with a friend so we take her back after lunch. First we take her to Hem Köp at Ryd. It is such beautiful food store. I judge all stores by the quality of their produce departments. This one is A+. They are displayed so nicely and are so fresh looking. We buy a few mandarin oranges and some apples for the trip. We buy some cookies too, to help Arvid in case he gets sleepy on our drive to Dalarna. The candy aisles are enormous. They also have take-out food that looks so good.

Arvid and I go back to Scandic. We both start getting sleepy. This is not good. We decide to go back to town and walk around the centrum area to wake up. We shop around a bit. The walking street has some beautiful shops on them. Down one area, it is very lit up. It is like it is daylight. Reminded me of Disneyland. Don't know why, the bright lights? the cleanliness? the cute shops?

We stop at a lovely coffee shop. They are a bakery too. Coffee, chai tea and a pastry. Can't argue with that.

Okay, it is now a reasonable time to get back and possibly sleep. We go back to the hotel and turn in for the night.