Finnhamn with friends

August 5-7, 2014

Disclaimers - 

You may notice below there are mostly photos of the kids...  no photos of the adults in their swimsuits.  This is by design to preserve our friendships... also, what happens on Finnhamn stays on Finnhamn!

Additionally, so you don't get the wrong idea we had a great time on our archipelago adventure... it ranks in the Top Ten all time favorite days in John Dameron's experiences and in Jerilyn's Top Ten list from this vacation...

We arrived in Finnhamn in two groups via boat and ferry and checked in.  For the kids and some adults it was a first exposure to staying in a hostel.  We had three rooms with two sets of bunk beds each.  Community bathroom... interesting to see who walks around in their underwear or towel.  Showers and sinks were salt water, drinking water was available at the community kitchen sink.

'I regret agreeing to this' - Ella

'I can't wait to get to a real place with a real shower!' - Audra

the hostel

Dinner was at the only restaurant on the island - lamb, cod and fried pork (bacon) with potatoes, pancakes for the kids.  The restaurant, thankfully, is excellent! After dinner each night our waiter was kind enough to give us a bag of ice for our nightcaps.  We did get shushed one night (at 11pm) as we sat outside talking at a picnic table.... the kids thought this was funny.  Breakfast at the hostel was typical European style - yogurt, fruit, breads, cereals, muesli, hard boiled eggs, coffee, tea, juice - from 7-10am.

first night dinner

view from the restaurant/bar top deck

Gordon had ordered linens for our rooms and had been told linens would be in our rooms when we arrived.  We thought they had made our beds for us... until we realized (the next morning) that we had all slept on the mattress, pillow and comforter without linens.  We immediately got proper linens at reception for our second night. 

We spent our one full day on Finnhamn planted on the little sandy beach, swimming, talking, playing, picnicking.  After a summer spent traveling and working it was the most relaxing, fun day!  The second day Jerilyn was able to reserve four kayaks for a few hours (reservations should be made well in advance of your arrival). 

Gordon, the girls and I returned to Stockholm on our boat for the next leg of our group adventure, Amsterdam.  Gordon and the girls took a taxi to the airport.  The rest of the group returned by ferry, I picked up Jerilyn, Dan, John, Ben, Ella and Zeke in the car and dropped them at the airport.  Lynda, Jen and I had one more night in Stockholm before catching a 6:30am flight the next morning. 

'I thought I was going to whine all day, but I'm not!' - Ella

little playground outside the hostel

climbing and sliding off the rocks into the water, Lynda invented sliding on the Frisbee into the water

afternoon snack - the brave tried Kalles caviar... think equivalent to USA Spam!

all cleaned up for dinner the second night

the kid table

John and Gordon at the grown up table

post dinner play

small Finnhamn harbour and...

Finnhamn marina

do not anchor - cable/pipe

Ikea Through the Ages

 More than you ever wanted to know about... 

IKEA = 

 Ingvar Kamprad (founder) Elmtaryd (farm where he grew up) Agunnaryd 

(his hometown)

IKEA has been an innovative business in design and efficiency from the very beginning.  Following is a snapshot of this company's incredible history (Dan and I became even bigger fans after our trip to IKEA's hometown!)

IKEA by numbers -

• uses 1% of the world's wood supply, only Home Depot and Lowe's use more
• Roughly 332 giant stores in 41 countries
• employs 150,000 people
• 690 million visitors in 2012 (more than double the USA population)
• Due to increased efficiency. IKEA has lowered it's prices by an average of 2% each year since 2000
• $2 billion annually in food sales
• 150 million meatballs sold annually
• One BILLY bookshelf sold every 10 seconds
• 85% of IKEA's products are in all stores world wide
• 60 million hinges used annually
• There are more copies of the IKEA catalog than copies of the Bible

IKEA Timeline -

• 1943 - 17 year old Ingvar Kamprad buys bulk items in Stockholm, sells them at a discount (ball point pens, cigarette lighters, nylons, etc.)
  

  

  original IKEA logo

• 1948 - furniture added to IKEA's offerings
• 1951 - first catalog
• 1953 - first furniture showroom opened in Älmhult

  

  IKEA Business Idea - We shall offer a wide range of well-designed functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.

• 1956 - flat pack/self assembly concept created (easier to transport), IKEA starts to design its own furniture 

1956 - the Lovet table is the first flat-packed piece of IKEA furniture, reintroduced two years ago

• 1960 - first IKEA restaurant opened after Mr. Kamprad noticed people would shop but leave without buying anything because they were hungry, good call! 
• 1965 - long lines because warehouse employees could not fill customer orders fast enough so the self-serve furniture warehouse is introduced in order to supply items to customers more quickly - immediate success!
• 1973 - first IKEA store opens outside Scandinavia in Switzerland

  

  1970's IKEA logo - played off the Swedish elk/moose and viking heritage

  

  1970's IKEA logos - Bullwinkle anyone?!

• 1985 - first USA IKEA opens in Philadelphia
• 1994 - aired the first major national TV ad to portray a gay relationship
• 1997 - childrens IKEA products introduced
• 2010 - IKEA Tillsammans (Through the Ages) opens
  
  

1950's IKEA furniture

IKEA - 1960 MANHATTAN cocktail cabinet

1960's IKEA - in stores currently as a powder coated metal outdoor chair

1964 IKEA chair

1967 - design brought back and currently in stores

1960's IKEA furniture

late 1960's IKEA

1970's IKEA

1970's IKEA

1980's IKEA

1980's IKEA

1990's IKEA

2000's IKEA

2000's IKEA

Miscellaneous IKEA trivia -

• Because Mr. Kamprad is dyslexic he thought it was easier to keep track of products with names rather than numbers - beds - Norwegian places names, sofas - Swedish towns, kitchen tables - Finnish names, chairs - male first names, rugs - Danish locations, etc.
• IKEA is building its own town near London - shops, schools, theaters, hotel and flat pack housing for 6,000 people
• IKEA is owned by a non-profit foundation founded by Mr. Kamprad in 1982 making it, technically, a charity, which means none of it's profits are taxed.... hmm. For a more extensive/complicated (and not so flattering explanation) of IKEA's corporate arrangement check out this Mental Floss article. 

Back to School

Monday, August 18 - Gabby started 8th grade at the Stockholm International School, Audra (5th grade) and Sofia (2nd grade) started the next day. 

What a difference a year makes!  Last year at this time we knew no one in Stockholm and were busy figuring out where to buy indoor shoes and rain gear.  This year we arrived with indoor shoes on the first day and knew our way around.

Here in Sweden it's easier to accept getting back to school because the summer heat wave has passed and it feels a bit like autumn with a chill in the morning air!

Homage to Ikea

Back before it was a global phenomenon our friend, Dan Brown, was introduced to IKEA and was instantly smitten.  What started on a lark became a quest.  He visited IKEA wherever he traveled -

   1.  Seattle, Washington - his very first
   2.  Emeryville, California (San Francisco area)
   3.  San Diego, California
   4-7.  Greater Los Angeles area (4)
   8.  Dallas, Texas
   9.  Sunrise, Florida (Fort Lauderdale area)
  10.  Tampa, Florida
  11.  College Park, Maryland (Baltimore area)
  12.  Stoughton, Massachusetts (Boston area) - during construction
  13.  New Haven, Connecticut
  14.  Manchester, New Hampshire
  15.  Elizabeth, New Jersey
  16.  Paramus, New Jersey
  17-20.  Greater Toronto area (4)
  21.  Montreal Quebec
  22.  Barcelona, Spain - one day before grand opening
  23.  Atlanta, Georgia - special pass on friends and family day
  24.  Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  25.  Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

  .....then we moved to Sweden

I couldn't bear the thought that Dan had come all the way to Sweden and would not see the Home of Ikea so on Monday, August 4, the two of us drove 481km (or 299 miles) one way to take a few photos, eat some meatballs and shop.

  26.  Stockholm, Sweden - World's largest and only round IKEA
  27.  Linköping, Sweden (halfway between Stockholm and Älmhult)
  28.  Älmhult, Sweden - HQ

Dan's requirements for an official IKEA visit -

• Picture taken in front of IKEA
• Eat Swedish meatballs (or in a pinch, buy the frozen meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce to go)
• Buy something

proof that we were in the hometown of IKEA

LOVE the giant allen wrench in front of the IKEA Distribution Center

requirement #1 - the (new) original IKEA store selfie

IKEA in Sweden has it's own light and dark beer

requirement #2 - Swedish meatballs

the original, original store... closed last year

newly opened, IKEA Through the Ages (museum)

yes, there's even an IKEA Hotel

Dan and Gabby in front of the IKEA Kungens Kurva - World's Largest IKEA (opened in 1965)

cheating a bit... no time in the schedule for meatballs, ate hotdogs instead

Stay tuned for full coverage of IKEA Through the Ages...

Stockholm Pride

The first week of August is Pride week across Europe and at various times Stockholm has been named the gay friendliest city on the planet... definitely the case at 7-11 in Ostermalm where they set up a Wedding Chapel and their sign says 'open for all' and reads -

It is only you that defines your love. No other sets its limits, rules, scope and range. You decide how you are going to love, whom, how many, how long and when. You declare your love. It's just yours.

No matter for whom your heart beats, strike a blow for everyone's right to love. Come in and celebrate your love!

Very cool, happy to live in such a great city!

Stockholm Whirlwind

Or how to do Stockholm in three and a half days with 13 people....

Saturday - August 2, 2014

• Airport and Arlanda Express pickups at noon
• Lunch at home
• Watch Pride parade for an hour or so (one kid naps at home) - parade goes on for about five hours!
  
  
  
  

• Ice cream in Ostermalmstorg

yes, Sofia has (temporary) red hair

• Quick walk and happy hour at Strandbryggan with Lynda and Jen

this became Lynda's favorite place... she could be found here once a day

the view from Strandbryggan

• Dinner at home

business as usual, feeding the herd... we look very old-school in this photo with Gordon and John at the heads of the table... hope they didn't get too attached to that idea!

Sunday - August 3

• John, Lynda, Jen, O'Jer, Dan, Nancy have lunch at Flickorna

• Meet Gordon with six kids (Gabby, Ben, Audra, Ella, Zeke and Sofia) at the Abba Museum boat tour.  The boat tour travels around the island of Djurgarden telling the story of Abba in their heyday.  The boat tour was underwhelming but the adults who went on said the museum was great and the kids would have liked that more.

lovely views of Strandvagen from the boat tour

• After the boat tour John, Lynda, Jen, O'Jer, Dan and Gordon go on to the Abba Museum

  

  though the kids didn't go in the museum I got them to pose for this

• Nancy and six kids get ice cream, walk to SIS to show Ben, Ella and Zeke the girls' school
• Gabby and Ben go see 'Fault in Our Stars' and have dinner

  

  Gabby and Ben kill time waiting for the movie to start by taking these photos...

  

  they finally realized they were in the wrong theater, when they found the correct one the only two seats left were theirs (you reserve your seats when buying movie tickets in Sweden)
• Nancy, Audra, Ella, Zeke and Sofia walk through Tunnelgatan to get home

Tunnelgatan - nice and cool with great acoustics!

• John, Gordon and Jen go to the Skepparholmen Art and Music Festival for the rest of the day (Neil Young headlined)
• Lynda, Dan, O'Jer and Nancy sit around the kitchen eating crayfish (not Nancy) and decide to learn how to sing the Swedish drinking song Helan Går while drinking Aquavit 

 

Monday - August 4

• Dan and Nancy make a crazy 10 hour round trip drive to Älmhult to visit the home of Ikea (more on that later)
• Gordon, John and Lynda take six kids to Grona Lund for the day

John, Ben, Gab and Gordon - Free Fall ride

 

• O'Jer and Jen spend an enriching day visiting Langholmen and the Nobel Museum 

Tuesday - August 5

• O'Jer makes Zeke's dream come true and takes him to the Army Museum one block away while the other 11 people in the house try to get their act together
• O'Jer, Jen, John, Lynda, Ben, Ella and Zeke all visit the Vasa Museum

  

  lunch at Stranbryggan after the Vasa

• O'Jer and Jen squeeze in a visit to the Spritmuseum (Spirit Museum)
• Nancy and Gabby take Dan to the world's largest (and round) Ikea at Kungens Kurva
  
• 16:00 at the public dock on Strandvagen, Gordon picks up Lynda, John, the six kids and literally a boat load of supplies
• 17:00 O'Jer, Dan, Jen and Nancy hop on the ferry (Cinderella I) to Finnhamn
  
  
  
  

Even though we had just spent two full weeks, 24/7 with the Damariaons we were so excited to have them, O'Jer, Dan and Jen visit five days after we returned from the USA.  We wished we had more time to show them Stockholm and are hoping they will return!