Sunday afternoon with Lisa

On Sunday I went down to Gamla Stan and spent some time with Lisa 2. We lounged by the lakeside with a view of the city hall, and watched people and boats pass by while we chatted.

After a while, we walked up to Järntorget and had a cup of coffe at Sundberg's Café. The sun was shining, and I captured some fun photos of Lisa as she tried to hide from the camera.

After finishing our coffee, we walked across the bridge to Södermalm with the intention of going up the the walkway atop the cliffs overlooking Södermälarstrand. However, Lisa realized that she needed to run some errands, so we went shopping instead. I had been expecting to go climbing later in the afternoon with Åsa R., so I had a backpack full of climbing gear with me. I must have looked like a real tourist walking down Götgatan with a giant backpack on my back. A while later, Åsa called and said she wouldn't be able to come climbing. So I had lugged 15 kg around the whole city for naught. Oh well, I guess at least I got some exercise. With climbing off the agenda, I was free to hang out with Lisa a while longer.

Once Lisa had bought the items she needed, we walked down to Skanstull and then continued down to the dock by the water where I had gone swimming with Linnea & Kamilla a couple of weeks ago.

_MAL0856.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

The rain began to fall just as we sat down by the water's edge, so there was no swimming this day. The storm clouds did look impressive though, so I snapped a photo. I posted a total of seven photos from the afternoon.

Friday evening 'after-work' with Lisa

Friday evening I took the subway down the Medborgarplatsen and met Lisa 2. We walked across the square and down to Tegelhuset, a nice and cozy place that offers a bit more solitude and greener surroundings than the noisy establishments directly on the sqare.

Oh, it occurs to me that this might be a neologism for you folks not residing in Sweden: When Swedes get together for drinks after the end of the workday, they call it an 'after-work,' using the term as a noun. This usage doesn't seem to exist in any English speaking countries, despite the fact that it's an English term. Interstingly, Swedes also say 'after-ski,' while Americans say 'après-ski.' Oh well; people are strange. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the 'after-work' at Tegelhuset...

Lisa and I sat at a table outside under an umbrella and some tall trees. We chatted over a couple of beers and had a great conversation. After a while, the sun went behind the trees and the temerature dropped noticably. Luckily for us there were space heaters hanging from the umbrella above the table, so we stayed warm.

I've only known Lisa for a few months, but I've already come to think of her as a good friend. She's definitely a kindred spirit, and is much more outgoing than the average Swede. She lived abroad for a time, so perhaps that explains it. Or maybe she was outgoing even before, and it was partly due to her extroverted and friendly nature that she had the guts to embark on her international adventures. Whatever the reason, she's my kind of person and I always enjoy spending time with her.

_MAL9696.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

On the way home, I struck up a conversation with a cute girl who was listening to an iPod and standing next to me in the subway station. Her name is Emilia and she's a fashion design student. We chatted for the few minutes that it took to go from Östermalmstorg to Tekniska Högskolan. She will go to New York City in October to study. I didn't have time to give her my contact information. I should really get some personal calling cards printed for this sort of occasion.

Here are all 14 photos from the day.