Kent and I recently visited Stensjö By, north of Oskarshamn. This picturesque village is really worth a visit, surrounded by a very well kept landscape and with several different hikes to offer. The village, which is named after a farm from the 14th century, is situated in a stony landscape, and around the village is a forest, meadows and fields there cows are walking around lazily.
I know this is a bit late, but Malins parents where in Canada for a visit. We did a driving through the Rockies, Okanogan, and had a visit in Edmonton. Everyone seemed to enjoy the trip.
Kent and I and my lovely friend Carolyn spent a day in Banff National Park. It was a gorgeous day, and we were ice skating on beautiful Lake Louise. We also took the opportunity to visit the hot springs near Banff Town. It's an amazing feeling to have a bath in your bikini only in the middle of the winter; soaking in the hot water while admiring the snow covered mountains in the background.
We had a great day!
We have spent the holidays with Malin's family in Kalmar, Sweden and had a great time.
Best Wishes, Everyone!
Kent and Malin
One of the most wonderful things that have happened since we moved to Canada is the birth of Jill and Cam's daughter Sydney Penner. This beautiful, little child was born June 29 2007 at 8.45 pm. Kent and I saw Sydney when she was only fifteen minutes old. The nurse was still washing her, and she was the most adorable, little thing I have ever seen. Her birth weight was as much as 9 pounds and 7 ounces, so she was pretty big at birth. When Kent and I looked into Sydney's big, blue eyes, we knew that we were going to love her forever.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD, SYDNEY!
I was all excited about our first vacation in Canada, when Kent exclaimed that "Malin, you can't have vacation from a vacation! If you don't have a job, you're not on holiday." Well, that makes some sense, but since I didn't have a visa at that time ( still haven't got one ) I simply couldn't work. So we took the opportunity to travel around Canada for a bit, since we had the time. Our first trip led us through northern Alberta to Fort Smith in the North West Territories and down back to Edmonton through Yukon and Northern British Columbia. We actually had a great time! I'll invite you to follow us through our short, but very interesting, road trip by giving you the chance to read extracts from the diary I kept at the time, and by uploading some of the best photos we took. Enjoy!
Thursday 24/5-2007
Campground 60th Parallel Territorial Park, NWT, Canada.
Here we are, in no man's land. We have been driving the whole day from Edmonton to 60th Parallel Territorial park. It feels like we are in the middle of nowhere; we have put up a tent and we are grilling sausages over open fire. They saw a bear just here in forest where we are going to spend the night earlier today; he was nonchalantly strolling around the campground, maybe to find something to eat or just out of curiosity. We can only hope that the smell of our hot dogs won't attract the bear to us! The mosquitoes here are big as bees! It's wonderful weather; it's actually much warmer here than it was in Edmonton. In Calgary and Red Deer, which is much more south, it's snowing right now! Well, it's lovely weather here. Kent is making the sausages over the fire while we are listening to all sorts of sounds from the forest...maybe it's an elk, maybe it's a grizzly...or maybe it's just a noisy, little squirrel...
Friday 25/5-2007
Fort Smith, NWT.
Kent and I arrived to Fort Smith early afternoon after many hours driving through forest. The whole area up to Fort Smith reminds me of Siberia in Russia...tree after tree. It has it's own beauty, I guess.
The biggest reason for us to come all the way up here is Joe and Erin Tomkins. Joe is one of Kent's oldest and best friends, and Erin is Joe's pregnant and very welcoming wife. They have been living here for a few years in their cozy and warm little house. Joe is flying air planes for living up here, and Erin is working in the school. They are both lovely people, and they welcomed us with great warmth.
Saturday 26/5- 2007
Fort Smith, NWT
Not only is Fort Smith famous as a gateway to Wood Buffalo NP; it also hosts some of the world's biggest rapids. Passionate kayakers come here in the summers to enjoy the Slave River and its world class rafting conditions. The fact that the river is the northernmost nesting colony for white pelicans impressed me more than the rapids; it was absolutely delightful to watch these beautiful birds dip and bob in the water!
Sunday 25/7-2007
Fort Smith, NWT
We're spending one last day here in Fort Smith. We went for a walk through the forest to another part of Slave River. We only saw a few white pelicans today, but it was an enjoyable hike with some very peaceful scenery.
Monday 28/5- 2007
Campsite somewhere just outside Nahanni National Park, NWT
Time came to leave Fort Smith and say good bye to Erin and Joe. Although we have been driving most of the day, we have seen quite a lot. Wood Buffalo Park wasn't the most interesting park I ever been to, but the so called " waterfalls route " offered some pretty amazing views. We had a picnic just next to gigantic Alexandra Falls, but the most beautiful waterfall most have been Sambaa Den Falls, thanks to its dramatic surroundings. We have also seen a lot of wildlife, including my first bear sight! How exciting!
Tuesday 29/5-2007
Muncho Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia
We're sitting here next to the campfire, roasting hot dogs over the fire; admiring the emerald green lake which is just next to our campsite. The mountains in the background are covered with a thin layer of snow; the forest around us smell like spring. It is SO beautiful here!
Our day has been great so far. We have seen a lot of wildlife: three black bears ( including one cub ), elk, moose, bison, mountain sheep. Almost unbelievable. I mean, I have never seen a bear in my whole life; now I've seen three in one day. Yea, it's the thought of these bears that are occupying my mind while I am sitting here, listening to the sound of the fire, drinking my tetra wine. What a fantastic day!
Wednesday 30/5-2007
Boya Lake Park, British Columbia
Today was another great day driving around Canada. We have been driving from Muncho Lake Provincial Park ( BC ) through Watson Lake ( Yukon ) back into BC. We have seen small, rolling hills, small mountains, valleys, meadows, forests and lakes...and, surely, lots of wildlife. It sounds to amazing to be true, but I can acknowledge that we have seen eight bears today. In one day. And I met Canadians who never seen a bear in their whole life! Some of them weren't exactly shy, either, which might be a bad sign, I guess. We saw the most of the animals on Alaska Highway. The bears were luring almost everywhere around that highways - the cutest one was a black bear cub who sat on a hill, chewing on a flower.
Now we're at beautiful Boya Lake Camping Ground...it's so nice and peaceful here. Boya Lake is shimmering all sorts of colours; from light turquoise to dark marine blue. The birches are soughing in the wind, the spruce forest surrounding the lake is shimmering in light green colours. Even though the tops of the mountains are covered in a light blanket of powder snow, it's really spring in the air. Let us never forget this moment.
Thursday 31/5-2007
Fraser Lake, British Columbia
Our last night in the woods and the mosquitoes are worse than ever! Big as bees and stubborn as...eh, Kent? Well, we are having a good time anyway, and we're praising whoever invented the mosquito repellent. For Deep Wood, please!
The most exciting thing we saw today was a fox who was walking around the highway. He walked in a very determined way, and we soon realized why. He had his whole mouth full of some kind of rodents; it was absolutely grotesque. We couldn't resist taking a photo, of course!
We're going home to Edmonton tomorrow after a week on the road. We have had a fantastic time, but right now, I'm looking forward for a long, hot shower!
Thank you for your interest!
MALIN
What kind of animal do you buy to a kid which is allergic to both cats and dogs? An African Grey parrot? Well, that's what Art and Susan bought Kent when he was younger, and since they can become 60 years or older, Sly is still around! Apparently, Sly is Kent's bird, but Art is definitely Sly's primarily caregiver nowadays.
The African Grey Parrot is native to Africa and one of the most intelligent birds. This very affectionate companion is almost like a child, which requires both commitment and love. They can get quite shy around strangers if they spend most of their time with one person, and they tend to bond solely with their main caregiver if they don't see other people regularly. And Sly, a very intelligent and emotional little bird, loves Art Barry. It doesn't matter how much attention you give him, if Art's around, no one else matters. However, if Art's not around, both Kent and I validates as "good friends".
One of the most entertaining things about Sly is his capability to talk. He has quite a vocabulary, and he tends to sound like the person that spoke. He can mutter complete sentences when he wants attention! And if he's alone in his cage in the kitchen, he very often screams after "Kent" or "Susan". His voice is so similar to Art's that it's almost a bit eerie. He fooled me into believe that Art's around several time just by imitating his voice unbelievable well. Every once in a while, he cracks a joke, followed by a a laugh so similar to Art's that it's spooky! If he thinks that we are disturbing him at night, he informs us that it's "Time for Bed!", and if the phone calls, Sly answers with either "Hello" or "Pardon". And if he feels a bit hungry, he cries out for "Popcorn!", one of his favorite snacks.
He might be a bit unpredictable at times, but Sly is a charming, affectionate and intelligent African Grey Parrot. And some of us love him like a child...
MALIN
Kent and I spent a day in Copenhagen with Art and Susan. We obviously didn't have time to do a lot of stuff in this city, which has a special part in my heart, but we did go to "Tivoli". Tivoli is a world famous amusement park in the heart of Denmark's capital,and it offers a plethora of venues, rides, amusements and concerts. It's well worth a visit, especially in the summer when the weather is nice and the atmosphere on top.
If anyone missed it: We in Sweden were honoured to have Kent's parents, Art and Susan Barry from Edmonton, Canada, to come and visit us during our time in Sweden. We showed them Kalmar, and also the glas factories around Nybro and Småland, as well as the farmhouse and parts of Öland. It was great that our parents finally got the chance to meet each other, and we had a few great days exploring my part of Sweden.
Art and Sus - thanks for coming!
MALIN
In Picture: Kent's parents Susan and Art having a picnic with Malin's parents in Sweden May 2007.
After travelling the world for a long time, time came to visit Sweden again. It was nice to see my family and friends, and we had a great time. Mum and dad made a great effort to make us feel welcome, and we were indulging ourselves in wonderful, Scandinavian food. Highlights included a trip to Holmen ( a favourite picnic spot of my childhood ), visiting grandmother Lilian, seeing my Auntie Lillan and her husband Bosse in Smedby, my pals Sara and Jose in Emmaboda and a short visit to the picturesque town Växjö and our old farmhouse in Fåglasjö. I also went out clubbing with my Swedish friends for the first time in two years! Sandra Rules! Yea, we had a good time...and as always with good times...it passes to quickly.
In Picture: Peter, Maggan and Malin at one of their favourite spots, Holmen.
Well, we haven't been there good at updating our homepage lately, but we are still here! In the coming few days, we are going to try to give you an update of our latest adventures in Sweden but especially in Canada. Yes, we are finally in Canada! After almost a year of travelling, it's nice to finally settle down and be in one place for more than a few days. We have done a bit of travelling within the country though, and we are eager to tell you all about it...So keep your eyes open the following days, and we'll try to write as much as we can about our life here in Canada!
Malin and Kent
Finally back in my home country after nine months travelling around the world! God, does it feel good!
We flew from London to Kastrup, Copenhagen. From Kastrup, we took the train to one of Sweden's biggest city - Malmo. We spent a few hours in a city there I used to spend 6 weeks a year during my high school studies, and we fully enjoyed the time in this great city.
In Picture: Malmo is the commercial centre of southern Sweden, and also one of Sweden's most international cities.
After spending about three hours in Malmo, we took we train to the town I was born in - Kalmar. Mum grated us with flowes at the train station, and my parents made us a great " welcome back " - dinner, consisting of tacos. Yummi!
In Picture: Finally back in Sweden with my wonderful parents! Good, does that feel good! And tacos as well! Can it be much better?
MALIN
We just had to go back and visit Chiswick. We lived in our cozy, little flat on 5 Chiswick Lane for just over a year, and I loved that area. The first thing we did was to go and have a large glas of wine and a pint of Guinness at the Packhorse - for old memories sake! The same old men that just to sit there a year ago were still sitting there. Same table, same pint of Guinness. "Hello Darling!", one of them exclaimed. " Hello Sir, " I answered, smile in my rosy face.
We also walked by our old flat, admired the new brasserie and went for a walk through flourishing Chiswick Park and by the Convent. It was so nice. I suddenly remembered why I love London so much, and how much fun Kent and I had when we lived there. Old memories, good memories. It was something in the air that day. Something that made me nostalgic, dreaming, happy...Maybe it was the thought of the first dinner party Kent and I housed in our studio flat for our friends. Maybe it was the memories of my warm and loving residents at the convent. Maybe it was the smell from the trees and the flowers in the park; or the recognition from the old man in the pub. Whatever it was, it made me happy. And it made me realize that sometimes you have to value the small things in your life. You can travel around the world, or you can stay where you are and enjoy what you have around you. Family and friends. Your favourite cinema. The daffodils in the park or the lillies in the forest. Your favourite mug in your kitchen. Your first ( or last ) kiss, a hug from your loving wife or husband.
It's the small things that will make you happy. When you think back of your life, you are not going to think of the Great Wall of China or the Terracotta Army - may it be fantastic. You are going to remember the first time your boyfriend made you a dinner, the first time your girlfriend took your hand, the first smile you got from whoever you choose to love. And I think that's what London and Chiswick brought back to me this time. ( Not that I am very old, not just yet...) I remembered when I met Kent the very first time in that Pizza Take Away place. Tops Pizza. How he invited me to his house; and our second meeting in Notting Hill Pub. Followed by numerous trips around England and London. I remembered how I used to take my bag of laundry to take the 98 followed by 207 to Newton Av, Acton, to spend my weekends with my darling. How sad I was when I had to go back to Sweden. How happy I was when he came to celebrate New Years Eve with me in Kalmar with Kalle and Georgia. And how nervous and excited I was when I finally came back to London to live with Kent. Good times followed by a wonderful trip around the world. Who would have guessed?
Thank You, London!
MALIN
In Picture: One of Kent and Malin's first trips went to the fantastic city Edinburgh. They
had just met in London and were madly in love...
It was so weird to go back to London. Weird, because it was like time had been standing still. Same hassle at Heathrow, same bizarre crowd waiting for the tube, same issues in the paper ( Will Harry go to Iraq? Oh Dear Lord, teenage girls seem to enjoy binge drinking! Is it to late to save the world from environmental issues? ). So little has changed that it's almost refreshing! Dear, old London - I have missed you so much!
London hasn't changed a lot, nor have our friends Bailey and Karin. They are still much the same - as friendly and hospitable as they always been. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you guys for all good food you cooked, and for letting us stay in your flat for the days we spent in the world's most inspiring capital.
MALIN
I could use so many superlatives for our trip in South Africa - gorgeous, dazzling and wonderful will have to be enough to describe our time in this exotic country. Nico and Leanne's wedding was both romantic and fun - Leanne was probably the best bride ever. Both the bride and the groom have absolutely great parents. Ricki, Nico and Rayween are all great persons, with a wonderful sense of humour and a terrific appetite for life. It was so nice to get to know you! All Leanne's friends and relatives from NZ are wonderful persons as well - Jenny, you are such a cool " Auntie ", and Libby is sweet as pie! Sam, Hayden, Steve and Steven...Mario, Gary, Carien...Riaan and the Kinghorns...
We will miss you all so much!
Carien - thanks for joining us in the car for the two weeks we spent in Africa. We fully enjoyed your company. You are an independent, beautiful, charismatic, intelligent person, and I will miss you a lot. All the best for the future, and thanks for many laughs in the car - and for your ability to spot both big and small animals in the Kruger...well, especially small? Think of me every time you eat a papaya salad at Koh Samui's wonderful, sandy beaches.
Gary - you are such a great and generous person. I hope you will enjoy every minute of your trip in the wild and vast Africa. Think of me every time you see a giraffe, and of Kent every time you see a leopard. I still think your mum was so brave when she went in petting that cheetah. Take care, and good luck spotting the gorillas!
Last - Nico and Leanne. Thank you so much for planning this trip, and for being responsible for all the joy we have experienced together. Without you guys, this would not have happened. You must have put in so much effort in making the schedule and all the bookings. You should know that we are all both grateful and impressed by your huge efforts! Kent and I wish you a long and happy life together!
All of you are very, very welcome to visit us in Canada!
Lots of Love,
MALIN AND KENT
In picture: Enjoying a last meal together in Tsitsikamma National Park
Look what we caught a glimpse of in Tsitsikamma National Park!
Do you wonder what it is? Well, we did that at first too!
The so called Dassie Rat is an African rodent that lives in rocky outcroppings. This rat, which weighs about 170 - 300 gram, has a squirrel like body and a long, hairy tail. I usually hate rats passionately, but the Dassie is actually sort of cute...well, as long as I don't have have to have any of these rodents in my house, of course.
And yes, they are as big as they look...
MALIN
In the end of the tourist region called "the Garden Route", you'll find this lovely, little place on earth - Tsitsikamma National Park. This 80 km long park consists of " Swedish / Canadian " - evergreen forest, but it's the spectacular coast line and the dramatic ocean that is of most interest. Dolphins and whales are luring in the mighty water, and the accommodation consist of lovely, picturesque cabins situated almost by the shore.
We spend the evenings together in front of a fire, enjoying barbecues and each other's company. We are a group of people that goes so unbelievable well together. I can't help but getting a bit sad that this soon will be over...We have had some fantastic weeks together here in South Africa, and we have been such a great group. Soon our trip together will be over, but I am sure we will see each other in the future. In Canada, Sweden, England, New Zealand, South Africa or wherever.
Kent, Haiden and Carien in Tsitsikamma National Park
MALIN
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