Moving to Sweden – part 2

Hej everyone! Sorry for the silence but it’s been busy times. Mainly because while I have moved to Sweden, my job hasn’t.

I still work for an Australian company, and due to ‘crossover’ times, it means that I start work at 3 am. That’s right, AM not PM. I’m on night shift! For the next few weeks, it will remain the same.

Will there be a coming blog post about the joys of 3 am working routines? OF COURSE, THERE WILL BE.

Anyhoo:

Day 3 

Just a few days after arriving, we were able to get the keys to our new townhouse. The townhouse we’d just signed on for with a big mortgage, but had never set foot in. The townhouse that looked gorgeous on Google Maps, but that we had never set foot it in. Excited much? You bet.

There had been a welcoming snow storm in the interim which meant that Stockholm was absolutely covered in snow, so our arrival to our new home could not have been more picturesque.

We live down a little laneway with gentle curves, with piles of snow all around. Everyone still had their Christmas lights up, with small little fairy lights that decorated the trees – a real magical winter wonderland.

I felt exactly like Cameron Diaz in ‘The Holiday’ when she was walking down the long laneway to that beautiful house in the Cotswolds.

Exactly like Cameron, except I wasn’t in designer high heels, I was in my knock-off Sketches sneakers that were built for summer and not cute snow-covered laneways in Sweden.

Exactly like Cameron, except I wasn’t dragging designer luggage, I was dragging 3 jetlagged children with me, ‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’

Exactly like Cameron, except that this wouldn’t be a holiday rental, this would be our new home.

And then, we were there. On the laneway looking out at our house, through the overgrown greenery and avalanche of snow, hearts beating, jaws dropping.

Breathtaking!

With a click of a key, we were in. Winter coats off, we all started exploring. Every room was entirely gorgeous, and all I could say was, ‘OH. MAH. GOD’. Safe to say, we loved it! Safe to say my wonderful father-in-law who had been the only family member to actually visit the house and on who’s advice we had purchased it, breathed a big sigh of relief! He’d done good.

Lots of work to do for sure. Lots of work to do! But the bones are there. We are going to do some pretty big renovations, like ripping down a foundation wall, but we could not be happier.

View from the dining room.

So many lovely details and views that stretch to the city below…