Day 10 (Tio): IKEA and some nightswimming...

We started the day (meaning: we left the apartment at lunchtime) with a free shuttle bus to IKEA, about 20 minutes outside the city center. The kids were wondering why there weren't any planes to watch take off until I told Lincoln that not all IKEAs are built around airports like they are in idyllic Newark, N.J. As for the Swedish home store herself, well, there are few words, at least not with vowels. The Mothership is five stories (three above ground, 2 below) with everything you can buy in the U.S. plus a whole lot more that gets trialed here and then exported internationally. Carey bought a bag of stuff she can stuff into nooks and crannies in our homeward-bound luggage -- shoe horns and kitchen towels and spatulas. I'm proud of her for resisting the chaise lounge-like chair that folded flat for storage but popped up in the back for beachgoing.

Although it would have come in handy during the second part of our day, which was an evening excursion to one of the King's beaches -- meaning it's on government land and protected -- Brunnsviken. The water was lovely, the beach was sandy, and Dad, they had a floating dock that puts ours to shame. It was floating on six large plastic basins that were screwed into the bottom of the frame every inch or so. I'm not sure what they put inside of them -- must be something or they'd just fill up with water? Anyway, it was sturdy and clean and the kids loved it. I saw two topless women, but one of them was nursing, so I don't think that counts. The other was changing out of her swimsuit, not swimming. Happily, I saw at least two men with bigger guts than me. We enjoyed a very half-Swedish, half-American meal of hot dogs, asparagus dipped in béarnaise, fried halloumi cheese, carrot sticks and chips. The first three were cooked at home in advance. I didn't get the good camera out much, so here are a few mostly phone shots.

Tomorrow is our last full day here and I'm not sure what's on the agenda. That's what happens when you spend six days in one city! It's ours now!