So we made it to Sverige and had a very busy week of preparing for practice, setting up our apartment, shopping, practicing, filmwork, and a little entertainment. The biggest surprise so far has been the level of deliciousness of the food. Those that claimed the food would be less satisfying were blowin smoke, because we eat lunch each day at a local restaurant, Ditt Matstalle, and they've cooked a versatile spread that rivals the food I've tasted in both Austria and Spain. So as we get further and further into this trip we can be sure that the food will be one of the high points rather than something that would potentially hold us back.Hit rewind and we'll see how the trip over was. The flight from San Fransisco was nothing short of entertaining. We asked for champagne to celebrate the occasion, the flight attendant quickly responded that they don’t
offer champagne on our deck, and followed it up by mentioning to us (in his british accent) that we should have, “tried a little harder in school.” And then closed with a hearty chuckle. We made it to Heathrow airport in one piece, a little for the weary and relaxed until excitement bursted when an identical match of harry potter saundered past. Mary mentioned, “he even had his little thing tied right here (motioning to where his string met at his throat) and the rest was flowing like a cape.” (no photo for evidence). 
Landing in Sweden was not what I had anticipated. There is a vast amount of open farmland interspersed with large groves of evergreens. Not a single mountain as far as the eye could see. The weather was pleasant enough for us to take off our jackets while toting our excess bags, after all… we are American, from one terminal to the next. This was an extremely promising situation, because Mary and I had been adopting the mindset that we would be overly cold for the next month or so, with the remainder of the snowmelt in southern Sweden. Our general manager Rikard Borg met us at the airport and gave us a ride home.
Now that we are abroad, this blog has two focuses. On the one hand, it is a chance for me to provide an insight into what living and playing in Europe is all about from an individual perspective as well as covering as much of the action and interviews of players and teams throughout Europe.
