Cricket and Chocolate

We do have a great situation here. We are in the middle of this thriving lively city but we have this beautiful park directly across the street with it's big hill to give us exercise, to provide us with gorgeous views, and to provide the always essential climbing places for Max. Gotta love it! Another great day in Stockholm for us! Today, was actually warmer with gorgeous sunshine all day long. It got up to about 53 and was only down to 38 this morning. I sent the kids off to school, did my morning walk through the park (that hill is getting easier to climb every day) with Coco and then walked to school to meet yet another on of my clubs. This was the Out and About club where they try to explore specifically Swedish/Stockholm things to make us familiar with where we live. About 30 women were there so again I met some interesting new ones from all sorts of different places. We all walked to central station where we then took a train out to the near suburb of Älvsjö.  The convention center there was the site of the annual Chokladfestivalen, chocolate festival. There were more than 60 chocolate vendors showing their products, offering samples and of course, selling and selling. The stuff was beautiful and tasted so good!  I bought three gorgeous bars to bring home full of dried fruit and nuts, one even with candied mint leaves! Delicious! While there, one friend and I were stopped by a reporter, interviewed and photographed eating some chocolates! We are supposed to be in the paper on Saturday so hopefully I can find it and share it.  After wandering for a couple of hours, we took the train home and went our separate ways. Very fun! Max had his first cricket practice today. He was not thrilled to go because it was going to make a long day for him but when he got home tonight, he was thrilled to tell me all about it. He loved it! Said it was the most enjoyable sport that he has ever played and that the coach told him that he was a natural! Hope his enthusiasm stays up! Max has also discovered that he LOVES the freedom of city living. Tonight, he insisted that he walk home from cricket alone, he has been going to and from school with one sibling or another but was the only one coming home from cricket so he did it alone. He loved feeling that freedom. He also loves to run to the grocery store for me. It's close by, easy and he can act like a big kid (and he can check out the candy selection).