We haven't had all that much to keep us busy over the past few days; we've basically just been killing time and waiting to get on our last flight of the trip. After our very short stint on Oslo we got on another long-haul train to Stockholm (no icy mountain views this time), got on the now familiar metro to our hostel and took our requisite nap of the day. It's pretty sad really, but we keep looking at the prices of food and things and thinking "Wow, it's so cheap here!" Of course a burger is still an outrageous nine dollars, but when you're going from sixteen in Norway Sweden seems downright budget-friendly! After a groggy nap we walked just a couple of blocks to a traditional Swedish restaurant that's been open for more than a hundred years. The interior was beautifully decorated, the service was excellent, and the prices were...well, less than Norway :) I finally broke down and got the pork knuckle (they call it pork knee everywhere else we've been). It was basically just very tasty ham and as much as I liked it I sure wish I had tried it in the Czech Republic when it was a third of the price. Oh well, the experience was more than worth it. Dessert was crazy expensive at the restaurant so we cheaped out and bought some chocolates at a little bakery nearby and downed some free coffee back at the hostel. The lady at the chocolate place was a pretty typical Swede. She spoke to us in absolutely perfect English, using all kinds of expressions and words that only someone who lived in the States should know, and then sincerely apologized for her terrible effort at the language. It would be annoying if her and everyone else were showing mock modesty, but the people we've run into seem to genuinely believe their English stinks. Someone needs to have a serious chat with them about their self-esteem issues. All the English sure does make getting along here a lot easier! Swedish is a big hurdle to jump. Our sole mission yesterday, as we had absolutely nothing else to do, was to visit the world's largest IKEA. Most people here use the excellent public transportation system to get around and don't have cars. So how are they supposed to get to IKEA and back with all of their reasonably priced purchases? On the free IKEA bus, obviously! They actually have a dedicated bus that runs to and from the store all day long. The best thing about the place was the cafeteria, where we got a ridiculously cheap meal. Of course we had to get the meatballs, which tasted (you guessed it) exactly like they do at home. It wasn't exactly a life-changing experience, but now when we're walking around the IKEA in Tampa we can haughtily roll our eyes and say, "You should see the one in Stockholm" haha We really loved the restaurant we ate at when we started our trip, so we decided to finish it there too. Chelsea and I held the menu in our hands and discussed how burned out we were on Swedish meatballs, then promptly ordered them when the waiter came around. Come on, it's our last night in Sweden. What else could we get??? The "screw the budget, let's order two of everything on the menu" attitude I inherited from my Dad was welling up in me, but I did a pretty good job of keeping it in check. It was the last chance for years that Chelsea would have to get a drink, so we walked to a quiet little bar filled with Tiffany light fixtures (and, very oddly, a stuffed hawk in full battle pose over our table). On the way there we came across a red Fiat that looked like it was covered in felt. I've never seen a car like that before, and Brittany was NOT the only one to stop in the street, do a double take, and rub the hood. It was really cool! I still can't figure out how you're supposed to wash that thing. I don't know what it was, but it definitely wasn't your standard paint job. I can hear that conversation in the dealership now: "I'd like it in red, oh, and does it come in felt?" I got a nice Scottish IPA and the girls tried some fruitier stuff for fun. All the taxes definitely put a damper on going out for a drink; we got two beers, a cocktail, and a bill for $45! While we were there Chelsea was telling us about her favorite ice cream: Ben and Jerry's Half Baked. Neither of us had ever even heard of it, but when we walked out of the bar there was a 7-11 next door. We walked in and I kid you not it took all of two seconds for Chelsea to find a pint of that exact flavor. What are the odds of that? With a big hunk of ice cream and three spoons, we finished out the night in the Old Town square. We found one of the only restaurants still serving, bundled up in covers under a heater on the terrace, and got a round of cappuccinos to sip between spoonfuls of ice cream. Somehow you can be shivering cold and still mournfully regret with the ICE cream runs out :) I don't think we could've picked a better way to spend our last night in Sweden, or the trip for that matter. All of us liked it there even more than we thought we would, and Norway (for which we had the highest expectations) never let us down. This trip was all over the place, but pretty much only ever ranged from good to unbelievably incredibly great. There's no place we went that I wouldn't go again, and I'm sitting on our flight out of Stockholm quite literally fat and happy...I blame Beerfest. I think Chelsea had a good time, and I really hope this won't be her last adventure. I love that we'll be able to look back on this together in ten years and reminisce about the important stuff, you know, like the guy covered in duct tape walking through Prague or the drug-riddled grandmas. Classic! Brittany and I will be on our third trip to Ireland in a few months and I can taste the Guinness already...