As the girls had some trouble adjusting to the new time zone we started the day with a morning walk and then they were just relaxing at the pool with some beer pong and sun. As we were going to have all the Swedes over later in the evening for…

Tonight Felicia and her friend Cajsa are coming for a 3,5 week stay. We are so looking forward to it. I started the day with coffee with some friends in Hyde Park and then had lunch with Pat at The MadDog & Englishmen. Then it was just to wait for…

Every month the Nordic spouses meet up for lunch. This time we had lunch at Bahama Breeze and the coconut shrimp tacos were lovely as well as the company.

Being away for a few weeks meant that we needed to shop food. Started by having lunch at Datz and we will be back.

Peter and I spent three weeks in Sweden as our vacation. First five days we spent in Scania which is in the very south of Sweden and where our parents live as well as Emelie and my brother and his family. We flew out from Tampa to Frankfurt and unfortunately…

We had late lunch today over in St Pete/Clearwater. We went to a place owned by Paul Teutul Sr. – OCC Road House. Orange County Choppers (OCC) is a world famous custom motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul Sr. at his former Newburgh NY facility. Paul Sr. and…

Mr Kimble and his wife invited us over to Clearwater and the hotel for an evening with wonderful food at Rusty’s. When we arrived in our room we were greeted with a bottle of red wine and a charcuterie board. We started with 3 starters – Ibirico ham, some vegetables…

I don’t play golf but a lot of the other ladies do. They were going to go out one evening and play 9 holes. I told them I don’t play and somehow we came up with the idea that I would be their designated driver. A lot of laughs and…

The French invited us to celebrate 14 of July – Bastille Day – with them at Tampa Yacht Club. We had French meat, cheese, wine, champagne and dessert. We had a lovely evening with the international community.

Tonight the base had a concert for their staff and their families. Gary Sinise is the actor that played Lt Dan in the movie Forrest Gump. When Sinise started to prepare for his role as Lt Dan he learned a lot about the military, veterans and particularly wounded veterans. He…

When living in London Peter worked with a Canadian and we got to know him and his wife well. We have kept in contact and talked about seeing each other but the pandemic happened and travelling was stopped. Finally we found a time that worked for all of us. Peter…

My neighbour Pat and her husband have bought a condo over at Treasure Island. She needed to take a few things over and asked if I wanted to come along. When we were done we wanted an ice cream and I found a small but cool place. They make fresh…

The Swedish midsummer is always celebrated on Friday between the 19-25 of June. It’s been celebrated for many years and was connected with solstice but when Sweden became Christian it was celebrated on June 24 as a celebration of John the Baptist. Midsummer’s Eve is not a national holiday but…

Right now there is a exhibition in Tampa that shows and explaines Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Each section was enhanced on fabric and explained what it was about, why he choose it and where in the ceiling it is placed. Beautiful pictures and very interesting to see and read about.

Last week I went to Illinois to see my friends living in Collinsville and my friend currently living in Neapel. We all met in London while living there and both Colleen and Mary ended up living fairly close to each other when the tie in London was up. I saw…

27 years ago we said yes to each other at Torna Hällestad church. It was a lovely day then and so was today. We drove to Dunedin that’s located north of Clearwater. It has about 36 000 inhabitants with a Main Street with a small town feeling. After we parked…

My friend Boel came for a short visit and we kept busy. She arrived Thursday evening slightly delayed and we thought dinner at Salt Shack would be great. Due to the delay it was already crowded and we went to Big Ray’s instead. First day she wanted to do shopping…

The CENTCOM family Center invited spouses to sign up for an event today. It was to show their appreciation for the spouses and the theme was Mad Hatter and high tea. We were about 50 ladies attending and the dress code was dress, gloves and hat/fascinator. I didn’t have gloves…

Today I was on base for a coffee morning. It was supposed to be last month but as Ramadan was on they had to move it. As usual lovely food and company.

When we were in New York we saw ads for a movie – The Northman. As we like other movies about vikings we decided to see this one. The movie I can’t recommend but the movie theatre was amazing. The serve drinks and food inside, each chair is more of…

The city is located on the east coast of Florida on the Atlantic coast. It’s the states most populous city and by area the largest city in US. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years as they found pottery dating to 2500 BCE. Leaving St Augustine we drove…

This weekend we are doing St Augustine and Jacksonville which are located on the east coast and about 3 hours from Tampa. St Augustine was founded in 1565 by a Spanish Admiral and Florida’s first governor. The reason it got it’s name was that the crew had spotted Florida on…

Tonight I had signed up to help handing out food to servicemen and first responders, and their families, who needs support. As I don’t know this area and know the traffic might be busy I wanted to be there early. I arrived 15 minutes prior to when it said we…

The Urban Stillhouse owned by Horse Soldier Bourbon and is a bourbon whiskey distillery in St Pete, we have been recommended to visit it by several people. You have to book well in advance but I’ve been checking now and then for lunch spots. A few weeks ago I found…

We took our bikes and rode to the Convention Centre which is almost 9 km from our house. It was already really hot so we took it easy not to get to sweaty 🤪 Never works when it’s almost 30 degrees C and the winds are warm. The ferry over…

This week and next week there’s a Sand Sculpting Festival in Clearwater. As US don’t have religious days off we thought going there on Friday was a good idea. It wasn’t!! 🤪 Nearing Clearwater the traffic came to a full stop and we decided to turn before we were stuck…

About 15 minutes from here towards downtown Tampa there’s a place called Davis Island. It was built upon two man-made islands atop two small natural islands formerly known as “Little Grassy Key” and “Big Grassy Key”. The islands were built from mud dredged from the bottom of Tampa Bay in…

for this time. I would love to come back and do more. New York is a big city and has so much to offer one have to choose. As we needed to head to the airport around 4 pm we chose to do some shopping. Peter preferred to do some…

Idag vaknade vi upp till strålande sol. Vi hade biljetter till kl 11 så vi tog oss bort till World Trade Center i god tid. När vi kom fram var det otroligt mycket poliser på plats runt norra poolen. När vi kommit in frågade jag en av personalen varför poliserna…

Morgonen började bra men sen blev det sämre. Vi hade bestämt att vi skulle åka tidigt till muséet med förhoppning om att det inte skulle vara så mycket folk. Köerna var gigantiska så vi bestämde att komma tillbaka senare. Vi skulle gå till färjeläget mot Staten Island men kommunicerade lite…

The morning wasn’t very inviting for a sightseeing day but if you wear clothes accordingly it’s not a problem. Raincoats on and using the public transportation we headed towards Ground Zero. Took some time to get there as the metro system here isn’t as easily navigated as the one in…

At 8:30am we left the apartment and walked to the UN building which is about 10 minutes away. We took some pictures before we headed to Grand Central which we walked through and came out at the main entrance. Felicia found a Sephora she wanted to go to before we…

Left a sunny Tampa to go to a cooler New York and meet up with Felicia. We are house swapping with another Swedish family who are now enjoying the sunshine state. We arrived three hours before Felicia and headed to East 34th Street on Manhattan where we are staying. Some…

This weekend the Tampa Airshow was held again after it’s been cancelled during the pandemic. They did their practice on Friday afternoon and then the show happened both Saturday and Sunday. As weekend was open to the public the traffic going in to the base was crazy as well as…

We had another AW at our house and I made Pulled Beef which was really nice. As usual I mad pictures of the appetisers and then forgot. We had a love evening and sat outside even if it was a bit tight with space under the screen.

Peter and I went to Stratz Center for our first Broadway musical. We’ve seen several West End musicals and this was as good as all the others. The actor playing Elsa had a wonderful voice and when she sang “Let it be” it was amazing. There were a few kids…

Finally the coffee mornings are up and running again. Since I arrived in July we have had 3 due to the base following the recommendations for the pandemic. Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway were supposed to have the coffee morning in February but as the base wasn’t open yet for…

Leaving Homestead/Miami we had planned to go home via Tamiami Trail and do the Loop Road. While driving we passed a few airboat tours and decided to do one of these as well. We missed the one we wanted to do but knew more would come. The first part of…

As we couldn’t find any lodging in Key West (that we wanted to pay for) we slept in Homestead just outside Miami last night. Early this morning (at 8 o’clock) we left the hotel and headed south. From the hotel to Key West it takes about 2 hours and 45…

We drove down to Miami today as we are going to Key West tomorrow. It’s spring break so we couldn’t get any hotel in Key West because we planned the trip last week 😊 Instead we are staying in Homestead and will have a around 2,5 hour drive tomorrow instead.…

Coming Thursday it’s St Patrick’s Day and today it was River O’ Green Fest in the Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. It was food trucks, beer tents and music. But the big thing was dyeing the Hillsborough River green. We took a walk among the people, listened to some music…

Another farewell bbq for a family who has been here for the last 6 months. At least we had a lovely evening 💞

Early this morning we headed to Daytona to see this years race. We don’t know much about the drivers except Jacques Villeneuve who’s a former Formula 1 driver. Before the race there was a short concert with the country singer Luke Combs, flying over by the Thunderbirds, national anthem by…

We took our bikes on the car and headed to the Ben T Davis beach which is at the beginning of W Courtney Campbell Causeway bridge. We unpacked the bikes and headed towards Clearwater. The bridge is about 14 km and there is a walk and bike lane that also…

For two days there has been a security summit at Peter’s work and it ended with a private dinner at a member of the YPO’s home. First a bit of mingle and than a sit down dinner with food from a local restaurant Mise en place. Fantastic food and the…

10 days ago we flew to Sweden and arrived in a cold Stockholm. Luckily the girls brought our winter coats when they came for Christmas otherwise I would have died. I spent 2 days in Stockholm where we also so my sister-in-law and her family, before I headed south to…

We ran some errands in the morning and decided to have a “fika” at The Cheesecake Factory. It was really nice but after that there was no need for any lunch 🤪 Later in the afternoon we took the bikes and biked further up Bayshore Blvd to see the Gasparilla…

After being in quarantine for 11 days we needed to get out of the house. Peter had found a brewery in Bradenton that was said to have the biggest beer garden in Florida. Arriving at the brewery by lunch time we were looking forward to have something to eat as…

Another birthday to celebrate and we had booked dinner at Bern’s together with Jessica and Pelle. We took a walk to Ballast Point Park and Pier where we also had some lunch. When we were at the pier we saw a pelican sitting on the rail watching the man fishing…

After a nice breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon and avocado we took the car and headed towards Clearwater. The northern part of Clearwater is always crazy with people/tourists and we drove further south were there is more residential homes. Heading to the beach was the plan for a lot of…

A New Year’s Eve a bit different but still as usual. Since 1995 Jessica and Pelle have been a part of our celebration together with others. They came to London and now to Tampa. We had lunch at Big Ray’s and sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We sat outside…

Jessica and Pelle arrived the evening before the girls and Micael left. The next morning we took the girls and Micael to the airport early in the morning. We spent some time together before they needed to go through security. It was hard saying goodbye 😢 We went home and…

Five days before Christmas Eve Emelie, Felicia and Micael came to visit. They arrived late in the evening after a short delay. It was lovely to see them and even if it was late we stayed up a bit to just talk. They woke up early next day and we…

While we are waiting for the kids we went downtown to see the annual Boat Lighting Parade. The boats parade up and down the bay and up the river and are judged. Not all the boats are signed up for the competition but they still take part in the parade.…

I’ve been preparing for our visitors arriving on Saturday. Emelie, Felicia and Micael will come visit for 11 days and we are really looking forward to it. Got a bit nervous Monday when Felicia called and wasn’t feeling well. Everything pointed to it being tonsillitis as her throat was hurting…

Today I went to Henry B Plant Museum to see their exhibition Victorian Christmas Stroll. From their website: The Henry B. Plant Museum is housed in the 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel, the Victorian railroad resort that defined the elegant frontier, now a National Historic Landmark. Unlike most museums dedicated to…

We have a girl that will be going back to Sweden next week. She’s the interpreter and they only stay for 6 months. Now her successor has arrived and we welcomed her at the same time. H has really been maximising her time here and done a lot of things…

Tonight we had dinner at a fancy place or at least fancier than we normally eat. Peter have been here before but for me it was a first time. The outside looks dull and the place has no windows. Bern’s steakhouse has North America’s largest wine cellar. They carry 6500…

The weather has become cooler but it’s still wonderful outside. It said 16 degrees C when we left our house but in the sun it was still warm. We drove to Circle B Bar to spot some alligators, I don’t know why but they don’t seem to like me as…

Today Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US. It’s their biggest holiday and families gather to celebrate. We were invited to our neighbours Rebecca and Steve together with Rebecca’s sister, niece and nephew together with the boyfriend of the sister. I was bringing some dessert and decided to bring a Pumpkin…

Today we went to see some hockey again. It’s fun watching hockey here because something happens all the time. They lost today but played well the first two periods. The third they just made to many mistakes. The last few minutes when they had a chance to score even the…

Yesterday we were invited to Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater by the CEO of the resort for a dinner and a stay. Peter and I arrived shortly after 4pm and checked in. We went to our room where we were welcomed by some wine and cheese. Had a glass…

The coffee mornings have started again but as you have to wear mask indoors on base we will do them at the beach instead. Personally the family centre is a bit boring and small which makes the beach so much better. They have huts with roof which make it perfect.…

Yesterday US celebrated Veterans Day and Peter was off from work. As KSC had free entrance for veterans we decided to do the 3 hour drive to the east coast. It’s a smooth drive if it weren’t for all the accidents. People are not focusing on the road but rather…

Saturday we were going to have the neighbours over for dinner. I cooked in the morning and when I was done I went upstairs because Peter wanted me come upstairs. I then continued to clean the upstairs’ bathrooms, which I’m glad I did. Came downstairs to clean bathroom and discovered…

We went to Sawgrass Lake Park for a walk and to see what wildlife we could spot today. Temperature has fallen with 10 degrees C or 20 degrees F so it was really comfortable to walk outside for a couple of hours. We saw turtles, birds and a baby alligator…

After a very rocky night we woke up in Tampa. We had left our bags out yesterday evening and the only things to pack this morning was the toothbrushes and chargers. We had buffet breakfast and took it slow as our time slot to disembark the ship was between 9-9:30.…

In the night and early in the morning it rained and there was thunderstorms. We had buffet for breakfast and sat outside to enjoy the sea. Today is sea day and we are heading back to Tampa. As the morning was cloudy we took a walk around deck 12 were…

During the night the ship took us to Nassau, Bahamas and when we woke up and had had breakfast we headed ashore. Two other cruise ships had also moored, Oasis and Carnival, both being a lot bigger than ours. We hadn’t booked any outings and had decided to walk. We…

When we woke up this morning the ship had already moored at CocoCay which is a private island in the Bahamas. It’s the Royal Caribbean Group that owns it. We took a slow breakfast and then went ashore. We saw that Oasis of the sea also had moored. Our ship…

Today was a day at sea going towards CocoCay and we have done very little. Didn’t sleep that well as the beds are a bit uncomfortable. But by 8am we were on our way to breakfast. After yesterday’s Italian evening we weren’t that hungry, had some fruit and eggs for…

Today we boarded Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Sea for a 6 days cruise. It’s first time doing a cruise and we are still learning. Getting on the ship was much like boarding a plane with checking in luggage, security check and showing boarding pass and passports. And of course…

Yesterday we had nothing planned when we all of a sudden were offered tickets to see Tampa Bay Lightning play against Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche was Peter Forsberg’s club for some years, and he was popular because several Avalanche fans were wearing club jerseys with his name on it. We…

Today we went to see cheerleading in Best of the Bay Cheerleading Competition. I think cheerleading is something very American even if it exist elsewhere. There was no time for the competition, it only said all day. We arrived when they had prize-giving for a couple of teams. But soon…

Today Peter and I were invited to a gathering with YPO in Tampa. One of the members let them use his roof terrace for this and it was a spectacular view. We met up with Henrik and Sanne at a place called CW’s Gin Joint downtown Tampa so we could…

This weekend is a long weekend for Peter as it’s Public holiday and they had Friday off and will also have Monday off. It’s Indigenous People Day which that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. We did go to the movie on Thursday to…

Today we were invited by the German community to celebrate the Octoberfest. We were at the American Legion Post 138 which is situated by the water. We even saw dolphins swimming by. We had lovely German food and beer but I forgot to take pictures again.

We did stay the night in Sarasota, we found a nice looking hotel online at a good price. Looked new and situated about 8 minutes drive from downtown Sarasota. We brought our bikes to be able to bike to downtown but due to road works it didn’t work out. Driving…

When we sold our house I packed some of my kitchen things into our “American” storage and the rest went to the new apartment. I must have, at some point, been thinking that I would bring some of my stuff from the flat as well. Six months later I had…

Today Peter took a day off. Instead of having all the days off from work during the summer he will take days off when we want to do things. We drove down to Anna Maria Island which is about an hour away from us. We saw parts of the island,…

Friday morning we met with the other Swedes at Ballast Point Park to see the sunrise and have breakfast. Peter and I took the bikes as it’s only 4 minutes away from the house. The pier was full of people fishing.

I went to Hyde Park Village this morning for some coffee with other spouses. Rain was hanging around but not more than some drops. I had to leave early as I had a board meeting at lunch time with Rödebygymnasterna. That went well even if our internet is not very…

Now I’ve been here for 3 months but not seen the gulf or the beaches at Clearwater. We’ve been around the bay but not the other side of the peninsula between the bay and the gulf. We didn’t bring chairs or bathing suits as we thought it might be crowded…

Today we wanted to go to Ybor City and the Cuban Sandwich Festival. We found a parking lot next to 7th Street and found it a bit strange it being empty. Half way down the street I asked Peter if he knew where it was happening as there was few…

Peter and I explored a new place today that is located about 30 min drive north of us. You entered the area and could then choose several different parking places within the area. From the parking you could walk on tarmac or nature trails and even a boardwalk through the…

Today Peter and I went to St Petersburg for a few hours. We only saw a small part but took a walk at The Pier which was lovely.

Last week we didn’t do anything special. I spent my days in the pool reading as I was alone most of the time. Peter has been working since last Sunday, early mornings to late evenings and I’m sure you know why. Seems like we will have nice weather next week…

Now I have been in Tampa for a whole month but it feels like I left Sweden a long time ago. Life if fairly slow in Florida as we are under new restrictions or rather old one had to be enforced again as people don’t follow them and doesn’t get…

Today I was invited to a welcome lunch by the neighbouring ladies. We went to Salt Shack by the Bay where the setting is wonderful, outside seating and lovely food. After soaking in the pool for a while we decided to go downtown and take a walk along the Riverwalk.…

Today we took a longer drive going around the Hillborough Bay and down to Mantee to cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We stopped at the Manatee County Rest area to take a look at the bay and the bridge. Peter and I with the bridge in the background. The bridge…

I’ve now been here for 17 days but it feels longer. We have had some rain but the weekend have been dry and warm so far. The other day we went for an ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery where they mix the flavours while you watch – very tasty.…

On Sunday we went east to see some alligators. At Circle B Bar Reserve by Lake Hancock you can walk the trails and you will come across alligators. The trail were you’re most likely to see them was closed today due to them nesting. You’re not recommended to come between…

Today we went to Ybor City (pronounced Eebor) which is located northeast of downtown Tampa. We were lucky to have some clouds while walking down 7th Street but it was still HOT!!! Ybor City is a National Historic Landmark District and founded by Vicente Martinez-Ybor in the 1880s. He along…

Today I went to my first coffee morning with the other spouses. It was the first in a long time apparently as the last one they had was in March last year a couple of days before the base went in lockdown as well as rest of Tampa. The afternoon…

Yeah, today I took the car and went shopping myself. I found my way there and back but not like Peter showed me 🤪 I was so focused on finding the way avoiding the larger street that I missed it and had to take the larger road. Was easy going…

Now Peter and I have started our next adventure in Tampa. Peter actually arrived already in February. He was home for two weeks to see family and friends and we travelled back together. The flight between Copenhagen and Washington was long and boring but on time and went smoothly. We…

We have now been here for 3,5 years or rather 1333 days, we have been travelling to Wales, Scotland, Cornwall as well as other places in England. All together we have made about 440 outings while we’ve been here, met a lot of people and gained new friends. We have…

Our last outing in UK before heading back to Sweden, Buckingham Palace is only open during the summer when the Queen is not living there. The palace was called Buckingham House when it was built in 1761 by George III for his wife Queen Charlotte. In 1826, it was changed…

Today the girls and I had a day at Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A Museum. Peter was also supposed to come along but as we are moving in a few days he was fitting the car roof box yesterday and saw that the fittings don’t match the roof…

Today I had booked a visit to the Battle of Britain bunker in Uxbridge for Peter, some colleagues and friends. The only reason this bunker has been preserved is because it was still used up until 1974 when it was closed but someone was clever enough to suggest it would…