Europe on Sumi Bear

The Family Business

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Meet the Fredriksson brothers. Nicholas’s great-great-grandfather Johannes on the left. His older brother Andreas on the right.

Johannes Magnusson Fredriksson. Prisoner No. 5399. Born 1844. Strong build. Several scars.

Andreas Fredriksson Magnusson. Prisoner No. 4778. Born 1842. Dark complexion. Average build. No distinguishing marks.

Yes, those are their prison intake documents. From Långholmen Central Prison in Stockholm, Sweden. Both brothers. Both convicted of fourth-time theft. Both served years.

Dragon Slayers, Maypoles, and Smultron

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The family was celebrating Midsommar. A whole day of activities planned. Apparently my bud didn’t think to pack me. So I got left behind while everyone else went off to see thousand-year-old dragon carvings and dance around a maypole.

I’m not bitter. I’m just documenting.

The Town Where It All Started

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This was the whole reason for the Sweden trip.

Nicholas’s mom’s dad, Papa, was born in Örebro. This was home base. Laxå, a small town nearby, was where Papa’s mom Stina grew up and where her family put down roots. The church. The cemetery. The barbershop Oskar ran after they married. Everything that connected Nicholas’s family to this country was within an hour’s drive of here.

They Served Bear at the Food Tour

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Stockholm was a family thing.

Nicholas’s mom’s dad, Papa, was born in Sweden, and she’d always wanted to bring her kids here to see his country. So the whole crew assembled: Nicholas, Pokin, me, Nicholas’s mom, Anna, and Adam. First time all of them have been in the same country that wasn’t the United States.

Beer, Baroque Churches, and the World Cup Mistake

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Salzburg promised us better pretzels in Munich. So we took the train over and arrived that evening.

Munich wasted absolutely no time being Munich.

Arrival Night: Beer Hall Energy
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For dinner, we ended up in one of those classic Bavarian restaurant situations with dark wood everywhere, huge plates of meat, giant beer glasses, and approximately seventeen times more people than felt necessary.

Cannons, Murder Holes, and the Pretzel Quest

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Last day in Salzburg. Three days of mountains, and we still hadn’t properly done the castle. The Hohensalzburg Fortress — the massive thing that sits on top of the hill and stares down at the entire old town like it’s judging everyone’s life choices.

The One With the Extreme Route

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Day 3 in the Salzburg region. We’d already hiked Kapuzinerberg, wandered the fortress walls, and gotten chased off the Untersberg by lightning. Naturally, the plan for today was: more hiking. A different mountain this time, out east of the city near the lakes.

The Mountain That Changed Its Mind

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

After yesterday’s failed Sound of Music pilgrimage, Nicholas decided that if the famous hills wouldn’t have him, he’d find his own mountain. Specifically, the Untersberg, which rises about 1,800 meters straight up from the Salzburg valley floor and has a cable car. Because Nicholas loves nature, but he loves efficiency more.

The Hills Are Alive (But We Couldn't Get to Them)

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Let me explain how we ended up in Salzburg.

Nicholas wanted to run across a field yelling “THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIVE.” That was the whole reason. He’d seen The Sound of Music enough times, and Salzburg was on the way from Český Krumlov, so he said, and I quote, “we have to go.”

The Castle With a Bear Moat

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

On the way from Prague to Salzburg, everyone told us we had to stop at Český Krumlov. “It’s a fairy tale town.” “You’ll love it.” “There’s a castle.”

Sure. Fine. We hired a driver to take us through on the way.

Prague Was Not Supposed to Be This Good

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We were not expecting much from Prague.

The plan was simple: Pokin had a YPO Forum trip here, Nicholas flew in to meet her, and then we’d continue east through Europe for a few weeks until we met up with the rest of the family in Sweden. Prague was a layover. A stop on the way to the real trip.