Welcome to Park Avenue 4:1-11C

So, finally- our new apartment feels like a home. After almost a week with packing and unpacking boxes, buying new furniture and house hold things and putting up paintings and other things on the walls it feels like a home again.

We miss the old apartment that was our home for one year but we have been lucky finding this one. It will sure be very good and since we just moved from entrance 4:2 to entrance 4:1 we are very familiar with the area and also was able to do most of the moving by ourselfes.

This time most furniture was included so we could not self decide. It is dark Chinese furniture but the quality is very high and it is quite OK.

Living room - window against south

Dining area - against north

My office

Kitchen. This is a lot smaller and darker than we had before. The only thing we do not like with the apartment. But on the other hand, we now have a much bigger balcony and can have some real barbecue-parties...

My children in town

This week my children arrived to Beijing together with my oldest sons girlfriend. They will stay 10 days doing Sigh seeing, shopping and having some good dinners together.

Chef nr 006 entertaining my family and preparing some really good food for us. He is one of the best chefs in the restaurant.

We started on Saturday with a very nice Teppanyaki dinner at one of our favorite places in Lucky Street - Uomo.

Mats, Ylva and Shi Zhiting

Björn with his girlfriend Frida

A little "showtime" is included...

"Guest chef" Bao Bao

Moving

Back from Sweden we got quite busy because we had to move to another apartment before July 1.
We have been living at Park Avenue 4:2 16 D now for one year but our landlord did not extend the lease for another year.

This because her parents should move to Beijing and live in this apartment. It was originally bought for her parents but her mother did not like to move here because of the pollution. Since they now live in Sichuan province and was affected by the earthquake they were afraid to stay in that province and now want to move to Beijing.

We rather quick found a new apartment (maybe not so good as our old one) and was moving out on June 30. The apartment is in the same house in Park Avenue but now entrance 4:1 and apartment 11 C.

Will be more info here as soon as we get settled...

Back in Beijing with less traffic, less people

After vacation in Sweden we are now back in Beijing and again at work.
We quick noticed that something had changed in the city. Not so many people and less trafiic on the streets.
"Cleaning up" before the Olympics, all people not having resident paper from the police allowing them to stay in Beijing have been forced to move out of town. Many this poor people been living in cellars, in the shops and in offices must now go back to their home towns where they are registred.

Because in China you are registred where you live. Every time I get a new VISA I have to go to the local police and update my residential papers and lately they have also been knocking doors in our apartment area to check that all people living here are registred.

Also a clean-up in the traffic have been done. All old cars (exspecially trucks) not following the pollution standards have been banned inside 5th ring road and the fine for breaking this law is high. So, now it is a little bit smoother to get to the office in the morning and back in the evening.

Beijing also this week get their first "hybrid-taxi" that can take wheel-chairs. 50 of these cars is now in service in Beijing.

Vacation in Sweden

We have been on vacation in Sweden now for two weeks and have still one week to do before returning to Beijing. Spending most of the time seeing friends and family and just relaxing enjoying the clean air and the birdsong...

Staying in my daughters apartment at Fågelhundsvägen in Lund.

The second day in Sweden we joined the "Studentparty" for my youngest son, Mats.
He just graduated from "Filmgymnasiet" in Visby and we had a party for him with friends and family at his mothers home.

Beginning of this week we went to Stockholm for some "instant tourism"...

The Royal Castle is a "must" and also the "Old City" (Gamla stan) with it's small streets and alleys. So we spent the first evening walking around enjoying this part of Stockholm.

Second day we started by taking the Djurgårds-ferry to Skansen.

This is an "Outdoor museum" with a nice collection of Swedish history, culture and animals. It is another of those places the you must visit when you are in Stockholm.

And after ending the day with "Regalskeppet Wasa" in the Wasa museum we where quite tired.

Our last day in Stockholm we spent by doing a cruise in the archepelago of Stockholm, going out to Sandhamn. A really nice day crusising around among some of the 24 000 islands in the archepelago - must be one of the most beautiful in the world.