Jag vill köpa talk pouder (I want to buy talcum powder).

Yesterday was a triumph for the Svenksa lessons. I left my talcum power at home so the first day I was here I tried to buy some in one of the tiny supermarkets - without the Swedish translation for talcum powder - no luck (and it's quite hard to describe if the word powder is not understood!). I learnt & practiced my pronunciation of 'talk pouder' (t-aaaaa-k p-door) over the weekend and when the big shops reopened yesterday I went looking.  I ended up having to go to a pharmacy (apotek) where I used my Sveksa - and I was understood - hooray! I don't know what the Swedish grandmothers get for Christmas as talc seems like a rare commodity (and not available in florally, grandmother scents). I also managed to refuse coffee at breakfast and buy a tea towel and a chocolate bar (separate transactions) without using any English. (I also bought cycling gloves but I used English for that)

Yesterday was for checking out the big shops - I liked the foodhall/supermarket down in the basement.

This food hall is amazing - every time you think you have explored the whole thing you find another section. The counter to the left - 'ost' means cheese. this is by no means the only cheese display in the shop. To the right - one of those fresh bread & pastry selections.

Left - salmon. See the size of the knife handle? That gives you an idea about how big that piece of salmon is.

Reindeer meat selection to the right (they put out a set of antlers so you don't get confused and think you are buying beef).

When you buy something, they change gets handed to you if it is a note, but the coins come out of a machine. I bought a chocky bar here - but it didn't turn out to be very exotic - it was just like a mars bar.

Apart from the foods hall, there are floors of fashion (full of linen and other light soft materials but mainly in white & beige) and furniture - some of it is right out there) but I'll write about those another time.

After a day of wandering and dinner at the apartment, we went to a jazz club. The roof was hung with all manner of bits and pieces. I tried out aquavit, the Swedish spirit (it was not to my taste) and another variety of local pear cider (which was). It was strange walking out of a pub at 11pm at night and it was still light out!