Lil B: Croc Hunter

(No, I'm not dead - and my memoirs of Turkey are not really finished, but are being interrupted for this post)

Steve came to visit and hit the cans for 5 days last week, and I can confidently say he had the real 100% Umeå experience. We:

• BBQ's and swam at the lake,
• Played squash,
  
• Went to Scharinska and Teatercafeet (clubs downtown) to observe all the guys in black-and-white-stripey shirts and tight black jeans, and the girls in Kinder Surprise dresses* with leggings,
• Got around town by way of the bicycle (a two-wheeled contraption propelled by the rider's own arse - or at least Steve's subsequent areas of soreness would indicate that),
• Went to System Bolaget (the bottle'o) and complained at length with the staff about their recent decision to stop stocking VB, in reply to which they suggested some kind of beer-shower device (that's how I choose to remember the conversation, anyway),
• Sat on my balcony listening to Australian music and drinking Bundy,
• Spent every morning lying on a bed watching Kath&Kim and Bill Hicks (which is strangely similar to the real 100% New York experience that I had visiting him).

But perhaps the highlight (no wait, scratch that "perhaps") was Crocland. You see, through some confusing and not-entirely-clear connection, Crocs (those stupid rubber shoes) are associated with an Ice Hockey player who grew up near Umeå, and now plays Hockey in the NHL for Colorado (where the shoes are made) and is a business partner or at least advertising figure for them... or something. Anyway, as a result, practically everybody here wears Crocs, and there is a shop in Umeå dedicated to them, with big murals out the front:

In fact, I realise now that the only photographs we actually took in downtown Umeå were of Crocland, and I don't regret that.

Steve, hope you're canning on back in Dublin... In a week, Dickman and Anita swing by for a few days... busy busy busy...


* - For those not familiar with the terminology (which would be everyone except Michael H.), a Kinder Surprise dress is kinda like this or this: a dress which balloons out just underneath the boobs so you can't quite tell what's underneath (but you know it'll be something exciting, and something to play with... ). They are currently all the rage in Sweden.