Taking Stock Upon Return From Stockholm

It was really fun to be in Stockholm again after 43 years.  A good deal of the city map came back to me as I saw remembered landmarks again.  The Academy of Internation Business conference was a satisfying experience.  It was my first AIB Conference in 17 years.  I made some new friends and, as Amanda pointed out, "started a new network."  I was recruiting for two positions which we have open at Hofstra, so my name got around with the job hunting set.  Everything about the trip was very enjoyable.  Stockholm is as beutiful as ever.  The Swedes are as polite, well informed, friendly, and totally bi-lingual as ever.  I was surprised at the words of Swedish coming back to me, although I could never speak or read in the first place.  I started to listen to Swedish television as much as possible when I was in the hotel, to get the pace of the language and the culture.  Everything was in walking distance at the conference, with hotel and conference center within 0 to 5 minutes from the Central Station.   My panel presentation and the session I chaired went well.  I learned some things, and got some research ideas, and saw people I have known at a distance for 40 years.  Do I look as old as that.  It is a testimony to my academic obscurity that absolutely no one remembered me, except possibly people I have met in recent years.
 
Big changes in Stockholm were  no trams in the downtown area except 1 for travelers to the amusement island (Djuregard?? where Skansen (outdoor museum/Swedish animals zoo), Grona Lund (rides and games), National Museum, and Vasa (resurrected 17th century ship of the line).  The use articulated and electric buses instead.  The swarming hourdes of mopeds, Vespas, Lambrettas, and Motorbikes which existed in 1961 has largely disappeared.  There are more bike lanes than I remember.  Prices are really high, especially for vice items such as tobacco and alchohol.  Vegetables do not seem to be as good or plentiful, fish is really plentiful.  The salmon tastes better in Stockholm than in New York on my sampling.  There are more than five ways to serve pickled hering.
 
Now I have a million things to do in the remaining 6 weeks of the summer.  I want to see Amanda, as I have not seen her for at least 6 weeks.  I have to get in reports on hiriong interviews and my expense report, I need to get to Paddy Mountain, I need to allocate time for academic work,  the summer goes so fast.