In Stockholm

So much has happened in this past week I don’t even know where to begin. I will start with all the new things I have learned how to do. I believe that I have finally mastered the art of flushing the toilets! Along the same lines do to some trail and error experimenting I can now identify a water closet. I can also take a shower and lock and unlock the bathroom door. I have come soooo far in only a week.


I love the transportation system here. It is so easy to use. They have screens on all the buses and trains announcing the next stop. So far the buses and trains have all been on time. They run about every 15 minutes.



It takes me about 10 on the bus to get to the nearest grocery store for some chocolate. My favorite chocolate bar is similar to a chocolate covered gram cracker bar. Out of the candy bin I like a chocolate coconut thingy. I am not really sure what all is in it. I really need to learn Swedish. It is about 74 kronor per Kilogram. Speaking Kilograms I weigh 50 Kg over here. Someone else do the math please.
The city is beautiful. I am lucky that I have so much time to explore everything. My favorite place so far was, translated, the house of culture. The building has theaters, art galleries, music and a food court that over looks a courtyard. The big glass building is the one I am talking about.


I did come across a small stage by the castle. There were a lot of pars and other small lights hanging up. I didn’t have time to really see anything else. Alex kept walking. I guess he didn’t think of it as a tourist sight. It is hard to see the plot in the photo.



I got my library card today! I found a small section dedicated to English books. I got a Steinbeck book. This is me just outside the library.


Alex and I also went hiking today by his parent’s apartment. It is not as rural as Coupeville but it is still beautiful.



Not much else is new. I have mostly been taking care of paper work and running in and out of janitor closets trying to find a bathroom.

Trip to Sweden

Leaving for Sweden was very hard. The hardest part of the trip was leaving my parents.

On the plane to Chicago the worst part was the in flight movie. I really wanting to sleep on my nine hour flight so I was hoping to stay awake on my four hour flight. I was unable to pack any books because of space issues. Alex had my ipod. I did have the DS however which saved my life. There was no way I was watching that chipmunk movie. I tried to watch it for the fist few minutes but the voices drove me nuts. United also offers a few xm satellite radio channels. I listened to that most of the way. Until the movie was over and THE OFFICE came on! yah! I was so happy. The plane landed on time but because of deicing problems we got in over half and hour late. I had a really tight connections so I had to book it across the airport. I took that cool little train to the international termanal. I missed all the moving sidewalks. I was walking so fast that I didn't notice them till it was too late. I took a lot of rides on the polish moving sidewalks so it was ok. When I got to my gate the shooed me right onto the plane.
I was exhausted and after dinner slept from iceland to the UK! Food was ok. The last hour after breakfast was hard. I had slept in a fetal position in the seat which was comfy at the time but I suffered afterwards. It was a polish airline so it was sometimes hard for me to understand what they were saying.
Chopin airport was pretty spiff. All the wall except bathrooms and offices were glass. I had to back track a couple of times because the glass made things a bit confusing. The terminal was gorgeous. I choose row 16 for the last flight thinking it was in the middle of the plane. I ended up in the last row next to the employee's fold out chairs.
I looked out the window most of this flight. They also gave us a sandwich and a polish chocolate bar. Stockholm is beautiful from the sky. It was sunset so all the buildings were orange. The guy I was sitting next to wouldn't let me take a picture because we were about to land. We landed about half an hour early. I finally found customs. They kept me the longest. Same problem as that I had in Seattle. You are not allowed to buy a one way ticket to Sweden. I got through ok and went to baggage. My bags were the only two left. I only brought two bags and a backpack. Talk about moving light! The Swedish airport was lined with pictures of famous Swedish people.
I meet Alex and his family just outside the terminal. They were very friendly! I will write more about them and everything in my next blog.
-Ryn