Our much anticipated trip to Sweden has not been without it's pitfalls. The flight was excellent, if not cramped. SAS actually does a pretty decent job at trying to give those of us who fly Economy some leg room but I always get behind the one person on the plane who IMMEDIATELY has to recline his seat before the plane even takes off. I spent a good amount of time asking him to move it up so I could use my tray table (when it was time to eat) and he spent a good amount of time making a point to push it back as soon as possible. Consequently, I did not get up much during the flight. I also did not drink enough water but more about that later.
Once at Arlanda International Airport in Stockholm, we had to find our way to the Hertz Rental place. We rented a car this time to drive to Karlstad which is about a four hour drive. I am the driver in the family so my nerves were on edge right away. Getting into the car proved to be the first problem. It appears Swedes like to park very, very close to one another and neither of our American sized bodies was going to squeeze in there. Turns out the Hertz attendant also had a bit of a problem but he managed to get in and pull it forward for us. Once inside I did something I would only do in Sweden. I stripped off my now really hot, sweaty shirt (the one from the full day of traveling) and I changed into a clean shirt...in the parking lot...at Hertz. Ah well.
Leaving Arlanda by car was not easy. We did a good deal of driving around and around before figuring out the way but soon we were on the road, headed to Karlstad.
The traffic was almost non-existent, making my nerves settled down quite fast. The scenery was spectacular. Seriously, spectacular. Sweden is a land of water, forests and rocky hills and it goes on and on in this carpet of lush green followed by wide open spaces of clear blue water. Stunning when put up against the blueness of the sky and fluffy clouds that are not seen anywhere else. The air here is the cleanest I can ever remember breathing. Truly. You notice the difference immediately. There is something healing about Nordic air.
Things I learned or was reminded of on our way to Karlstad:
1. Things are very expensive in Sweden. We had a value meal and a coke at McD's and it cost us almost $25 USD! Gas cost us $50 USD to fill a Volvo. Seems like gas was the better deal when you look at it that way.
2. The major highways annoyed me a little. Instead of staying at two lanes where the left lane was the passing lane, they would go back and forth from two lanes to one lane and back again. Speeds were 120 km per hour and driving that fast in one lane with metal lane dividers on each side is a little harrowing. But since traffic was light it was okay.
3. People are incredibly cheerful here. They really are! Must be all that Nordic air!
4. My husband is an incredibly funny man! He kept me alert and awake and on the road by just making me laugh all the way.
4. As I've said before, Sweden is a gorgeous country and we saw it's fully beauty on the drive. You'll have to take my word for it though because we were idiots and packed our camera in the suitcase located in the trunk of the car. And we were on a mission so we didn't stop to get it.
5. You must pay to park in Sweden. Literally every road or parking lot costs you to be there. They have parking ticket ATMs on the street and you have to buy a ticket. Most of the time, weekends are free. The cost differs depending on where you are at the time.
In Karlstad we went immediately to see Pappa. He's living in a hospital/nursing home type setting right now awaiting a new placement. He was so happy to see us! We had a really nice visit but only for a short time. We still had to get to his old apartment and I was fading fast. We briefly stopped at a grocery store and loaded up on some things we would need for our stay and then off to the apartment.
When we got there we were met with a completely flooded bathroom. There was ankle deep water all over the floor. The bathroom window was open so we thought it had rained in. We cleaned it all up using whatever we could find and went to bed. Now, here's the thing, I had a blister on my toe from my new shoes and I was sloshing around barefoot in that water, thinking it was rainwater, and my toe became horribly infected. I didn't know it that night though. No, that night, I realized that throughout the day I had not had enough fluid and was dehydrated. I had a fever, body aches, chills and a miserable night trying to sleep. I slept a long time when I finally slept. But when I woke up I looked at my foot and the toe with the blister was now throbbing and purple and puss filled and disgusting. I cleaned it off with some alcohol wipes and put on a clean sock hoping that would take care of it. It didn't. That night I removed my now bloody sock and nearly fainted with what I saw. More alcohol and a night of Nordic air was sure to help. The next day I found some bandages and did what I could to pack and protect it. It's still a hot mess though. I hope I can get it somewhat healed this weekend in Stockholm.
However, that was not the end of the bathroom adventure. Turns out the toilet pipe burst which caused the flooding so what I was actually walking around in was gross toilet water - hence the infection! A plumber was called who came and cheerfully declared he had fixed it. Next morning, more water. Another plumber was called and this time it was finally fixed! No more water.
We spent time getting rid of old things Pappa no longer wanted nor would need. Many, many books and small appliances. Poor Alex packed and hauled and packed and hauled some more. We made at least 15 trips to the recycling center to drop it all off. One thing the Swedes get right, people are fanatical about how garbage and recyclables are disposed of. Probably says a lot as to why the air, water and green spaces are so damn clean! Even city air smells like none I've breathed before. Amazing.
Our short stay in Karlstad was over too soon and we were on the road to Stockholm. Driving in a Stockholm....well, that's a nightmare for another day.
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