We Have Arrived in Stockholm

We were up at 3:00 this morning. At least I was up then. Ann decided that she needed to mentally review her packing and house preparation during the night so she was up and down a few times before 3:00. Both the alarm and clock radio went off on time, so we were assured that we would make our Bay Porter Express pickup at 4:00. We ate some fruit and muffins and powered down some strong Peet's coffee to get us going.

The 4:00 pickup was only 5 minutes late. We got to SFO a 1/2 hour later. We left at 6:50 on US Air to Philadelphia. We changed planes there for Stockholm. We tried napping a little. Ann was more successful then I, but I got to watch 3 movies and read a little of my book. We had to pay for food on the domestic leg. It was free on the international leg but we had to pay for wine. Quality was so-so.

We got to Stockholm around 8:00, went through immigration, got our bags, used the ATM and bought our senior tickets for the Arlanda express train to the Stockholm central train station. The train is very clean and efficient. It took us only 30 minutes to get to the station. Then it was into a taxi to the Hotel Wellington. Of course it was way too early to check into our room. Our plan was to leave our bags there and do some sightseeing. While putting away our bags, Ann discovered that she had left her purse on the train with her passport, credit cars and cash. The hotel clerk quickly called Arlanda and asked if anyone had turned it in. It turns our that Arlanda goes through the train after everyone disembarks looking for left items. It hadn't been turned in when she called, but they promised to call her back. About an hour later, they called and said that they had found it. So we taxied back to the station and picked up her purse with nothing missing. After that we decided to walk to the old town and do the sightseeing that we had originally planned.

Our main focus was to get some lunch and exercise. We had coffee and quiche in a small cafe in one of the alleys. Then we wandered uphill to the royal apartments. It was just before noon and there were hundreds of people milling around. We decided to hang out there to see what was going to happen. We found out it was time for the changing of the guards. The Swedes really do this well. First, two columns of troopers march into the courtyard and spread themselves along its parameter. Then a mounted trooper band appeared down the street and clopped into the courtyard playing their music. It was quite a spectacle.

We walked back to the hotel and were able to get into our room. It is a medium-sized room with a small balcony looking over a terrace one story below. The weather is a little too drippy and cool today to sit out there, but it is going to clear tomorrow. We both showered and cleaned up. We fought sleep for another few hours before we could eat dinner and go to bed.

View of Our Room

A light buffet dinner was included in out room rate, so we ate in the dining area near the hotel's lobby. We had several kinds of salads, sausages, bread, cheese, etc. As we continue to take advantage of our "free" dinner, we will have to eat a large lunch or have snacks in mid-afternoon.

We didn't last very long after dinner. Ann was asleep a little after 8:00. I followed soon after. I woke up once and looked at the clock. It said 9:00 and the sky was light. I thought that it was 9:00 AM so I almost got up. I thought about it though and realized that I couldn't have slept for 12+ hours without waing at least once. It stays light very late here.