10 June 2007

I'm now in Nykoping, Sweden, a small town about 100 km outside of Stockholm. Since my flight leaves at 7 am I decided to book a room closer to the airport. I don't even recall if it would have been possible to get the bus from the city that early!

This morning, after another nice breakfast, I went to the Nobel Museum. I could have stayed much longer watching all the mini-films, but after about 2 hours I decided it was time for lunch. It's a small museum and has only been opened since 2001, but it is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Then I made my way to the City Terminal and found the gate for the 14.30 bus to Skavsta airport. I had a hard time staying awake on the bus! We got to the airport around 15.50. I then found the local bus. The bus driver was really nice and dropped me off at (almost) the right place.

I got here to the Hotel Wiktoria and checked in and, yes, they have wireless. Woo-hoo. But, let me tell you about this room. I had read about this in an on-line review and couldn't quite envision it. But, the toilet, sink, and shower are all one. You slide the basin to the side when using the shower. I'm not kidding! The room has a fridge, tv, sofa, table, etc., but it's almost like being in a cruise ship or train cabin. But, the good news is that they provide drinks and sandwiches in the evening. Additionally, even though I have to leave at 05.00 I can still get breakfast. And, unlike Stockholm where I was on a really busy street, it is very, very quiet.

Well, just thought that since I had an opportunity I'd post an update. Oh, my accomplishment of the day was this. Sitting on the Tunnelbana, waiting for it to pull away, watching the electronic sign that tells you where you're going, the next stop, etc., I knew that it was wrong, not me! In two days I managed to get quite comfortable with getting around, but I think if I stayed a few more days I'd have really settled in. I also found that, with a tiny bit of Dutch and German - and, of course, English - I was able to read a fair amount of signs. Not much, but enough.

I'm really glad I took the opportunity to come up this way and see something new. I had really wanted to go back to Paris - especially since I can hobble along in fractured French - but I felt compelled to visit a place I'd never been and would be less likely to have the opportunity to visit in the future. Another good thing is that it's really the first time I've traveled to a new non-English speaking country since about 1980. That is, in recent years I've been to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, but I'd been to them before and have "a sense of things." Since I work with students who are returning from spending a semester abroad it's also been a nice reminder of the learning curve and "culture shock" of arriving in a new country where you understand so little.

I guess that's it - more as it happens!