Last Days in Sweden

I am currently in Stockholm in the lobby of the youth hostel resting my feet!  Busy couple of days!  Friday we went to Granbyskolan.  It is a middle/high school so Gunnar and I ducked out for awhile to visit the elementary school across the parking lot.  We got to visit a special education class during their music class. Very fun--one of the girls tried to kidnap me but let go of my hand when she had to get her shoes on.  At many elementary schools, everyone removes their shoes at the door (as you do in every Swedish home).  Some schools have little plastic booties you can put on over your shoes if you prefer.  Some people have "home shoes" or slippers that they keep near their doors and sometimes take with them to other peoples' houses.

Then we heard a man from the United States that moved to Sweden to play basketball many years ago and now teaches sports at the school.  He was very interesting.  Then a small lunch and off to Gunnar's school where the special education program was having a special "Pask" (Easter) lunch and program.  They drank Paskemust--a sort of grape soda that's a special Easter drink.  Then a few students got up and sang for us while Martin accompanied them on the keyboard.  So talented!!!

At night we had a farewell dinner prepared by the Americans for our hosts at one of the principal's houses.   Good food and lots of talking!  By the time I got home, one of the Swedes had already requested to friend me!  : )    Fun time!

At our party, playing Swedish songs with the guitar and two nyckelharpor.

When we woke up yesterday there was snow accumulated on the ground and it was so cold!!!!!!  We took the train to Stockholm and then the bus to the hostel because it was too cold to walk.  It was just above freezing and very windy.  The snow on the sidewalks and roads had melted and puddles were everywhere but the windchill was horrible!  The bus drops off really close to the hostel.

Check in at the hostel went smoothly,  in fact I got some money back because I had a hostel membership (Cheryl had already paid for the rooms when she reserved them—we paid her back and the rate was the non-membership rate).  The hostel is divided into two parts—the main building and a boat--the af Chapman.  In fact, the boat is even marked on the tourist maps and when we told people where we were staying, they had heard of the af Chapman. 

First, we made our beds and warmed up.  The duvet covers here have little holes at the top for you to reach in and hold onto the duvet—what a stroke of genius!   Margareta and Gunnar’s was the same.   Our room had two sets of bunks, lockers, a small table with 2 chairs, and a sink.  The women’s toilets were across the hall and the women’s showers just a short way down the hall (next to the toilets).  Now, when they have just a toilet and sink in the little room with the door to the hallway, why do they designate male/female?  We can both use the same fixtures.  Same with the showers, there is a stall with curtain and a bench and the door to the hallway locks—why are they male/female?  Men don’t have separate secret showers.  Who knows?  

The boat has dark wood floors all marked up by years of hard use—they’re great!  The floors angle from the center to the edges—probably for shedding water if it came in, but it was a little weird.  There is a café on the deck—a few meals offered as well as tea/coffee/pastries—this is Sweden, after all!  We must have a place for fika. 

Our boat--the af Chapman

We went there for a  warm lunch, then walked to and around Gamla Stan in the icy, cold wind.  We wore hats and mittens.  We bumped into Daren—he was staying at a hostel in Gamla Stan facing the water (in fact, we could see it from our portholes!!).  He walked with us, then we went back to the boat for more layers as the temperature dropped.  It had snowed in the morning but melted and we saw all of the puddles freezing as we walked back to the hostel.  I wore a t-shirt, sweatshirt, thick sweater, and fall jacket and was still chilly.  Thank goodness the farm school gave us the black knit beanies—those kept our heads and ears almost warm.  We asked at the hostel desk for ideas of places to eat and they gave the suggestion of one place on the island or going over to Gamla Stan again.  So we checked out the place on the other side of the island, but it was very expensive for what looked like not very tasty-looking food.  So we walked in the ever-deepening cold to Gamla Stan.  When we reached the main square, I suggested the place that we ate when we were there—in a basement just off the square.  We were all hungry and cold, so they said to find it and we ate there.  Cynthia was very taken with the unusual restaurant—it goes back quite a ways in successive rooms and is like a cave.  We ate there and warmed up.  After a leisurely dinner, we walked a bit more then went to our respective hostels for the night. 

Gamla Stan from across the water

                                

On Sunday, we still hadn’t heard from Lisa so Cheryl and Cynthia and I went out walking and window shopping.  Cheryl bought some handiworks for a projects she’s doing with ASI (the American Swedish Institute) and Cynthia bought a nice jacket, but that was all.  We walked in the downtown area and in Gamla Stan.  We stopped for fika at a very well-known café called the White Cat (evidently there is a black cat somewhere else in Stockholm).  Then we decided to take a break and went back to our room.  After a few minutes we went to the main building to take advantage of the free wi-fi and to buy our bus tickets to get to the train station, then came back for fika at our ship café.  It was about 4:30 and we were hungry, so we ate dinner with our coffee and tea.  Then back to our room to rest and read and pack for the morning.  We talked most of the time, so not much reading happened. 

Cynthia and Cheryl in Gamla Stan (Old Town)

                                          

None of us slept very well, but got up at 5:00 to shower and head to the bus stop for the 6:16 bus.  It was on time and we arrived at the train station.  Cheryl took the subway to stay with her cousin for a few days who lives in Stockholm.  Cynthia and I went to the ticket office to buy train tickets to the airport, but he said that the much faster express had two for one tickets and sent us to that office out by the platforms.  The man at the counter was quite snarky and said that that was only on Sundays (and then he said—welcome to reality—that was the snarky part).  So we bought the tickets because we were there and seven minutes later we were on the express train to the airport.  At the airport, we checked in and got our boarding passes all the way through to Minneapolis.  Then we went to the Global Blue desk so that I could get my taxes reimbursed.  Cynthia had made qualifying purchases, but she did not get the special form at the point of sale that you had to fill out to get the  rebate.  After going through security, we stopped at a café for breakfast (we were gone too early to eat at the hostel).  Then to the gate where we met up with Lisa.  Chicago also went slowly but smoothly.  We were lucky that we decided to look at the luggage carousel to make sure that our bags went through because they didn’t.  We had to get them and take them to another place to be put on the next flight.  Cynthia’s friend gave us a ride home from the Minneapolis airport which was much easier than walking to and from the light rail. 

My next time at the airport will be going to Italy in June!