There’s a Syndrome for That
In this post, I would like to venture outside of my Hawaii trip, for some European flavor. Stockholm, Sweden to be specific. We were only in Stockholm for 5 Ish hours, and it still left a lasting impression on me.
We flew into Stockholm Arlanda Airport at around 7 am on a Saturday and had a layover in the city until around 4 P.m. With a small bit of pre-planning we had determined that there was ample time to take the Arlanda Express Train into Stockholm city proper. There is a ticket station at the airport, as well as rental lockers to put your clothing in. The trip is about a 20-minute train ride through the Swedish Countryside with its golden Aspens shining in the late Fall sun. I will say due to a combination, of jet lag, comfortable train seat, warm cabin, and jostling from the train moving. I had a world class, it didn’t matter what I wanted, it was going to happen nap both to and from the Central Station.
Moving on to our short little jaunt through Stockholm. I cannot properly express how much I enjoyed the architecture I saw in my short time in the city. From Central Station to the Royal Palace, I felt that I couldn’t turn anywhere without seeing something picture-worthy. We walked around the city seeing many cool buildings. The alleys and roads all felt so foreign (duh), and wonderful, and new, and exciting. I could have walked around all day if it weren’t for the fact that it was fairly cold. Somewhere around 35 F or 1-2 C. I was woefully underdressed as I had only dressed for travel and the rest of my clothes were packed away in my carry-on. One of the funniest things that happened was, we all heard the Swiss Police Siren and immediately spun around because it was so surreal to hear that sound in real life. We had only ever heard it in movies.
After we had walked around the city for 2 or so hours we ventured back to Central Station and all the wonder that it held. Coming in you are greeted with giant boards flashing volumes of arrival times and departures both for trains and planes, which can be confusing. However, after just walking around a bit we were able to figure the layout and how to navigate it. The Central Station, however, should be considered more than just a travel hub. It is its own destination. It has shops, and a convenience store with such good baked breads and pastries. A bakery and coffee shop and several other shopping amenities. Something to note if you are fresh from the States, and or a new to Europe Traveler. Most public bathrooms around Europe are pay-to-use. Usually just a single Euro coin, but if you don’t have currency, you might be in for a bad time.
Once back at Aranda Airport, we found our way to the international terminal to await our departure onto Dublin. Smallest of life hacks for the airport we found out. At the Aranda International terminal, there is an upstairs and a downstairs. And next, nobody goes to the upstairs area. All of us were able to squeeze in some shut-eye relatively unbothered by people and their noise.
That’s all for now. Safe travels and happy reading.
Warm Regards,
Clint Wehrman