Off to Stockholm and old friends

11 May 2022.

"That looks like the U.P." Susie said as we whizzed past dense forests dotted here and there by small lakes in Sweden.  She was referring to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, of course and she was right. Overcast with little hint of sun, our train trip began with a very leisurely morning over coffee and light breakfast.

Packed up, we left the keys on the counter and at a little before 10:00 (checkout time) walked out the door. It was an easy 20-ish minute walk to the train station and since we had nearly two hours before departure we searched out the train lounge and settled in.

waiting at the station

view of the station from the lounge

At one point Susie asked the lounge attendant about our train, the high speed to Stockholm central. After checking online she reported that the there was a technical problem of some kind and we would have to change trains in Malmo, just over the border in Sweden and only about 28kms away. Since I had the foresight this time to download the Swedish train app I could see that we would indeed have to change trains in Malmo. But curiously enough, the train leaving from Copenhagen would be identical to the one in Malmo, down to matching everyone's mandatory seat reservations.

A little before scheduled departure we walked down to the assigned track and shortly afterwards our train arrived. We got aboard and although at first flummoxed by the odd number of the seats in our compartment, found the right ones and settled in for the short trip to Sweden.

Before long we were zipping out of Denmark:

Arriving in Malmo we all disembarked and went in search of our new train (exactly like the old one). It was on the same track and platform but just in front of the Copenhagen train. Staff were on hand to answer questions so everything worked out just fine.

Once aboard we settled (back) in to the same numbered seats and soon pulled out zooming through southern Sweden.

Once underway I sent an email to Richard and Pauline. They shot a reply back saying they were just getting ready to board their flight for Stockholm. Susie and I then turned to eating our homemade lunch of cheese sandwiches accompanied by Dutch-made crisps.

From Malmo on the trip proved uneventful - we were in Sweden! And we were sitting relaxed, not having to drive or rush to catch a plane and sit listening to engine whine for hours on end.

Anyway, as we neared Stockholm the overcast sky opened up and the rain fell briefly but abated by the time we pulled into the central station. Exiting the platform we made our way to the taxi stand and after some minutes in the most convoluted driving I have every experienced, we pulled up in front of our hotel the Hilton Slussen. 

While waiting in line to check-in I logged into the hotel wifi and learned the R & P had just checked in. We ended up with a room just three doors down. And both rooms had river views! Well, OK, the river had to share space with the roadway and the metro system but hey we could see clearly the area known as Gamla Stan, or old part of the city.

view out our window

Partially unpacked we quickly met up with R & P with hugs all around. The four of us hadn't seen each other since the autumn of 2019 and so much had happened during that time. It was a joy to finally get back to traveling together.

We all grabbed our coats and headed out in search of wine and food. Uncertain about the hotel restaurant's menu R & P had spotted a couple of potential eateries just around the corner so off we went. The rain started in earnest and after a few minutes we popped into the Casa de Cava. Settling in we started with a class of cava (duh!). Our server was very patient with us in explaining the finer points of the menu. She explained that they had just opened recently and had not gotten round to printing an English version. In the end we all had the same dish: cod in a paprika sauce with lovely little boiled potatoes. Dessert was a truffle for Richard and myself, and Pauline had a mango flambé thing with ice cream.

The food came slowly throughout the evening but that gave us plenty of time to catch up just like old times. 

The rain had pretty much stopped by the time we walked back to the hotel and off to bed.

Tomorrow its time to explore the finer points of Stockholm!