Kylin's European Grand Adventure: Day 4 Stockholm

I, in particular, found the train today wonderful: free Internet, free coffee/water/breakfast including hot rolls/fruit. We met a really nice Dutch radiologist in the train station this morning. He was on his way to Sweden to handle a difficult case. His wife was an exchange student in the US and she made good friends with the host family's neighbors who moved to Chickasaw Point, SC. They have been there 3 times so he decided we were ok for Americans since we were from SC - one of his favorite US places. He adopted us and was a wonderful help on the train. God is good!

At the first stop something unique happened: two police came on dressed as tourists with a sniffing dog and asked us if we were sitting in reserved seats. Somehow we knew what they were asking and said yes. They did that all the way through the train car and when they were gone, our new BFF came to us and said it was very unusual for that to happen.

Also, an older woman got on the train at the airport stop and sat behind us. When the train master came to check her ticket, she was on the wrong train. The woman did not speak Dutch so English became their language of communication (she did not speak English well,but the train master did so we understood what was happening). She was going to the right location just not at the right time so the train master made her get off at the next stop and have them exchange her ticket for a correct one.

We are learning how to determine platform, proper place to stand to get on the correct coach, etc. in many different languages. Not sure if we are better at finding our hotel though. :( I'm sure well improve as we go along though.

Sweden reminds us of the countryside in Northern WI and MN. No wonder the Swedes settled there.

The Stockholm train station is huge, crowded and almost overwhelming. There were no English explanations on the signs so it was a little unnerving. We did manage to buy two 3-day subway passes, get to the correct subway stop on the first try, We also made it to the hotel w/o much anxiety also. The wifi connection for my iPad was our largest issue but after spending a half hour with tech support in India and nothing working, we went down to the lobby and John figured out why my iPad wouldn't connect. That John is a miracle worker!

We checked out the area close to the hotel and ate at an Italian restaurant managed by a Brazilian whose parents were Italian and Swedish. He grew up in São Paulo and has lived 21 years in Sweden. Small world! Dinner was delicious.

Train days are slow picture days as hard to take pictures from a moving train!

Interior of today's train