Tax free travel pt. 2

I took an overnight flight from LA to London then a short flight to Berlin. By the time I got into Berlin I was tired, but wanted to get accustomed to the schedule, so I walked all day without really stopping. I ate some dinner then hopped a late flight to Stockholm (Nykoping really) on RyanAir (more on that later). By the time I got to Sweden, it was after midnight local time and I was exhausted. I walked from the airport to the hotel, checked in, took this picture and collapsed.

A very cheap and spartan room, a bathroom down the hall, a free breakfast, warm covers, and a short walk from the airport. Good enough for two nights.

I took a bus into Stockholm. I had always thought that Sweden was rugged like the fjords of Norway. It isn't. It is mostly just like a forested version of the upper midwest: some rolling hills, little lakes, patches of forest, and lots of farmland. When I got into the depot, I asked for a map of the city and I departed on a walk. I went west and immediately encountered a 7/11. No slurpies, but lots of gummy candies. I kept walking through the neighborhoods and turned south to the water. I walked back along the water towards the City Hall, but stopped for this shot.

The City Hall is where they present the Nobel Prizes each year. It is a huge building right on the edge of the water front. They wanted me to stay and accept the peace prize for not being George Bush, but I politely declined.

I kept walking around the building and came upon this memorial to an old King. I don't know which one, but it was to a king nonetheless. It was nearing noon, and there was a clock overhead, so I stayed and watched the full-size figures come out and do their dance/parade thing that they do at noon (sorry no picture).
I walked to the Royal Palace and watched the army practice their maneuvers. They were rather sloppy compared the US soldiers, but it was fun to see their effort.
This is one of the old town squares in old Stockholm. The old design looks similar to other old cities, but it has its own charm. This square also holds the Nobel Prize Museum where you can look at the biographies of previous winners. I didn't - it cost too much.


Just like many other European cities, Stockholm is infested with cranes. To the left of the crane in the Town Hall (Nobel Prize banquets here), to the right is part of old town.

Stockholm was just nice. I can't find other adjectives to describe it better. I think that with more than 8 hours in town, I could probably do better, but I didn't get that. This is one more picture of old town Stockholm.

After a nice long walk, a wonderful salad, and a return trip to the station, I boarded a bus back to the hotel. I tried to get to sleep early, but was afraid that I would miss the airplane, so I only got about 4 hours of sleep. Breakfast at the hotel was simple. There was some juice, yogurt, muesli, bread, preserves, cold cuts, and cheese. The first day I tried the yogurt, but it must have been full-fat and made of buttermilk. It was horrible. I learned my lesson quickly and focused on making a sandwich and a slice of bread with preserves. Surprisingly, it lasted me most of the day.

The flight back to Germany left at 6:05am. They only fly in and out of this particular airport twice a day, so there is some pressure to be on time. My roundtrip RyanAir tickets to Stockholm cost me 10euro. For $15, you can't even buy a dinner meal in Stockholm. So, you should probably ask, "why was it so cheap?" Good question. Everyone lines up to get on board the flight not in a line, but in a mass. The stewards announce that the gate is open and everyone lurches forward through the doors. They open both front and rear exits of the plane, and people rush to climb the stairs from the tarmac. There are no assigned seats, no in-flight emergency instruction cards (they are printed on the back of the headrests), no drinks, no snacks, and no comfort. Throughout the flight, they try to sell you things like drinks ($3), snacks ($4), lottery tickets, and preferred passage on their other ventures. The above your head storage bins are plastered with advertisements. They have publicly stated that they are considering a charge for using the restroom in flight. It is cheap, but it gets the job done.



I got into Berlin in the morning (8am) and couldn't check into the hotel until around 3pm, so I walked the Wall. I am surprised that my body was compliant with such little sleep. Stockholm was a good day trip. A little more time there would have been nice, but to squeeze it in to a business trip (tax write off) was sufficient for a scouting exploration. I'm sure to be back.