Day 2 - Transportation Fun

Today we woke up with one goal - apply for our Tax ID numbers.  Sweden requires a tax id number to do just about anything beyond breathing.  Thanks to David we had looked up the location and even viewed the building on Google Earth so we were confident that we would be able to find the location without difficulty.

As we left the hotel, we noticed traffic seemed to be heavier than our first day but assumed it was due to the time of day we were out.  Once we get to the train station,  the real fun began.  There are signs up that of course we can't read.  Finally we get enough information to realize part of the subway is down due to an electrical problem.  The city is really organized though and had buses in place that were running along the rail paths.  We rode the bus which Ellie has be asking to do.  It was crazy crowded.  Two stops in the bus just stopped and everyone including the driver got off. Guess understanding the previous announcement would have helped.  Finally someone explained that the subway was working from this stop forward.  We made it to the tax office with 10 minutes to spare.  The application process was quick and painless and we should have our cards in 10 days to 6 weeks.

Our liaison brought us the keys to our new apartment.  We were so excited we headed right over.  Ellie couldn't wait to see her new room.  The apartment was so nice.  We can't wait to move in.  The building is old (1905)  and has all kinds of great woodwork and mouldings.   We are so lucky to have found such a great space.

After a stop at the park and lunch we decided to walk back to the hotel since the train system was still down and we didn't have a bus map.  We walked the path David will take from the apartment to work.  It was a nice 1.5 mile walk including cross a river so he will get to see water each day.  Along the path we saw lots of great shops and a really large grocery store.

After naps we wandered around trying to find a pizza place that David and I had eaten at in August.  Forty minutes later we found a different little pizza place.  It was delicious. Ellie ate THREE pieces. We are discovering that every pizza place has really different pizza.  They all make a thin crust pizza but the flavors are very different. Coming home we rain in to another train outage and were rerouted through T-Centralan(the station where all the lines meet).  David and I managed to lose each other but not Ellie.  After board what we thought was our final train home, it stopped 3 stops away and turned off the cabin lights.  We decided that they were shutting down the system again for repairs overnight and headed upstairs to figure out how to walk home.  As we were looking at the map another train arrived and continued on like normal.  We decided that the announcement was the train we were on was done for the day not the system was down.  Oh, to only understand Swedish.  This is something we have to work on in the coming months.

Overall, it was a great day and the trains are still Ellie's favorite part of Sweden.

Tuesday September 28th - Our Big Travel Day

Today was such a hard and yet really exciting day.  Ellie was so excited to be finally going to Sweden.  She was all smiles at the airport. She didn't want to get left so she never got far away from Mommy and Daddy. Grandma and Papa Bowers, Grandma and Papa House, and Auntie Allyn took us to the airport to see us off.  Saying goodbye was so hard but knowing we will be back in 3 months makes it like a mini-adventure. 

Our first flight to Newark had a little turbulance and we had to circle the airport due to weather but amazingly Ellie fell asleep.  Our three hour layover in Newark was barely enough and we ended up running to catch the plane.  Because we changed airlines we had to check-in again at SAS and because it was international we had to go through security again.  Ellie was so cute to watch.   She would had her passport and ticket to the security person.  Then at the screening she helped by taking off her shoes and putting her things - shoes, paci baby, purse and blanket in a tub.  She also pulled her Dora backpack most of the time in the airport.  She said, "I am pulling my luggage just like everyone else!"  Seeing her pull her luggage while talking on her cell phone was so funny.  She looked like a mini professional person.

Our SAS flight was great.  Ellie didn't like the movie option (Ice Age 2)  She thought it was scary.  But Dora on the computer saved the day.  The flight attendant also brought her a goodie bag of things (puzzle, stickers) to play with which she thought was great.  She also slept on the flight about 2 1/2 hours so we all were able to get some sleep!

Stockholm - Day One Exploring

Our first day in Stockholm, Sweden was clear and sunny with a high of 51 F.  What a difference from the Southeast the last few weeks!  When we checked into our hotel the clerk told us that the weathermen were calling for the coldest winter in one thousand winters – what timing.  Parts of Sweden have already gotten snow which is highly unusual for this time of year.

Our day started with breakfast at the airport café, since Ellie and I didn’t eat much breakfast on the plane.  Then Ellie had her first taxi ride!  She loved it – especially getting to sit on our laps.  After dropping off the luggage, we set off to explore our new city.  First stop was Electrolux to show Ellie where Daddy would be going to work each day.  From there we bought our transportation passes (for the subway and bus systems).  We did find out Ellie rides for free with an adult.   We rode to subway to our new stop and walked past our apartment to see it for the first time in the daylight.  Ellie could care less about the apartment.  She just wanted to see her new park.  Just around the corner from our apartment is a great fenced in playground.  It has lots of fun equipment including swings, a slide, a big playhouse and balance beams.  Ellie had so much fun playing that she fell asleep in the stroller afterward and we had to wake her for lunch.  When we woke her up she said, “I didn’t get my dream out.  Let me go back to sleep.  I was playing at the park with Chloe.”  We had lunch ½ a block from the apartment at Cindy’s Coffee House.  David had a good club sandwich, Ellie a ham and cheese and I had pasta and a salad. 

After a 3 hour nap, Ellie was ready to go play on the trains again.  According to her, that is the best part of the trip so far.  Subway stations have escalators, elevators and trains.  What more could a 3 year old want?  Oh yes to get to Sweden.  She doesn’t think we are there yet.

  We found a German restaurant for dinner.  The food was good and there was live music in celebration of Oktoberfest.  Ellie enjoyed dancing to the music.  After dinner we went down to Gamla Stan to see the old part of town and the water.  We found a Coup Nara (one of the grocery chains) and bought pears, milk and cokes.  Ellie also got to experience her first paid toilet.  We didn’t have the correct change and a wonderful lady who noticed Ellie doing “the dance” gave us the correct coin.   

Sunday In Cayce

Multiple goodbyes in one day are so sad.  We went to TLC for church this morning.  It was great to see everyone and discuss Tiger and Gamecock football.  David's "adoptive" family from GA drove up for lunch. It was a shock to see how grown-up Kyle and Courtney have become.  Thanks Mom for all my Sunday lunch favorites.  Then we visited with my Great-Aunt Wink and cousins Marla and Buzzy.  Ellie had a great time showing off her Dora passport and Nieko made an instant friend with Aunt Wink, climbing right up on her lap and snuggling up.  It was great visiting with everyone but hard to say goodbye.  Instead I am saying, "See you at Christmas!"

Tour Time

It is official.  Our tour has started.  We spent our first day in the second best place in SC.  Tigertown on a football Saturday.  The tigers played Presbyterian College (Daddy's Alma Mater)  While the score was lopsided,  PC played well and it was a beautiful day complete with the "most exciting 25 seconds in college football", Tiger Rag, and a yummy Fatz tailgate.