We are now in Sweden, our 16th country - and our 8th apartment rental. Sweden was Ben's pick in the "country selection derby". For some reason he really likes this country and even said once, "Maybe I'll move to Sweden one day". ???
After four months of drifting around, moving approximately every 7- 8 days on average, and with long travel-days, the check-in/check-out processes are starting to wear on us. We are starting to feel a little battered by the ebbs and flow of good and bad logistical days, and at times we don't know if we are the flotsam or the jetsam.
But this rental is particularly cool, however, as it is a fully-operable, bona-fide houseboat in the Stockholm harbor - and just a 15-minute subway ride to city center. Way to go Suzanne! The accommodations are really nice and it is roomy and the kids are having a blast. See some pics below.
And, like most of the other rentals, we got here very late again after a long travel day (Suzanne noted it was our first four-country trip: Greece, Vienna, Germany, Sweden). We actually rolled our suitcases in the dark, in 30-degree weather, down a long wooden pier at 1 AM hoping we were in the right place as the cab drove away. Yikes!
Actually, the entire arrival process in Stockholm was stressful overall, as even though Suzanne had it all mapped out, we were literally THE LAST PEOPLE to leave the Stockholm airport that night at 12:30 AM as it was completely deserted and shut-down. Plus, for the first time in four-months, one of our bags was lost and we stood in line for 30-minutes waiting to report it as the airport shut-down around us. I was afraid taxi's would not still be outside, but they were, and while the cabby was nice enough, but he didn't know where we were going - which is always a good sign.
Checking-in late to a hotel (after 10 PM-ish) is always a little strange, but finding a rental apartment in the dark in a local neighborhood, with cabbie's that usually doesn't speak English, and with address systems that are completely different than ours (Japan, hello we're talking to you...) has been challenging to say the least. So far, of the eight apartment rentals, I believe with five of them we checked in after 10 PM, three after midnight and one at 5 AM while it was still dark! And that is stressful after an exhausting travel day.
Well, all's-well-that-ends well as the we found the boat, the key was in the mail box as explained, the heater was on, and there was a cold Heineken in the refrigerator for me. We all went to bed around 2 AM and caught a Hop On, Hoff Off bus the next afternoon! More to come.
- Mike
P.S. Watch for Maddy's video of the house boat coming soon. Just be sure to take your Dramamine as it is quite the "realistic hand-held" film technique!
P.S.S. After having gone missing for four days, my lost suitcase arrived - and we picked it up on our return trip to the Stockholm Airport. Now, that was convenient!
After four months of drifting around, moving approximately every 7- 8 days on average, and with long travel-days, the check-in/check-out processes are starting to wear on us. We are starting to feel a little battered by the ebbs and flow of good and bad logistical days, and at times we don't know if we are the flotsam or the jetsam.
But this rental is particularly cool, however, as it is a fully-operable, bona-fide houseboat in the Stockholm harbor - and just a 15-minute subway ride to city center. Way to go Suzanne! The accommodations are really nice and it is roomy and the kids are having a blast. See some pics below.
And, like most of the other rentals, we got here very late again after a long travel day (Suzanne noted it was our first four-country trip: Greece, Vienna, Germany, Sweden). We actually rolled our suitcases in the dark, in 30-degree weather, down a long wooden pier at 1 AM hoping we were in the right place as the cab drove away. Yikes!
Actually, the entire arrival process in Stockholm was stressful overall, as even though Suzanne had it all mapped out, we were literally THE LAST PEOPLE to leave the Stockholm airport that night at 12:30 AM as it was completely deserted and shut-down. Plus, for the first time in four-months, one of our bags was lost and we stood in line for 30-minutes waiting to report it as the airport shut-down around us. I was afraid taxi's would not still be outside, but they were, and while the cabby was nice enough, but he didn't know where we were going - which is always a good sign.
Checking-in late to a hotel (after 10 PM-ish) is always a little strange, but finding a rental apartment in the dark in a local neighborhood, with cabbie's that usually doesn't speak English, and with address systems that are completely different than ours (Japan, hello we're talking to you...) has been challenging to say the least. So far, of the eight apartment rentals, I believe with five of them we checked in after 10 PM, three after midnight and one at 5 AM while it was still dark! And that is stressful after an exhausting travel day.
Well, all's-well-that-ends well as the we found the boat, the key was in the mail box as explained, the heater was on, and there was a cold Heineken in the refrigerator for me. We all went to bed around 2 AM and caught a Hop On, Hoff Off bus the next afternoon! More to come.
- Mike
P.S. Watch for Maddy's video of the house boat coming soon. Just be sure to take your Dramamine as it is quite the "realistic hand-held" film technique!
P.S.S. After having gone missing for four days, my lost suitcase arrived - and we picked it up on our return trip to the Stockholm Airport. Now, that was convenient!