I have already posted some thoughts on taking buses. I am sure at some point I will break down and ride them like everyone else. But for now I have drawn that line.
I drew another line about two weeks ago...I don't run after trains. If I am walking to one of the stations and I see that my train is about to take off...to bad. I will catch the next one.
Maybe that is because I know the next train is only 10 minutes or so away. Or maybe its just nice to have a few minutes to yourself at the end of a busy day - listening to your iPod while waiting on the next train is not such a bad thing.
However after watching several people run (frantically I might add) after their trains, I started getting a bit introspective. Why am I not compelled to do the same? Isn't my time valuable?
No...that isn't it.
Now don't get me wrong, public transportation is fantastic. But let's face it...someone else IS driving and the last time someone else was driving any of us around it was probably our parents.
Grown ups are supposed to drive..not ask for a ride or wait for a ride or look at their watch and HOPE their ride shows up on time. Now consider that same ride taking off and leaving you and you having to run for our life to catch it....it's degrading and I am just not going to do it.
Buses are still for losers. Running after train makes you less than a man. Period.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Glad Påsk
After a day of public transportation, I could not convince Dwight to get back on a train to get into the city for the only English speaking mass I could find. So we had to brave downtown Stockholm via car, and yes, Davis screamed most of the way. Maybe he does not like the voice on our GPS system. Speaking of the GPS...you can only imagine how funny it is to hear Dwight yell at yet another piece of electronics.
We are both getting pretty adept at the "round abouts" but parking will always be a challenge. We circled the church three times before picking our spot.. We also did not knowing if our car would be there when we got back. As we walked along the water to St Eugenia's, I pondered all my many blessings. What an amazingly wonderful world we live in.
The homily was delivered by a bishop whose English was better than many of the foreign priest we meet in the States. We also ran into someone from Ericsson that Dwight works with. It is always nice to see a familiar face. Once in our car, we decided to drive back to Solna to our favorite restaurant for...PIZZA. They have incredible salads with shrimp, egg, cucumber, avocado, corn, red onion, pineapple and tomatoes. Davis ate everything except lettuce and onion. Dwight and I enjoyed a beer and when we asked for milk for the boys, the Middle Eastern Swedish speaking chef and owner went to his fridge and brought over a carton of milk.
I will digress to talk about the tiny cartons of milk and every other miniature food product in this country. During our first week, I went to a grocery store 5 times. After realizing that the each milk cartons only fills up a sippy cup 2 1/2 times, I finally started just buying 2 or 3 each trip. Each time I went out, I was able to find a larger store with more options but the proportion sizes stayed relatively the same. For the first couple of trips, I could not find any type of napkins or paper towels. I now understood when I asked Dwight to bring home paper products, he brought more thin, brown, toilet paper.
I have now found a "Willy's" which has peanut butter, dog food and yes, cheddar cheese (does NOT really taste like my favorite Kraft extra sharp). Another characteristic that does not change from store to store is that you have to buy your own bags which prompts people to recycle. I'm all for that except somewhere in between getting "lost" for the millionth time, trying to understand the very confusing parking regulations, Davis screaming and me, bundling up to face sub zero (C) temperatures, I tend to forget to grab the bags. Then I get into the store and decide to only buy one larger bag and put several items in the freebie bags at the end of the check out line. Inevitably these bags are useless. They are small and thin and will not hold anything more than 3 bananas. It was comical to see me manage the groceries, Davis and try to get my 5 Kroner out of the shopping cart coin deposit.
When I started this blog, we had been up since 6 AM and Davis had already pulled me into his room to go night-night (his morning nap is really just a continuation of night sleep with a meal in between). William is playing with Legos and Dwight is working. From our 5th floor window, I can see snow falling and all is calm in the Witherspoon flat.
We are both getting pretty adept at the "round abouts" but parking will always be a challenge. We circled the church three times before picking our spot.. We also did not knowing if our car would be there when we got back. As we walked along the water to St Eugenia's, I pondered all my many blessings. What an amazingly wonderful world we live in.
The homily was delivered by a bishop whose English was better than many of the foreign priest we meet in the States. We also ran into someone from Ericsson that Dwight works with. It is always nice to see a familiar face. Once in our car, we decided to drive back to Solna to our favorite restaurant for...PIZZA. They have incredible salads with shrimp, egg, cucumber, avocado, corn, red onion, pineapple and tomatoes. Davis ate everything except lettuce and onion. Dwight and I enjoyed a beer and when we asked for milk for the boys, the Middle Eastern Swedish speaking chef and owner went to his fridge and brought over a carton of milk.
I will digress to talk about the tiny cartons of milk and every other miniature food product in this country. During our first week, I went to a grocery store 5 times. After realizing that the each milk cartons only fills up a sippy cup 2 1/2 times, I finally started just buying 2 or 3 each trip. Each time I went out, I was able to find a larger store with more options but the proportion sizes stayed relatively the same. For the first couple of trips, I could not find any type of napkins or paper towels. I now understood when I asked Dwight to bring home paper products, he brought more thin, brown, toilet paper.
I have now found a "Willy's" which has peanut butter, dog food and yes, cheddar cheese (does NOT really taste like my favorite Kraft extra sharp). Another characteristic that does not change from store to store is that you have to buy your own bags which prompts people to recycle. I'm all for that except somewhere in between getting "lost" for the millionth time, trying to understand the very confusing parking regulations, Davis screaming and me, bundling up to face sub zero (C) temperatures, I tend to forget to grab the bags. Then I get into the store and decide to only buy one larger bag and put several items in the freebie bags at the end of the check out line. Inevitably these bags are useless. They are small and thin and will not hold anything more than 3 bananas. It was comical to see me manage the groceries, Davis and try to get my 5 Kroner out of the shopping cart coin deposit.
When I started this blog, we had been up since 6 AM and Davis had already pulled me into his room to go night-night (his morning nap is really just a continuation of night sleep with a meal in between). William is playing with Legos and Dwight is working. From our 5th floor window, I can see snow falling and all is calm in the Witherspoon flat.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Finding The Vasa
There is a fantastic museum in Stockholm called the Vasa Museet. Excuse me if the history is a little off, but essentially the Vasa was a ship built by King Gustav back in the 1600s. Unfortunately for the Vasa and its crew members, Gustav (like many Kings) was full of himself. Not pleased with the final outcome of the boat he added more gold, more cannon (yes more weight).
In Naval disaster terms this Vasa aspires to be the Titanic. At least the Titanic steamed halfway across the Atlantic before slamming into an iceberg. The Vasa sank so quickly after launch that some on the banks of the sea probabaly thought the christening ceremony puntured a giant hole in the side of teh ship.
While that part of the story is fascinating, the real interesting part comes almost 300 years later when the ship was found and raised off the sea floor. Amazingly it was well preserved and still about 90% in tact.
Only slightly more difficult than raising a 300 year old ship off a sea floor is taking William and Davis to see the Vasa...by train...not knowing where we were going. As Elizabeth put it, however this day was not about seeing the ship, but the adventure of getting there. That it was. I think most people on the train were impressed. They were impressed that Davis can scream so loud.
:-)
I shouldn't put William in the category of difficult to handle on this day. He was a trooper. To be honest taking a baby on 4 trains and two 2o minute walks in freezing temperatures is not easy. Davis did the best he could, but he just wasn't that happy.
The trip did have a happy ending however as the Witherspoons spotted something that looked like home at the end of the day - the golden arches of McDonald's beckoned and we answered. The kids had fries and happy meals and everything seemed normal again.
It was a really fun day and we laughed at ourselves over and over again. We did make a lot of progress on navigating the transit system and we got to see one of the most beautiful parts of Stockholm. Tonight....we go searching for a Catholic Mass. Next post is sure to be titled Glad Påsk OR Happy Easter!
In Naval disaster terms this Vasa aspires to be the Titanic. At least the Titanic steamed halfway across the Atlantic before slamming into an iceberg. The Vasa sank so quickly after launch that some on the banks of the sea probabaly thought the christening ceremony puntured a giant hole in the side of teh ship.
While that part of the story is fascinating, the real interesting part comes almost 300 years later when the ship was found and raised off the sea floor. Amazingly it was well preserved and still about 90% in tact.
Only slightly more difficult than raising a 300 year old ship off a sea floor is taking William and Davis to see the Vasa...by train...not knowing where we were going. As Elizabeth put it, however this day was not about seeing the ship, but the adventure of getting there. That it was. I think most people on the train were impressed. They were impressed that Davis can scream so loud.
:-)
I shouldn't put William in the category of difficult to handle on this day. He was a trooper. To be honest taking a baby on 4 trains and two 2o minute walks in freezing temperatures is not easy. Davis did the best he could, but he just wasn't that happy.
The trip did have a happy ending however as the Witherspoons spotted something that looked like home at the end of the day - the golden arches of McDonald's beckoned and we answered. The kids had fries and happy meals and everything seemed normal again.
It was a really fun day and we laughed at ourselves over and over again. We did make a lot of progress on navigating the transit system and we got to see one of the most beautiful parts of Stockholm. Tonight....we go searching for a Catholic Mass. Next post is sure to be titled Glad Påsk OR Happy Easter!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Transportation
For anyone that has grown up in the Southern United States, public transportation is a bit of a challenge. Let's face it...we like our cars and we love to drive. There is something about being southern that makes us gravitate to owning land and driving our cars. There is a certain independence...a certain peace that comes with this practice.
No such peace exist on public transportation in Europe.
For starters Europeans that take a lot of public transportation do NOT give a damn about personal space. They will stand right beside you in line...almost leaning over your shoulder. This makes the actual purchasing of tickets a little difficult for someone like me.
I need a little space....hell, I need a lot of space. What I don't need while I am trying to figure out which way to go is some 6'6 Swede leaning over my shoulder almost pushing me through the line. I would tell them to back off, but they are almost always much bigger than me. The Swedes are seemingly peaceful people, but I am not willing to test and get clocked over the head by Sven from Stockholm over the perceived violation of my personal space.
The purchasing of tickets is no small ordeal. While the crime rate in Sweden sits somewhere just below ZERO, they thought it a good idea to have their ticket brokers sit behind 8 inches of plexi-glass. This is fine unless you really need to ask some questions. While the Swedes mostly speak good English there are always some words that are lost in translation...for increased difficulty, just add 8 inches of plastic.
No one seems to question this use of plexi-glass expect me. I opine: Sweden is still a Democratic-Monarchy and they are very much a country "of the people." Does this mean the King and Queen occasionally show up to dole out tickets to the subway? And just to make sure they are safe they employ the bullet proof glass? Is one of Sweden's great natural resources Plexi-glass? I mean maybe you can just walk out into your back yard and dig up sheets of the stuff? Things to ponder....
The next challenge on public transport is navigating the various systems. There are multiple train systems that include subways, local trains and dedicated lines (airport only). There is also an extensive bus system (more on that later). If you want to find your way around Stockholm you just need to learn how to read a train map. For those of you that don't know, a train map in Stockholm looks like your kid took a handful of colored spaghetti and threw it again the wall. Each different colored strain would represent a different line. You have two choices:
1) You can navigate this multi-colored matrix ( you would be better off with a calculator a compass and a couple of dice) or you could
2) Take your chances. I opt for number 2. This could be construed as a waste of time especially if you get on the wrong train. However, I like to think of it as adventure.
My last comment on transportation is the bus system. I can't tell you how many times I have been told that taking a train and two buses is "easy." First of all taking three modes of transportation that all leave at different times is NOT easy. And secondly riding this bus is for losers...and that applies to Sweden and Alabama.
I am happy to report that I have now been in Europe for three consecutive weeks. I have been lost 100 times, but have yet to ride one single bus.
Score one for me.
No such peace exist on public transportation in Europe.
For starters Europeans that take a lot of public transportation do NOT give a damn about personal space. They will stand right beside you in line...almost leaning over your shoulder. This makes the actual purchasing of tickets a little difficult for someone like me.
I need a little space....hell, I need a lot of space. What I don't need while I am trying to figure out which way to go is some 6'6 Swede leaning over my shoulder almost pushing me through the line. I would tell them to back off, but they are almost always much bigger than me. The Swedes are seemingly peaceful people, but I am not willing to test and get clocked over the head by Sven from Stockholm over the perceived violation of my personal space.
The purchasing of tickets is no small ordeal. While the crime rate in Sweden sits somewhere just below ZERO, they thought it a good idea to have their ticket brokers sit behind 8 inches of plexi-glass. This is fine unless you really need to ask some questions. While the Swedes mostly speak good English there are always some words that are lost in translation...for increased difficulty, just add 8 inches of plastic.
No one seems to question this use of plexi-glass expect me. I opine: Sweden is still a Democratic-Monarchy and they are very much a country "of the people." Does this mean the King and Queen occasionally show up to dole out tickets to the subway? And just to make sure they are safe they employ the bullet proof glass? Is one of Sweden's great natural resources Plexi-glass? I mean maybe you can just walk out into your back yard and dig up sheets of the stuff? Things to ponder....
The next challenge on public transport is navigating the various systems. There are multiple train systems that include subways, local trains and dedicated lines (airport only). There is also an extensive bus system (more on that later). If you want to find your way around Stockholm you just need to learn how to read a train map. For those of you that don't know, a train map in Stockholm looks like your kid took a handful of colored spaghetti and threw it again the wall. Each different colored strain would represent a different line. You have two choices:
1) You can navigate this multi-colored matrix ( you would be better off with a calculator a compass and a couple of dice) or you could
2) Take your chances. I opt for number 2. This could be construed as a waste of time especially if you get on the wrong train. However, I like to think of it as adventure.
My last comment on transportation is the bus system. I can't tell you how many times I have been told that taking a train and two buses is "easy." First of all taking three modes of transportation that all leave at different times is NOT easy. And secondly riding this bus is for losers...and that applies to Sweden and Alabama.
I am happy to report that I have now been in Europe for three consecutive weeks. I have been lost 100 times, but have yet to ride one single bus.
Score one for me.
The Long Flight Over
I will cover two quick topics in my first post. The first is the trip over for Elizabeth, the boys and Chapel and the second will be public transportation.
Elizabeth arrived last Saturday afternoon at about 3:00 PM local time. The trip from Atlanta takes about 11 hours to Amsterdam. There is a 4 hour layover in the Schipol Airport and then its another 2 hours to Stockholm. That is a long day period. If you are bringing two kids (under 5) and the family dog, then its a really, really long day.
I was waiting for them to arrive at the Stockholm Arlanda airport.
Side note: I was attempting to use my new Garmin GPS system to navigate my way to the airport. Since the airport is the one place I actually know how to get to, it was really more of a test drive. Frustratingly the GPS kept telling me to get off the highway and take various exits along the way. Of course I start talking to the GPS...or yelling is more accurate: "WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME TO EXIT! THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT!! YOU CALL YOURSELF A NAVIGATION SYSTEM - YOU COULDN'T NAVIGATE YOUR WAY OUT OF A WET PAPER BAG!
Once I arrive at the airport, I park and walk into the terminal. Of course I am in the wrong terminal, which means I am parked in the wrong place. I look at my watch and realize Elizabeth and the kids are landing at any minute. Now you guys already know that having your wife fly for darn near 20 hours with two small children and a dog does not score you any points. My ONE AND ONLY job is to be anxiously awaiting their arrival at the gate and apparently I am about to screew that up.
So...I RUN back to my parking space and pull out of the area. I try to pay for parking, but the machine keeps spitting the ticket back at me and saying something in Swedish gibberish. I look at my watch again and realize that I am in serious danger of spending the next week sleeping on the couch. Finally I see a call button and mange to get some instructions from the attendant....I am now out of parking jail and back on the road.
I make it to the terminal and luckily have some time to spare. My friend Jesper shows up to help with the transportation back to our apartment and we continue to wait. First out of the terminal is of course William. He looks like he just woke up and appears perfectly fine. "How are you doing, " I asked William. "Fine!" he replies and he really does seem fine.
Chapel is also looking pretty good and other than barking at the nice airport lady that is helping us push the luggage, he seems great.
Elizabeth and Davis on the other hand are smiling, but clearly tired. Any of you that know Elizabeth understand that she rarely gets tired. Nothing like 20 hours of travel to put that to the test!
Elizabeth arrived last Saturday afternoon at about 3:00 PM local time. The trip from Atlanta takes about 11 hours to Amsterdam. There is a 4 hour layover in the Schipol Airport and then its another 2 hours to Stockholm. That is a long day period. If you are bringing two kids (under 5) and the family dog, then its a really, really long day.
I was waiting for them to arrive at the Stockholm Arlanda airport.
Side note: I was attempting to use my new Garmin GPS system to navigate my way to the airport. Since the airport is the one place I actually know how to get to, it was really more of a test drive. Frustratingly the GPS kept telling me to get off the highway and take various exits along the way. Of course I start talking to the GPS...or yelling is more accurate: "WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME TO EXIT! THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT!! YOU CALL YOURSELF A NAVIGATION SYSTEM - YOU COULDN'T NAVIGATE YOUR WAY OUT OF A WET PAPER BAG!
Once I arrive at the airport, I park and walk into the terminal. Of course I am in the wrong terminal, which means I am parked in the wrong place. I look at my watch and realize Elizabeth and the kids are landing at any minute. Now you guys already know that having your wife fly for darn near 20 hours with two small children and a dog does not score you any points. My ONE AND ONLY job is to be anxiously awaiting their arrival at the gate and apparently I am about to screew that up.
So...I RUN back to my parking space and pull out of the area. I try to pay for parking, but the machine keeps spitting the ticket back at me and saying something in Swedish gibberish. I look at my watch again and realize that I am in serious danger of spending the next week sleeping on the couch. Finally I see a call button and mange to get some instructions from the attendant....I am now out of parking jail and back on the road.
I make it to the terminal and luckily have some time to spare. My friend Jesper shows up to help with the transportation back to our apartment and we continue to wait. First out of the terminal is of course William. He looks like he just woke up and appears perfectly fine. "How are you doing, " I asked William. "Fine!" he replies and he really does seem fine.
Chapel is also looking pretty good and other than barking at the nice airport lady that is helping us push the luggage, he seems great.
Elizabeth and Davis on the other hand are smiling, but clearly tired. Any of you that know Elizabeth understand that she rarely gets tired. Nothing like 20 hours of travel to put that to the test!
Welcome to our blog!
We thought this would be a great way for our friends and family to share some of our experiences moving overseas. We will do our best to make weekly entries and post pictures of our new home away from home.
Our first week has been one of adjustment. Learning the public transport system has been a challenge to say the least. Also the Swedes walk everywhere. To them everything is a 20 minute walk. You ask a Swede how far is it to Oslo and they will point and say "about 20 minutes walk that way."
- but more about walking, fitness and transportation later!
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