Hello Sweden!...

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Hello Sweden... Hej Sverige... (9 minute read)

After a 21-hour train journey from Amsterdam, I was completely knackered...
I didn't get much sleep after meeting up with Lars Olof (Lola) and Mikael on the train, we talked for hours and hours...

Halfway through the night, the train we took got on board a ferry!
What!?
Yes!...The whole train got on a ferry to go across from Germany to Sweden (Sassnitz to Trelleborg)

I truly had no idea that was possible, but we'd had a few beers so...anything was possible!

Going across the Baltic Sea took approx. 4-5 hours... then back on land we travelled on to Stockholm for another 7 hours through some amazing scenery...

This was my first time in Scandinavia and it looked so beautiful!

We must've arrived at Stockholm Central Station at around 5 or 6 pm...
We were all pretty tired and didn't smell great...we probably reeked of beer a bit...

As soon as we got there I tried to contact my friend from Amsterdam who had said I could stay with her for a few days but...

Surprise surprise!...

She was heading back to Amsterdam the next day because her softball coaching job was cancelled and I could not stay with her at all...
She was crying...she was devastated and sounded a bit embarrassed over the phone and I felt sorry for her but...

What about me?! … Now, what do I do?!

I didn't have a lot of cash to spend on accommodation at all, especially when the Youth Hostels were so expensive in Stockholm...

So I was in a bit of a pickle...Lola and Mikael heard me having this conversation on the phone and saw my desperation then...Lola said...
"Why don't we go to my place and eat something and then we can ask my Mum if you can stay with us for a couple of days, sounds good?"...

Really?! ...I had just met these guys on the train...and I didn't know what to say but...
Thank you so much, yes, let's do that...

He called his Mum to give her a heads up on what he was doing and about me...
We jumped on a local train and went off to Farsta, where he lived, just a quick 25 minute ride...

Lola and his Mum lived in a medium size apartment in Farsta, a friendly neighbourhood...

When we arrived she opened the door and greeted me in Swedish...
"Hej Hej... Jag heter Viva"...(Hi my name is Viva) I had learned how to say that in Swedish too... so I said, "Hej, Jag heter Hector"... she looked surprised and smiled!

Then Lola had a quick chat with her and said..."My Mum says that you can stay here for a few days, no problem!"
Seriously?! …Thank you so much...

Then she showed me to a room and said..."Here's your bedroom", she handed me a towel and said, "here's a clean towel for you...there is the bathroom"...pointing at a door in front of the spare bedroom...

"While you take a shower and get ready I'll organise a Pizza for you boys", she told us...

Wow!... This was amazing...and totally so much better than crashing with my friend with whom I was supposed to stay, more than likely sleeping on her couch...

After we showered and changed we went to the kitchen where a large pizza was waiting for us and we sat down...
Then Viva said..."Want a glass of milk?"... Sure, why not...

I learned right there and then that that's what they normally love to drink with dinner in Sweden... an interesting habit...

Then Lola was on the phone with Mikael and said that the guys had organised a welcome back get-together at a bar... "Wanna come along?" ...Sure thing...
There we met his friends Mikael and Stefan and his brother Jan Erik and his wife Birgitta.

It was Saturday night so the bar was crowded...they bought me a beer and that's all I drank...one beer...
Why?
Well, it turns out that beer and all alcoholic beverages in Sweden are highly taxed and the prices are astronomical, especially at a bar... so...I made sure that that one beer lasted for the rest of the night...

The next day we went to see the Stockholm Marathon and some sights around Stockholm...it was a great day!

Then after we got home for dinner Lola said...
"Tomorrow Monday I must go back to work, however, my brother Jan Erik has taken the day off tomorrow to show you around some other sights of the city" ...
Wow, seriously? that's excellent... I said

And then he said..."Both, I and my mum, are going out to work early in the morning and my brother will come and pick you up at around 9 am", then went on to say...
"HERE ARE YOUR KEYS" and he handed me his house keys...
What?!… I was blown away...

We had just met and they were going to leave me in their house alone and with their house keys?!

I could not believe it and didn't know what to say...I just said...Thank you...

We had a beautiful meal that night, I tasted for the first time, Viva's delicious Swedish meatballs!
Which is a famous Swedish dish and Lola wanted me to try them, they didn't disappoint at all...so uniquely delicious...

The next morning I got up and Viva and Lola were gone, they left me some breakfast stuff on the kitchen table and a note saying "Help yourself, Jan Erick will be here at 9 am"...

So I helped myself to some Swedish 'Knäckebröd' (Swedish Crispbread) and cheese and some ham and made myself a nice Swedish 'smörgås' and had a tall glass of milk...let's say it was a typical Swedish breakfast... 

There I was all by myself in their house, still in awe about the whole "here are your keys" thing...
I took a shower and got myself ready to go...

Right on the dot at 9 am the doorbell rang...I opened the door and there was Jan Erik, he said "Hej Hector, are you ready?" ...Sure am!

They are so punctual and precise about their times and appointments...
Got my stuff and the 'house keys' and left with Jan Erik for a nice tour around town...

OMG... I loved "Gamla Stan" the old city...It is so colourful and beautiful...

It was still summertime, so there were lots of people walking around in colourful summer clothing and wearing shorts and t-shirts...Swedes love their summer, although it is normally too short compared to their long winters...

We ate some lunch somewhere and at night we met up with Lola, Mikael, Stefan and some others to have our final night out...

I was going to head down to a small town called Linköping the next day, to visit a friend of mine from my kibbutz, Mike, who said I was welcome to stay at his place for a few days... 

That last night in Stockholm was fun and we promised one another we'd see each other again, I invited them to come and visit me in Mexico after I'd get back home and Lola said... "I will" …(and he did visit Mexico a year later, more on that on future posts)…

Once again the next morning Lola and Viva went to work, although I did see them off this time as it was time for me to leave...

I said bye and thank you to Viva, such a sweet lady, and to Lola, my new friend... and they said Jan Erik was picking me up again to take me to the train station to see me off...
WHAT?!
Jan Erik took the morning off again to pick me up from Viva's house and took me to Stockholm Central station, mind you, we went by train, he had no car, just as many people in Sweden... Public transport is amazing...

He walked me to the platform where my train to  Linköping would depart from and I went on to get on the train, we hugged and said goodbye, and I said, thank you so much for everything and he said...
"No, no... thank you for spending some days with us"...
What?!... again I was speechless, I got on board and waved goodbye, 'vi ses' I said in Swedish...See you later...

That first visit to Stockholm was rather memorable, as it turned out to become something totally unexpected and, it marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship, not only with Lola but with his family and friends...

When I arrived in Linköping, after a quick 1 and half hour ride, my tall friend Mike was waiting for me at the station...
He was waving and said..."Hej, Hector!...Great to see you again!" Hej, Mike! I said, how's it going?!...
We walked over to his place not far from the train station and started catching up...and I found out he was about to go up north do his military service which he didn't want to do but had to...he was not too happy about it but...

We talked for hours about our time in Neve Eitan and had a few laughs while having a couple of beers...

I stayed for a couple of days with Mike...there really wasn't much to do there and It was a bit uncomfortable crashing on his couch in his small apartment, nonetheless it was great meeting up with him again...

After a couple of days, I headed down to Eslöv to visit 2 girls from my kibbutz as well, Marie and Lotta...
They had also invited me to stay there for a few days...

I spoke with them over the phone from Stockholm and they said they'd be waiting for me!
 
Marie went to pick me up at the train station and after we had lunch with her Mum, they drove me to Lotta's farm...which is where I ended up staying...

Lotta lived on a huge and beautiful farm and there was plenty of room... 
Marie said as we were driving up..."That's Lotta's family farm"...pointing ahead
WOW!!! I was blown away...What an awesome farm?!

So beautiful...something you'd only see in some postcards or something like that...

Lotta and her family were waiting for us and after all the introductions were made Lotta took me to the upstairs spare room and said...this is your room...hope you like it...
Like it?!
It was gorgeous...immaculate and I had no idea if I was dreaming or if that was real...

It was a room with an inclined ceiling, as the shape of the roof...
It had a small window at the end of it and there was a single bed in it with a really nice goose down duvet on top that looked so inviting..
Wow...pinch me! Am I dreaming?...

I spent a few days on the farm, helping out as well with some of the farming chores...that was so much fun...

Working on a Swedish farm was definitely not on my list of things to do but I loved it!
Lotta had a wonderful family and we got on really well...

Then Saturday night came about and they said there was going to be a huge party...
GAME ON!

So, that Saturday night we went to a farm nearby, and there were a few cars parked on the grass and there were a couple of open-air marquees and the music was blearing...

There were lots of people...I don't quite recall everything that took place there, but according to my diary, it was an amazing party and we danced all night...

What a way to wrap up my stay in Sweden!

I, evidently, had a great time staying my last days in Sweden with the girls in Eslöv and had a great break from the reality that still was hanging over me...

Soon I would have to get back to the Netherlands and continue waiting for my cash funds to come from Mexico...

Then Monday came about, it was time for me to leave...
The girls took me to the train station and we said goodbye.. once again...

I got on the train for another long ride overnight back to Amsterdam...this time I was not going to stay in Zaandam...
I was only going to make a quick stop there just to pick up my mail, hopefully with good news about my money...

Then I was going to travel down to a small town called Roosendaal to stay for a few days with a friend of my brother's...Dies Tolhoek...more about that on my next story...

'Hej då Sverige'...Goodbye Sweden...'det var lagom'...It was just what I needed...
'Jag kommer tillbaka, jag lovar'...I'll be back...I promise ​