Swedish Fish Anyone?

Bob and I, along with his business associate Paul, took a flight on Ryan Air to Stockholm this morning. Ryan Air markets itself as the cheapest airline in Europe. Well, you get what you pay for. Yes, the fares are cheap, but you don't get much for the ticket price. The airport is not Frankfurt Main, but Frankfurt Hahn, an old U.S. air force base almost an hour outside the city. You can still see the old air force barracks and family housing. Not very pretty. Ryan Air charges you for your baggage. Any refreshments on board will cost you. There are no magazines; not even a holder for them behind the seats. You walk out to the plane to board it, even in the wettest weather. No seat assignments; first-come basis. Since I had the brace on my leg, I wanted to be able to pre-board. The older gentleman at the gate with the sour face said I couldn't because I didn't have a priority ticket. He even gave an elderly lady with a walker a hard time because she didn't have a priority ticket either. I waited until a young lady came to the gate, and then I asked again. Atleast she said I could board after the priority ticket holders, but before the rest of the passengers. This was the first airline that didn't let me pre-board because of my leg. The flight was fine otherwise. Did you know they can sell lottery tickets on the plane? And the money goes to charity? Yeah, no free food, but you can buy lottery tickets on Ryan Air. As we touched down on the runway in Stockholm, passengers started clapping. Odd. Isn't the pilot supposed to land the plane? Do they not usually do that with Ryan Air? Hmm.

Well my first impressions of Sweden is that it is a land of forests and lakes. At this time of year, it is very green. But apparently in the winter, it will look barren. It's cool here, literally. The winds are strong off the water and the air temps are in the 60's. People here think that's balmy though. Again, as in Germany, lots of bike riders. They have their own bike paths through the city. We are staying in Gamla Stan, the Old Town. It is filled with old buildings set along long, narrow cobblestone streets. Very picturesque. Across the street from our hotel is one of the many canals that make up Stockholm. In fact, Gamla Stan is an island connected to the city by bridges. Bob and I are hoping to do a little sightseeing tomorrow. I think we will take another bus tour since the walking may be too much for my leg. We can see a larger area by riding those double-decker buses. Bob had a business meeting today, so we just went out to eat when he got back to the hotel. We had really good gelato here. Seems many Italians have populated Stockholm and brought their own ethnc foods to the region. Many more people speak English here than in Germany. And that's soooo helpful!

Well, hopefully the weather will be nice tomorrow to get some photos of this beautiful city. I still can't believe I'm here.