Hej!
We kicked off our travel day yesterday morning with a team breakfast at the Caf on campus. After class, I double and triple checked everything I had packed and by 5:30 p.m. we were on a Coach bus en route to O’Hare Airport’s terminal 5. I had not been on a plane since I was in second grade, so the entire airport process was a bit daunting to figure out all the processes and places to be.
We arrived early to the airport and had a chance to pick up some dinner. I had some boa and a vegetable rice bowl. After eating, we took some group pictures then boarded the plane.
We flew with SAS (Scandinavian Airlines). The flight left O’Hare at 10 p.m. to a short layover in Copenhagen, Denmark. This flight was 8 hours long, which was a very long time when you’re trying to sleep cramped in a seat that won’t recline. I watched one movie before unsuccessfully trying to sleep the rest of the flight.
We arrived at the Copenhagen airport early for our second 40 min. flight to Gothenburg. From the air, Denmark is a very pretty country. I went through customs and received my first passport stamp! It turned out to be a very good thing that we arrived early because we soon found out two of the student actually had tickets for an earlier flight to Gothenburg for some unknown reason. They were able to make their flight, and soon after we boarded our own plane for the short hop over to the second largest city in Sweden.
Once in the airport, we bought city transportation passes that cover the trams, buses, and ferries throughout the city. We then tetrised our luggage in the backs of 3 vans and made our way to the hostel. The hostel is composed of two separate buildings: one where the rooms and lounges are located and one with the front desk, breakfast area, and other seating areas. When we checked in, we received a towel, sheets, and meal tickets for breakfast.
The rooms are quite small, but they do there job well. Here you can see that they are well furnished with a decent view. It was very concerning when I first open the windows and found that there were no screens; apparently they aren’t a thing in Europe.
The team then went out to dinner at the Pasta Haus, an Italian restaurant a few blocks away. The garlic bread and tortellini dish I had were delicious. After dinner, we walked down the corner to a coffee shop called Tin-Tin’s, or Café Linné, to have some dessert.
Daily Reflections:
- Trying to sleep on a plane is very difficult.
- Chewing gun doesn’t always help release ear pressure when the plane is landing.
- Ask for tap water at restaurants otherwise they’ll give you seltzer water.
- Country music plays on at least one Swedish radio station.
Now it’s time for sleep off this jet lag and the 7 hour time difference.
Adventures in Sweden 