DAY 01 - travelling, a reunion and male bonding

we leave home about 08:20 to catch the airport bus at suedtiroler platz. we're shocked when we arrive at the airport check-in hall - we have never seen the place so busy. hundreds of people, and apparently they only have a handful of counters for all of them! even though we're there 2 hours before scheduled departure, there are times when we are worried whether we'll actually make the plane! things are moving at an okay place at the check-in after all, but then there's security, and we still haven't had our carry-on luggage checked about 20 minutes before the plane's supposed to depart! wah! i hate such things, i am just not cool enough to shrug and say "ah, it'll be alright!" but once we are through and especially once we are on the plane, i am able to relax. :)

first take-off, vienna: 11:08 - and sepp starts to look forward to his first meal! ;)

everything goes well in transit in prague where we catch the connecting flight to stockholm.

second take-off, prague: 13:28 - we even know that our backpacks are on board with us, because we watched them being brought onto the plane. :)

thanks to czech airlines btw, for, err, donating me a plastic cup - it proved very handy and useful on our trip, serving as a cup, a ladle, a measuring cup, and probably some other things as well! :)

we have a couple of hours at arlanda airport in stockholm, we spend most of the time sitting outside; some swedish air for first-time visitor sepp.

third take-off, stockholm: 18:36 - off we go further north to luleå. lovely views from the plane as we approach our final destination, the archipelago is gorgeous. lots of small, even tiny islands, and the very blue sea.

lotta is there to pick us up at kallax airport, luleå - it's a lovely summer evening, the weather is actually nicer than in stockholm. pleasant, sunny - and of course it will remain sunny until very, very late at night.

lotta drives us to her and janne's place in morjärv, around 70 km from kallax airport. lucas, their little son, has obviously been waiting for us, and once i am out of the car, he's asking me to come play with him. it's good i understand a little more swedish than last year, makes things much easier. :)

janne and sepp are really lovely to watch - male bonding over, ummm, let's put it politely: a few beers (an international selection).


sepp (black) and janne (white) and the first of many beers

emelie, lotta's daughter, and lucas seem happy with their presents, but lotta is the happiest, because she gets a dvd she cannot even understand, because it is in german - but what does that matter when it's cinderella, an 80s tv mini-series with pierre cosso and bonnie bianco?! :)

of course we also have to check out the sheep lotta and janne have for the summer.

it takes some getting used to the fact that it doesn't get dark. we keep checking the time. even though we were knackered on arrival, we seem to be quiet wide awake late at night and go to bed past midnight.

i don't sleep well at all that night, keep waking up thinking it is morning, when really it is only 2, 3, 4 am ...

day 01 photos