The Day and a Half Day

Friday, July 14, 2017
Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden
Flying east overseas at night shortchanges us on darkness. I think we got three hours of darkness. This means we are in for a long day of daylight when we head home going west with the sun. Either direction I suck at jet lagging. 
I love to travel. Even when onions were my only food issue, I figured all I really needed was bread and water...and my camera. I called it the prisoner's diet. With celiac, the bread part has to be reconsidered, and as much as I would like to exist on water and photography alone, it's not going to work. I now consider myself a hunter/gatherer...without the killing. Wherever I go when away from my home base, I'm hunting and gathering. Before leaving for this trip, I had gathered food to make sure I was covered, and I started hunting for safe places to eat for when I got to these places. Honestly, I prefer the prisoner's diet. It was so much simpler, but I'm here now, so I hunt and gather. It's time to fly.
The flight crew in Atlanta was late getting to the airport because of traffic which made our push back late by twenty minutes. But a 777 can't just jump in line and take off. They create too much air turbulence in their wake for the little guys who follow, so we sat for 40 minutes waiting for our next opportunity...in a plane that had been sitting in Atlanta heat for hours...and with no personal AC vent. Out of those hundreds of buttons and levers in the cockpit, one had to control the temperature on that plane, and I wish he would have found it sooner. Making matters worse, this was Air France, and many in Europe do not wear deodorant, sooooo it was pretty musky. However, the delay was well worth it because on our side of the plane, we made a u-turn around this massive cloud burst or super cell. I had no way of identifying it, but it was spectacular. I finally get the draw of storm chasing.
This was my first go around with an airline and the GF menu. Atlanta to Paris it was grilled chicken with rice, one carrot, four green beans (when they serve such small portions, it's easy to count); cold grilled chicken on a bed of greens (definitely seeing a chicken theme...or maybe they were cleaning out the fridge); salad dressing with high fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient (which I skipped); fruit salad with cantaloupe, honeydew, and pineapple (I don't like these melons, but I ate them anyway); and a rice cake with fake butter. I appreciated the effort.
But between the turbulence, the heat, and the lack of sleep, nausea settled in and it was a long flight. About the same time we got out of the turbulence to finally get some rest, lights were up for breakfast at around midnight my old body clock time. Yogurt (watching dairy because that was just allowed back in), a fruit cup with pineapple, orange juice, and a rice cake with sugar free jam and fake butter. My banana and almond butter it was! This is why I pack food.
We were late arriving Paris because we were late leaving Atlanta, and because we were entering the country, we had lines to wait in for security and passports. By the time we got through security, our plane was already supposed to be boarding. After a quick stop for water and coffee for the plane, we arrived at a gate making no announcements by PA, but was jam packed because two planes were leaving within five minutes of each other...at the same gate and sharing the same board. Stockholm was first at 9:45, Berlin was 9:50. Who plans these things? It was 9:40 and we assumed the final call was for us, but we were wrong, and the French gate attendant gave me the stereotypical French attitude. Then when we did board, it was every man, woman, and child for him or herself making the loading process even longer. I don't think they understand how all this flying stuff works.
Charles De Gaulle is an ugly airport on the outside, but it is pretty spectacular on the inside. The US seems to be behind in everything including class and elegance when it comes to the airports. While waiting for my family to get their coffee, I stood next to a caviar and seafood bar in the open air atrium. They were pouring Champagne and wine at 9:30 am. Well, we have Chic-fil-a in Atlanta!
On the flight from Paris to Stockholm, what very little French I remember from high school somehow convinced the flight attendant that I spoke French or I was French because she came looking for me to tell me my GF meal was going to take 10 minutes, but she wanted me to know it was onboard. When she told me this in French, all I could say was, "I'm sorry?" because her speaking pace and my French memories were not going to meet anywhere near the French side in this conversation. She repeated it in English flawlessly. And once the meal was delivered, other than the applesauce in the labeled container, I had no idea what was being served to me. I knew it was gluten and dairy-free though. Dave tasted it for onions, and he pitied me. He had no idea what it was and couldn't begin to describe it other than flavorless. I passed on both dishes, and went digging in my stock for something to hold me over until we landed. 
We arrived in Stockholm, and again, our country has some catching up to do. The train picked us up at the airport, and 20 minutes later we were downtown and one block from our hotel. The train was quiet, smooth, and had wifi. Why can't we have nice things?
I'm happy to report that every time I've asked about where I can eat gluten-free, the answer has been "everywhere". Kitchens adapt to all dietary needs, and part of that is because they cook real food here. It's not prepared or packaged food like many restaurants push in the US. The food is also clearly marked but still not the safest because the GF shares the same shelf space in the open with gluten products. I'd love to try some of these pastries, but if they are only an inch away from a dessert with gluten, it's too easy for cross contamination. We ran across the street to get a late lunch, and they were serving burgers, pork chops, or tuna for their off-time kitchen. We each had a burger, but mine was on lettuce even though they offered a GF bun. It took close to 20 minutes, but it was without a doubt the best burger I have ever eaten. 

The young gentleman serving us was Nathan. His story was he couldn't deal with the politics and craziness in London, so he moved to Stockholm where he said life slowed down and focused more on the important things. He said he returned to London for a few weeks, and it was like a treadmill on high. He's happy here, and I'm feeling every bit of that frustration with life, too. 

European cities are filled with sidewalk cafes and restaurants where people gather for hours. Once you have a table, it's yours for the night. They don't need to turn tables because the wait staff makes a decent wage. Tips are extra, not survival. We are doing it wrong in so many ways, and nobody listens to me. And in case anyone has any doubts, everyone we have talked to thinks Trump is an idiot, a clown, and/or a child, but I'm on vacation. 
This city is many islands with land and water transportation to get around. Stockholm is an old city, and you can see its age in the beauty of its period architecture, but it is state of the art in transportation and technology. We talk a good game, but we have zero bragging rights...about anything.
Late this afternoon while trying to stay awake to get adjusted to their time zone, we walked to get a coffee (water for me) and kept walking. Twenty minutes later we were exploring Riddarholmen, the west side of Gamla Stan, and then headed east to see a quaint area of Gamla Stan with people filling the sidewalks enjoying good food and good company. I would love to move here. It also doesn't hurt having all these blonde and blue-eyed Swedish men walking around, either. Bonus: Everyone is friendly and speaks English.
I took photos on my phone in the plane because my camera was in the overhead bin and not required for basic survival, and the pics on my camera from around here I will access and add later. It's almost 10pm and it's still light out. I love the tilt of the earth. It's one of the best things that ever happened to it. :D

Tomorrow we sail. Working our way towards Russia! 

Comments

2025-02-07

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank