Sweden Trip

Monday/Tuesday - I know its been a while but better late than never!  So, to pick up where I left of, we flew from Salt Lake (left Monday at 5pm) to Paris and the flight was great.  We just layed back and watched movies while they served us more food than we could eat.  I missed breakfast though because I slept through it  :(  because I couldn't sleep so I was late taking the sleeping pills so I slept in late.  Whatever.  It was actually a great flight because we were in "business class".  Dreamy.

The 5 hour layover in Paris in the middle of the night was the opposite of ideal.  It was rough.  In Utah they gave us a boarding pass for this flight but as we tried to go through security in Paris they said that these weren't boarding passes and we had to go back to the desk and get our boarding passes.  UGH.  So then we went and got our boarding passes and tried (again) to go through security and then they said I needed to check my bag.  UGH.  We walked about and into the other line and finally got through security.  We got to the gate and because we were business class we got to board first, so we give the guy our tickets and after I give him mine he told me to wait and printed out a new boarding pass for me with a different seat (in the back of the plane).  Eric was LIVID because not only would he not be able to sit by me, but we paid for our business class tickets.  He tried with all his little heart to get me my seat back but to no avail.  It was so weird why they did that and now, because of that trip, Eric hates the French and will never fly through there again.  And honestly, I'm not too happy with them either!  It was a terrible experience in Paris and we'll never do it again.  

We made it to Stockholm from Paris and our flight had been delayed a couple of hours because of a snow storm that was coming in.  (By then, I was STARVING!!!  I had no eaten anything remember!  They gave us a sandwich on the plane but it was not edible and I am not a picky eater!)  Luckily they had a burger place that we ate at.  It really hit the spot.  Stockholm just felt better than Paris.  Eric and I watched Madagascar on his laptop in our heavy coats (the airport was FREEZING but it was better than the hot sweaty Paris airport) and bought our favorite Swedish gummy bears and finally boarded the plane to Lulea.  By the time we made it to Lulea it was midnight (8 am on Wednesday Utah time) and there were no taxis waiting outside the airport because it was too late and airport in Lulea closes at midnight.  So we called a taxi and didn't end up leaving the airport until 1 am.  As you can probably imagine, I was NOT a happy camper!   We made it to the hotel and went right to sleep.  

Wednesday - We woke up and did the free breakfast in the hotel.  I was expecting that it would be dark outside but it wasn't and it was 9am.  It wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  The breakfast was great too!  I loved it!  After breakfast I met with the branch president's wife who has helped us so much to find a place to live and we went to go look at our first apartment.  It is just two blocks from our hotel so we walked.  Then we went to her house and i hung out with her and her two kids.  They are almost exactly the same ages as my sisters kids so it was fun.  I just picked her brain of everything Sweden and it was really fun.  Then she made us Swedish pancakes for lunch (delicious) and then we went to pick up her daughter from school (by then it was 2:30 and almost dark).  After we picked her up we went and looked at our other apartment of choice further away from downtown.  I loved that one more than the first but it was about a 30 minute walk to downtown (because I won't have a car) and because half of the year is below freezing, I had to go with the first one for my own sanity of getting out of the house everyday.  Here are some pictures of our future apartment.  Everything is TEENY.  Especially the bathroom.  

Anyway, after the apartment we went back to their house and hung out and I helped get the girls ready for their Lucia they were doing later that night.  They are so cute!  I got dropped back off at the hotel and took a twenty minute power nap and then went to dinner with Eric and his coworkers.  We went to this Italian restaurant, it wasn't like an American Italian restaurant, or even an Italian Italian restaurant but it wasn't bad.  Then Eric and I went on a little walk downtown on Main Street but it wasn't long because it was FREEZING.  Then we went to bed.  

The girls all ready for their Lucia.  Aren't they cute?

Thursday - We woke up and I slept in a little bit because Eric went to work HECKA early.  So I had breakfast by myself and then hit the streets.  I just walked around and in and out of stores and that is when I found H&M.  It was fun.  It was like 10 degrees outside and there were TONS of people outside even with their babies all bundled up in strollers, it was great.

Our hotel

Then I went back to the hotel and packed and got ready to go.  Eric picked me up and we hung out at his office for a few hours before we went to the airport to fly back.  We were on the plane on the way to Stockholm and the flight attendant came and asked Eric if he had his passport.  Eric didn't and someone found it at the airport in Lulea and they had it on the next plane coming about an hour after us.  Thankfully!  We waited by the gate for the guy with Eric's passport but their flight was delayed about 45 minutes.  After we got his passport we foreal RAN to catch our connecting flight to Paris but we missed it!  There weren't any other flights going there that night and not until the following NIGHT.  We went around to other airlines to see if we could find something else and we did.  Through Scandenavian airlines we found a flight Friday morning to Chicago so we spend the night at the airport hotel in Stockholm.  We ordered a movie and enjoyed the night and the next morning before we headed to Chicago.  

Friday - Woke up around 7am and flew from Stockholm to Chicago.  Landed in Chicago around 2pm Chicago time.  We ate at Chilis and we just hung out for about 4 hours until we left to come home.  We got back Friday night around 7.  It was one of the longest days of my life and I was so glad to be home.  Too much traveling for me.  It made me super nervous to do it with a babe so we'll see how that goes.  

Well, we're on our way.  We hired a property manager to manage our house for us while we're gone and met with the people who are going to be packing and moving our stuff for us so its starting to feel more real.  Its crazy.  And sad.  And exciting!  We're getting ready to sell our furniture so if you're interested let me know!  :)