Swindled in Sweden

Sparknotes:

• ~10.5 hours of train travel for the day (from Copenhagen to Stockholm and back)
• The scenery was incredible. Probably the most beautiful area I’ve visited.
• Stockholm was one of my favorite cities so far, despite not really doing anything cool/fun. It reminds me of a European version of Seattle, but with more lakes and water everywhere
• I searched at least 10 stores for “Swedish Fish,” a gummy candy that my brother Cory really likes, but was unable to freakin find it! Sorry Cory
• I got swindled/played so bad. A street guy was doing the game where you try to follow the ball and guess which box it’s under, and within seconds I was out 50 euro. Don’t ask.
• I met a cool guy from Canada on the train back, who was studying in Stockholm

Wake up! Its 6:15am Kyle! Time to take a train to Stockholm in an hour!

While this may not seem that early to many of you reading this, FOR ME, 6:15am was “The Worst.” I managed to make it to my train on time, but not after sprinting the last 15 minutes which was a good way to wake up I guess. The train ride was beautiful, and I really should have spent the whole time just looking out the window, but sleeping and blogging distracted me from seeing the countryside. 5 hours later, I arrived in a city I literally knew nothing about. I kinda forgot to research things to do in Stockholm, but the tourist information office was very helpful and I quickly gained some insight about what to see.

I made a stop at McDonald’s (my 2nd time on this trip...) to use the free internet, but I also gave in and got a McChicken. So disappointed in myself. Haha After doing some quick research on Stockholm using my computer, I took off to explore the city, but not before experiencing 2 possible earthquakes in the McDonalds. I need to look online to find out if it was actually an earthquake, but the entire building shook for about 5 seconds on 2 separate occasions. Kinda scary. Everyone was just looking around scared wondering if it was actually an earthquake. Luckily, if it was an earthquake, it wasn’t very strong and I quickly got out of there. I would have been so angry if I died in a McDonalds. I hate McDonalds (except for the breakfast menu of course haha). Dying there would have been “The Worst.”

Side note: “The Worst” is an inside joke within my family, started by my brother Kevin this summer, who said that “Every night is the worst,” referring to putting his 3 year old son Myles to bed every night (who keeps waking up after being put to bed, saying he has to go potty as an excuse to stay awake longer, but he doesn’t actually have to go).

Anyway, Stockholm was really cool and reminded me of a European version of Seattle. There was water/ocean everywhere, small cobblestone streets, prominent buildings and churches, and a lively atmosphere. I don’t know why I liked the town so much, but it seemed really cool, with lots to do. The city is also spread out over a bunch of islands, so I’m sure each area is unique and would be fun to explore.

I debating doing a City Sightseeing Tour (tourbus) in Stockholm considering I didn’t have much time (~4 hours), and I actually have a free ticket to use (from Eurail) that I can use in over 25 cities. Unfortunately, Stockholm was not one of those cities listed. L So, I just wandered about aimlessly trying to find cool things on the map. As I mentioned before, I’m getting tired of walking through cities, but I guess it’s something you just gotta do. Maybe the 2^nd half of this trip will include more hiking and outdoor activities. I could easily just google “hiking in Europe,” but for some reason that hasn’t happened quite yet. I would assume the train doesn’t exactly take you to any trailheads tho. Haha

My short afternoon in Stockholm was nice despite not actually doing or seeing anything that cool. I checked out the main shopping areas (I have no clue why), walked along the water, explored a huge park on an island for 10 minutes, and rushed back to the train station. I’d like to come back in the summer and explore the islands around the city via cruise ship or kayak. Now THAT would be fun.

The Not-So-Good in Stockholm:

• I searched for at least 20 minutes in a bunch of different stores looking for some authentic “Swedish Fish” gummies and got shot down everywhere. I think the candy brand needs to change their name. Its false advertising if they don’t even sell it in Sweden. Haha
• I spent 30 minutes searching for a pair of bad ass wool socks (like the pair Olav from Norway has) and also got shut down. They were all either ugly or incredibly expensive.
• I got swindled/played so bad. A street guy was doing the game where you try to follow the ball and guess which box it’s under, and within seconds I was out 50 euro. It was such a bizarre situation and happened so fast, I’m really not even sure what even happened. I watched a couple games, then got pressured into guessing/betting, and was out 50 euro seconds later. WHOA! How did that happen! I didn’t even want to play, let alone bet that much! I swear the lady behind me was taking the money out of my wallet and just giving it to the guy. I walked away stunned, a little depressed, and more than anything just disappointed in myself that I wasn’t strong enough to say NO. This definitely ruined my day, and as much as I tried to think positive and make the best of my afternoon, the memory kept creeping into my head making me feel bad. Ugh.

The train ride back was fairly boring until I switched trains halfway through my journey, and ended up meeting a really cool guy from Canada who is studying abroad in Stockholm. He was a fun guy to chat with, and before long we were both in Copenhagen. I’ve noticed on my trip that some people are just super easy to talk to and the conversation flows with ease, while other people you meet you feel like you have to force the conversation to keep things going. Reid was definitely the former type of person, and we had fun talking about traveling, raves, beer, and whatever else.