The Possible

Judy. "What does this make possible?" You’ve heard me say this before; it’s my favorite quote of Ted’s. He says it when things aren’t going the way we expected. Last year we had a massive trip planned for Europe. Man—we were going to hit all the Baltic States, plus Sweden and Finland, England, Spain, and possibly Poland. Problem was, when visiting our friend Mikaela in Sweden (you remember her—we’ve chased each other around the globe), we would only see her parents, Malou and Björn for one day before they left for their home in Nice, where we visited them a couple of years ago. Also, never mind that we had set an absolutely ridiculous itinerary for ourselves. Then Covid happened. 

So, what did this make possible? After the year and a half of staying on the Western side of the Pond, we re-thought our plans: arrival in London for 24 hours, get a flat near Paris for six weeks, and visit Mikaela, Malou, and Björn for a week. We had no idea what that would make possible. 

 If you are fortunate, a couple of times in your life, you will meet people briefly and find in them soulmates. It was certainly the case with Mikaela, and turned out to be the same with her whole family. You may remember that when we were in Aix-en-Provence a few years ago, Malou and Björn, on Mikaela’s recommendation, invited us for a couple of days to their home in Nice. We hit it off quite nicely, and when we arrived in Stockholm this acquaintance blossomed into a full-grown friend/family relationship. 

 To start with, Mikaela and Björn met us at the airport at a ridiculously late hour, and delivered us safely to Mikaela’s apartment where we were to stay. Bless her—Mikaela gave up her bedroom for us. Having two old folks in your house when you work from home can’t be easy, but Mikaela handled it with grace. 

 The next morning the five of us took a “Swedish walk” around the island they live on, passing harbors and forests and farms. From there they took us to the Millesgården, the home and museum of sculptor Carl Milles. The whole thing was spectacular, and, much to my shame, Malou explained that he’s also well known in the United States. I didn’t know that!  

Milles sculpture "The Hand of God"

Tasty lunch in a 17th Century farmhouse 

That was just the beginning. The week was filled with walks, museums, long conversations over good food and wine, and the discovery, not only of a country we knew nothing about, but of a wonderfully open family who embraced us and taught us. The museums were great—especially seeing the Goethenburg, the ship Mikaela had crewed on a couple of years before, and the extraordinary Viking exhibit at the History Museum. 

Part of the Viking exhibit

Ted and Mikaela aboard the Goethenburg

The Goethenburg

 

But when Malou and Björn took us to Karlfors, their country home, which had been in the family for years, and shared history of both family and the area, we felt wrapped in sweet Swedish arms. 

Morning walk

We walked the countryside and later shared meals--lunch in the garden, and dinner in the glass veranda where we enjoyed delicious home cooked meals and lovely wines. We drove to Nyköping and learned something about Swedish history in a charming city.

Lunch in the garden

Golden time

And when we returned, we met and spent time with Petra, Mikaela's sister, who is delightful and makes fabulous desserts!

Petra and Mikaela

With Malou and Björn

All over Stockholm we saw signs that read Håll Avstånd--Tak. It means "Keep distanced--thanks". Mikaela says it's as much a comment on the way Swedes feel as it is of Covid distancing. But that was sure not anything we experienced!

 Yes, I know. I’m gushing. But, dear reader, the whole week was a laignappe. And one we’ll not soon forget. 

 And that’s a beautiful thing Covid made possible.

Götheborg

Ted. Our friend, Mikaela is a sailor. And I’m not talking about putting around a pond on a Sunfish. She crews tall ships. You know - those huge old sailing ships that ply the oceans and occasionally gather for “Tall Ship” events in the great harbors of the world. For instance, she once crewed a tall ship on a voyage from Cape Town, South Africa to the island of Antigua in the Caribbean. 

We were excited to learn that her favorite ship was in Stockholm for a two-week stay and that she had arranged for a tour. The original Götheborg, named after Sweden’s second largest city, was a trading vessel that travelled between Sweden and China in the first half of the 18th century. Construction of a handcrafted replica began in 1995. The new edition, one of the largest wooden ships on the water today, was launched in 2003. It has already completed one trip to China and another will commence in 2022. 

 

CNN recently published a great article about the ship. It can be found using this link: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/gotheborg-ii-ship-sweden-asia-intl-hnk/index.html

Stockholm

Ted. I’m not sure that I had ever met a Swede before we welcomed a young Servas traveller to our home around 2016 (back when we still had a home). Mikaela was traveling around the world at the time and we found her to be quite adventurous and charming. It was only natural that we had a rendezvous with her when we visited New Zealand the following year and then met her parents, Björn and Malou in France in 2018. We accepted their offer to visit them in Sweden in 2020 but those plans were scrubbed by the pandemic. 

So, after passing yet another covid test, we finally boarded a half empty Scandinavian Airlines plane in Paris and soon landed at Stockholm Arlanda airport to be greeted by Mikaela and her Dad. The airport itself was the first clue that we had arrived in a different part of Europe. Absolutely spotless, the concourse was a marvel of glass and polished wood with high backed upholstered seating at the gates. 

These kind folks organized a great plan for our eight-day visit. We found time for museum visits, long walks and relaxing meals. Every public building and home has exhibited comfort, taste and an understated classiness.  The weather turned out to be great as well; one day of mist and then a run of mid 70’s and sunshine.

Judy & Mikaela exploring Stockholm

One of our first stops was the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was an ill-fated warship built by the Swedish navy in 1628. On its maiden voyage, the top heavy vessel raised its sails in the harbor, traveled less than a mile and then flipped over. It rested peacefully in the protection of cold mud for 330 years until it was carefully raised in the 1960's, virtually intact. The museum has a lot of information about Sweden and naval warfare in the 17th century but pride of place rightfully focuses on this magnificent ship that is 95% original. More information can be found on this archaeological gem at Wikipedia.

Scale model showing original colors

The real McCoy, 226 ft (69 m) long

Nearly 500 wooden sculptures

A 17th century Death Star

Back to France

Ted. As Judy and I plan our journeys each year, we consider two lists; those places to which we would like to visit for the first time and those places to which we would like to return. For our summer/fall trip to Europe this year, we chose to do less exploring and more wandering of familiar places. 

We wanted to begin with a little adventure by taking the Eurostar train under the English Channel from London to Paris. In a pandemic, each country has its own rules for entry and as previously mentioned, the UK is a bit tricky. All that France requires is proof of vaccination. The train is a fast (up to 185 mph) and inexpensive ($70) way to travel between London and Paris. It only takes 2-1/2 hours (and that’s downtown to downtown so you skip the journey out to the airport). There is not much to see; a blur of countryside, then a tunnel and then more blur. 

On arrival at the Gare du Nord train station we immediately tried to push aside our Spanish and think in French for the first time in three years. It proved a simple matter to journey by Metro to the suburb of Vincennes, our home base for the next six weeks. We had visited this town in 2011 with grandson Parker to see the famous 14th century Château de Vincennes and vowed to return one day. It is only 20 minutes to downtown Paris on the Metro and adjacent to the huge park, Bois de Vincennes. 

Parker at Château, 2011

Judy at Château, 2021

The next day, we went to a nearby café to celebrate Judy’s birthday. She had steak tartare, a favorite that one can’t find in the US. Of course the champagne was French. The waiters brought her a chocolate mousse with a candle and sang the French equivalent of Happy Birthday. That was followed by two complementary glasses of ice cold Poire William, an excellent pear brandy.

The next morning, it was back on a high-speed train for a special weekend in the north of France. While living in Germany in the 70’s I had become friends with an American named Don and we have remained close ever since. You can read more about Don and his wife, Catherine by visiting our blog archives and reading a post that Judy published on April 1, 2018. Suffice it to say that we would not think of coming to France without a visit with this charming couple. 

As I write this, we are catching our breath before the next adventure. On Thursday, we fly to Stockholm for a visit to our Swedish friends, Mikaela, Björn and Malou. Of course, first we must pass another covid test. Oh dear, is that my anxiety rising again?

Travel Anxiety

Ted. Yep, that is a real term! Per WebMD; “Travel anxiety is the fear of visiting an unfamiliar place. It can also involve the stress that comes with planning your travels.” Well, that second part certainly describes our last week. 

We had a blast in Olympia, Washington where our long time friends, Terry and Sue welcomed us into their new home. The weather couldn’t have been better – cool and sunny. We saw Mt Rainier every day. After explaining the details of the repositioning cruise we have planned for November, they decided to join us, so now we will able to continue our walks and chats in the middle of the Atlantic.

From Washington, we flew to Denver for a Colorado Rendezvous. Our kids and grandkids flew out and we have a few days of joyful laughter with my 91-year-old father, my two sisters, Kathy and Cindy, their husbands, niece, Jenny and her family. We even found time for a long overdue dinner with longtime friends Rick and Margot. 

Looming over our heads, though, were the last minute requirements for our flight to London, which was the jumping off point for our visit to Europe. 72 hours prior to departure, we had to pass a covid test. With variants raging across the US and lots of vaccinated folks getting asymptomatic cases, we were concerned that we might test positive, even though we felt fine. Judy cried when we got the news that we had passed. 

48 hours prior to departure, we also needed to complete a UK government passenger locator form. Sitting in our Denver hotel, I really thought I had blown it. The UK requires a quarantine period for vaccinated visitors with a retest after two days. We needed a confirmed appointment for that test to complete the form. However, we were only staying in the UK for 24 hours! After wading through the UK government documents for two hours, I finally found our loophole. We were “landside transiters” and thus exempt from the quarantine requirements. When I got our completed forms back with the magic QR code, I nearly cried myself! 

Of course, we still had the flight and immigration control in London. British Airways had complicated matters by cancelling our nonstop flight to Heathrow and rebooking us on an American Airlines flight to Chicago, from where they promised we would get London. I hate O’Hare airport and it didn’t disappoint, so we were relieved when we were finally airborne. On deplaning, the stress continued. Would we get stopped at the border for an illegal use of exemption status and slapped in a quarantine gulag? 

Alas, we sailed through thanks to the new passport scanners in place and couldn’t believe how fast we found ourselves in downtown London. We still need to get onto the Eurostar train to Paris and there are more borders to cross in the coming weeks but at least, after three years, we find ourselves back in Europe. Thanks to God and technology, our travel anxiety has subsided. It is 8:30 in the morning here in London and Judy is still sleeping like a baby.