August 2017

Thursday, 24th August 2017

I was coming from Barcelona directly home to Stockholm. Usually I fly to Copenhagen, Denmark for taking the commuter train and visiting my children in Scania, but this time I decided to make it the other way around.

I had a pleasant flight from Barcelona by Vueling airlines. The airport security had been fast as usual, they did not make any special affords, even the airlines are stating that. The airplane was a little late and we arrived half an hour late on the Arlanda airport. There I did not recognize the area outside, because there is a lot of maintenance work ongoing. I eventually found the bus stop for the bus “Flygbussarna” for Brommaplan. I bought my bus ticket at the airport by my tablet as I am used to do. In the bus they now have installed a reader for this online tickets. They make the same noise like the one you have to validate your other tickets with. Unfortunately I had to wait 30 minutes for the bus and it was chilly and the sky was grey.

At Brommaplan I was more lucky. After 10 minutes there was a bus home to my nearest bus stop. I was tired, when I came home. I cooked a meal with a sausage I had in my freezer and tasted a bottle of beer, which my daughter and her boyfriend had left. This evening I was to bed early and even I am not dependent of my own home and my own things, I enjoyed my place and my bed.

 

Friday, 25th August 2017

It was raining a little this day and chilly. By the way it always is chilly in Sweden, when it is raining. I did my shopping as I had planned. I used my new MasterCard (with my new name) for the first time. Actually I did not really remember at which underground station I should leave to come to the shop, where I would like to buy another pair of hiking trousers. I left at the wrong underground station, but found my way from there easily. I did neither have rain clothes with me nor an umbrella, though I was trying to buy an umbrella as soon as I had left the underground, but when I finally found a shop, selling umbrellas they were not the kind I like. Therefore I continued throughout the rain and in light clothes. People were looking strange at my. That did not matter, I am used to it ;-).

At the shop Naturkompaniet I found the kind of trousers I was willing to buy, but they did only have them in the colour I already have one and I prefered another colour. The shop assistant did call another branch and asked them to save a pair of trousers for me. The other shop was on the same street. I only had to walk further. When I had the grey trousers in my hand, I also was looking for sandals. I had been there before for the special kind of sandals, but I did not find a comfortable pair for me and the others were more expensive. Now I was lucky and found a pair, which matches my feet as well as it was sale on it and I could buy that pair now for the same price as the cheapest regulary. I even was looking for a rain jacket and also found one, but at ordinary price. The trousers had ordinary price as well. The whole amount of that shopping was for 2947 SEK (~ 300 EUR), but sometimes it is worth it. I like to wear useful stuff when travelling and Mexico has special conditions.

It became an expensive day for me, because I had to buy new medicine, new eye drops and some food. I also bought a can for the cereals blend my daughter and her boyfriend had left. Actually I did buy double the size I needed, because I did think it was more resp. the can not so big as it is. I was happy, I could afford all this things.

I like online shopping and I had an account with the Stockholm Public Transport company (SL), though my card for this was charged automatically, when it ran out of value. I met a problem now, because of my new credit card. My SL-card was charged as usual, but I have got an email, stating that it was not possible to get paid by my credit card. I tried to put the new credit card into my account, but actually one has to open a new account, when one has a new credit card. Because of the matter, that credit cards always will be changed after a few years, I decided not to continue with this online shopping.

At home I had my evening meal and used the TV in the apartment for the first time, but I only was watching one movie, because there were nothing else interesting me. I was going to sleep unusual early.

 

Saturday, 26th August 2017

After a lazy morning, I was going to visit my son Samuel and family. On the way I was to my optician, buying some cleaning clothes for my glasses and I also tried to buy more batteries for my hearing aids, but that shop was closed. I still had batteries in Lisbon, but I learned, that such things are more expensive in Portugal as in Sweden and also I did not know if I will find the size I need.

At my son’s and his family’s home I left the gifts I had bought for them. The boys got a little boat made of cork each and the elder one got a book with stickers from Barcelona – it was a Gaudi theme, but to use with own fantasy. I also had bought a coloured figure of Gaudi like a lizard. I bought it for my younger grandchild, but read later, that it was not suitable for children less than three years old and not a toy either. My son and his wife did get it instead and my daughter in law discovered that it was a magnet for the fridge and she was really happy about it. Though all went well.

When I arrived I was a little later than I told them and they were already having lunch. They had leftovers – sometimes one has to eat them. They found a little meal for me, too. I was thinking, they anyway may have bought a house and need to save a little money, because it is not usual they have leftovers, when I am visiting – and I was right! It is a house built in the 1960’s not very far away from where they live now with both close to nature and close to a shopping centre with all the shops like IKEA and similar.

After a while my son, his boys and I were going by underground to an area called “Humlegården”. My daughter in law had lend me here monthly public transport card for saving money for me. The boys were very happy to go by underground. They are not used to. Furthermore it was a good distance, though the boys did not get too tired to go by the underground. At that place we found a very nice playground (in Swedish: parklek, because it is in a park). The boys enjoyed it and I was a little help for my son, because it is not so easy to care about two wild boys on a playground with lots of different play opportunities and some quite far away from the others.

We first were going back to my son’s home and directly afterwards I was going home to my place. I used the Internet for a while, but was very tired. I fell asleep with my tablet in my hands.

 

Sunday, 27th August 2017

I awoke around 2am and could not fall asleep again for a while, though I was watching movies by my tablet until 6am. After that I had a two to three hours sleep.

I had breakfast around 9am, made my dishes, took a shower, took care about my receipts from the two days before and had a meal. Afterwards I was unpacking a box with photo albums and negatives. My daughter and her boyfriend have had them with them, when they did use my apartment. There were also some cookbooks and some dictionaries in that box. I found places for all of it and was happy, that my little apartment anyway was big enough. I also was happy, that I made that decision and bought the biggest one of the shelfs of that kind I decided to have, though I did have space enough for a while for my souvenirs and other stuff I cannot and will not have in my wardrobe.

At the end of the day I made my notes, sorted papers and had a meal. Before I was falling asleep I watched a movie or two.

 

Monday, 28th August 2017

I have got a letter from the Social Security Department of Malta asking for signing a form stating my next of kin. Both he and me had to sign and it had to be done at an official department like the social security department or similar. I asked my son to meet me at the service department store close to his working place and he agreed.

He took an early lunch and I was there before him for the queue. Even it took around an hour until it was our turn and he had been waiting with me most of that time, he asked me out for lunch afterwards. We had a “meal of the day” (dagens rätt) at a restaurant nearby (it was for 115 SEK/each – the prices in Stockholm are generally higher than in the rest of Sweden). We could choose of three different dishes and lots of side dishes, most of them different salads and vegetables. In Sweden you always have a table with lots of salads and you are allowed to pick your own meal, often even the main meal, like it was here. It was so tasty, but not to spicy. I really love the Swedish cuisine!

After lunch my son was going back to work and I was looking for a street called Sibyllegatan, where I could find an audiologist, even selling batteries for hearing aids and similar stuff. It was the same company, but another branch, what I was looking for on Saturday close to my son’s place. When I had been there and on my way back to the underground I visited the shop Naturkompaniet one more time, because I heard of the Mexican guy in Gaia, where I have been couchsurfing, that there are snakes in the jungle, too. Even he was only wearing sneakers, I will be more careful and had already be looking online for a pair of hiking shoes. I have some problems with the fit, though I was trying out the hiking shoes at this shop and found, that I have to buy others. It took a long while before I found a pair, which really fits my feet. The shop assistant was really great and made all affords she could to help me finding the right pair. Fortunately they also had them in a special colour on sale. Therefore I took that colour. The price was anyway around 1100 SEK (~ 100 EUR), but I saved 500 SEK by chosing that blue colour.

On my way back home in the late afternoon by underground and bus I posted two registered letters where I had to change to the bus. That’s handy.

At home I had a chat with the Public Transport Company called SL about the mess with the automatically refill of my card. Though I got to know, what I already wrote: I have to open a new account everytime I will get a new credit card. They also told me, that I will get a bill about the amount, the company has not got yet, but was added to my SL-card.

Furthermore I had contact with the department for driver’s licenses, because I did sent my German driver’s license to Sweden to get it changed. Unfortunately I heard now, the embassy gave me another form, than that I should have used as well as I have to go to another authority in Sweden for the photo on the driver’s license.

I had written emails to my son in Helsingborg as well, that I will come to Scania and when we can meet. He did not answer me at all. It makes me unhappy, but I have to accept it.

 

Tuesday, 29th August 2017

This day I was going to Scania by train. I found a ticket for only 150 SEK (~ 15 EUR). There are such tickets sometimes for trains, which are going a little slower and maybe also stopping a little more often. Usually they are very early in the morning, but this one was leaving Stockholm at 9:35am. I was already up at 6am, because I need my time.

My daughter Maria met up with me at 3pm. I was earlier at the Central station and walked to our meeting point. It was not a problem, because I only had hand luggage. It was a walk for around 30 minutes, but I did not hurry. Both of us were hungry when we met and we had a meal at the shopping centre “Triangeln”. We took a buffet (for 89 SEK) at an Asian restaurant. I do not eat so much, though I chose all the good things like chicken and other meat, but did not eat rice or noodles.

This time I had not to be alone at my daughter’s apartment. I was staying over at her boyfriend’s place, because she is there most of the time. My daughter is still waiting for an apartment in the area, where her boyfriend lives. She told us, she need her own place, to go there sometimes, because her boyfriend is a collector. He has e.g. hundreds of fishing rods. The cat, my daughter took care about a long time ago, has his home here now and he is a happy cat, because my daughter really cars about him. He likes to eat, though my daughter bought a special food bowl, which has different apartments and a timer to open an apartment, when it is time for it. Though my daughter can be at school and her boyfriend at work and they do not need to care about, that the cat gets his meals, but to fill that bowl once a day. She also cares about his teeth etc. She learned a lot since she had her first cat.

We had a meal and wine all together (not the cat, of course ;-)) and talked about their holidays in Stockholm in July before we all were to bed around 10pm.

 

Wednesday, 30th August 2017

I awoke 7:15am the first time and took my medicine, but fell asleep after that again. An hour later I awoke again, had breakfast, dressed and wrote my notes.

I planned to visit my son Daniel at 1pm, he lives in Malmo as well as my daughter. The evening before I also were talking about the rest of my belongings, which still are in the basement and on the attic at Daniel’s place. The boyfriend of my daughter told me to take pictures about the things, though they could bring them to Stockholm.

I left in time but got hungry on the way and stayed at an Orientalisk Kebab Bar”, where I had a kebab plate and a drink. That was for 75 SEK, because I ate at the restaurant. I left and continued, but sent a message to my son Daniel, telling him, that I will be a little late, because I was hungry and had a meal. He asked me to bring a meal for him, too. Though I went back to that restaurant and bought a Falafel plate, because my son is vegetarian. I did not buy a drink and for I was taking it away it was only for 50 SEK.

At my son’s I helped him with the cleaning of the apartment – actually only the floor. We also talked a lot and that is quite unusual of him. It was already past 8pm, when I left my son and walked back to the place of my daughter’s boyfriend. I was there around 9pm and my daughter and her boyfriend were already to bed. Though I was going to bed, too, but was watching movies for a long while. e.g. “Pfarrer Braun” – it is about a priest, who is always coming in contact with murders and has a criminologist vein. The bishop does not like it and after every crime story the priest has to move to another place.

 

Thursday, 31st August 2017

I was late that morning, because I slept a little longer as usual. After a while I was shopping, because my daughter told me the day before, that she needs salt without iodine for the pickled cabbage she will make. She bought a 5 kg white cabbage to a very low price a couple of days before.

I do not know that area well, though I was walking to the shopping centre “Triangeln” again, ate chicken nuggets at Burger King for 15 SEK – it should have been 9, but I think I only got six. It was hard to find a grocery store at the shopping centre, though I was walking further and found one I recognised from the time I was living with my kids in Malmo. I also bought some food for travelling further to Malta on 1st September, because there will be no free meal served at the plane.

This evening my daughter, her boyfriend and I spent together, because I will go further the upcoming day.

 

To read about the 1st September, follow the link Sweden, September 2017.