Buenos Aires to Stockholm? Yup, you read that right. Believe me, this was unexpected for us (and Dayne) as well. Here’s a few reasons why we end up returning to Europe.

1. Our Schengen calculator reset! FYI, under the terms of Schengen, US citizens cannot spend more than a total of 90 days in Europe during a 180-day period (without a visa). It has been a while since we left Europe, so that clock has reset.
2. Continuing in South America is expensive. I don’t know why flights between countries in S.A are so high, but going to Peru or Colombia has a price tag of well over $2000. Our once robust bank account made us look for other options. Two one-way tickets from Buenos Aires to Sweden end up costing $800 total, and we have never been to Sweden!
3. Dayne. You may remember this well-dressed character from our adventures in Prague. Guess what, he lives in Stockholm and has graciously offered to host us!

Dayne, The Master of Ceremonies

With the grace of a seasoned traveler, we touch down in Stockholm, having conquered countless airports along the way—Gatwick, Heathrow, and others that have faded from memory. Jetlag washes over us like a gentle wave as we emerge into the Swedish morning. A longing for cleanliness, sustenance, and toothbrush in hand, I yearn for a fresh start. And lo and behold, as we step out of baggage claim, a radiant Dayne appears before us, carrying a backpack brimming with refreshing water and invigorating cold brew coffee—an absolute lifesaver. But that isn’t all. With a delightful flourish, he presents Kristin and I with preloaded public transit cards, unleashing a sense of childlike wonder within us. It feels as though we are embarking on a grand field trip, eagerly following our knowledgeable guide with contagious laughter and boundless excitement.

We arrive at his flat with a great view that overlooks the Riddarfjärden and get ready to go out on the town. Another fun fact, Dayne was supposed to be in the US when we arrived, but he bumped his flight to play host for a few days. What a guy!

Systembolaget

The liquor stores in Sweden remind me of what we endured in Iceland, just not as bad. In Sweden, the Systembolaget is a government owned/run liquor store. The stores are usually open until 8pm on weekdays and 3pm on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays and holidays. A few differences between Sweden and the US: None of the beers are refrigerated. Everything, including beers, are sold individually. You have to be 20 years old to purchase alcoholic beverages containing more than 3.5% alcohol by volume.

“I want to.. I want to kill you.”

Well, it’s time for another Rempala first! Dayne has gone back to the US for a week, and left us the keys to his castle. Now it’s Kristin and me by our lonesome. One morning, we decide to walk to the grocery store and pick up some items to make dinner. It’s a bright beautiful crisp morning and Kristin is giving me the run-down of the book she is reading, as we stroll on the sidewalk. About a couple hundreds yards away from the store, I notice a man muttering to himself. He doesn’t seem to have a set destination as he is walking back and forth and continuously changing directions.

We walk by him and he seems to be fairly drunk. He hears us speaking English, and begins saying how we are in Sweden and we need to speak Swedish. The man is visibly upset. The next words that come out of his mouth are, “I want to… I want to kill you!” At this point, we are at the entrance to the supermarket. I tell Kristin to go inside, and I wait outside to make sure this ticking time bomb doesn’t do anything. Fun fact: I am a purple belt in Kenpo and am fully capable of Karate chopping down 10-yr old kids. Anyways, as she is walking inside, the belligerent man walks into the McDonald’s next door and disappears. Crisis averted. We live.

Gamla Stan Old Town

We spend a lot of our time strolling around Gamla Stan, which is also known as The Old Town of Stockholm. It’s one of fourteen islands that make up city. The cobbled streets and the medieval alleyways date back to the 13th century and if you’re in the mood to step back into that era, hit up Sjätte Tunnan. It’s a Viking-style bar where you eat by candlelight with your cup of mead. There are no napkins in this place so one of us may have blown our nose on the tablecloth.

Laundry in Sweden

It’s time to do laundry in your apartment building. You go downstairs with your basket of laundry and you see this thing on the wall. What next?

We asked Dayne many questions about this contraption. This board is how you reserve the washer and dryer in the apartment building. The “DAT” numbers are the days of the month, and the “KL” column has the times of the day. To reserve your time, you unlock your number and move it to the time you desire. If you don’t need a laundry time, then you move your number to the “PARK” row. And make sure you do not commit the cardinal sin of using the machines when you haven’t booked any time. Huge faux pas.

Cashless

Stockholm is the only only city on our trip where we didn’t take money out of an ATM. Every store and small vendor took a card and we used Apple Pay a majority of the time. The only reason I have some Kronor is because I found a 5 note on the ground one day.

Påsk (Easter)

A couple quick notes about Easter. One: Kids dress up like witches and go door to door wishing people a Happy Easter. They may give you a drawing or painting in exchange for candy. I did not see a single witch 🙁

Two. We decide to take in the tradition and attend a service at one of the oldest churches in the city. Service was in Swedish and some guy asked us why we were there, lol.

Where Next?

I’m not telling you, it’s a surprise.