So my flight over was actually pretty painless-only 7.5 hours! After a number of 19 hour flights from China last year, this was like a ride to the store! I flew into Frankfurt, and spent the evening enjoying conversation with a friend over awesome German fare! I LOVE the food here, some of it is quite simple, but SO tasty!
The next day I took the train to Sweden. The trains in Europe are quite nice, and really limit the need for cars whatsoever. As much as I would LOVE to see high speed rail back home, I know that the politics of the whole idea pretty much will make this impossible. But one can dream, right? The trip to Sweden took 10 hours, which I know seems like a long time, but when you can wander around, eat dinner, and see the countryside, it's actually not bad. The highlight for me was when we got to the top of Germany and had to cross the channel into Denmark. Don't ask me why, I just assumed the train would continue on a bridge over the water. You can imagine my surprise (and sheer delight) when we slowed down to a stop and was told we had to exit the train and ride over on a ferry! Now I have been on many boats before, but never a ferry. So in MY mind, I'm thinking: ok, we'll ride on this boat over, and catch another train in Denmark. When I got off the train, I noticed that this station we arrived in was underground, and looked nothing like any other station I had seen. I followed everyone up a series of stairs, wondering WTH was going on. I get to the top, open the door, and...NO WAY. We were ON the ferry. OUR ENTIRE TRAIN DROVE ONTO AND WAS IN THE CARGO HOLD OF A FERRY!! And friends, a ferry is HUGE! I mean like cruise ship huge. There were restaurants, a mall, and about 4 decks to relax on. As I walked outside, I immediately was hit by a nice, cool, breeze. I don't mind the hot Atlanta summer so much (especially after living in the inferno that WAS China), but a nice 50 degree breeze felt quite refreshing! It was 10pm, and the sun was setting. I just sat there, admiring the beautiful sunset and enjoying the whole experience. It was certainly one I will never forget.
Once in Denmark, it was back on the rails into Copenhagen, then another train to Lund, Sweden. I arrived at 1:30am, so checked into a hotel next to the train station, which was a really nice. I slept like a baby...
The next morning I met one of my former swimmers from my days coaching club in Atlanta during the 90's. Linda brought along her beautiful new daughter, Alma, and we all went to a cafe for lunch and coffee It had been 16 years since I had seen her, it was SO nice catching up! After a short tour of Lund, I went back to the hotel for a short nap, then back out again to meet my friend Mia. Mia and I were teammates back in college, and we hadn't seen each other in 22 years! It was SOO good to see her, and she didn't look a day older from we last saw each other (good Swedish genes!). She and her daughter Elle entertained me over dinner, and we stayed up till the way hours reliving memories and scouring pictures of our college heyday. It is so good seeing her, and I am glad I made the trip here!
It is Friday, and Mia and I are about to go sightseeing in Lund. Another college teammate of mine, Christian, is arriving tonight from Copenhagen, and we are all meeting others out for a nice dinner! Tomorrow afternoon I will travel with them back to Copenhagen for a few days with my Danish friends. I can't wait!
Will try to update soon, and attach more pictures!
