Swine flu

Seriously... Swine flu... The Swedish health authorities have now gone out with a warning, saying that Swedes should avoid travelling to Mexico unless it is absolutely necessary. Fine. I wasn't going anyhow. And it makes sense, if you get ill with something else the health care system in Mexico may not have time to take care of you, as they will be focusing on the Mexican flu cases.

But then Sweden issues directives on what to do if you have to travel or if you are in situations where there is a clear risk. Like "keep a safety distance to other people, 1.8 meter. I WONDER where the people issuing this warning are located? In the north of Sweden? 1.8 meter? You need a lot of space for that. Don't think you could do that in Mexico City, one of cities in the world with largest population, even if you tried to. 1.8 meter between you and others at any given time and in any given direction - north, south, east and west...

In Sweden we are about 20 inhabitants per square km. Even in Germany they are as many as 230. I have no idea how many they are in Mexico but it is for sure more dense than Germany. 1.8 m..... HA!

Not going to eat for a week

Nope, not going to eat for a whole week... At least that is what it feels like right now. A colleague is celebrating 25 years with the company and invited us for a brunch in the office. I haven't seen THAT much food in a long time. Various cured hams, cheese, chicken fillet, bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes with small pieces of bacon etc), tomato soup, cutlets, beef, potato gratin, sausages, frikadellen, and so forth. GOOD thing that the desserts looked like they were made with cream or milk because I think I would have blown if I had tried to eat anything more. Or at least fallen asleep in a corner...

Wooo!!! My terrace

Now LOOK at that. My chives plant is growing like mad. I am out there every day eating some chives and I love it. 

The thymes is picking up too, mind you that was a tiny plant from the beginning and was planted after the others. And then there is Rosemary and some black mint too. The mint is excellent for tea - having my first cup of home grown mint tea as we speak. 

And in the other one there is lavendel which I planted recently. Very exited about my little garden, the perfect size for me. 

(Yes, there is some weeds in the "garden" too, but I don't want to pull it out until I know what it is, what if it turns out to be some nice looking flowers? )

Got myself some tomato plants as well, keep your fingers crossed that I manage to keep them alive. No long holidays this year, have to think about my tomatoes ;-)

YES! I know I am silly. No need to tell me. But I am happy to be silly!

Music sells?

I'm not convinced that Ace of Bace with "I saw the sign" is the right music to make me shop more... It's what's in the background right now...

(blogged via mail)

Update: Nope, it didn't help at all. I came home with fewer things than ever... Possibly also because I found some odd things in the shop and after that were reading about what was in the products like mad. I enjoy doing that actually. Some of the things we put into our bodies...

Expensive? Sweden?

I keep hearing from Germans that Sweden is so expensive. I wonder where they were... Did they travel to far and go to Norway? Or potentially Denmark? Or were they simply fooled and were going into tourist trap shops, like the tiny little shops on camp grounds, because even if you would say that one Euro is equal to 10 SEK the prices are often lower in Sweden than in Germany, or the same. Of course you can't compare the supermarket in Germany with the camping site shop in Sweden, you can't even compare the Swedish supermarket and the camping site in Sweden...



Of course Düsseldorf is not the city in Germany with the lowest prices - after all this is the city in Germany with the most Ferraris - but still. If I compare the prices in the supermarkets here in Düsseldorf with supermarkets elsewhere in Germany the prices are about the same - and compared to Sweden it varies from product to product. Here are some examples - and I am counting 1 EUR equals 10 SEK (in reality the Swedish crown has lost quite a lot of value so it is now even more cost efficient to go to Sweden):



Yogurt... Proper yogurt - I have to buy the Turkish 3.5% fat one which is more similar to the Swedish "Naturell yogurt":

Around 1 EUR in Sweden, 1.79 in Germany.



Potatoes:

As long as you buy pre packed bags it is not so bad. If you want to pick and put in a bag: About 1.99 EUR in Germany. 0.5 or so in Sweden (unless inflation has gone completely mad lately)



Cheese:

Not even going to talk about cheese. Multiple times more expensive in Germany, and the quality is not even fantastic.



Hooks for hanging paintings etc:

SERIOUSLY!?! It is ridiculous in Germany!!! A tiny little bag that I would pay 0,5 EUR for in Sweden I pay 2 EUR for here, if I can even find it.



OK, OK, going to a shop and buying a bottle of Whisky is still much more expensive in Sweden. But who buys whisky bottles on a regular basis anyhow? A glass of wine in a bar, or a beer. Same price for the same quantity. Except if you are at a fancy ski resort of course, but then again, can you compare ski resorts and city life? And let me tell you, prices like the prices you pay on Kö for a drink you don't see anywhere. 16 EUR for a cocktail??? Insane! Luckily there are plenty of great bars in Düsseldorf that only charges a tiny part of what they charge around Kö, but still...


All in all it is about where to buy what. Some things are more expensive here, some things cost less. I am pretty sure it more or less evens out in the long run. There are however some key things that are more expensive here. Yogurt is one of them, at least if you want "proper" yogurt. Fish is another one, but that is only because I used to be on the west coast were fish was fresh and good value for money... In other parts of Sweden it cost more than it does here. I think. Although I should admit that I for one almost never buy fish in Sweden except for in the Gothenburg area, and then also mainly eat prepared fish here, i e I go to my favourite sushi place and indulge fabulous sushi!


Update: Tuna is one fish that is not just a bit more expensive. It is ridiculously more expensive. But it is TASTY!!!!


Junk food is cheaper in Germany. But who wants to eat junk food anyhow?

Making out?

At the station today, left on a bench:
An empty box of what looks like Thai food next to an empty toothpaste tube. Someone making sure the smell of garlic isn't so strong? Why? Hot date?

(mailblogged)

Stuck at the ATM

Got stuck at the ATM yesterday, or at the "Bankomat", the brand name that became a general name in Sweden. Didn't get stuck for real, it's obviously just a figure of speech, and not a real thing (not like when you got stuck on some metal as a kid, because it was cold and you were stupid enough to get to close...). Anyhow. What happened was I was going out to see some friends and have a drink, but realised on the way that I needed cash. Germany is the land of cash, you see. You can never be certain that they accept cards. It is a bit easier when you have a German bankcard, as I do, but there is no guarantee, so cash it was... I headed over to the ATM down in Medienhafen. It is the ATM that belongs to my bank, another important factor since I would otherwise pay a huge fee for getting my money too - I actually pay less when I use my Swedish bankcard in Germany than if I use the wrong ATM... Anyhow, due to that one has to be a bit alert and ensure that the right ATM is used. Yesterday 10 or so people had decided to do exactly the same...

What I also don't quite understand is why they have one machine to get money and two machines to check how much money you have on the bank account. Wouldn't it be better to simply have the ratio the other way around? Two for taking out money, one machine for checking (and transferring between account), especially since the machine that gives you your money also can do the things that the other two machines can do... In a country where you need cash everywhere I would assume that there are far more people using the money machine than the transfer machine. But I may of course be wrong, I never seem to quite understand the German psychology. Not that I understand the Swedish either at all times...

German coffee

The Local, a website reporting German news in English, reports today that cheap coffee is as good as expensive coffee. I am not quite sure what they mean. German Coffee. And Good. In the same sentence? OK, OK, OK, I am spoiled. Much of the best coffee in the world is said to be exported to Sweden, and we are a land of coffee drinkers. The fact that we sometimes abuse the coffee by not using warm enough water or leaving it too long in the pot is another thing but the Swedes are pretty much prepared to pay for good quality. And I am sorry to say, but the German coffees that I have tried are not that amazing, really. I am not sure I would agree with the testers that the cheap coffee is as good, I would probably more say that the more expensive coffee is as bad as the cheap...  I don't even have the coffee maker here anymore, it has emigrated to Sweden for now. And quite frankly I think I may just as well get some nescafe for emergencies and stick with tea at home as I have for quite some time. I can go to a cafe or an Italian place for coffee when I want it really badly. Sounds much better! And easier too...

Talking about coffee a former colleague now and then would joke about how he used to work at the Oslo office, and being Swedish and being used to getting up early he would come in before the rest and put on a pot of coffee, Swedish coffee. When the poor Norwegians came in they had to boiled water to mix into the coffee or it was way to strong for them. Not sure if it is true but it is a sweet story. Poor Norwegians! Great people but they haven't understood the concept of warm lunch, and they are often not that good at making coffee - something they have in common with Germans. 

(Just hope my German friends doesn't see this. Chances are that they will want to make me coffee all the time to prove that I am wrong and they are right. And I am not even much of a coffee drinker anymore, I prefer my red teas...)

Exhausted - and happy (and yet not...)

An extremely hectic and very successful work week this week, really been getting somewhere with a project I am deeply involved in. Feels fantastic. Only one real disadvantage; The junk food. Outside the conference room where we have spent the week there are vending machines, vendor machines that are full of junk food and sweets. Of course I couldn't stay away from it... So now I am back on sugar addiction and need to try and come off it. DIFFICULT!!!  

But you know what? 

I don't care. I can do it. And besides I don't have a vending machine outside or even close to my office...

I will last through any crisis

I will last through any crisis. I now have chives, rosemary, thyme and mint on my balcony. I also have excellent tap water. I guess I have to live of soup if things go really bad... ;-) (Don't worry, I ALWAYS have a backup plan).

About the terrace... I love going out there, grabbing a straw of chives, and chew on it while contemplating how good live actually is, all things considered. That I have to dig using a spoon because I got rid of all the gardening stuff doesn't matter at all. Now I just need to get myself a nice bench too so that I can stretch out and enjoy the smell of fresh herbs while reading a good book. At the moment I just have a small table and four chairs. Not really made for stretching out, is it...? Or not JUST for chairs and a table. My darling lives on the balcony too, my bike has it's own little space out there, together with the herbs, the bamboo, the bush and the flower that I don't know the English name of.... It is starting to be a really homely terrace!

Kul grej

Hittade den här utmaningen på bloggen Heja Abbe

Jag har inte gjort någon utmaning förrut men nu får det bli en bara för att. Ovanligt med ett litet svenskt inlägg också, men ibland måste man blanda och ge, eller?

Välj artist: Christina Kjellsson (extra lurigt eftersom hon bara gett ut tre skivor så vitt jag vet. Men roligt. Hon är en mästare på texter nämligen

Är du kvinna eller man?: Påfågel
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Felen du kan leva med: Förspillda dagar
Ditt motto: Aldrig dit igen

OK Germany, here is a tip

OK Germany, here is a tip for you...

See these square shaped boxes? They are excellent for "Buttermilch" and "yogurt". These are Swedish cartons - called tetras - which work really well for dairy products. They are really practical too, because since they are square it is easy to fit them into the fridge, and there is no dead space in between. OK, you don't really do proper yogurt, you more or less only have fruit yogurt or possibly quark, but the Turkish yogurt that I buy - fabulous by the way, 3 % or 10 % fat - is also in buckets. Round buckets. Not efficient, I have to go shopping way to often.

(Notice, this is not my fridge. I don't do light products or drink milk. And I want the yogurt to have a bite, like the neutral normal yogurt does But that is not the point. It's the package that counts! PLEASE! I have a small fridge!)

What an odd experience

Was out with a friend yesterday. Being that it was Friday and that I didn't get enough sleep between Thursday and Friday it was a bit tired already to start with. But then I had some caffeine and a great chat, and now I am even more sleep deprived... It was supposed to be a quiet evening and I guess in a way it was, just a long one. Long good discussions with a friend over a meal. Fantastic asparagus, by the way, and fresh potatoes, Serrano and manchego, Spanish cheese. We really talked about everything  between heaven and earth, and had a great time. Can recommend Rosies, close to Graf Adolf Platz, by the way, if you are down here. Down to earth place with nice wines by the glass, and a nice menu that changes depending on what is in season etc. They hand write the evening menu and copy it and I would think it is done at least on a weekly basis.

Well, that was not what this was going to be about though. I wanted to write about the rest of the evening. As I mentioned we had a really good time. Good discussions. When we were ready we were contemplating whether we wanted to go home - it was midnight - or go for one last drink somewhere else. We decided upon somewhere else. Walked to one of the posher streets - and stopped at a piano bar there. I have been there before, with a friend, and it was nice. That said, we were there much earlier, and a weekday. This was neither. We came late, my female friend (thankfully it was a woman!) wanted to have a cigarette, so we sat outside, and got our drinks there. After a little while we brought our drinks with us and went inside. And that was when it occurred to us... Wasn't the age gap between the men and the women a little bit too wide? The men were dressed up, in fancy (expensive) suits. We felt underdressed. But then we started observing the women. Skimpy dresses. VERY low necklines in many cases. What was going on. Judging from the behaviour we had stormed straight into the hunting grounds, or even worse, were some of these girls call girls???  But expensive ones? I am pretty sure the women knew what they were doing there at least, finding a man who could pick up their bills or at least buy them a fancy weekend...

We stayed and observed for a while. It was odd, VERY odd...

It is what it is - but there are amazing things too!

It is what it is, the financial situation in the world is not the best right now. People are losing their jobs, factories are closing down. We read about it in the newspapers on a daily basis. But you know what? All in all, life is anyhow pretty amazing. Stop and smell the flowers!
I realise it is not easy, especially if you have a family to support but somehow I think we need to find positive things anyhow, or we will go insane. At the moment one of my joys is looking out the window, seeing how beautiful the world gets when the trees start blooming. This time of year is amazing. There are so many different shades of light green, you see it with the new leaves on the trees. Later in the summer they all have sort of the same green colour but right now - what a variation. And from my office window I see a hill covered in these different light green colours, and in between the white, which is various fruit trees blooming. What an amazing world!

Where am I getting out?

I was thinking about something... At the trains as well as underground here in Düsseldorf they often state "we are approaching stop so-and-so, exit at the the right side" (or left, that depends on the stop).

Seriously... It's going to be pretty obvious when we get to the stop, isn't it??? Are these announcements really needed?

I miss

I miss going out barefoot in the morning to pick up the newspaper. In general I miss going out barefoot on the lawn.
But the chance to go out barefoot is a pretty weak argument for having a house...

(Blogging via mail)

We thought we were invincible

We thought we were invincible, that we would live forever. Or at least not go until we decided so ourselves. Now another one is gone.

I don't like getting old(er). I don't notice it so much in myself as in the world around me. Getting old means that the rest are too, and that is the worst part. I must admit that I don't like the tiny wrinkles that come sneaking up on me, nor the changes in how I burn food etc, nor the grey hairs showing up. Sometimes I think that the eyesight changing is natures way of protecting us from seeing the changes... But most of the changes one can also do something about, out to the gym, stop eating food with strange additives, there is colour for the hair. But when old school friends pass away (in their sleep!), when the girlfriend of another dies suddenly because a blood vessel bursts in her brain - at an age younger than me - and when cancer catches yet others, it makes me really realise that life doesn't last forever - and I am not sure I WANT to know that...

Better then to hear about other old school friends that are becoming grandparent even though that also makes me understand mortality... My own grandparents had reached retirement age before they were old enough to reach grandparent stage.

Not a very optimistic posting, I know, and perhaps I will just go in and delete later, but life is not just fantastic all the time. Things happens that brings the mood done. But at the same time it is important to remember that there is nothing that we can do to change life, so it is better to do the best to live it, and enjoy the challenges. Bitterness or sadness will not help anyone.

That said, lets catch the day! It's OK to be sad or down from time to time, as long as we don't let that take over!

What I miss from the garden

I love not having a garden to worry about. It was just a hassle and caused aggression, as I was away so much and it is nice to have a chance to relax a little bit the few days you actually spend at home. So I am so relieved and don't think I will ever put myself in the situation of getting a garden again. Unless it comes with a gardener that is... But I miss one thing, and that became apparent the other day; I miss being able to go out and get fresh herbs! Had the best oregano growing wild, as well as thyme etc. Also had really nice salad - rocket, or as we say in Swedish, Ruccola. It grew wild too, was really nice and peppery. Cutting the grass was dangerous, you would get hungry feeling the smell of the oregano and rocket that was just cut - as it was growing also in the lawn it was impossible not to cut some of it....

BUT! Now I don't have to worry about that anymore! Now I have planted some spices on the terrace! Chives, Rosemary and Peppermint. Hope they survive! And there will be more, as I have a lovely garden center on a walking distance from here. Just need a sofa for the terrace as well so that I can be out there with a book, and really enjoy. Today I only have a small table and four chairs but they are naturally not as comfortable as a sofa where one can stretch out!

Me and my bike - a love story

Me and my bike, that is a real love story, that. And one gets great legs too... And arm muscles, since I carry the bike upstairs every time I have used it, as I don't want it to get stolen. It lives on my terrace. I am considering buying a cover for it so that it doesn't get wet but I haven't gotten that far yet. Anyhow; Me and my bike....

Friday was spent on my bike. Took it up north where I met up with friends, one of them just came home from a two months consulting job in Africa. We had a fantastic breakfast at Ab Der Fisch - yes, I know, it sounds like one has a cold saying the name but never the less - that IS the name... I went for the "Nordic Breakfast" - I had to, didn't I? Fish based, with prawns and caviar - yummy! And we sat outside and really enjoyed it - sunglasses on, sunscreen on my nose. After the breakfast I went for a bike tour. Twenty kilometers, it turned out. But why is it that going out is easy and then when you turn all of a sudden there is WIND??? Stubborn as I am I had also gotten the idea of going over the river on my way back, and just because I did, I had to go extra far. You see, I had passed the last bridge in the city, and had to find the next one which was pretty far away....

Needless to say my body was aching yesterday morning... But in a good way :-)

I didn't realise Germany was THAT Christian?

When I was a kid, Good Friday was a boring day. Boring sacral music on the radio etc. We used to eat something salty, not because we were that religious but because that used to be a tradition when my mum grew up. Also in Sweden herring is a part of the Easter tradition, and often we had some dish with herring on Good Friday - salted herring that is.

But the rest of Easter holiday in Sweden was never very religious, like with most of our holidays it is a mixture between very very old traditions from before Sweden became christian (year 800-900) and the christian holidays - and often some old farming traditions etc as well. So Easter would include a lot of food, as it was around this time that the first vegetables came, the hens started laying eggs again after the winter, the lambs were born and one or two could be slaughtered (yes, just like the old Jewish and later Christian tradition) etc. Salted herring was common as well, before we had possibilities to freeze and cool down food we obviously had to do something. Unlike many other countries nothing would grow in the winter. Herring was a way of surviving for many. Nowadays it is of course different but herring is really pretty common in Sweden, especially for the various holidays.

Well, that was not was this was really going to be about though, but you know me, it is very easy to start the discussion in one area and then end up discussing food... But back on track: When I was a kid, Good friday was still a day when you were supposed to be bored. No fun music, no fun outdoor games. A walk possibly, but nothing more than that. We were supposed to sympathise with Christ, on this the longest day... (Of his life, that is, not the longest day of the year, obviously - that is midsummer...). This changed over the years though, and I really don't think my brothers and my sister remember. Well, my sister can't remember, she wasn't even born then, and I really doubt that the youngest brothers were, but the point is, things have changed in Sweden.

Not here... I learned Tuesday, when I was out having a beer, that the bars in Düsseldorf actually have to stop playing music at midnight, the night before Good Friday, and then they are not allowed to start again until 6 am Saturday morning. Anyone breaking this is fined... Didn't think that this was actually still the case in Germany. But why am I surprised? This is a country where, when I first started travelling here for business, they closed all the shops at 18:00 during the weekday, due to the law. Only Thursdays were they allowed to be open a bit longer. Now they are open as they please weekdays, it seems, but Sundays are still completely off. It may not be the same everywhere but in this state that is the law. It is starting to change slowly, there are some places in some areas that can keep open, like in the main stations, but other than that - closed. At least if it is just a shop and not a restaurant... So it should not come as a surprise that the music on Good Friday is banned. After all there is a very strong Catholic community in this part of Germany...

La Wally

I went to the Opera yesterday, with some friends (it is very good to have friends in the opera world, who can tell you where to go and what to see...). We saw the opera "La Wally". Wonderful piece. Guess the plot is pretty standard, with unhappy love etc, but the setting is unusual, it takes place in the alps. The music is fantastic and the performance was absolutely brilliant. The Operahouse in Düsseldorf - Deutsche Oper am Rhein - has some pretty amazing setups. Actually it is not just in Düsseldorf, it is also in Duisburg. Thought it was a third city as well but can't remember which. It doesn't matter. They are really good.

I am so impressed by the performances. It is such an exercise! And seeing La Wally was extra exciting, as it is an opera that you don't see often. The reason is that there is an avalanche in the play and I guess that is not very easy to stage, is it... They did it well here though.

After the play we went for a drink. Very interesting place where you have to use the doorbell to be let in. Felt a bit fishy but was totally OK. I would never have found it on my own, that much I can tell you. And I will not go back again unless I have someone with me, it is not exactly a "just stop by for a beer" kind of place. But interesting!

Ann-Katrin, the horse

Let me introduce: Ann-Katrin, the horse. Spent a big part of Saturday with my best little friend and his sister, 5 and 3 years old. Beautiful weather in Sweden on Saturday, and pretty warm. Luckily their mother and I have the same shoe size so I borrowed her wellingtons and ran around in the garden with the kids, a big part of the afternoon as a horse (a horse with a cold, but that was OK. They are pretty easy to please at that age, and when the horse wanted to go and stand in the stable for a while that was OK too...)

It is great being the fun auntie, who can play as much as I like with the kids - and then turn them over to the parents when it is time to do something boring...

Water, water, water

I love water, water for drinking. I am spoiled to live in a country where the tap water is great for drinking, just like it is in Sweden, where I come from. But here in Germany they stare at me as if I am from outer space when I ask about tap water... And you HAVE to specify "Leidungswasser" - tap water - or you will get a bottle of mineral water, preferably carbonated. Almost all the mineral water in Germany is carbonate, I have found. We have had many discussions in our little group here about it. Don't know why the Germans prefer bubbles, but they seem to do.

And they seem to be very keen on bottled water and a bit afraid of tap water, although test after test show that the tap water is as good or better than the bottled water in this part of the world - especially since the bottled water is sometimes stored for long periods.

Personally I normally can't really feel the difference between bottled water without bubbles and tap water, and why would I go for bottled water which isn't better than the tap water, costs a lot more money, and also is bad for the environment (due to the transports)? Germany has some bottled waters that I just despise though. Some with strange and horrible taste, taste is a bit unfresh. Guess it may be the minerals in them. I don't care if the restaurant is going to charge me a fortune, I am NOT going to finish that water (of course no names but don't bring me the water that shares the first part of the name with the name of US rockets going to the moon... It is HORRIBLE)

It is fun to see the looks on the faces of some people when I ask for tap water. The waiters in some places staaare at me, wrinkles their noses, and says "You can't drink tap water here"... I somehow always manages to convince them that one can. In Belgium I have been refused though...

At home - satisfaction

Yes, there will be a much longer note about the weekend. When I am a bit more alert. Right now I am just happy to have Swedish cheese again, and Swedish sweets. :-)

That was stressful trip...

Leaving Düsseldorf Friday afternoon was not fun. It was 23 degrees here, and when I spoke to my mum in Sweden she told me that there were "chances of sun". Leaving the clear blue sky and nice warm weather to go to a place where there is a "chance of sun", no, not for me. And I almost didn't make it.. As I had a lot of luggage, so I had already decided that I would take a taxi. Had a large enough margin - or so I though - when I called the taxi. Dragged all my stuff downstairs - two suitcases, one which was going to stay in Sweden. Got into the taxi. And of we went. For a few minutes... Then it was STOP. Completely....


I sat. I waited. I waited. The taxi driver looked worried. I felt worried. Turns out that first of all it was the first day of holiday for many. The Germans have two weeks Easter holiday, it seems, and obviously many of them decided to travel on the Friday. To avoid the crowds??? If so, they didn't do a very good job. Anyhow, apparently there was also an accident on the Autobahn, i e the motorway. After a little while the taxi driver and I looked at each other and then we realised it was better to take the train. The driver chanced the route, now aiming at the main station. Took considerably longer than normal, traffic was bad in the city as well. (And what is this thing with red lights that switch to green only for so short time that ONE car gets through, barely...?)
I was getting more and more stressed, feeling how my margin was shrinking. Realised sitting there in the taxi that chances were that I was actually not going to make it. Had my money ready when the taxi got to the station - and then I jumped back and got my bags - and then I RAN! Running with two suitcases and a cold is not the easiest thing...
Got to the tracks, actually found a train that was going to leave to the airport from the central station after only a few minutes (7). But by now my margins were completely gone and I know everything had to click. Actually called Sweden and gave them a prewarning that I would possibly not make it.


When the train arrived (slightly delayed, but not much), it took forever to fill it, and then when we left the station, the train was first driving in cycling speed - and I am not thinking about the kind of people that participate in Tour France etc. This was when I called Sweden and said that I would not be able to make it. But I was not going to give up. I came to the airport, ran for the train that takes you between the terminals. Of course that train was late too... There was nothing I could do but to sit and wait, and try and breath in between... As soon as I got of I threw myself down the stairs and to the first automatic check in that I could find. Entered my bonus card and the text came up: "You are too late, you will not make it to the gate."

I ran to the baggage checking, got the message that I could POSSIBLY get through if I was lucky. Never has a queue been as slow as then... And THAT was when my luck started to change. Came up to the counter, and the sweet person sitting there arranged for me to get on. I had some overweight since I was carrying things up to Sweden, things that were going to stay there. It was well worth paying for that overweight! Without it I wouldn't have been on the plane... The very very nice person even followed me to the counter where I had to pay. And then she and the person handling the payment only had one word for me: RUN! And I did....

Coming up to Sweden it was cold, very cold, and I didn't have any gloves. But the supper at my parents was great, despite the 2,3 degrees Celsius when I left...
(And the weather picked up the day after).

Spring colours

Just decided that it was time to leave the red colour behind and add some green to remind everybody that easter is coming up, and spring is here :-)

OK, this is getting serious

OK, this is getting serious, if I don't get ice cream SOON I am going to die! I am telling you! Good thing I am visiting Sweden the coming weekend, Sweden has soy based ice cream... Just can't find any of the like in Germany. Frustrating (and yes, about food again).
Stupid lactose intollerance.