"How Does This Happen"

For Linnea's Birthday she and I had made plans to go down to southern Sweden to a town called Karlskrona where her aunt and cousins live. We were going to take the night train on Friday night and arrive in Karlskrona at 9:00 Saturday morning. Of course things did not go as planned. To make a long story shorter they were fixing the rials just south of Stockholm so we were instructed by the ticket taker to take a bus to the next station and we would catch our train there. The ticket taker then came back a few minutes later and told us he had found another man going in the same direction as we were so instead of taking a bus we were all going to take a taxi to the station instead. We followed the ticket taker to first class where we met the man we would be ridding with. We got off the train at Stockholm Central Station and as were were walking we saw that same ticket taker instructing a women to follow us. She came over very confused about the whole situation (as we all were). But we just went with the flow and got in the taxi waiting in front of the station. After 40-50 mins of driving in a hot, stinky taxi with people only speaking in Swedish we arrived at Scania Industrial Park, we could see the Södertälje train station in the distance up above but we could not seem to figure out how to get there. We drove around in circle through this industrial park for literally 45 mins. We asked 4 people for information and no one could point us in the right direction. I think this was the biggest moment of culture shock I have experienced. In the US someone (either the taxi drive or one of the passengers) would have been on the phone with someone trying to sort the whole situation out and I am sure there would have been some shouting involved. Linnea and I were so overcome with fatigue, fright, shock, confusion and a scene of helplessness and all we could do was laugh. 

We finally made it to the train station. It was now around 12pm and our train was suppose to leave over an hour ago but we hopefully go check to see if it is there. The taxi driver told us he would wait for us and if the train had left he would drive us back to Stockholm or to a hotel. Of course the train was long gone and when we went back to where the taxi driver had dropped us off he was nowhere to be found. 

It was 12 oclock a night, we were in the middle of nowhere but luckily we were with these other two Swedes who seemed to be very calm about the whole thing. The determined it was best for us to spend the night in the station and take the first train in the morning which would leave at 6:35. Around 1:00 a security guard came to close down the station and told us we had to leave. What were we supposed to do, go sleep outside?? After explaining our situation he went to make a call to his supervisor. At the same time the train conductor for the morning train came to check on the train. Hallulujah! He imediately got on the phone with SJ (the train company) and sorted everything out. 

He drove us to Scania Hotel (how ironic) where we would spend the night and scheduled a taxi to pick us up the next morning (no cost to us). By this time it was around 2:00 am.

The next morning we arrived at the station, picked up our first class tickets (we got upgraded) and watched the sunrise. 

Sunrise in Södertälje

First Class

Good Morning Linnea

Wouldn't have been able to do it without these truly AMAZING Swedish People!

Every could has a sliver lining. We spent the night in a hotel rather than on a train, we got to ride comfortably in first class, we got free breakfast on the train and we arrived in Karlskrona just 3 hours later than we originally had planned.

Breakfast on the train. Sandwhich fixing- Ham (gave to linnea), Cheese and Veggies with Delicious Bread and organic Butter as well as a Drinkable Yogurt, Orange Juice and lots of Coffee. 

Welcome to Karlskrona!

Smile. We made it!