On May 22 we leave to visit our good friend Nancy who is teaching in Eskilstuna. We are flying with Icelandic Air and depart from Toronto at 9:00 pm. Keflavik International Airport is our first stop at 6:20 am on May 23 while our final stop is Arlanda International Airport, Stockholm at 12:30 pm. The airport is 45 km north of the Stockholm so we will take a train to the city and then another train to Eskilstuna.
During our 21 day expedition we will tour Stockholm and Goteburg, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark and Oslo and Bergen, Norway. Costs are very similar to those in Canada and hotels are not cheap. A hostel in Copenhagen with a private room and bathroom is $200 night for 2 guests which means that accommodations will consume a good portion of our budget. We use to pay around $90 to stay at a hostel in 2000. Our number one priority is a comfortable bed and comfort is not easy to find in some hostels so we are not staying in any this time. At this point in time I have prebooked all of our hotels as there are limited accommodations in some cities. I prefer to plan while we travel but cannot take a chance on being homeless during this brief excursion. Wifi was a priority in all hotels as we can do our train bookings on-line.
Our good friend and neighbour, Spence, will be caring for our dog, Sebastian so our baby will receive lots of love while we are away. This will be my first trip using a backpack with wheels. Back and hip issues are preventing me from using my personal backpack which I have taken everywhere since 2000. The new one has a hidden harness and wheels and will give my body a break when on the road.
The failing health of my incredible mom was my focus for the three months before our trip and it was not until the last weekend before our flight that I even thought about packing or celebrating our trip. It was a debilitating, emotional roller coaster as we watched mom move to the palliative stage of life knowing that there was little quality and life left in this previously energetic and active woman. Mothers Day was the day that her body started shutting down and she died on May 16th. As I flew on the 22nd I thought about how close I was to mom and dad in Heaven and it gave me some comfort and peace at a time that I have felt great sorrow. She was ready to die but did not anticipate that the journey would be as challenging as it turned out to be. I can only focus on the peace that she is experiencing now and know that she is happy about being with my dad again.
Our good friend and neighbour, Spence, will be caring for our dog, Sebastian so our baby will receive lots of love while we are away. This will be my first trip using a backpack with wheels. Back and hip issues are preventing me from using my personal backpack which I have taken everywhere since 2000. The new one has a hidden harness and wheels and will give my body a break when on the road.
The failing health of my incredible mom was my focus for the three months before our trip and it was not until the last weekend before our flight that I even thought about packing or celebrating our trip. It was a debilitating, emotional roller coaster as we watched mom move to the palliative stage of life knowing that there was little quality and life left in this previously energetic and active woman. Mothers Day was the day that her body started shutting down and she died on May 16th. As I flew on the 22nd I thought about how close I was to mom and dad in Heaven and it gave me some comfort and peace at a time that I have felt great sorrow. She was ready to die but did not anticipate that the journey would be as challenging as it turned out to be. I can only focus on the peace that she is experiencing now and know that she is happy about being with my dad again.
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