When I heard the announcement that my return flight from Sweden was delayed ninety minutes, I did not worry or fret. I rejoiced: I now had time to explore Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport. When I first arrived, I was too eager to get into Stockholm. But now I had the time. So much to do, so much to see. I needed to make good use of my ninety minutes. Like with any itinerary, I had to schedule carefully.
I began by eating my lunch. It was important to be well nourished for my journey. Next I scanned the Departures Board for ideas where I should go on future travels: Barcelona? Zurich? Oslo? Cologne? Dubai? Reykjavík? The possibilities were endless.
I visited a bookstore to see if it had the book I wanted. It wasn’t there.
I caught sight of Passport Control. I had some questions to ask. The officers were so much fun to talk with, and laughed uproariously when I told them the story of how my passport had been stolen. I also told them about the book I wanted to find. They said I should explore the F Wing, which had more bookstores.
As I walked there, I decided to teach myself Swedish.
Bagageutlämningen ==Baggage Claim Area. This would come in handy if I had any baggage to claim, but I like to carry it on board.
Utträde==No Exit. Being stuck in the airport can feel like there’s no exit, but I was having fun.
Mat och dryck==Food and beverage. Also known as two of my favorite words.
And then I reached my destination, where I was happy to find my book. Not only that, but the woman behind me in line was wearing the same sneakers as I.
I took that as a good sign and glanced at the Departures Board, where my flight had a new note: Ga till utgang==go to gate.
I got my exercise speed walking from one end of the airport to the other, and was rewarded for my efforts seeing välkommen till Stockholm. It is never too late to have a warm welcome.
As I neared my gate, I saw Hitta rätt==Find the way. That seemed fitting, since my trip, not just my time in the airport, was about finding my way.
What an exciting airport delay—Swedish language lessons, exploration of new territory (airport stores) and of course, finding the way to food and refreshments! Did you find any chocolate stores or mini-doughnuts along the way? Glad you still made your delayed flight and got home safely! 🙂
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I had eaten so many sweets in Greece that I was hiatus from desserts. Hard to believe, but true. Thanks for the nice comment!
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Wha-aat? No room for CHOCOLATE! On hiatus from DESSERTS!!! You need me and lilyalfred to guide you through airports—seriously!!!
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What a wonderful spin on writing a Travel Guide book! The blog was fun to read from beginning to end. But like your other reader, I am perplexed by a lack of Swedish vocab. for chocolate. Next time in an airport abroad, pay attention to a traveler’s need for sustaining choc. for a long trip.
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Thanks, Lily!
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Loved the post, EtM. The Swedish lessons along the way of your airport journey and experiences, just awesome. Now, I wonder what the book was. ~nan
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Loved your comment, Nan! The book was Sophie Kinsella’s My Not So Perfect Life. Very, very funny! I was inspired to read it because I loved her novel, The Undomesticated Goddess, which made me laugh so hard!
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What a lovely ninety minutes. I too was delayed—in my return from Amsterdam. And my first thought was what do I get to do? Thank you!
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Glad I could help.
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