Survival of the first week

The first week I feel completely upside down. Not one day goes by without me crying for at least once.
On Tuesday we try hard to sort out the kitchen, to have at least one room reasonably tidy before we leave for a short trip to Malmö on the next day. It’s not easy, of course all the cupboards I open are full with stuff. So a big sorting out is necessary and we have to decide about nearly everything whether we want to keep it (if it’s double, mine or his) and where it should be. In the flat, in the attic, in the bin or in some boxes for whatever.
On most things we agree quite easily but nevertheless the whole process quite puts me under pressure. My need to unpack boxes as quickly as possible (as I always did when moving, probably having my things around knowing where everything is gives me back some security) can’t be met as I need Richard’s help in every corner, apart from my wardrobe we bought a couple of weeks ago – it’s wonderfully empty :-)
So I get quite impatient from time to time, even though I know that he can’t sort out in three places at the same time. I’m sorry for being quite tense and stressed in these days even though he is doing such a good job trying to make space for my stuff everywhere. But it’s not easy to move from a flat of my own into a already inhabited flat and I realise that this is really a challenge, especially not even having a room for myself.

In between the whole unpacking procedure we spend two days in Malmö as Richard needs to be there. The first day it’s nice weather and we rent some hotel bikes to explore Malmö for a while.

It's a cosy town with a friendly and lively atmosphere and a very pretty centre with loads of restaurants and cafés.
In the evening we go out for dinner and while talking about our plans again my doubts concerning my Maastricht plans pop up. This time quite insistently. I slowly get the feeling that I maybe shouldn’t expose myself to another big change in such a short period of time. Another foreign country, another living situation, more new people...
The next day we try to explore Lund as we don’t fly back until the evening. It’s pouring with rain all day so that we are not keen on walking around very much. But it seems to be a nice little town.

The rest of the week we are busy with diminishing the amount of boxes in the flat. And we are doing quite well! For a change and to see something else we go to a barbeque at Aaron’s on Saturday. I feel strange and a bit alien, even though it’s a nice gathering.

It's been a tough week - but I survived it.

Last leg of our trip

The drive to Sweden was easy, driving through Denmark and then taking the long bridge which joins Denmark with Sweden. Passing into Sweden, an emotional moment for Caro, as we cross the bridge, and she entered Sweden for the first time… with the intention of staying in Sweden. There was a policeman just after the road toll station and he waved us down to talk to us. We wondered if he would want to look in the van… hoped not, as it was so full that things would fall out if we opened the doors. He asked if we had been shopping in Denmark. No I said, were moving my girlfriends things from Germany to Sweden. He looked at Caro and said “Welcome to Sweden”. That was nice… we drove off feeling personally welcomed in to Sweden. We drove to Karlskrona, one of the towns on the south east coast of Sweden and check into a hotel for the night. We celebrated my birthday with a meal and a lovely night together in our cosy big hotel bed. The next day we drove the last 500 km to Stockholm and arrived at the flat in the afternoon. We had some help to unpack the van from Josip and Martin, and this went very quickly. Soon we had a flat full of boxes, but we were home, and together. Caroline was very emotional and in the end it was all too much, she broke down and cried in my arms. She was tired and confused, but she had me and I was there to hold her and listen and love her for being here. The next day we began the job of unpacking.

A trip to Sweden

After handing over my flat and a last ride to the dump site we eventually leave Köln with the van on Saturday morning. Our destination is Kiel where we spend the night at my friend Anika’s house. I feel quite good and not as confused as I expected.
As usual the A1 up north is quite busy and just before Hamburg we manage to miss the turn to the Elbtunnel and end up driving all the way through Hamburg city.

But eventually we arrive in Kiel and spend a relaxed evening with Anika and Daniel.
Both Richard and I are very tired but it’s his birthday at midnight and I really want us to stay awake somehow. Can't wait to give him my present... ;-)

The next day we continue our trip. We arrive in Puttgarden in good time to catch a ferry to Denmark.
The actual leave from Germany by ferry I experience in the toilet... but anyway I could feel it that now, I am leaving my country.

After leaving the ferry we drive through Denmark until we reach the Oresundbridge.... the link to Sweden. But where were all the happy feelings as we eventually cross the bridge and enter Sweden??
I more feel confused and melancholy than enthusiastic.


We make it until Karlskrona after another 500km. We find a nice hotel and later on we go out for a birthday dinner at a restaurant in town and Richard finally gets his birthday card. It’s the first and a very special birthday as we are on a very special trip together.

The next morning we manage to hit the road pretty early. The last 500kms and I am even more contemplative at that day. The nearer we get to Stockholm the more confused I feel. How can I already miss my friends and my life in Köln? Shouldn't I be happy?

We arrive in the afternoon and Hannah welcomes us. It’s really nice and warm, perfect welcome weather! But nothing helps and finally I burst into tears. I hardly can keep me from telling Richard that he has to take me back again....
Of course I stay and we unpack the van and I finally feel slightly better when I view
my beloved kitchen cupboard in the kitchen and how wonderfully it matches with the wall colour.

Now I am here. With much more different feelings than expected - but I am here.

Thanks that we arrived safely.

Saying goodbye to Köln

The last few days in Köln were good fun. We spent some time packing boxes and wrapping paintings in bubble wrap. Josip was helping us and we wanted him to see a little of Köln during his stay, se we went out on the bicycles to see the city. It was quite warm and the sun came out for us. We rode round the town and Caroline showed us some of the places she knew well from her days at university, while she did some of the last tasks on her to-do-list. We decided we should include the cities Cathedral, the Dom, on our tour, which has been on Caroline and my list for ages too. The sky cleared as we arrived in the square and we parked the bikes and went in. It’s an impressive building and we climbed the endless steps to the top of the tower. It provides a fantastic view of the city and Caroline was obviously moved with the view and the moment, the last chance to see her city from this magnificent building, at least for the time being anyway.
On the Friday we moved the van to outside the flat and began the serious work of carrying boxes and loading the van. Lots of Caro’s friends turned up to help and soon I had a full time job in the van loading all the boxes and furniture. It was obvious it was going to be a tight fit and every possible space was filled in the van from floor to roof. In the end we had to leave a few things behind, but we managed to get everything important in. After cleaning the flat, we changed and went to Caro’s favourite bar, the Mexican, to meet her friends and say goodbye. It was a really fun evening with everyone turning up and chatting. They made me a Josip very welcome and spoke English all evening with us. Caroline was both happy to see them all and at the same time, sad to be leaving them. We got home quite late and went to bed to sleep on our mattresses and sleeping beds on the floor of the empty flat.
Josip got up early and left on his motor bike to ride bad to Sweden. We left a little later and started our first leg of our drive to Lubek. We stayed with her old school friend Anika and her man and family. It was a special evening as at midnight it was my Birthday. Me and Caro stayed awake and Caro gave me a wonderful present in the first minutes of the morning on my Birthday, it was a painting she had made especially for me… what a surprise, it was fantastic. She’s such a special girl and knows so well what I like. It was a perfect evening.

Last days in Köln - as seen by Caro

After moving out of my office in school and organising the last things there I am really off work now. Then the last week at home is quite busy. There is a lot to do and many people to see once again too. I have the girls around for the last dinner in my flat and we go out for a cocktail afterwards. Sunday afternoon my friend Markus is arriving. I am very pleased that he actually manages to come to visit me before I leave. We take the bikes and start a real Köln tour around town. We visit the large building sites on the riverside, ride into the Old town, have some Kölsch here and there and just enjoy „our“ town ;-)

On Monday I start packing boxes and in the evening then my old friend Alfred pops in. He is on his way back from Essen, where he just bought a new car. I take him to my atelier to pick up my last painting there. We go out and have a glass of wine together and have a good chat about his plans to get self-employed. I really like talking to him and I can sense that he is glad about my positive feedback. In the morning he sets off home, with a big painting of mine that he wants to buy. That’s cool as I won’t have space for this one anyway. I know that he really appreciates what I paint and therefore I am sure it’s in good hands.

After he’d left I continue my packing... still so many things in my flat.

Tuesday morning is as well the time when Richard and Josip are setting off with the van towards Germany. We get in touch from time to time to check how the trip is going. They share driving and manage to do the 1500km in one go – and arrive at around 5 o’clock on Wednesday morning.

The next days keep us busy with packing and organising the last things. I can even pick up my brandnew yellow bike!
The boys are a great help, even Josip is working all the time. He is so easy to get along with and such a nice person, I really like him. Wednesday afternoon Richard and he are driving down to the Nürnburgring to go on the track there with Josip’s bike.
We manage to do some „sightseeing“ as well. And I can again say good-bye to my city from high above as we climb up the 506 steps of the Dom!


Eventually it's Friday afternoon and we pack the van – quite a tricky project! We have less space then I expected and Richard is doing a very good job in packing it as effective as possible. But nevertheless a few things have to stay – the tv, storage racks and some plants... bye-bye.
After packing we clean the flat spick and span and eventually we are ready for the Mexican. I invited some friends to come around for a last Kölsch and very many pop up! It’s good to see them all on this evening. The good-byes are affectionate, a lot of big hugs and some tears too.

Is it really true that I am about to leave my place in only a few hours?

To the Nürburgring

Wednesday 27th June.
Checking the weather showed there was rain forecast for the following days. Josip and I decided that we should take advantage of the dry day and set off for the track. This was our plan for his Kawasaki, to go the Nürburgring race track and complete a few laps of the famous long circuit, called the Nordschleife. This 20km circuit is famous for its twisting path through the hills of the Eifel region south-west of Cologne. Josip and I left Cologne after lunch in the van and drove the 1 hour journey up into the hills. We stopped on the way to fill-up with extra petrol for the bike, which was strapped down in the back of the van. At the circuit we joined the waiting group of cars and bikes for the days open track session. You pay in advance for the number of laps you want and get a magnetic ticket which enables you to enter the track for each lap. We prepared the bike and Josip was first out, well it’s his bike! I took some pictures of the waiting area and the cars there. The lap time record for a bike is just less than 8 min. For un-accustomed novices like us, it takes about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on traffic. Josip returned from his first lap full of enthusiasm and surprised by the complexity of the circuit. The track is so twisting and un-predictable for a new comer. He went out on his second lap and I got ready to do 2 laps. When he came in I got on and set off on my first lap. It’s the first time I had ridden his Kawasaki on the track and it took a while to get used to the position and setup the mirrors. With all the porches and bikes on the track at the same time, it seemed pretty important to see what was coming up fast from behind. The track’s pretty daunting compared with the circuits I’ve been on in Sweden. The corners take every possible form, on hills up and down and every possible combination of camber and shape. With only a few laps to try it out, it’s not possible to remember all the turns and so much was again unexpected on my second lap. Anyway I did the 2 laps and it was good to have experienced the track that so many want to tryout. The session ended early because of an accident involving some bikes, so we had to settle for 2 laps each. But we were pleased to have had the chance to test the Nordschleife circuit. We packed the bike into the van and drove back to Cologne. Caroline was waiting for us and we cooked dinner and ate in the flat, chatted and then went to bed in good time as we were all tired.

On the road to Köln

Tuesday morning, 26th June, and my alarm goes off at 8… time to get up and get ready for the big trip, to go to Köln to collect Caroline and all her belongings and bring her and everything back to Sweden. Josip collects me at 9 and we go to the Statoil garage to collect the van. My friend Josip is driving with me on the way down and were taking his Kawasaki with us, more on that later. We throw our things into the van, plus my old sofa, which gets dumped at the tip on the way. It’s soon going to be replaced by Caro’s nice red sofa. We load his Kawasaki into the van and by 11 were on the road, on our way, only another 1400 km to go! We share the driving and have a plan to do the trip all in one go. Hit some rain in the middle of Sweden, but it cleared up as we got nearer the coast. We changed drivers every few hours and stop only for fuel and snacks. Its not long before were in Malmö and driving over the enormous Øresund Bridge, linking Sweden to Denmark. Its very impressive with its 8 km cable bridge, 4km artificial island and 4 km tunnel. Its two pylons are 204 m high and the highest in Sweden. We cross Denmark quite quickly via the islands and bridges and cross into Germany as it starts to get dark. As one is driving, the other tried to sleep a bit, but it’s not so easy in the front of a van. I called Caroline and told her we will arrive in the early morning and she was pleased to hear that we had made good time and was preparing for us to arrive. We filled up for the last time on the autobahn just before Cologne and drove into the city at about 4 on Wednesday morning. Josip and I were very tired and pleased to be parking the van and ringing Caro’s door bell. She was also sleepy but very please to see us. We all went straight to bed and had a long and much needed sleep.

Kiruna midnight sun

For some strange reason the heavy-haul railway industry decided to have its conference and exhibition in Kiruna. Kiruna is in the very north of Sweden at a latitude of 67.53 degrees North (the Artic circle is 66.33 degrees north). I suppose the fact that they have one of the largest Iron Ore mines in the world can contribute to the choice of location, so here we are to present our products to the industry.
I have never been quite so far north and as to be expected, there is daylight 24 hours a day as its summer and above the artic circle. Midnight sun is quite a special feeling. Having soon seen most of what can be seen in Kiruna, I decided to hire a car with my colleague and go and see some of the Lapland countryside. We drove over the mountains to Narvik in Norway, a 180km drive which takes 2 hours from Kiruna. It’s very pretty and the combination of snow covered peeks, reindeer, sun, snow, rain and great views make the drive well worth it. This view is of what’s called “Lapporten” which means door to Lapland.
Now I’m tired after 4 days here I’m and looking forward to going back to Stockholm and the coming weekend with Caroline, who’s coming to visit from Friday evening to Sunday evening.

Montreal in the rain

There are times when it would be nice to not have to travel. This week seemed like one of those weeks, with a short notice trip to Canada and the USA turning up just when I wanted to be at home. Having been away for two evenings last week in England, and missing Hannah and Emma at the weekend, as they were at a weekend leader group with their church group, I wanted to be able to spend time with the girls. I took my bike and joined them for a picnic with their group on Sunday afternoon. It was sunny and I shared their picnic food and we at least had some time together before I would be away in the week. It was a week since I was in Cologne with Caroline and I miss her already. She should have been in Stockholm, but due to an SAS strike, her flight to Stockholm was cancelled. I managed to divert there on the way back from Madrid and we had a special weekend together in Cologne. My flight to Montreal began early on Monday morning (I hate these early starts) with a flight to Frankfurt to connect with a direct connection to Montreal. I was pretty tired when I checked into the hotel and managed to mail and call the contacts in there in connection with the planned meetings. I took a stroll in the light afternoon rain, around the old town of Montreal, which I guess has been restored and looks very interesting. The old stone buildings and cobbled streets give it an old English look and the area is used a lot as a set for filming. I found a bar with its own micro brewery and had a few beers and a meal before getting back to the hotel to sleep. The next day was taken up with a meeting all day. I was driven to the airport and took an evening flight to Chicago. I like Chicago, but I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I worked and did some shopping for me and Caro and managed to get a place on an earlier flight home. There is a direct flight from Chicago to Stockholm and I usually try to get this flight to avoid a connection on the way home. I was a bit late to the airport and the queue to security was unbelievably long. I managed to jump the queue a bit and only had a few minutes to speak to Caroline in Germany before I had to go to the gate. Called Hannah too and said I’d be home a day early. Caroline sounded as if she’s missing me as much as I’m missing her. It will be another week before she’s in Stockholm for a weekend and I am really wishing time will go by quickly, we have so much to talk about and I miss her not being by my side. I’m on the plane now and just writing this before I try to get some sleep. Looking forward to getting back and having a few days at home.

Helsinki becomes Madrid

I’ve been in Helsinki since Sunday at a transportation exhibition. I have so much on at work at the moment, so I would have happily avoided being away, but it was all arranged in advance, so here I must be. I had this feeling that it would be a tough week and as the e-mails poured into my laptop I had more and more to do. Being away from the office can be a real pain sometimes.
Helsinki is not my favourite city, its ok but the food nothing to write home about and it can be hard to find places to go to in the evening if you’re not a local.
Now my business partners in Spain need me in Madrid, so I have had to leave the exhibition early and fly to Madrid. Just arrived at the hotel in Madrid and am tired and ready for bed. We shall see what Madrid has to offer. I have to fly home on Friday, Caroline is flying to Stockholm on Friday night and I have to be there to meet her.

Caro's party weekend

I was flying to Cologne a day earlier than usual, as I wanted to be there for Caroline’s Birthday and her Birthday Party. For a change I took the SAS flight to Dusseldorf. It’s a turbo-prop plane and it takes a little longer. It was arriving an hour late and Caroline collected me in her friend’s car. It’s a longer drive but with light evening traffic were home in 45min.
Caro opened the little presents I have with me for her and she seemed very pleased and happy with this moment together… another first, a birthday together.
On the Friday morning Caro was working at her school and I went to meet her at lunch time so I could see the place she’s been at for the last few years. We got home after some last minute shopping and we made the final preparations for the party in the kitchen.
Soon all her friends are arriving and immediately there’s a very friendly atmosphere in the flat. It’s interesting to meet all her friends, who all seem very keen to meet me and talk to me. Most are speaking very good English and after a few drinks they relax even more and I have some really good conversations with some of them, which surprises me with the language differences, but we manage just fine.
There are some immediate differences between a party in Germany and Sweden. First the drinks are supplied free by the host and the guests bring food. This is almost always the opposite in Sweden, as drink is so expensive I suppose. Second the guests have their shoes on in the flat! This never happens in Sweden. Funny how these small cultural differences are so intriguing. There is so much good food and we only manage to eat half of it…lots in the fridge for the coming days.
In the evening we visit various art exhibitions and gallery open days as part of an art event in Köln. We go with Mattis and it’s nice to see and meet Caro’s art teacher too. I enjoy this art world and like the art too.
Sunday is an easy day with a bike ride to a flee market, a “fika” and lots of good talking about all sorts of things and planning for her move to Sweden. Home to Sweden and lots of things to look forward to over the coming months with Caro’s move to Sweden in June.

Ducati at Barkarby

The sun was shining, so what better to do than go out on the bike. Today was mc day at Barkarby airfield, where several motorbike makes were on display and available for test. Hannah and me and my friend Josip rode over to see what was happening. There were some queues for the more popular bikes, but we decided the Ducati 1098S was well worth the wait. Both Josip and I tried out the Ducati on the short test track. What a bike… loads of low end power and great exhaust tone and easy to lift the front wheel with a twist of the throttle. Hmmm a nice mc but expensive… the TT600 will have to do for now.

Easter in London and visiting family

Wednesday 4th April
The plan was to fly to London and meet Caroline at Stansted Airport… but not all plans workout. Emma and I were in good time to arrive for our Ryanair flight, only to find that it was delayed from 18:00 to 23:30! Called Caro to let her know the bad news and that she should find her way to Michaels flat without us. Me and Emma did some work, listened to music and read books for hours and eventually left Sweden at midnight. Our late arrival in Stansted meant we took the coach into London and Michael collected us outside Liverpool St. Station. It was very late when we got back to his flat and Caro was waiting for me in bed… hugs… very tired… long sleep.

Thursday 5th
What a sunny morning to wake up to in London… our first trip to London together. The Easter weekend is looking good with about 18 degrees warm and no wind. Take it easy and chat and then Michael, Emma, Caroline and I take the walk along the river to Canary Wharf. It’s so sunny and Caro is looking good and happy and is relaxed chatting to Michael. We have a pub lunch outside with another first; me and Caroline share our first fish-n-chips at an English pub…mmmm delicious. In the evening we all cook together and have a very casual end to the day.

Friday 6th
Mum, Ross and Zoë come over and we have lunch together on Michael’s sunny roof terrace. We take a walk in the other direction along the river and visit a Borough Market, which is a great farmers food and produce market where we buy some Italian ham and Swedish salmon for evening snacks. Caroline seems quite at ease with my family who are all making an effort to chat and get to know her. Hannah arrived in the evening from Stockholm, having left later than us as her school holiday is the week after Easter. Michael’s assistant cooked dinner for all seven of us and we enjoy eating around Michael’s big dining room table in his almost fully renovated flat.

Saturday 7th
Hannah and Emma go shopping on Oxford Street. They just love being big sisters shopping together in London and seem to find all that they want there. Caroline and I go into London on our own. We sit on the top of a double decker bus and enjoy the views of London. We decide to take a small picnic to Green Park. It’s quite warm and mainly sunny and we pay for deck chairs in the park and eat and chat in the spring sunshine. Then we walk past the palace and through St. James Park to Westminster. We all go over to Zoë’s new house for dinner.


Sunday 8th
Having borrowed Zoë’s car, Hannah, Emma and Caroline and I drive up to see my Dad. We make it in a few hours and get to the pub at lunch time. We have a drink and chat to him outside the pub. The girls are very please to see him and he’s looking well. He practices a bit of his German on Caro and she’s please to see he can still remember it so well. We have lunch in the pub and then take a walk in Ashby and look at the remains of the village castle. On the way home we stop at my Auntie Carol’s and have an unplanned afternoon with dinner at her place. Carol’s pleased to see us, even though it’s a short visit, we have fun talking and looking at some old photos of us and her family.

Monday 9th
We drive down to Elstead to see Penny and Less and their family. Its good to see them all and we go to the pub for a drink and lunch, where we meet Viv and Graham. It’s nice to walk on the common with Caroline and have some moments to share this beautiful English countryside with her. It’s again warm and sunny and I’m reminded what a lovely part of England this is and how I remember this area so well. We have a big family dinner at Penny’s and then drive back up to London.

Tuesday 10th
Caroline and I take a short trip into London and I get some books and a German/English dictionary and CD language course. I have to get started with my German and need some help. We take the train to Stansted and fly “on-time” home to Sweden together with Emma. Hannah is staying in England for the week to visit her friend who is living there.

Weekend in Köln

Had a great weekend with Caroline in Köln… every weekend with her is great. After a long flight from Hong Kong, I was so pleased to be in her arms again. The Saturday was spent with her girl friends as it was Katja’s Birthday. We had a really good brunch together and then went for a walk along the bank of the Rhine. I like them all very much and even though I know they are a little sad that I’m sort of taking their Caro away from them, they are very warm and caring girls. I’m looking forward to them all coming to visit us in Sweden in the summer. We had a pub evening with Katja and her friends.
I left on Monday morning to catch a train to Frankfurt and then my plane to Rome. I will be there until Thursday for another rail event. Hmmm… two weeks away from home, now my heavy case is getting boring to move around.

Hong Kong part2

It’s been an interesting and fun week in Hong Kong and a whole heap of late nights. In addition to attending the rail conference here in HK, I have a lot of work on in other parts of the world, which requires my attention despite the time difference. The conference ended at around 5 or 6 most days and after this, Olle and I generally returned to our hotel first to get some work done. I spent a few hours answering e-mails, calling the office and partners etc. Then we took a sauna up at the top of the hotel and had a few beers. There was also a small pool, but the water wasn’t warm, so we used this as a cooling down dip between the sauna and a beer. Then out to eat at restaurant and taste some more Chinese food. Back to the hotel and time for the last batch of e-mails as the rest of the world wakes up. I chat with Caroline is she’s in and a Hotmail message for her…then to bed… getting pretty tired after 4 days of this. I did manage to fit in a little additional shopping, getting some things for Caroline and a shirt, a pair of shoes and some DVD’s for me. Which trip to the East is complete without some low priced copies (sorry film industry, I just can’t resist it).
Finally its Friday and a few extra hours sleep. We catch the airport express from Central on Hong Kong Island, which goes direct to the airport. Now there’s only a 12 hour flight from HK to Frankfurt between me and my girl.