Stockholm, Slowly Getting There

I've just booked my accommodations and am feeling much more secure about this trip to Stockholm. I'm also becoming more comfortable about staying in hostels. There wasn't much of a second thought given about staying in one considering the outrageous expense of Scandinavian cities. I learned this in my travels to Denmark a few years ago.

I'm buying the Stockholm card; my student discount will give me a lot of savings, but not as much as the card will in the long run. I'm also splurging and using the express train from Arlanda to the city center and back. My ISIC card will give tremendous savings in that department, plus the benefit of being at the airport in under 30 minutes for an early Sunday morning flight far outweighs any difference in expense by taking the cheaper bus and risking traffic jams.

Much is still under construction, plans are loose at best. Of course, there are the basic must sees, but things such as restaurants, and lesser things are not firmed up yet. I'm still not sure about a day trip to Vaxholm or one of the other archipelago islands. I'm excited to visit Drottningholm, the residence of the royal family. Most of all, it will be fun to return to Sweden and see it under a different eye than the last time.

This trip occurs around the same time as my Ireland trip last year did. I'm still amazed at how much I accomplished in that short period of time and I'm hoping for a little of that magical pixie dust to find its way over onto this trip.

NOLA, N-O-L-A, NOLA

I grabbed two round trip tickets on Jet Blue to New Orleans for Labor Day weekend. We arrive Thursday night and leave Monday morning. This gives us three whole days to play with. What's even better is that I was able to get an 11% discount using my ISIC card. Even better was finding out that the discount applies to each segment, and each accompanying traveler, not just off the total round trip and for students only. Sweet!

We haven't booked the hotel yet, but I have some ideas and some more reviewing to do. I want to be very near to the French Quarter but not smack dab in the middle of it all.

As of now, nothing is set in stone. Still, I have some basic ideas on what I want to see and do. Of course, one of the stops will be to NOMA to view the Fabergé eggs on display. I'd really love to see the voodoo museum, and our visit won't be complete without a cemetery tour. A friend of mine is going to recommend restaurants, so that will be extremely helpful. I won't leave until I've gone to Cafe du Monde for their café au lait and beignets.

I leave for Stockholm the week after, which might make things a bit stressful, but this will be a nice respite from the NYC summer.

Focus on Nothing

Looks like my hostel accommodations in Stockholm are pretty much covered. I jumped at the opportunity to join a focus group about travel, answered the litany of questions, and was accepted. It was to be a two hour group complete with lunch and refreshments. I arrived, signed in, and sat in the waiting room while others filed in.

To my confusion, everybody was called except for myself and another person. A few minutes later, we were informed that we were chosen as alternates and only had to wait a half hour. If the coordinators felt someone in the group wasn't compatible, we would replace them.

I guess all members of the group were compatible because a half an hour later, we were both handed an envelope of money and told to go home.

$125 for a half hour of my time. Not bad.