First 24 hrs in Sweden

I made the final move over for my 4-5 month sojourn in Sweden last Sunday. It was a trickier endeavor than I had anticipated though since I also had to transport my bike over from Copenhagen. Bikes are allowed on trains for a fee provided there is space - a VERY important detail.

I arrived at the main station in Copes to get my tickets (one for me, one for the bike) and miraculously did it so quickly I could make the earlier train than I planned to hop on. After carrying my bike down the stairs with 2 minutes to spare I asked the conductor, which train car can I get on with my bike? He points to the one directly in front of us and packed to the gills with worried looking travellers heading to either Copenhagen or Malmo airports (the train passes by both).

So, no dice there, couldn't get on that train. Sooo I waited until the next one, 20 minutes later. There was a train only going as far as the airport beforehand so I figured cool, less air travellers = room for me and my bike. BUT the trains (both of them) were delayed - argh! Then the track changed, so again down stairs and up stairs with my bike and finally off to Sweden. The train was rather full, but I made it to Malmo to transfer to a local train to Åkarp (pronounced Okarp). There is no train station in Lomma (where I live) but knowing the towns are close by it seemed easier to bike to Lomma from a close train station than from Malmo. Only problem - I had no real map of the area, though Morten did help me find one on line to look at and it seemed pretty simple - SEEMED..

After getting off the train in Åkarp I found there was no area map, no maps of any kind and I was in the middle of nowhere (or maybe to the left of no where - you get the point). There were also no people around to ask so I biked one way crossing the tracks but it seemed like it was a highway entrance, so I biked the other way only to finally find a sign (after biking up a big hill) pointing in the direction from which I came to go to Lomma (my destination). Argh!

So back I went. I stopped at a pizza shop and got directions finally and was on my way. I needed to recross the train tracks, which took FOREVER. The road was closed due to a train approaching. Silly me thought that when the train passed 2 minutes later we (me and all the Swedes in their convertibles also waiting) would be on our way. But no. We waited not for two trains, or even three trains but for SIX trains - sheesh! AND all the while my train track-side wait was accompanied by Elvis music blaring from one of the convertibles I was next too - Tutti Frutti and the Hound Dog in the Swedish countryside. Plus their is something a little wierd about waiting on a bike right next to convertibles, its like no one has their own space anymore, odd.

Fortunately once the road was opened up and I was on my way the ride was only about 15 and quite easy.

This wasn't the end of my directional challenges though. As my sister and mom know I am usually pretty darn good with a map, maybe its the air in Scandinavia messing with my sense of direction but I was completely off in my attempt to arrive to my first class on time on Monday. Not only did I arrive 10 minutes early to the campus with a Map marking where I need to go, I ALSO arrived to class about 30 min late because I got so turned around and lost. Not the ideal way to start the first day.

SO that was my first 24 hrs in Sweden, thank buddha, god, and allah and the rest of the guys and gals in the heavens that I got through it in one piece!