Following my impromptu 44-hour Air Travel Adventure Tour courtesy of WOW Airlines, I arrived in Stockholm with about 15 hours to spend there, as well as a LOT of determination to make the most of it. I was really excited about my accommodations, which were in the Loginn hotel, that was actually a boat! Turns out there are several ‘boatel’ options in the city and although I have not been to any of the others, I highly recommend mine. I mean, the fact that my little room (adorned with two portholes) held both me and my copious amounts of luggage, with some room to spare, was impressive by itself. 
After I checked in, the boatel proprietor (captain?) directed me towards the Old Town area and assured me it was perfectly safe to wander about in the dark. Love that! And I was off… 
The ice and snow crunched beneath my feet as I made my way along the river and over the bridge. I passed many locals running through the elements in what appeared to be their commutes home from work. Such an efficient way to fit in a daily workout and I would expect nothing less from the Swedes (one word for you: IKEA). I explored the quaint Old Town hood until the cold and my hunger got the best of me and I took refuge in one of the many cozy restaurants/pubs.It was lucky for me that Thursday is the night the Museum Fotografka is open until 1 am (as it was THE museum I really wanted to see and most museums in the city have one night a week they are open late- what a fantastic idea!) I’ve been passionate about photography ever since I took classes in high school (complete with actual film) and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. 
I returned to the boatel that night, thoroughly exhausted and vowing to come back to Stockholm! 
The next day I took a ridiculously cheap flight to Brussels… I’m telling you, if you don’t mind some cold and darkness, January is the time to bop around Europe! A friend from my Flash Pack tour of Vietnam and Cambodia lives about an hour outside of the city and was kind enough to pick me up the next day and show me his city (his name is Jacques but I re-named him Jacky early on in the tour and he didn’t seem to mind too much.) 
I have to say that having friends to meet up with in various locations has been an unexpected perk of all the tours I’ve been on! So, Jacky gave me the full Brussels experience, complete with historical sites (including a tiny statue of a little boy peeing that tourists flock to, for some unknown reason) and, most importantly, the deliciousness the city is known for…mussels, waffles, frites, chocolate, and beer. YUM! All surpassed my already high expectations. 
I’m not a big beer drinker but Belgium beer is more flavorful than the beer I’m used to (with a flavor that isn’t just hops) and Belgians have respect for their beer that is reflected in how it’s served. All beers have a designated glass that they are served in and you NEVER see someone drinking straight out of the bottle. I can’t even imagine!
I also learned a lot about the Belgium culture from Jacky, who speaks French in a country where there are three official languages (Dutch and German are the other two). There are also tons of different governments in the small country (six currently, each with it’s own Parliament) and it’s all kinds of messed up in how it works- everyone seems to agree on that. Yet, somehow, it does even in 2010 when the country was officially without a government for over a year and a half. That’s right… a year and a half with NO government. And there was very little difference in the day-to-day lives of Belgium citizens during that time! I’d definitely be in favor of trying out this ‘no government’ approach in the U.S… until about 2020 or so 🧐
Other fun facts I learned about Belgium- chocolate there really is that much better (I consider this a fact), and in large part because the country got a jump start on chocolate R&D way back in the 1880s when they had a hook-up (from their frenemy, Congo) to cocoa beans from Africa before anyone else. Also, the culture of beer runs so deep in the country that in the 1970’s it was standard issue to serve children a beer with their school lunches. In fact, when I was a smidge dubious about this and googled it (sorry I ever doubted you, Jacky!) I discovered that not only did it happen in the 70’s, but in 2001 there was another effort (and even a pilot program) to serve beer at schools! Don’t worry, this was “only” 2.5% alcohol beer and it was clearly a “healthy alternative” to soda and sugary drinks. The leader of the initiative was quoted in an article in The Guardian saying, “It’s good for their figure and very healthy as well.” He also dismissed the idea that the little kiddos may become intoxicated, “You’d have to drink five or six litres of the stuff to get drunk and these will just be 25cl or 33cl bottles. I used to drink it when I was just six years old and I still do every day.” Somehow the effort never made it past the pilot stage. I spent my last day in Brussels exploring the city on foot (you may have noticed I’m a big fan of this touring method) and I left the city fully satiated by everything I had been able to take in.
Next up…Prague! I had heard a lot about Prague from friends and family alike and had wanted to check it out for a while (although on the flight there I realized that I didn’t know exactly what it was that I had heard…nothing like a quick little Google-action to get up to speed!) I stayed in the Old Town section of the city (I highly recommend my hotel for location, value, and THE BEST scrambled eggs I’ve have EVER had) and it was the perfect jumping off point for the many miles of exploring that I undertook. My dad ran the Prague marathon several years ago (why anyone would want to run a marathon on cobblestone is beyond me) and I covered as much ground in 2.5 days. 
It’s just such a stunning city to take in, with breathtaking architectural phenomena on both sides of a beautiful stretch of the Vltava river (don’t ask me to pronounce that). 
A free walking tour on my second full day put some context to the city I had already fallen in love with (LOVED this tour company, btw, and will seek them out in future European travels). On the tour I learned more color behind Prague’s often tumultuous history. I also learned that the reason Prague was pretty much untouched during the European demolitions of WWII was NOT because Hitler thought the city too beautiful to blow up (I’d read this fallacy somewhere.) In reality we can thank their diplomatic strategy of “rolling over” right away and capitulating before any damage could have been done (in the words of my tour guide.) I also learned that Prague was bombed by the Americans during WWII! This was by accident when us dummies mistook the city for our actual target: Dresden, Germany. I guess both cities had a castle, lotsa churches and a river. Huge whoopsie daisy 😬
Before leaving Prague, I randomly bought a ticket to tour the library. Of all things to do and see in the city I’m not sure why I chose this one exactly but I’m glad I did! (I think I’d read something on Trip Advisor about what a hidden gem it was and it stuck with me, as random things do sometimes.) The actual library is amazing with 77,000 books and ornate gold stuff everywhere. No photos are allowed but my phone must have gone off by mistake during the tour. Hate it when that happens! 
The best part, though, was the views from the top of the library- a ton of spiral staircase steps later, it was well worth it and the perfectly stunning farewell to a stunning city that I hope to return to.
Next… Austria 🇦🇹(Vienna and Salzburg) and despite being in Salzburg already I’m going to save Vienna for an Austria post. Stay tuned!
So, for ten days it was too cold to go outside for more than a few minutes…which resulted in a lot of time inside and lots of “opportunities” for family bonding. I had the option of two locations where I could participate in this bonding: my parents’ house (which includes my mom and dad) and my sister’s house (which includes my sister, Tobi, her husband, their three children, and two cats). Over the ten days, I found a great balance toggling back and forth between the two houses- the chaotic and exciting environment of Tobi’s and the relaxing and excitement-lite environment of my parents’. At my sister’s I loved hanging out with my adorable nephews, and especially meeting my brand new nephew, Theodore! How cute is he?!
I even came to enjoy the 7am wake-up calls of two shrieking jumping beans (named Felix and Hugo), who jumped on both me and the bed with MUCH gusto every morning I was there.
As much as I enjoyed this, I needed a break every few days and enjoyed the solace of my parents’ spot. I also loved spending some QT with my parents and was even there the day my dad came home from work for the last time before retirement. After so many years of grabbing his briefcase (and gym bag) and heading to the office, he was dunzo!
Now, if you who know me at all, you know that I have just a lil’ bit of energy and this being-stuck-inside thing was bound to have me bouncing off the walls. This could have resulted in a disaster over ten days [namely me going bonkers]. Have no fear… Planet Fitness to the rescue! This was a clutch move that contributed pretty significantly to the success of the visit…that and a few (short-lived) outdoor expeditions.
Despite the farewell blizzard I made it back to DC, where the next week and a half flew by and soon I was scrambling to pack the morning of my next adventure! Where am I going, you may ask? So…this trip kind of morphed along the way as I discovered that it’s super-cheap to travel to and around some European cities during cold and dark January. What a perfect time to hit up some new places! And after braving the New Hampshire weather, I was certain Europe would feel like Cancun.
Upon takeoff, the WOW flight attendant announced that most passengers on our flight were transferring in Iceland and heading to Europe. She also said that, despite the delay, she was “99% certain” that all the connecting flights would wait for us. PHEW! Then we landed…. and the same lady got on the loudspeaker to let us know that if you were headed to Stockholm or Berlin, well, those planes didn’t wait. 99% certain? How lucky of me to finally be a one-percenter!
It was there that all of the inmates were issued pink slips of paper (literally) with the name of the “hotel,” where we’d be staying. When asked about specifics, the WOW reps shrugged a bunch, repeated the fact that there were no more flights to our destination that day, and provided assurances that we’d be on the first flight the next morning. We were then ushered onto airport buses and driven to our “hotel.” During the drive we were quiet and defeated, looking like inmates not knowing where we were being taken, or for how long. We were dropped off at The Base “hotel” that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere…in snowy, dark tundra of Iceland.
I admit that I used the deadbolt to make sure no potentially assigned bunkmates could get in. By this time, it was 8am and still pitch black. I checked my phone and discovered that sunrise was scheduled for 11am and sunset for around 4pm. Yikes. I took a snooze and watched an episode of the Crown…and then it was light (only one light) out! But it was also lunchtime and I was hungry. We’d been told by the WOW reps that we’d be comp’d for all three meals that day. This meant we could spend 2,000 of Icelandic currency (I’ll call them ‘things’) on each meal. Unfortunately, this was not for use at the restaurant of our choice (not that there were any to choose from) and it was to be spent at The Base Hotel’s on-Base “restaurant” that was a 10-minute walk from the barracks. This was more of a trek than a walk, through the snow and ice….and on that day, also blustery winds. It would definitely have been very difficult for anyone with a physical impairment to get there.
Once I arrived, it was not surprising that the restaurant (more like a mess hall) was as strange as the rest of ‘the situation.’ I got a menu and realized that there was pretty much nothing I could purchase for 2,000 things (equivalent to $20). Shocker of shockers, I had to pay extra to get a chicken salad and soft-drink. It was clearly the Soviet-bloc ambiance I was paying for? At this point, I knew I had to do something that involved movement to survive this situation, but there was no Planet Fitness to be found. Instead, I embarked on a walk to the nearest “town,” that was about 2 miles away.
The scenery was beautiful, as it is in Iceland, but I had no idea where I was or where I was going, and was paranoid the sun would set at any moment (in which case I’d have been a real liability for WOW). I completed the walk (the ‘town’ was pretty much non-existent but there were some nice views on the way) and I returned to The Base “hotel” thinking it would be a long night. Here’s the town:
Then I remembered that the airport shuttle was picking us up at 3:30am, so the night would not be long at all. Phew! I trekked back out to restaurant (an extra-chilly venture after the sun was down!) got another chicken wrap (that was more than 2,000 things, of course) and headed to bed. I was surprisingly awake at 3am (I credit the time change) and, despite the early bell, folks on the bus were actually a little chatty this time! While at The Base “hotel” I’d enjoyed meeting Joanne from Munich at lunch and having dinner with Kenny from Chicago, and it seemed others had done the same. One sub-group of five strangers had even coordinated an excursion to the Blue Lagoon!
Danica’s amazing Mom, Marit, made a very smart decision to get out of dodge and take the train, in an effort to get to her elderly father and her daughter’s grandfather faster. We all exchanged information and hugged goodbye.
Hanna and I had officially met at 3:30am that morning, despite having crossing paths a few times at The Base “hotel”, at which time we were both in “what’s going on right now, eyes straight ahead” mode. Hanna is a creative, wise, and super-fun musician, who moved from Sweden to Baltimore three years ago. So, we’re practically neighbors and I have no doubt we’ll meet up when we’re both back in the area. Maybe meeting Hanna is the one thing I can give WOW credit for on this epic journey? Or maybe not. I actually suspect that we were just meant to meet and WOW had nothing to do with it 😊
So, at the end of the DAYS, my journey ended up taking 44 hours, which left me with about 16 hours to explore Stockholm before moving on to Brussels. I’ll fill you in on both cities in the next day or so. This is already so long… so much to say and congrats if you made it to the end!