I haven’t picked anyone up from the airport in years. Usually, I am traveling with my family and we go to and from the airport together. Sean takes a car service when he travels for work and when people come to visit us, they generally find their own way to our house. But, I’m here at the Gothenburg airport at 9 p.m. at night, waiting for Sean to get off his flight from London.
He’s had an epic journey that started in New York nearly 24 hours ago. (No need for him to run anywhere in Heathrow. He missed his connection by about three hours and spent much of the day standing on lines.) We’ve missed him so much that we were all devastated when we learned (me in the middle of the night, kids in the morning) that we wouldn’t see him until much later than we had expected. Sean makes everything more fun and with the couple of rainy days and chilly weather we’ve been having, we need him around. He’s the reason we are visiting Sweden in the first place and I know he is anxious to get here and see us and his parents. (And, eat some blood pudding and drink a few Swedish beers, of course!)
The ride from Nösund to the airport was easy. The GPS kept me on the right track and the Swedish pop on the radio kept me entertained. It helps that right until you reach the city limits the scenery is beautiful, especially with the sun brightly shining making everything look like it’s in technicolor. Of course, I gave myself ample time to get here and it’s been sweet watching people greet those who have just arrived. My relatives in Finland always used to meet us at the airport and I remember that feeling when the doors to the arrival hall opened and they would be standing there, so excited to see us. It was the perfect way to start off the trip.
There’s a guy standing near me holding a huge sign covered in yellow and blue balloons that says “Welcome to Sweden” in one hand and a Swedish flag in the other. Waiting for us back at the house after the longish drive through the dusk was our own proper greeting: wine, bread, cheese, salad and local shrimp and crab. Welcome to Sweden, indeed!
What To Do Tomorrow... 