me and the fancy, british hotel

I went to London recently and got to stay in a fabulous hotel. A cool place to have stayed at but probably not something I would have picked myself (yeah, I did not have to pay for it).

When we drive up to the hotel, through a golf course and a neat park, I arrive to a mansion-like place. I get help to carry in my luggage and feel slightly out of place wearing my converse, turquoise cardigan, and glittery, shock-pink nails.  After I have checked in, the man take my bag and takes me to my room where he gives me the key. Am I supposed to give a tip? I have no clue as this is the fanciest hotel I ever stayed in and not really used to customs. Well I didn't, I did not eve have cash. Then I get the room key which is actually a key, not one of those plastic cards.

I change my shoes to a pair of ballerina to feel less awkward in my loneliness when I go downstairs to the Orangery for some light dinner. Waiters wearing suits and speaking British English (of course, since we are in Britain) which makes it feel even more fancy. Sitting down looking over the golf course and other people looking like other version of Prince Charles and Camilla.

In my room I can feel more like myself and switch to more comfortable jammies. Take a bath in the gorgeous bath tub and just enjoying myself.

Later taking on the bath robe hanging there on the door, creeping up in the soft, wonderful, big bed. There in the fancy hotel room in my bath robe I continue reading the biography The Dirt with Neil Strauss and Mötley Crüe, feeling a little less out of place and a little bit more me.

copenhagen revisited

One of the better weekend in a long time just passed. On Wednesday I talked with a friend from Copenhagen and when she told me about the party they were going to have and that some common friends were in town, I immediately started looking at ticket prices. I found some cheap tickets and within minutes they were bought and I were ready for a weekend in Cph. I decided to keep it a surprise that I was coming and I definitely surprised my other friends arriving at the party. Definitely someone they did not expect to be at the party.

It was really nice weather and was nice seeing everybody again. I realized how much I actually miss Copenhagen. I do not think it is only because of my non eventful life here in Sweden, but I think i really miss the city and the people.

This weekend I managed to squeeze in all my favorites. Hornsleth Bar for some partying - probably one of my favorite bars in the world, Halifax - for the best burgers, Café Zirup - a great café with the delicious Miss Maria's Quesadillas, Ruby's - the best cocktail bar with amazing cocktails, and then a stop at Joe & the Juice at the airport - for the best juices. Throw into the mix some great friends, sunshine, Somersby cider, Thai and Indian take away, and you get a great weekend in Copenhagen.

better to be safe than sorry

I have arrived safe and sound in Dublin and have also reached the hotel and the room is really nice, staying at the Maldron Cardiff Hotel. Thanks Google. Luckily I could check in right away and did not have to wait two hours.

I got a map from the reception and the plan was to head out and do the town. But now I am all freezing and still have a little bit of that cold left with all that it implies, the runny nose and annoying cough. I had planned to do some shopping and have dinner at one of the recommended restaurants I got from a friend. But now I am thinking that I might just stay in, watch a movie, and perhaps order room service instead. I do not want to walk around town for some hours in the chilly weather only to discover tomorrow morning that I am not feeling well.

So I am thinking it is better to be safe than sorry. Even though it is really boring when I am here in Dublin, and usually I am all about doing the most out of a trip even though I am sick. But now I have got this interview tomorrow to think about. Now I think I will take my computer and crawl under the cover and watch a movie. (Yeah right, I should also study and prepare for the interview tomorrow as well.)

By the way, I just opened my toilet bag to take a pain killer (I am going all out on the line 'it is better to be safe than sorry) and found a not so pleasant discovery. I brought my nail glue and discovered the nail glue bottle itself, my makeup bag, and my toothbrush all glued onto the toilet bag. I could rip of the makeup bag and the nail glue bottle, the tooth brush is still there, even the hair of the brush is all glued so I will not be able to use it. Yeay. Lovely.

off to dublin

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At the Arlanda airport right now waiting to board at the gate. i have always loved airports, the excitement and expctations in the air. Dublin and Google here I come.

what could have been

This could have been me this weekend, at the Indian wedding. At 51 seconds into the video.
And today I could have been lying on a beach in Goa.

wishing for a travel partner

Was just looking through Knivlisa's blog. She is in Asia and has been since beginning of February and does not know when she will be back in Sweden again. I wish I was there as well. Even more so now since my India trip fell through. I wish I had someone to go with me the Asia for a month or two. Or three. Or I wish that I could enjoy going by myself.

I want to travel somewhere warm. Lie on the beach somewhere in the hot sun.

Probably the best vacation ever, Bantanyan island in Philippines.

cancelling my flights

Went to Arlanda airport again today. Today I got the number 488 and the board showed 397, no fewer people in waiting this time. However, it took almost the same time as last Thursday since all the numbers ahead of me where actually there waiting and not many had left.

After waiting for about two hours the only thing they could help me with was the cancellation of the flights. Not any refund. For a refund I had to contact the company through which I booked the ticket. That sucked. Reading all the information in the news and websites I got the understanding that I in first place should contact the airline. But no. Now I have contact BudJet through which I made the booking and we will see how long it takes until I will get my money back.

I also called Kingfisher Airlines to see if I could get a refund. They were really helpful, I think all Indians in service centers of some kind are always so polite and helpful. To my surprise I actually will recieve money back, I thought that it would be money down the drain. I have to pay some cancellation fees, but I think I will get around 1500 SEK back out of the 2000 SEK I paid in the first place. Nice Indians giving me the money back.

coulda, woulda, shoulda

I could be in Chennai now, dressed in a sari at my ex-coworkers wedding. I could be enjoying the heat and sunshine. I could be eating delicious Indian food. I could be shopping fabulous accessories. I could soon be heading to Goa. I could soon be lying on the beach in Goa getting a tan.

But no. No heat and sunshine for me. Staying in windy and cold Sweden. Today has been so windy and I am freezing a lot as always. I just wish I was in a warm place right now. You cannot even go somewhere else for a last minute trip.

no india for me...

losing hope

Does not look good. Reading the news and it says you should anticipate that the airspace will be closed the whole weekend. Not good with a re-booked flight for Sunday morning. Starting to think that perhaps one should ask for a refund. On the other hand, the fee for the visa and the other ticket booked for Goa is then money down the drain.

But the 12 day trip is down to 10 if the flight on Sunday leaves, but on Monday it will only be 9 and then counting depending when the airspace is opened up again. In any way, Monday is probably my limit since we have the Goa flight booked for Tuesday. After Monday there is no point and I will ask for my money back.

This sucks.

i want company to india

Frustrated with the others. My travel companions. I am not hoping to get out on Saturday, I know that the flight to Chennai in India from Frankfurt is fully booked on Saturday and that is why I got a seat on the Sunday flight. They still want to take a chance to get on a flight to India on Saturday, problematic since I got the information that Lufthansa does not allow re-booking to other airlines.

I have acknowledged that there is no possibility that I will have a chance taking part of the wedding ceremony. They have not. I am a bit worried since I have a ticket for Sunday and they have so far made no big effort to get a re-booking and by now I fear that the Sunday flight is fully booked as well.

I still have my hopes in K since she said that she might even consider buying a new one way ticket. She really wants to get away and with the vacation days she already have taken out. I really hope that I will have someone to accompany me to India. 

The most annoying part is that they barely give me any information on what they are doing and planning. It is like they are forgetting I am in the group. Well, I got my ticket so I do not have to worry. If just K get a ticket as well, then I do not have to worry.

no india. for now...

The flight got officially canceled soon after I wrote the last post. After dinner I decided to go to Arlanda and talk to the Lufthansa people to rebook my flight. I came in to the departure hall at terminal 5 and it is fairly empty except of the crowd in front of the SAS desk (Star Alliance including Lufthansa). I take a number and get 339. I look up at the board to see that the number just called out is 885. Great. It has to reach 999 and start over again at 1 to eventually get to my number.

I am not giving in that easy, and I do not even know how fast they are at the counter. After only one hour already 300 numbers have passed so it goes by fast. Many people have already left so ten numbers can easily go by without anyone claiming that number. Afterwards I wondered why I did not claim one of those numbers since they did not even check your ticket number.

Anyway, after a while a SAS employee stopped to say that they were closing in one hour, disregarding how many numbers where left. Great, I still had quite many numbers to go and I felt I was just one the edge to make it or not. Fifteen minutes left and 60 numbers until my number - I am thinking I am screwed, but still crossing my fingers. Then, 10 and 15 numbers pass by without any claimers. A few minutes before closing it is 335 and no one claims it or the ones up to 339. My turn. In the end they were nice to take all of us sill there waiting, there were only two left when I walked away from there. They did a nice job there at the desk with everybody.

Anywho, I got a rebooking. I knew there is only one flight leaving to Chennai from Frankfurt everyday and I was hoping to get on the one for Saturday. No such luck, fully booked. There went my only chance to be part of the wedding. I got a seat for Sunday. At least the flight seemed to have several seats left so hopefully the Copenhagen gang can get three of the remaining.

It is sad, the main reason why I was going to India in the first place was the wedding and now I have no chance for that. But what to do? Not much really. Natural disasters happen and there is nothing you can do about them. I just have to hope that the airports will be up and running by Sunday and that I will be on that flight. Then I still have 10 days to enjoy in India and have the chance to catch the Tuesday flight we booked for Goa.

That was my evening.

no india tomorrow?

So I might not be able to go to India. That damn volcano in Iceland that are the cause of all the ash clouds coming in over Northern Europe. The consequence being that the airspace is closing and many airports too.

Stockholm airport is still open but who knows for how long. The Swedish airspace is said to be closed down at 10 p.m. tonight and I am supposed to leave 6.50 a.m. tomorrow. This blows. Apparently it will take a few days until these clouds of ash is gone too.

Copenhagen airport is closed and I read that it probably will be tomorrow as well, so my friends seem to be stuck there. And I will be stuck here in Stockholm. I was even good to book the same flights as them so we could be together on the flight to India from Frankfurt.

I am so pissed. And the wedding is on Saturday. My once in a life time opportunity down the drain.

getting ready

Yesterday I did several preparations for the India trip and it continues today as well. Yesterday I went to sister to get a hair cut, always nicer when going to a hot and humid country to have short hair so now I have. I also picked up some necessary stuff from the pharmacy, sunscreen and medicines for eventual stomach problems. Better to be prepared.

Today I started looking through my wardrobe for appropriate clothes for India. I have been reading a bit and the best attire is not short shorts/skirt or a tight top showing off the shoulders. I actually found one dress that covers the shoulders and the knees, a dress I actually like too.

Of course we are going to be stared at either way, but I want to feel comfortable and not showing too much at least when we are in the city. But with 35 degrees celcius that will feels like 40-45 I wish I could wear shorts and a loose top showing my shoulders since I probably will be sweating. We will have to see how it is when we are there. At least when we are in Goa it seems to be more relax so that is good.

india in two days

Only two days left and then I am taking off. Taking off for vacation and an Indian wedding. It feels like this trip is going to be insane. I am not sure what to expect from it all. A new country and a totally different culture.

We lived close to Little India in Singapore but that does not really count probably. India will probably be far more intense than that little piece of Singapore.

(Chennai, picture borrowed from mckaysavage flickr)

A picture from T. Nagar market and it seems crazy. I wonder how it will feel compared to Tokyo, people-wise. Chennai is only half the size of Tokyo when measuring population, but my guess now before actually have been there is that it might feel more crowded. Tokyo never felt that crowded, only in the metro and its stations.

Perhaps one should get prepared.

indian embassy

My head feels a bit mushy today and I just wished I could stay in bed watching TV or movies. Unfortunately I cannot since I have to head in to Stockholm town. I kind of need that Indian visa and the handling time is a few days so I desperately need to hand in the application today. I asked if they could make it in time and they said it should work out. So now I just need to get some clothes on, get some breakfast into my stomach, and head out.

damn those taxes

My stomach hurts. I just logged on SKAT which is the Danish tax agency. It seems I have tax underpayment penalty to be paid. Which totally sucks since it is quite a lot. And I do not understand it at all.

This totally spoils the fact that I just bought a ticket to India for a 12 days vacation and an Indian wedding. Damn it.

india next?

Having a great time in Copenhagen and know I am apparently just thinking of the next trip. Should I go to India in a couple of weeks? I might join some friends that are going to my ex-coworkers wedding. It feels like a once in a life time opportunity. I also always wanted to go to India but never really found anyone to go with. Furthermore it feels like the last chance to do a long trip before starting working again.

And the tickets are not extremly expensive even though it is only three weeks left. It could well work out.

snoozer number one

Not many hours of sleep tonight. The night owl shut the lights at 1 am and actually managed to fall asleep quite fast. Only 3 ½ hours later my alarm rang. However, I did not wake up from it even though it rang twice and I managed to snooze it twice. I woke up when dad came checking if I was awake. Good thing he did that. But after that I was wide awake, it is funny when you have something important to do and it does not matter how little sleep you got, you are still not tired. Well, until later the same day perhaps. I am sure the sleep will catch me eventually. I tried desperately to get some sleep on the flight but no such luck.

Now I am at A's place and just had some breakfast. The sun is shining and it is really nice and warm. Well, relatively warm. Especially when comparing with Stockholm since we still have snow. I almost had too much clothes on and had to open the shirts and jacket. I think this weather should come to Stockholm now. Please?

Right now my eye lids are feeling heavy. A nap perhaps?

copenhagen

So it is off to Copenhagen.