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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

So here we are again

I was only home for two days after getting back from Poland before flying out to Woodbridge, VA to spend a week over Easter with Kami and her family. I have to thank Nigel, my next door neighbour who works for American Airlines, since he's put me on his staff fly list. This means I can fly anywhere in the world FIRST CLASS for the price of taxes! I have to say that the first class flight over and back was amazing. The food was better than I've had in some restaurants, and the seats that convert into real lay-flat beds make the journey go so much quicker! Thanks again Nigel--I know you read the blog and just wanted to publicly thank you. I also want to thank the Gunzingers for their hospitality yet again.
My first class seat/bed           Other end of my seat              Kami, Mark, Beth, & I on Easter Sunday morning
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Album with more pictures from Easter week in Virginia

After two weeks away from the shows and a week in Woodbridge, VA, I'm now in Stockholm looking forward to the two shows here, then I'll get the train down to Copenhagen for the show there before flying back to the UK on Sunday.
I had an early flight this morning from Heathrow. That's the trouble with the cheap airlines in the UK--you either have to go really early in the morning or late at night.  I was up, however, and ready to go by 4:30 A.M! Nigel and I have a deal where we take each other to Heathrow when one of us are flying, but there was no way I was asking him to take me at 4:30, though, so I drove the car to Heathrow, parked up, took the shuttle bus to the terminal, and was checked in for about 5:30 A.M. Had a little bit of breakfast in the lounge which didn't open till 6 A.M. before making my way to the gate for the 7:15 flight.
Slept most of the two hour flight, and before I knew it, it was time to get the bus into Stockholm. It took all of 35 minutes, and after an additional 10 minute walk, I was checked in my hotel “room” and able to upload this.
Grab handles on the bus seat ?       Do they really need the word Sign ?     Bar on the way to my hotel
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I said “room” because it's more of a “pod.” One thing I remember from going to Oslo and Stockholm in 2002 for the shows was that Scandinavia is very expensive--hotels, food, travel--everything! It's not cheap at all. The pod below was the cheapest hotel I found--the bathrooms are down the hall, and I can touch both sides of the room if I stretch my arms out. At least it's clean, central, and the Wi-Fi is good! They don't call it the Micro Hotel for nothing!
Corridor of pods                           My pod for the night!
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