Here you can read about the journey to Spain.

Return journey - Spain

Thursday, 08 June 2006 

01.30 - in the middle of the night, we landed at the Arlanda airport, Stockholm, Sweden. I passed through "red" in the customs and a man that hardly knew what to look for checked the papers. I had to show him what to look for. Then I stayed with Manuel at the airport for some hours, since I rather spend time there in the middle of the night than at the Stockholm central station.

Around 04.00 I started to make some calls to get a taxi. EEE I called five companies before anyone wanted to come. I was almost out of battery on the mobile-phone too, and I had a slight touch of panic before I got a taxi. I truly considered to wake upp Anette who lives in Stockholm, but I did not want to disturb her this way. Well finally I managed...

Me and Manuel sat in the taxi towards Stockholm city. Manuel quiet as a mouse. I started to wonder if he was a little bit too independent.

After having arrived to the Stockholm central station, I had to wait out-side in fifteen minutes as they did not open until 05.00. Such luck I did not go there any earlier. It is not recommendable to stay outside a central station in a big city, when it is closed.

Well, now it was time for the train-ride. The so called X-2000 was booked, a coupé in whih animals where allowed. I had some problems with the actual embarkation since I hade a big cage, a dog, and a back-pack. I did not want to leave Manuel alone in any of the places. (Platform/coupé) Once on-board, I arranged with plastick bag, paper and fleece in the seet next to mine, hoping that nobody booked that one. I placed Manuel there, and he immediately fell to sleep. When the train stopped at different stations, he looked up, gazed through the window, and then sighed...and fell a sleep again.

I needed to visit the "ladies". The first time I asked a lady to watch him, but the second time I just quickly left him sleeping...(the bathroom was in the same coupé). At the longer stops, I went out with Manuel, but nothing "happened". On the other hand, "nothing happened" in the seat either. Everybody that passed our seats stopped for some seconds when they saw him, and they got a smile on their faces. The remaining of the trip I sat, holding my hand close to Manuel, dozing. 09.48 we arrived in Malmö, and Mikael entered the train so that he could help me with all the stuff including Manuel. Guess who got a "silly smile" onhis face? Finally also Mikael got to meet the "gold nugget".  

When driving the last bit from the station to our flat, then Manuel started to whine and wimper and that was more than ok. I fully understand that some kind of reaction had to come. I mean.. he must have been totally exhauseted! At 22.00 in the evening we were finally home. We had been on the road for 17 hours. When I went to bed, I had been awake for almost 36 hours.