Feeling A Bit Better

After my last post, I went up to my room on the sixth floor, turned on the TV, watched a Swedish quiz show called "Vem vet mer?" (Who Knows More), and promptly fell asleep. I think I slept for just over an hour and woke around 5:30 p.m. When I awoke, I was feeling shivery, feverish and not altogether alert. I figured it was because I hadn't had anything substantial to eat since breakfast. The good thing was that I was having no problems with the baguette I ate, and I was feeling hungry, so I figured I could perhaps handle something a bit heavier like pasta.

So I put on my coat, left the camera behind because I wanted to recharge the battery while I was gone, and made my way north of the hotel. Amazingly, the walking did me good, and I was suddenly struck with the desire to see more of the city. Clearly, I was already feeling much, much better. Perhaps I was simply overtired and the sleeping helped. In any case, I walked all the way to Slussen, a half-hour walk, then decided that I would continue onward to Gamla Stan, because I hadn't yet seen anything to tempt me.

When I got to Gamla Stan, I found this old-style little cafe along one of the small cobblestone roads, and one of their specials tonight was spagnetti bolognaise, so that's where I decided to eat. The waiter there really impressed me. When I was struggling to tell him in my lousy Swedish that I wanted water with my meal, but nor carbonated water, he instinctively asked me if I meant, in French, mineral water without gas. French is not all that common here, and he spoke it fluently. So, I said yes, and ordered the spaghetti. He turned to the chef and placed my order in Swedish, then continued his conversation in French with a fellow waitress. Another waitress came along, and he spoke with her in English. At the table next to mine, an Italian family was getting ready to leave, and the waiter stopped what he was doing and spoke with them all in Italian for about five minutes. When he came to my table, I commented on his fluency in many languages and said that I was impressed. He responded that he impresses himself, and that he wants to keep learning. "How many languages do you speak?" I asked, and he answered, jokingly: "I speak them all". He also told me that his native tongue is Portuguese. On my way out, I noticed he was conversing with a large group of tourists in German.

As I made my way towards the Gamla Stan subway station, I noticed a huge banner hanging off one of the bridges, well in sight of yesterday's procession route. The banner read, in lousy English, "Stop Comercialize Love". I guess it was a statement on the whole Love 2010 festivities here in Stockholm.

I just got to my hotel moments ago, and I am feeling OK. I obviously wouldn't go out and have wine or ice cream, but my stomach seems to have settled somewhat. I think I will just relax a bit tonight, maybe read or watch something on TV. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to go out and do plenty of stuff. And I do hope that my stomach is fine enough to have smörgåsbord later this week and perhaps have an Absolut vodka at Stockholm's ice bar (a building made entirely of ice, where I am told everything, even the counters and the glasses themselves, are made of ice).

So far, the only definite plans I have are the Millennium tour on Wednesday, a night out with Hans on Thursday and my departure to Iceland on Friday. Man, this trip is going by fast. I said to Hans today, "It's going by fast, isn't it?", to which he responded, "Yes, life goes by so quickly". I said, "Yes, that too, but I meant this trip..."

Anyway, that will be it for today. Should any of you wish to e-mail me, because I am told not everyone has access to the comments field on this site, please send me a message at agnethafan2002@yahoo.ca

And Troy, when you write, please let me know where you are at in the "Tales of the City" series!

Nighty night,

M.