These blogs are excerpts from our trip to Sweden in 2006. The story will be more easily read by starting at the bottom (the earliest blog) and work your way to the top. The BOLD font will be from my journal and colored font will be me thinking as I type the entries. Hope you enjoy!
Friday 25 August 2006
we pick up the journal story after a 22 hour flight from SLC to Chicago to London and now landing in Goteburg, Sweden.
We held it together- just barely- anxious to "be there". At Goteburg we deplaned on the tarmac- down metal stairs, across the blacktop to a shed with 2 flights of stairs up to the airport. We just barely dragged ourselves the last few steps. It was a bit of a hike to the "passport showing" place- then off to customs.
We had a scare when we had to wait so long for our luggage. They must have been the first loaded and fell into a deep recess in the bottom of the plane. The three bags were almost the last three pieces in a long line of sundry and ratty collection of bags and boxes. The place was small with only one conveyor belt.
As we stood there, hands on hips, we noticed some people on a walkway that overlooked the customs area. A young woman in a pink sweater was waving both arms- at us? We turned around to see if anyone else thought she was "theirs". Others were waving. We had waved back and were now embarrassed!
At Customs we decided to "declare nothing"- not even the granola bars- and walked through, waiting for a buzzer to go off (or something). Then, when we saw all was well we strode through, heads held high. Lian was waiting- in a pink sweater! With many hugs and exclamations of joy we greeted each other!
Cousin Lian, who is the age of our kids, had found us over the Internet Christmas time of '05 and we had been emailing back and forth ever since. In January of this year she and Peter stopped over in Las Vegas after a month in Asia on a business trip. They had planned the stopover long before we had been "found" and she moaned at the fact that the stop wasn't in SLC. "Oh, Las Vegas is too far from Provo!" We has assured her it wasn't and were able to meet up with them for a day of sightseeing in Las Vegas.
We loaded our luggage in her Toyota Prias and were on our way. The ride was so exciting. We were quickly out of the Airport- really a bit like the Sacramento Airport- outside the city with trees and meadows around.
Lian gave us a running commentary on the places as we passed. We quickly saw that it was forest and meadow, small rolling hills and a few colorful homes dotting the landscape. She drove us on the small roads so she could show us road signs of places we would later come back to see. I recognized so many of the names from my map study and microfilm reading.
The day was warm and we were tired but it was just past noon...so we were up for any adventure. Just then we passed a small sign - SEGLORA. We perked and were surprised to see "THE" house! "THE" house was right in front of us.
Robin exclaimed, "It is the same house I have seen in a picture on the wall at home,all my life!"
Friday 25 August 2006
we pick up the journal story after a 22 hour flight from SLC to Chicago to London and now landing in Goteburg, Sweden.
We held it together- just barely- anxious to "be there". At Goteburg we deplaned on the tarmac- down metal stairs, across the blacktop to a shed with 2 flights of stairs up to the airport. We just barely dragged ourselves the last few steps. It was a bit of a hike to the "passport showing" place- then off to customs.
We had a scare when we had to wait so long for our luggage. They must have been the first loaded and fell into a deep recess in the bottom of the plane. The three bags were almost the last three pieces in a long line of sundry and ratty collection of bags and boxes. The place was small with only one conveyor belt.
As we stood there, hands on hips, we noticed some people on a walkway that overlooked the customs area. A young woman in a pink sweater was waving both arms- at us? We turned around to see if anyone else thought she was "theirs". Others were waving. We had waved back and were now embarrassed!
At Customs we decided to "declare nothing"- not even the granola bars- and walked through, waiting for a buzzer to go off (or something). Then, when we saw all was well we strode through, heads held high. Lian was waiting- in a pink sweater! With many hugs and exclamations of joy we greeted each other!
Cousin Lian, who is the age of our kids, had found us over the Internet Christmas time of '05 and we had been emailing back and forth ever since. In January of this year she and Peter stopped over in Las Vegas after a month in Asia on a business trip. They had planned the stopover long before we had been "found" and she moaned at the fact that the stop wasn't in SLC. "Oh, Las Vegas is too far from Provo!" We has assured her it wasn't and were able to meet up with them for a day of sightseeing in Las Vegas.
We loaded our luggage in her Toyota Prias and were on our way. The ride was so exciting. We were quickly out of the Airport- really a bit like the Sacramento Airport- outside the city with trees and meadows around.
Lian gave us a running commentary on the places as we passed. We quickly saw that it was forest and meadow, small rolling hills and a few colorful homes dotting the landscape. She drove us on the small roads so she could show us road signs of places we would later come back to see. I recognized so many of the names from my map study and microfilm reading.
The day was warm and we were tired but it was just past noon...so we were up for any adventure. Just then we passed a small sign - SEGLORA. We perked and were surprised to see "THE" house! "THE" house was right in front of us.
Robin exclaimed, "It is the same house I have seen in a picture on the wall at home,all my life!"
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