Stockholm for the first two days of spring...

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Flights....Danang-Saigon, Saigon-Bangkok, and than on to Bangkok-Stockholm on Thai Airways. You don't visit a country in 24 hours, but you can have a very nice idea of a capital of any Scandinavian country in a few hours, as long as you've got very good legs.

My flight from Bangkok to Stockholm was pretty full...a 747, so I got upgraded from economy to premium economy. I did try to find some info before-hand about the service provided on this flight. Thai does have a proper premium economy on the new A340 going to LA (not that new anymore), but not much info about the premium economy operating on B747 to Copenhagen or Stockholm. And you know why, there is a very good reason for it! Thai is operating 747...full of people on those routes, but they seem unable to fill the business class, and even worst the first class. So they created something new...a premium economy which actually doesn't exist.

So for these routes, if you fly premium economy they seat you in business, and if you have a business class ticket, they seat you in first. Simple!

I was provided with a business class seat, mine was on the upper level...what you have from business (while seated in premium economy) is...exactly the same food, nearly the same choice of wine/spirit...ok, Piper is not as good as Pommery...but Pommery is still not "the champagne"...and what you don't have...well, they didn't give us the little business class pouch! So basically, this is business....-5% service....at a price 50% cheaper than business on most european capitals. So if you fly a lot, yes this is a deal....you could fly first to Copenhagen and than transfer to anywhere in Europe for a serious discount.

Now if you are a seriously budget traveller, I agree, the comments above are completely irrelevant!

I made my way to Stockholm for the first day of Spring...5 degrees...cloudy on 21st, sunny on 22nd...and ice is still all over the place in the water, plus snow and ice in the street!

What really bothered me here...gravels on the pavement make a walk less than enjoyable...but hey, at least this is an efficient way to fight any icing on the pavements.

Sadly, all museums seem to be closed on Mondays in Stockholm. I would have loved to visit the Nobel Museum. Note to my friends living in China, let's not forget, 2010 was the year of the first Nobel Peace prize from China! Sadly, he couldn't get his prize as he was hold in jail!

I spend my full day walking and walking. At 3.3 euros a metro tickets...if you walk, you are a free man!

Swedish people may be by far the most stylish people in Europe! So let's start for you ladies, with that low temperature, and that long winter, how do these men manage to stay so great looking! I'm not gay, but hey, these guys are impressive. For us gentlemen, there is really no need to comment! Tiger Woods made a great choice, he lost it!

So, back to Stockholm, I walk, and walk, and walk...till exhaustion. What a great day....but if this is spring for them, it's still seriously cold for me. Not to worry, in the next 24 hours I will experience colder weather...and coming very soon, way colder than Stockholm.

Due to the seriously too expensive way the swedish people enjoy their life, I chose not to even try to go out, specially on a Monday night. I spent my evening drinking wine compliment of the lounge in my hotel, and later on wine compliment of the hotel in my room, just to make sure jet lag would not be an issue in the morning. In the morning, up early for more walkm

More of Scandinavia coming very soon...

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Comments

[Greekgal]

Chinese nobel prize
Hello there, love your blogs, and just thought I would correct one thing. There has been another "Chinese" Nobel prize, in literature, to Gao Xingjian, in 2000. He is a great author by the way, and very worth reading. When he got the prize he lived in Paris, and he is not very popular with the Chinese government, don't know if he is published in China. His books deal with the cultural revolution, but they are literature, not documentaries. Enjoy wonderful Stockholm, though you should have chosen May, then it is stunning. Best wishes Inga

[Chris and Nikki]

Funny blog
The comment about the attractive men made me laugh.