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Europe » Sweden » Västerbotten County
May 22nd 2019
Published: May 22nd 2019
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Amsterdam -Stockholm -Skellefteå


Ethiad Airlines were our carrier to Amsterdam, stopping in Abu Dhabi on the way. They we nothing impressive.  Food was very average and there were only toilets at the centre which was very difficult for us seated at the front when the food trolley blocked the isle.


For the SAS flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm Tomas and I sat separately. He thought he had reserved a front seat with legroom but it ended up being like any other seat. I sat next to an animated 62 year old Dutch man who was heading to Vilnius with a friend for the week. We shared travel and booking tips the entire way. Apparently there is a "last minute" desk at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam that you can just turn up with your luggage and be heading on a cheap flight with accomodation included within 3 hours to any where that there are spaces available. I loved that idea and want to try it out one day.
The views were also amazing.
For the Stockholm to Skelleftea flight again we sat separately for the same reasons but this time the Swedes beside me were reserved and silent, no excited chatter this trip!


Tomas' sister, Helene picked us up at the airport and took us for a 2 minute drive from the airport to the house they moved into recently. A lake house which has been made liveable for all seasons. Beautiful views with an outdoor jacuzzi, sauna, fire hut and a separate cabin, where we slept. It was a very peaceful and beautiful setting. Ice was just starting to melt on the lake and it was sunny and warm for the first 3 days.


Friday we just hung out there all day, Saturday was Tomas' fathers 80th birthday for which we had a close family party, ending with us sitting around the fire pit. We spent most of the week at the Lake house and 2 nights in town whilst visiting Gamla Stan (Old Town), a few friends and the care home with the bicycle. On the day that rain decided to fall we visited extended family in Björn Moran and the next day it snowed lightly and day temperatures dropped to below zero.


From the day after arriving SAS airlines announced a strike which continued for a week, cancelling flights and leaving us uneasy about our flight to Riga and no confirmation on how long before it would end. No other airline flew from Skellefteå so we started contemplating the bus trip to Stockholm or Umeå. We were due to fly to Stockholm on the Saturday and finally by Thursday it was announced that flights would resume that afternoon.


It took 2 minutes to drive from the lake house to Skelleftea airport, 1 more hour to get to Stockholm. The bus trip would have taken about 10 hours. The possibility of losing our flight made us appreciate it even more.
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