Saturday 17 th of May 2014 and I bought a ticket to Helsingborg and I went down to wait for the train. 10 minutes later and the train came in and we were soon on the bridge crossing Öresund. And
what a difference from when I crossed the bridge back in May. Back then it was light green and colourful and we looked forward to the summer. Now it is dark green and brown and we look forward to the winter.We stopped at a few places and we skipped Lund as there were working with the tracks in Lund. It was a nice ride even though the landscape of Skåne was gloomy and grey.
Last time the fields were yellow and light green. Well, I'm only going to stay for a few days and next time I'm back it will be summer again when I'm back from my Polar adventures.
Gloom and grey for as long as you can see
I took a taxi to the hotel and I checked in to what must be the smallest hotel room I have ever stayed in. And I have been in Tokyo a few times. I put down my bag and there was no room for me to stand in the room. Well, thinking about it, the room I stayed at in Rome was smaller.
But BEST WESTERN Hotel Duxiana in Helsingborg, what a disappointment. Designed by DUX, what a shitload of crap. The matrasses was made by DUX and the rest is, well, it was more expensive
than Elite Hotel Marina Plaza. And Elite Hotel Marina Plaza was an excellent hotel, but fully booked this time.I had stopped at Pressbyrån on my way to the taxi so I had a bag of Diet MAX and I
ripped open a bottle. I enjoyed my Diet MAX
while putting in my new SIM card, also bought at Pressbyrå. I called my brother and he will pick me up at the train station in Bjuv when I get there.But before going anywhere I as off to Österns Pärla around the corner for some Swedish spring rolls. I asked for two of the Swedish spring rolls and when they came to the table I asked for two more.
I went back to the train station and I had just missed the train to Bjuv and I had to wait for an hour for the next train. I enjoyed 2 cups of tea at a coffee shop next to the ticket office while
waiting. In Bjuv and we went to ICA first thing to pick up my parcel with my new Polar Bear hat.The post office section was closed and I could not help but remind the lady at ICA Supermarket about when they closed the Post Offices in Sweden 20 years or so ago.
The Swedish population was upset, and rightly so, that the post offices would disappear, but the government was quick to blow smoke up our asses. Exactly the same as when we had the referendum about EU. It would be
Kalle på Spången
Spången ligger vid Rönne å, vid en liten övergång.
Här växte det för över 200 år sedan upp en marknadsplats, Spånga Torg. En naturlig mötesplats där det såldes kreatur, kött, fläsk, och ägg. Här träffades folk från när och fjärran och här passerade också postdilligensen som gick mellan Klippan och Höör. Vid marknadsplatsen byggdes en krogstuga där köpare och säljare kunde besegla och fira sina affärer.
Spången-krogen är känd från 1846, då traktören Pål Lundberg svarade för spis och logi. Efter tio år upphöjdes Spången till Gästgivaregård, och blev samtidigt ordinarie station för postdilligensen. Vägfarande övernattade, åt sig mätta och vilade ut efter sina strapatser.
Edvard Persson gjorde Spången legendariskt redan på 40-talet.
Well, I will have to come back tomorrow. Bjuv, what to do now? I called Kalle på Spången to see if they were open. Some nice Skåne food would be nice. We could come, but they started to interrogate me and I asked what was going on.
They were booked tonight, but we could come, but they wanted to know how many of us there were and what time we would like to come. I told them that we would come tomorrow instead. So this is something we're looking forward to.
And it is important for my nephews to learn something about the classic places in Skåne. We went back to my brother’s house and my nephews wanted to play. And my feet was hurting from my
shoes. And running around playing seek and hide in the Supermarket had done nothing good for my feet.I had asked my brother to order semlor from some bakery. I don't know what the foock he think a semla is. He made them by himself, FIRST MISTAKE! Then he used hamburger buns!
My nephews were nagging on me to come out and play in the garden. My feet was in pain, but after the semla (two) I had no choice but to go out to burn some calories.
I had asked for 4 semlor, from a bakery with a professional baker. But my nephews helped me to
eat them so it was not as bad. But my diet had already suffered a serious blow since I left Roy Maersk in Fujairah.I was out in the garden in it didn't take long before I had destroyed their inflatable ball. Then my youngest nephew lost our tennis ball, just in time for dinner.
I had too much to eat and no more playing, well, it was time to get back to the train station and the train back to Helsingborg. I was not looking forward to get back to my hotel room. But I was looking forward to get back to the DUX mattress and a good night of sleeping.
Playing with my shoes
+++++++++++++++
Sunday 19 th
of October 2014
and I woke up 20 minutes after 8 and I had had a very good night's sleep on the DUX mattress. But the room left a whole lot to wish for. Well, I went to check out the
breakfast, it was full so I took a walk to the train station to buy some Diet MAX
and train tickets.The ticket office was closed so I had to come back. There is a train, or as they call them in Skåne: Pågatåg to Bjuv at 12:17 and my plan is to take that Pågatåg.
Pick up my darn polar Bear hat and then to take off to Kalle på Spången. Well, anyway, I walked back to my room with my Diet
MAX
and I stopped at the restaurant for breakfast. I was not impressed and I guess BEST WESTERN Hotel Duxiana is in business only because of Elite Hotel Marina Plaza being fully booked.Well, that's not the way to run a hotel. I left my room and I was limping my
way back to the train station. By now the ticket office was open and I bought a 2 way ticket to Bjuv. I bought a 2 way ticket to Copenhagen for tomorrow. And I bought a ticket for Copenhagen airport for Thursday morning.I was getting worried about my “sturdy safari boots” as it is about two weeks before I'm of to Victoria Falls and my African adventure
I was ready way before I had expected, 30 minutes to kill. But I was lucky, the train was waiting on track 2A and I got o board.
Skånetrafiken have WIFI on Pågatågen so I read the news while waiting.Time turned quick and we were soon on our way towards Bjuv. WIFI is not so bad on board the trains, well, as long as you have something to connect to the WIFI with.
Bangkok Post and some other online news and I kept myself busy. I was alone when I got on board but there were plenty people when we left Helsingborg. But not so much people so it turned uncomfortable. So I enjoyed the ride to Bjuv
Pågatåg in Bjuv
I like these trains and they are running every hour, on weekends. I think they are more frequent
on weekdays. Takes me about 20 minutes to get to Bjuv where my brother and youngest nephew was waiting with the car.We took off towards ICA Supermarket with screamin' and smokin' tyres. And
they were open at the Post office counter and I could get my Polar Bear hat. About foocking time that was. They would send back my parcel to USA tomorrow.
Never need to be any doubt who is going to look the stupidest during the Polar Bear Quest
Never need to be any doubt who is going to look the stupidest during the Polar Bear Quest
We left ICA Supermarket behind and we had decided to drive to Kalle på Spången. But we needed
to stop at my brother’s house so they could change from pyjama. You don't go to Kalle på Spången in pyjama.Of course, this took longer than expected and my youngest nephew was playing around with my hat for
an hour and then he refused to change from pyjama. And when he got is jeans on he was crying for an hour.He was crying in the car, well, not crying, it was one of those “feel sorry for me and I need attention” cry. Very annoying and when we
drove through the forest I asked him to help me keeping a look out for all the
dangerous trolls living in the forest. And we were lucky.I took great interest in his task and he stopped crying. I told him that this was very big and angry trolls, not like the small trolls living in the grove outside their house.
So a sharp look out was needed and we were all depending on him to spot the trolls before they attacked us.
We arrived to Ljungbyhed without spotting any trolls, and without spotting Kalle på Spången and I checked our position on my phone. Well, we were on the right way and we were soon parking outside Kalle på Spången.
Kalle på Spången, a classic place in Skåne and their classic smörgåsbord is a must. Well, it is like a
Christmas dinner without the brunkål so no
there is no need for me to have any Christmas dinner. So I can spend Christmas in India looking at Tigers and Asian lions.Smörgåsbord at Kalle på Spången is not bad, but the main reason to go there was Edvard's Siraps kavring. And I had several slices. I was full and I decided not to have any Skånsk chocolate mousse with Skånsk whipped cream. And Skånsk whipped cream, I have not had this good whipped cream
for a very long time and I was soon having a second plate.This was the best chocolate mousse and whipped cream in several years, and no fancy names in French. Just simple bowls and take as much you can eat. I could hardly make it in to the car, not only because of the chocolate mousse, also because of my shoes.
We decided to drive to Hyllinge Storköp to see if we could find any shoe tree for my
A shoe tree
is a device approximating the shape of a foot that is placed inside a shoe to preserve its shape, stop it from developing creases and thereby extend the life of the shoe. It is a reusable alternative to wadded rags or newspapers.
Higher quality shoe trees are made from solid wood, usually cedar, which helps control odor and absorb moisture. Wooden shoe trees are often made with two or three pieces of solid wood with a solid metal stem inserted between the heel piece and the single or double toe piece/s which have a spring action so the trees fit more snugly into the shoes. They often have handles or brass knobs at the heel piece for the fingers to grasp and pull out the trees from the shoes when removing them.
Shoe trees may also be made of plastic or stamped sheet metal, with or without a coiled steel spring stem; these are typically cheaper, lighter, and are better suited for travelling. Types lacking a flexing steel spring may use extension springs or adjustable two-piece stems having an over-center mechanical action to wedge them in place.
Advanced shoe trees have a "toe flair" which keeps the toe of the shoe in shape without stretching the shoe along its entire length.
From Wikipedia
The first shop, only customers and no staff and we went in to another shoe shop. They had shoe trees but they
were too small. I went back to the first shop and now the customers were gone. They had shoe trees, and cheaper than in the other shop.I bought a pair and we left Hyllinge Storköp. I had my return ticket with the train, but I didn't feel like going on the train and I asked my brother to drive me to Helsingborg and BEST WESTERN Hotel Duxiana
My nephews having a good time in the shoe shop
My nephews having a good time in the shoe shop
I asked them to drop me at Knutpunkten, the train station in Helsingborg. I stopped at Pressbyrån
and I bought 5 bottles of Diet MAX
. Their last bottles and I walked back to
my room at BEST WESTERN Hotel Duxiana. First thing, I put my new shoe trees in my shoes and I started to scratch my lottery scratchers.I bought 8 yesterday but I only had energy to scratch one of them so I have 15 to scratch today. And I grew tired of it after a few of them. And nothing, well, I won on 2 of them, but not enough to retire.
Well, time to go to sleep, I spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to set the alarm. I will be off to Copenhagen and Maersk Office tomorrow to get
scolded. So I expect some walking around in Copenhagen so I really look forward to try my shoes tomorrow, will the shoe tress turn out to be my best investment ever?+++++++++++++++
Monday 20 th
of October 2014
and the first alarm went off 5 minutes past 7 and my second alarm went off 10 minutes after that. But by then I was up and about, already finished half a bottle of Diet
MAX
. I had a shower and I went for breakfast. And what a difference it was today. I was almost alone at the breakfast and I enjoyed a extra bun with Skånskliver pate and Skånskcucumbers
without having to be embarrased.I left the breakfast around 8 thirty and as there was not much time before it was time to leave for the train station I grabbed my new jacket and I left. I was early at the train station and I had to wait for 10 minutes or so
before Ørsundståget to Copenhagen arrived on track 4. I stepped on board and I connected to their WIFI and I started to read Bangkok Post online news.And I say it again, the bridge over Öresund have really improved the train service in the area since I lived here.
One hour and I'm in Copenhagen. Just to get on the train. Back in the days we had to take ferries and changing trains in order to get from Helsingborg to Copenhagen. We were soon on the way and the train was quite full, but most of the people got off in Malmö and Kastrup, Copenhagen International Airport.
One or two stations later and we reached Copenhagen train station. And it was about, well, a wee bit more than one hour after departure from Helsingborg station.The door was not working in the car I was sitting in, luckily I discovered this at Kastrup. Well, all the passengers getting off at Kastrup discovered the broken door. They had to take all their luggage and walk through the train and I made a mental note to move to the other car before arrival to Copenhagen.
Arrival around 10 thirty and I will meet the people at Maersk Office @ 13:30 so I have 3 hours to
kill. Good, I have time go to Thai Airways office at Rådhusplatsen 16 to upgrade my ticket to Bangkok.One thing is for sure, my new shoe trees had not impressed me. I was limping from the train station to Thai Airways office. But I won't give up as I must have these shoes during my African and Indian safaris
I got the last business seat on Thai Airways flight TG 951 from Copenhagen to Bangkok and I was happy. I was so happy that I forgot the pain in my feet, at lest until it was time to leave Thai Airways and limp back out again.
Thai Airways in Copenhagen
Rådhusplatsen in Copenhagen
I limped may way down Strøget towards Nyhavn. It took me quite some time to cover the distance. I made a stop at FONA to have a look at Bluetooth headphones for my phone. All the limping around Copenhagen made
me hungry and I took a taxi to Maersk office. One hour early, but I was going to look for a place to eat.With all the offices there should be at least one restaurant in the area. The taxi driver told me that there was a restaurant next door, No 2 when I got out from the taxi.
You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
