Monday, February 7, 2011

Stockholm, and the tiniest suitcase ever

I'm flying RyanAir for the first time tomorrow. I've heard horror stories about RyanAir. Like if your bag is even a millimeter too large, you get whopped with a mega-fee and are forced to check it in. And there's a fee if you do this, or that, and definitely the other. You have to print off your boarding pass at home. If you have to print it off at the airport, at an actual desk, with actual personnel, that'll cost you, too. £40, to be specific. All this explains why the plane ticket itself was only £28, and it also explains why I'm being uber-careful with my packing. I've measured my smallest carry-on suitcase to make sure it will pass muster, I've packed my mega-camera and my mini-messenger bag, and now I've got room left for...about a single change of clothes. That's okay, though, because I like to change clothes about as much as I like showering. So me and RyanAir, we might not be enemies after all.

And the destination? The Stockholm Furniture Fair and Design Week! It's going to be * amazing. * The entire city is full of exhibits and the island we're staying on--Sodermalm, at the recommendation of a local--is supposed to be the hippest part of the city. It's the grungy, edgy, indie part of Stockholm, where all the best shops and cafes and bites are located. YESSSSS! And last Saturday, I went to a bookstore and took macro photos of all the pages in the travel guides that had relevant tips and points of interest. (Yes, I'm too cheap to actually buy the guides themselves. Why, when I only need three pages out of each? And they'll be obsolete in a year?) (Also, is it bad that I totally think I need this? Just imagine the possibilities! Menu scanning! Recipes from cookbooks! Flyers and notices and excerpts from novels! And it fits right in your wallet!)

And now--with all this lovely info brimming at my fingertips--I'm working on a personalized google map with color-coded push-pins marking all the places to see. Red for design exhibits, yellow for food, blue for tourist-y places...it looks like a pile of confetti just exploded all over this thing. Soder is NOT going to know what hit it.

Big hugs, and see you soon!
Essss


5 comments:

  1. Oh RyanAir. Did I ever tell you about the RyanAir flight I was on when the head flight attendant forgot to release the button on her intercom thingy after making the announcements, so we all heard her say to another flight attendant, "They're all a bunch of a&&holes." Have fun in Stockholm. I'd love to be there.

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  2. I believe Thomas the Tank Engine is from the island of Sodor.

    Have a great time!

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  3. Sounds like an absolute blast!!! ENJOY!!!
    and yes MattCan, Thomas does live on the island of Sodor!

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  4. Hmmm at only $119 you can't go wrong with the pocket scanner

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  5. I would LOVE to join you for the furniture fair! Have fun!

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