To Sweden March 2023
We have decided to sell the house in Sweden so it is time to go there to set things in motion.
Normally we would have used the Newcastle to Ijmuiden/Amsterdam ferry but searching the net we found that the Hull to Rotterdam ferry would cost only half of what the northern ferry charged so it was an easy decision. Yes it meant a longer drive in the UK initially but it still works out considerably cheaper.
So the roof box was put on to the car. We wanted to minimise the luggage going to Sweden so that we could have room for more stuff coming back. Although we would need a strimmer and a high pressure washer over there we decided to hire that machinery in Sweden rather than filling up the car.
William very kindly promised to look after the house and checking our post in our absence so off we drove just about noon. As it was lunchtime our first port of call was the American Diner in Elwick just north of Middleborough on the A19. We got our fill of fast food and then continued toward Hull. Arriving at the ferry terminal we could not find the checking-in for cars as its sign was very discreet indeed. We did find it eventually and once through the ticket/passport control we drove up a ramp, two levels, and 'boarded' the ship through 'a whole in the side' (instead of at the front of rear of the ship). So our car deck was on level 7 and our cabin was on the deck 10. It all went very smoothly and very soon we were having afternoon tea (coffee actually) in the 9th floor cafe. We really enjoyed the ship which somehow had a more rounded feel to it.
Wikipedia tells me Pride of Rotterdam can take 1370 passengers. Its tonnage is 59925 and it is 218m long. I compared it with Princess Seaways (our North Shields friend) with a tonnage of 31360 and a length of 161 but strangely it can take almost as many passengers, namely 1320.
The North sea winds had a night off as there seemed to be no waves at all, resulting in very good sleep. After a good breakfast we were soon driving on the A15 heading for Apeldoorn, on the Dutch A1, with the help of Google directions.
Once there the drive was very straightforward all the way to Sierksdorf, on the German east coast, about 1 hour's drive north of Lubeck. That stretch of the coast has miles of lovely beaches and, I believe, is referred to as The German Riviera. As the myriad of hotels indicated it is a very popular resort.
William and I had used the hotel in November last year and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Again the hotel was good as was the restaurant and the breakfast the next day. The only mishap was that we were charged for 3 ice creams which we did not order or enjoy. Once I discovered it they were very apologetic and reimbursed us at once.
Arriving at the ferry check-in at Puttgarden we were greeted by the sight of 20 or more police cars and vans! They were checking all cars. We still don't know what they were looking for. But we must have been looking innocent enough because they let us through. Our online ticket was on my mobile , so you only needed to scan it, so the website says. But of course the scanning did not work! Anyway we did get through via the staffed check-in cubicle.
Fi drove all the was through Denmark, as she has often done in the past. The weather was dry, unlike the weather on Sweden where it rained and it rained.
You could see 'lakes' in the normally dry fields. This time we went via Laholm where we bought a Sim card for our internet and also shopped food. This time I had remembered to transfer money onto our local debit card so no embarrassing 'your card is no good'!
The house and grounds looked good when we arrived. Inside, however, we found a problem. The winter had a few severe cold spells (we were told later) so part of the flooring in the living room had swelled, even though we have had some heating on all the time. The following day, our local joiner and handyman, Fredrik, had a look and advised us to keep the heating high and that after a few weeks the floor would be normal again. Keep your fingers crossed.
Now the Sim card turned out to be another problem. In Sweden, nowadays, you have to register any cash Sim card, to ensure that you are not a terrorist. Fair enough. So with my Swedish Bank ID app it should be a doddle. But not so. The bank ID app refused to work and the fact that I am registered as no longer being resident in the country did not help. So having spent hours trying to register without success I found that the retailer in Laholm, 15 miles away, could do it with the help of your passport. Well our retailer couldn't, did not have the right facilities, but guided me to another retailer , 3 miles away, that surely could do it. Well they did try very hard but in the end also failed even after talking to the Sim card company. But they suggested I go to a place in Halmstad, 15 miles away, called Pressbyrån. At first the assistant there could not do it, suggesting another place, 3 miles away, so you can imagine my frustration. But then her colleague came to help and worked out a way to do it, with the help of my British driving license!
So after a 65 miles round-trip we have an activated card. But you have to wait up to 48 hours before it actually is working. Well as I am writing this we have been waiting 55 hours and the internet is not working. Today is Sunday so of course the internet provider is not working in weekends, so we will have to wait until sometime tomorrow before we can speak to them! Monday came and after a lot of testing by me and by the Simcard shop (the 15 miles away one, you know) plus a long telephone conversation with the technical people at the Simcard company, it was established that the Simcard was faulty! I will get a replacement one in a few days.
Queuing to get through on the phone to the Simcard campany took 18 minutes. Meanwhile I surveyed the shop ending up watching an episode of Pointless, in English, on about 12 tv-screens. It was an episode I had already watched!
Some of the above makes it sound as we have had nothing but problems. Well that is not the case. We thoroughly enjoyed the excellent ferry, the drive across the continent (well almost) was not a chore, we had a good break in Sierksdorf (although we did not go for a swim in sea), the Danes did look at our passports but let us in and the Swedish customs people just waved us through – into all that rain as it turned out. It was good to see the house and the grass area looked alright, bearing in mind that the wild boars had turned it over last year.
Sunday gave us a fair amount of snow but the roads were still very passable. Pretty though.
On Monday we were in Laholm talking to the Sim card shop but afterwards we drove through Mellbystrand and discovered a new-ish jetty stretching into the Öresund. You see small metallic 'labels' on each plank. They hold the name of the sponsor. The land on the horizon is home to Båstad.
Today, Wednesday we have had Fredrik, our joiner, here to 'tidy' up a few niggles, i.e. improving things ahead of any viewings.
The sprinkling of snow is pretty and I love the jetty. Glad you had a good journey over. xx
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