Sweden Day 2 - Stockholm City

Assalamualaikum. Halla!

Previous post (here).

24 December 2019 - Stockholm City, Sweden

My second day in Stockholm City. Alhamdulillah I had a fairly good sleep. Not sure about the rest of my dormmates though. Manalah tau aku buat bunyi kapal selam tenggelam di tengah malam tu kan. 

This morning, I woke up pretty early. After shower, I had my breakfast while getting ready. I brought along my portable collapsible electric kettle, therefore I don't have to go down to the kitchen to get hot water to make my morning coffee. Dasar pemalas semua mau senang & cepat kan.

Breakfast is important in order to boost my energy level & alertness because it's definitely going to be a long day. Although the sun set at 4pm. Gah! Few of the downsides of travelling during winter. 

Breakfast in the dorm (super sedap spread that is)

View outside my dorm. Most windows are decorated with the typical part of holiday decorating in Sweden. Christmas stars & advent candles in the windows

And I chose the spiral stairs over elevator. Semangat ke-Korean-an masih tebal dalam diri katanye (kan baru balik dari Seoul)

Generator Hostel Stockholm front look

I took my own sweet time to walk from the hostel to Centralen station. Pretty decent exercise early in the morning, huh. Stop few times to take photo as well. Embracing reality because I still couldn't believe I finally set foot upon Stockholm land. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah.

T stands for tunnelbana; Stockholm's underground metro

As I've already got my 72-hour travel card, I just have to tap my card on the reader to get into the platform

T-Centralen station is massive. I think I have lost my way while searching for the platform to board my train. But I wasn't. It's just that I have to walk, go down & up the escalator couple times before I reach my platform. You want brisk walk in the morning Bie? This is it. 

Up, and down this twice

Already in love with the arts in the station. But I can't focus much because I was too afraid I got on the wrong station. Besides, I've already planned to do the Stockholm metro art tour the next day

Taken on my way to Level -2

I kid you not when I say this station is huge! Nasiblah sejenis laju baca peta / map gini

In order to get to Skansen Museum (oh yeah, that's my first destination of the day), I have to take the subway train to Karlaplan station (Line 13). Get out from the station, take the bus No 67 and later get off at Skansen station. 

But fate has it that I'll take the wrong train that morning. Instead of hopping on the train for Line 13, I got on the train for Line 14 instead. Both trains stop at the same platform (both are colored RED); BUT at different time. Thus, it's the passenger that needs to be alert. Yang aku, nampak train stop terus menonong masuk. Buat perangai katak macam baru first time naik train with different lines / numbers. Memang exercise sungguh di pagi hari. 

Inside the metro train

Alhamdulillah tersedar awal dari kesilapan. Satu hal kan kalau terlajak sampai tiga-empat station. Once I reached Karlaplan station, I get out from the station. Masa ni memang ikut orang as I don't see any signage indictating exit numbers. I wasn't so sure which exit to take in order to get to the bus station. Adoilah kejadian di pagi hari. Memang perlu blur ka apa ni Bie oii. Not wanting to waste time, I straightaway headed to the information / ticket counter. Told the lady I wanted to go to Skansen, and she pointed me to the exit. End of story. Ndak payah lah aku berteka teki di mana exit perlu aku ikut untuk keluar. Phew!

Bus stop. Refer to the signboard for incoming bus & their estimated arrival time

Sebab ndak mau pisang berbuah dua kali, before getting on the bus I asked the bus driver if the bus is going to Skansen. Alhamdulillah, it was the right bus

Siap dapat seat. Concept sini, first come first serve basis. If kau bawa stroller, sila berdiri bersama stroller di tengah bas sebab ada parking for stroller / wheelchair.

Skansen Museum main entrance

Alhamdulillah, finally I stood before the entrance (ticket booth). Dari pagi perjalanan simpang siur mau sampai Skansen Museum ni. Walhal it wasn't that susah pun to reach. Gigih juga lah aku pergi dalam cuaca kelam winter tu. Semua pun ala-ala feeling melankoli sangat ok. Cerita pasal Skansen ni aku sambung next entry. Panjang berjela sudah entry ni pun.

Here's my journey from Generator Hostel to Skansen Museum (World's oldest open-air museum)

Generator Hostel ---walk--- Centralen Station ---Train Line 13 (Ropsten)--- Karlaplan Station ---walk--- Karlaplan Bus Station ---Bus 67 (Blockhusudden)--- Skansen Bus Stop (5 stops)

Till next entry. Wassalam.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Germany - Sweden | Frankfurt, Germany to Stockholm, Sweden via SAS

Assalamualaikum. Hallå!

Previous post (here)

23 Dec 2019 - Oslo Gardermoen Airport, Norway

I reached Oslo at 2pm. Next flight to Stockholm, Sweden is in 2 hours time. Final flight of the day. Fiiiiiiiinally! Phew. Memang bangas (read: basi) di airport jaklah. Almost 2 days straight turun naik kapal wei. Nasib jak migraine ndak datang.

Alhamdulillah menjejak Oslo sipi-sipi. Actually memang itinerary asal include Oslo tapi bila buat kira-kira, macam ndak berbaloi kalau setakat touch & go. So aku wipe out Norway, and doa moga suatu hari dapat menjelejah bumi Norway & Denmark pula. Insha Allah, amin amin. Walau sekarang ni ndak dapat keluar dari Malaysia pun, doa tetap continue *wink*. Jangan pernah putus berharap sama Allah SWT.

Turun dari kapal, terus pi area transit. Ikut jak signboard. Details pasal transit memang selalu updated di skrin. So sila jangan malas untuk refer skrin besar (banyak bergantung di area departure hall tu). For transit yang less than 4 hours, memang diorang ndak bagi keluar pi arrival hall. Sila direct pi departure hall. Macam-macam boleh buat di departure hall. Aku memang focus tengok pastries / cakes jak. Also chocolates. Ikut nafsu, memang aku borong pastries tu setiap jenis.

Frankfurt Airport, Germany

Ok, bila nampak Oslo snowing di luar. Terus penyesalan datang bertubi-tubi. Why did I cancelled Oslo in my itinerary?

Acah-acah poyo, bukti sudah di Norway (walau cuma di airport). Gah!

Ada 'ter'beli few bikin kunyah-kunyah while tunggu next flight

~ RM 17.00. Tengok jaklah mampu. Drinking water aku ambil dari water tap jak. Isi tumble pink kesayangan yang aku angkut jauh dari Seoul tu

Ada juga branch restoran si Jamie di Oslo

Mula tu excited juga mau try, tapi bila tengok harga terus krik krik tepi kaunter 

One of the many pastry shops in the departure hall. Semua pun menggoda.

According to the lady at the pastry shop, this is one of their bestseller. Norwegians traditional pastry. Katanye. So Si Err beli untuk merasa. Memang sedap tapi manis berdenting ting ting

Boleh tahan lebat juga snowfall masa ni. Insha Allah, ada rezeki aku akan jejak your land Norway. Ndak takat transit.

It only took one hour to reach Stockholm Arlanda Airport from Oslo. Belum sempat panas bontot sudah landing. By the way, still dapat free biscuit & coffee juga tau. 

Once clear immigration & custom, off I went to get my luggage. Then out to the arrival hall. Lepak kejap untuk set bearing. Berapa kali turun naik flight, transit lagi...kepala aku start memberat. Ngantuk, penat dan lapar. Walhal sudah berapa biji buns ditelan kan! Sudah set bearing, baru dapat bertenang. Next, I went to the convenience store; which is called pressbyrån by locals to buy my bus ticket to downtown.

At first, I decided to take the public bus & commuter train to the city center (Cityterminalen). Kononlah mau reenact those BTS boys (Jimin & Jin) in Bon Voyage 2016. Eventually I cancelled the plan. I was just too lazy (and pretty weary) to wait for the public bus, as well as the commuter train. Albeit knowing this route is the cheapest & shorter commuting times. It might be the cheapest but IF I MISSED the train, I might have to wait for the next train up to 1.5 hours. Which was the biggest reason why I gave up the idea. Sibuk mau reenact, silap hari bulan bateri-badan kong. 

After I got my Flixbus ticket, I went to the Visitor Center to buy my 72-hour travelcard. I'll tell more about this travelcard later. I got out from the airport to get to the bus stop. 

23 Dec 2019 - Arlanda Airport Stockholm, Sweden

Where I bought my Flixbus bus ticket. Cashier was a woman wearing hijab. Excited tau! Laju jak aku bagi salam once it was my turn to be served. 

Where I waited for Flixbus to get to Cityterminalen (City Central Terminal). Ndak susah pun, just refer the signboard 

Bus arrived on time. Adalah dalam 5 minutes aku tunggu. Masa tu sudah start lemau. Sejuk oii! Lapar pula lagi. Masuk bas, eh driver adalah Arabic man. Allahu akbar, gembira dia nampak aku. Terus berbalas salam.

After 40 minutes, sampailah Cityterminalen. Belum berakhir perjuangan si Err as I have to walk another 10 minutes to get to my accommodation. Luckily sudah recharged tenaga dalam bas (makan & short nap)

Some of the buildings I saw on my walkertapaki journey to the hostel

Cuci mata tengok building kiri kanan. Ada masa aku stop untuk snap gambar so ndaklah rasa penat. Actually, masa ni langsung ndak penat as semua sudah bertukar jadi gumbira. Alhamdulillah, dream came true. Ndak sangka dibagi peluang jejak bumi Stockholm. Forever grateful I am for this opportunity. Things as such yang selalu aku guna untuk remind diri bila masuk fasa bingai; endless complains about anything. 

Liplap street & buildings di Stockholm. Lagi 2 hari mau Christmas masa ni

The hostel I stayed at located in the middle of the city. Near to everything a traveller needs. Kebab House pun around the corner jak

Finally! Reach my crib for my 3-days stay in Stockholm

Check-in was smooth. All done via Ipad placed at the reception area. I just need to enter my booking number, fill in few details & was good to go to my room. Sebelum booking hostel ni, aku ada booked 1 hostel just few blocks away. Murah memang tapi kena bawa own bedsheet & pillow cases. Adoi satu kerja lah kena bawa benda tu semua, sudahlah travel light. Hence I cancelled the booking. Alhamdulillah ada vacant bed di Generator ni. I stayed in a 6-beds female dorm ensuite bathroom. Memang selesa & satisfied gila. Worth the price I paid. Sweden pun kan. Tabahlah paying in SEK (Swedish Krona). 

Lepas settle simpan barang semua, singgah bathroom kejap then off I went to the mart. Just a few minutes walking distance from the hostel. Tadi di airport bukan main lemau, sudah sampai hostel boleh pula segar bugar. Jadinya marilah keluar merasa angin malam di Stockholm. Tujuan asal mau stock up food & cari slippers. Perangai betul bila lupa bawa benda-benda essentials ni.

Deco di tingkap tiap unit memang lebih kurang jak. Jarang nampak yang bercurtain tapi lampu bentuk bintang or lilin bentuk triangle tu ada at most windows

Baru jam 8pm tapi gelap gelita sudah bumi Stockholm. Winter kan

Lama lepak dalam mart. Memang sejenis suka belek tiap benda (food especially). And ulang alik row by row. Yang dicari tiada, so kita buat aktiviti cuci mata. 

Saw this on the Halal section. Rasa ramai Muslim juga di area ni hence the designate area. Didn't buy this though sebab macam poyo kau kena mencari can opener pula kan

Camtu jak dorang campak cheese kan. Pelbagai jenis, pelbagai rasa. Berliur jak aku tengok

Yang ni masih fabric softener tau, walau rupa macam botol susu Dutch Lady. Ngahngahngah

I bought a loaf of bread, buns, pastries, butter (sedap gilak), and some drinks. Beli lah yang memang mau ditelan sepanjang 3 hari di sana. Ada 7E juga depan hostel, so agak-agak kelaparan di tengah malam aku cari makanan di sana jak.

Sampai dari mart, mandi siap-siap. Had lunch on my katil. I was given the upper bunk. Walau ndak suka, terpaksa akur. Sambil tu, mengemas apa yang patut. Elok habis makan, mata terus bagi signal jom tidur! 

I was the last one to check in that day, tapi cuma ada 2 penghuni dalam bilik masa tu. Yang lain belum balik. Ntah jam berapa aku terlelap, sekali terjaga dek dengkuran sendiri. Other dormmates were already in the room at that time. Terkesima diorang tengok aku. Semua macam tercengang. Power sangatlah kali dengkur tarik-satu-kali aku tu kan. Hahahaha gila betul buat perangai berdengkuran dalam dorm. Tapi diorang minta maaf juga, manatau diorang bising sampai aku terjaga. Katakauuuu, mau tolong cover malu aku lah tu kan. Pasrah!

After the snoring incident, I went back to sleep. I really slept like a baby. Tu kesimpulan aku. Bab ter-berdengkur dalam tidur jangan tanya, sebab sah-sah aku ndak tau. I woke up pretty early the next day. Body feeling so energetic. Rejuvenated sangat.

Jadi, ke mana arah tujuan the next day? That, I'll continue next entry. Ni berjela-jela sudah maka baru cerita pasal transit bagai. Aigooo Bie.

Till then, wassalam

eryantierdabdulkarim

China - Germany | Shanghai, China to Frankfurt, Germany via China Eastern Airlines

Assalamualaikum. Ni Hao / Das Wilkommen

Previous entry (here)

Ok ndak payah bagi alasan kenapa lama diam. Siaplah sampai lupa password kan. We go straight to my 2019 Mega Trip to Scandinavian & Europe. Ngeh. 

Jotting down this trip for my memories. Aku memang suka belek blog sendiri & baca balik past experiences. #Fact

22 Dec 2019 - Shanghai Pudong Airport

Touched down at Shanghai after 3 hours. Alhamdulillah sempat bertenang, and managed to take a nap for an hour while on board. It was already 9pm when I was done with the transit procedure, hence I decided to just stay in the airport. Mau pi mana juga malam gitu. Lagipun I have another flight to catch in 3 hours time. So lepak jaklah dalam tu. Kalau keluar, nanti kelam kelibut lagi kejar masa mau balik. Visa pun tiada, sila jangan berangan. Meh!

Sudah dalam fasa bertenang, aku cari washroom. Sikit pecah pundi kencing menahan urusan since 4pm. Nearly 5 hours si Pundi bersabar sama tuan dia. Alhamdulillah, washroom bersih tip top. Selesa aku mau cuci muka, bersihkan diri. 

Pastu nampak board yang stated free wifi. Tapi ada steps to follow in order to log in. Faham lah, China kan. Almost semua restricted. Nasib baik ada pre-installed VPN dalam phone. Siap aku sempat ajar dua Mat Salleh & Chinese cara mau log in wifi. Gitu kau tiba-tiba pintar. Demi mau update orang-orang yang si Err sudah alhamdulillah selamat landed di Shanghai. Another 2 more flights before I reach my final destination. Phew. 

Sempat jak untuk take 5 while waiting for my next flight. But I refrained myself from sleeping. Takut nanti ndak dapat tidur dalam kapal. 12 jam wei. Rabak mata kalau berjaga dalam flight. 

Lengang. Aman. Damai

What I like about airports in China, water dispenser is aplenty. Macam tiap column ada sebiji

My supper. Gigih ok angkut BTS tumbler sampai Europe. Biskut Hup Seng tetap idaman hati.

Alhamdulillah. After 3 hours of waiting, finally it's time to board the plane. 

Kebiasaan si Err. For long haul flight, prior boarding the plane memang akan cuci muka & tukar tudung. No foundation, no eyeliner, and no contact lenses (duh siapa jak pakai CL untuk long haul kan)

I was seated at the aisle seat (syukur sangat). Lady next to me was a Chinese whom is so generous with her smile. Language barrier I guess, so bertukar senyum jaklah kami tiap kali bertentang mata

Always grateful whenever I was given the aisle seat. Sejenis pengungjung WC setia memang gitu kan

Halfway there. Layan movie kejap, snacking kejap, makan kejap, tidur sekejap-sekejap

23 Dec 2019 - Frankfurt Airport

And finally, after 12 hours on board. Safely landed at Frankfurt Airport Terminal 2 at 545am.  Paling berpeluh masa di immigration. Officer tanya macam-macam (as expected) so I was already ready with everything. Printed my itinerary beforehand; screenshot my e-tickets. Updated my bank details. And whatnot. Alhamdulillah officer puas hati tengok preparations aku. Punya gembira bila dengar bunyi stamping. Phew

As it was still early, I took my sweet time to roam around the airport. Masa ni paling excited sebab kiri kanan cafe display pastries. Wahai hati bawa bertenang. Masih awal Subuh, janganlah beria minta diisi macam-macam. Itu cuma nafsu semata.

Godaan di pagi hari. European indeed take their morning coffee seriously, yes?

For your information, prayer room memang ada di setiap terminal. It is not for any religion, memang surau untuk Muslim 

Heading to the prayer room. Masa ni ramai juga orang yang keluar masuk surau (mostly Pak-Mak Arab)

Ablution area (women). Bersih gila. And kering

Kecil tapi selesa. That thick curtain separate the men / women prayer area

The men prayer area

Prayer room - Entrance

Before gerak to Terminal 1; where I should board my flight to my next destination...I went to the washroom. Semalaman dalam kapal, baju seluar tudung pun sudah more than 24 hours aku pakai. Time to change to new cloths, and jelita-kan muka. Baru nampak fresh. Gituuu.

Took the shuttle train to Terminal 1. Masih gelap gelita di luar masa ni. Winter kan masa ni, around 8am baru nampak matahari pun. 

On board the shuttle train to Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1

More cuci mata session at this terminal. Aku bab pastries ni memang cepat teruja. Lagi excited dari tengok handbag

Bought few for breakfast & also bekalan dalam flight nanti

Kenapa mineral / drinking water mahal di sana? Sebab tap water diorang drinkable. So haruslah aku ndak beli. Isi jak tumbler pink itu. Settle 

Biskut Hup Seng tetap buat penampilan kan

My simple (yet berkalori) breakfast

Ok, sudah terang dunia di luar. Ni view dari entrance door Terminal 1. 

Habis breakfast, aku lepak kejap untuk charge phone. Bila tengok announcement board, aku sudah boleh check-in luggage. Zas lah aku pi counter self-check in. Memang semua kena buat sendiri di airport ni. Kau tinggal bawa badan jak (and boarding pass) pi boarding gate .

Mula tu, queue untuk weigh luggage (cum flight check-in). If the weight lepas, maka akan keluarlah boarding pass & luggage tag(s). Pastu queue untuk luggage check-in. Ada airport staffs juga di sana so kalau ada ndak faham, boleh jak panggil diorang. They will explain to you but kerja-kerja lekat tag...angkat bag to belt....scan barcode for luggage check-in; semua kena buat sendiri ya kawan-kawan sekalian. I did mine smoothly nasiblah bag ndak berat sangat. 

For my flight to Stockholm, Sweden; I took the SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). Sebab sedar diri aku bawa 2 bag, hence terpaksa-rela add on check-in luggage because the airline only allows 1 cabin bag (7kg). Sebelum kena fine, it's wiser to add on. Denda kalu, memang kena bayar in Euro lah kan. Lagi sedih berganda nanti. 

Transit 2 jam di Oslo, Norway. Yes, first 2 days of my schedule memang lah transit transit transit. Jauh+lama betul perjalanan ndak tau bila sampai. Cousins aku sampai ndak tidur keeping track on my journey. Bergilir diorang tunggu update aku. 

Cuci mata ambil mood shopping souvenir dulu. Cuma transit baru,ndak lah aku beria beli souvenir

Wilkommen is Welcome in Germany. Sia-sia belajar few of Germany words with my Germany friend; balik dari Europe hilang semua those useful verbs

Lama juga aku melepet di Terminal 1 ni. Imagine lah, landed dari Shanghai jam 545am. Next flight to Stockholm was at 1155am. Dekat 6 jam bangas (read : basi / mereput) di airport. Mau keluar, macam malas sebab backpack (yang aku ndak check-in) boleh tahan berat. Sejak peningkatan umur ni, kemalasan aku untuk ukur jalan bersama anak gajah semakin melangit. Walhal masa draft itineray, ada jak yang aku mau jejak di Frankfurt tu. 

Actually, boleh jak aku gerak seawal 7am tapi tulah...once there, tiba-tiba malas. Redhalah di airport jak. Cuci mata tengok pastries sampai kecur liur. Cuci mata tengok mineral water mahal. Cuci mata tengok orang handsome. Ahaks.

I went into the boarding hall an hour before my flight. Nothing to do once inside. Airport security memang agak strict prior entering the hall. Memang buka segala kasut, segala jaket. Ndak cukup walk-through body scanning, siap officer tu 'goncang-goncang' tudung aku. Kot lah aku hide something dalam rambut kan. Alhamdulillah semua ok.

Boarded the plane on time. Sebabkan flight cuma 2 jam, so aku mampu buat bodoh jak dalam kapal. No in-flight entertainment, dengar lagu dari playlist sendiri jaklah. Tapi dapat free coffee + biscuit. Heaven rasa dia. Refillable pula tu coffee, jadinya si Err adalah happy. 

Cerita sampai di Oslo, nanti aku sambung next entry. Memang sedang berkobar mau update cerita Europe sekarang. Alang-alang PKP kan, marilah isi masa mencoret kembali. Harapnya kobaran ini bertahan lama. 

Till then, wassalam

eryantierdabdulkarim