Landed!

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Written by Catherine
All of our luggage – It might actually be less than last time we did a trans-Atlantic move?

We arrived in Stockholm Monday evening, on schedule and with very easy travels. After so much uncertainty and a cancelled set of flights and additional flight changes we were braced for some chaos – but everything up to and including the cab that brought us and our copious luggage from the airport to our new apartment was smooth, if a little changed by COVID-19.

Standing outside our new apartment, about to head out and pick up the keys.

Since we arrived after offices were closed, my new colleague (and longer-term friend) Linda offered to pick up the keys and give them to us when we arrived. Linda had also stored a suitcase at her place since March, so we picked that up… and she also gave us a delightful welcome pack with drinks, snacks, fresh fruit, a small bouquet of wildflowers and a plant to liven up our new apartment! So kind.

The only drama started when we tried to put the key in the door – and it wouldn’t turn. The lock seemed to be in the ‘service position’ so some of our new neighbours tried to give it a go… but no luck. The pre-arrival move in information was pretty comprehensive, so I made a call to the 24-7 property management service and they said they’d send someone out to take a look at it. This would be a great time to go for a jet-lag fighting walk, but we had 5 suitcases and 2 backpacks, so that wasn’t very practical. So, we waited in the stairwell, and after a while Graham went out to get some groceries or dinner and breakfast.

2.5 hour later…

I called the property management company to ask what was up, and they said they’d delegated the call out to a local locksmith company. On being connecting with the locksmith company, they didn’t have a record of the help request. After long travels and not a lot of sleep, my brain was feeling a bit mushy, so we decided to give up, spend the night in a hotel, and come back to work it out the next day. I was changed and in bed when my phone rang… it was the locksmith, 15 min away! I got dressed and jogged back to the apartment.

The lock in the ‘service position’ (L), and the lock mid-locksmithing (R). Turns out the key, although correctly labeled, was the WRONG ONE for our apartment! No wonder it didn’t work.

The good news is we got access to the apartment, and the next morning came in and starting working with our lighting-quick internet.

Graham sitting at the table with his laptop in the new apartment
Our little kitchen, complete with the plant from Linda in the microwave cubby
The view from the balcony that connects the two bedrooms of our Stockholm apartment

1 Comment

  1. Too bad about the lock. Glad you guys are finally in. looks like a neat place!

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