In Stockholm, part two...

It was too cold to go out last night so a walk around the block was out of the question. I finished off writing yesterday's blogpost and then I hit the sack and read a couple of chapters of Eat, Sleep, Cycle by Anna Hughes. Then it was time to turn out the lights and sleep, which I did, but I awoke around 0400hrs and simply lay there hoping I would get back to sleep. Sadly, I didn't, so around 0450hrs I got up and checked out what needed to be done: there was plenty of stuff to be getting on with in the shape of a meeting at 0900hrs followed by a press conference at a furniture exhibition around 1130hrs and then, after lunch, another meeting and then another meeting. I tried not to rely upon cabs, but this meant relying upon the SatNav on my phone, which can be a little confusing. I never know whether to follow the voice instructions or to look at my screen and follow the small blue circle. I opted for the former and miraculously I arrived at my destination, having given myself plenty of time in case I messed up. Fortunately I didn't and soon I was engaged in a convivial meeting in the centre of Sweden and virtually opposite Stockholm Central Station from where my train would depart for Alvsjo, a short 10-minute journey and then a little walk to the exhibition centre. Once that meeting was over I found an Espresso House and ordered a cappuccino, a foccacia bread filled with ham and cheese and a bun. I could have done without the bun if I'm honest, but I ate it nonetheless and then made my way to my next appointment. I decided to take a cab and get there early, which was a smart move and then, when that meeting was over I headed over to my last of the day, which started to get a little fraught as my cellphone was rapidly losing power and I was having trouble trying to find where I was going. Fortunately, the person I was meeting read my email and called me and as I was fairly near we met and had an early dinner meeting. All well and good, but with the phone on around 3% power I knew it was about to cut out so I jumped in a cab for the journey back to the hotel and here I am now, not exhausted, but glad my busy and somewhat hectic day was over and I could simply chill out.

The full Swedish?

But I've been jumping the gun. I haven't told you about the hotel breakfast. As I said earlier, I got out of bed around 0450hrs and started organising the day, but then, after showering and shaving, I went downstairs to the breakfast room (it was basically the restaurant I found myself in last night so no surprises other than an extremely good breakfast offering. I started with a cooked breakfast: scrambled egg, mushrooms, sausages and cherry tomatoes and then moved on to other stuff: a few mini biscuits, a mini croissant, some toast and marmalade, a bowl of cereal with various healthy-looking seeds and some yoghurt and I think that was it apart from a couple of mugs of green tea and a small bowl of fruit (grapes, oranges, melon and so forth). I had plenty of time too, which meant I could chill out and read a couple more chapters of Eat, Sleep, Cycle by Anna Hughes. Soon, however, it was time to get on with my busy day, as outlined above.

And now here I am, back in the hotel. I do have a gripe: there's no desk. All hotel rooms have desks! But not this one. Right now, for example, I am sitting at the end of the bed, my lap top on a white piece of furniture with two doors and that's it. Oh for a nice desk and a decent seat on which to sit, but no, they've decided to be 'quirky' and, as all hotel designers should know, 'function before form!' it's just the basics and they failed to deliver. I thought for a moment that there wasn't a mirror, but there is: it's in the wardrobe, not that I'll use it; I try to avoid mirrors as I hate to see myself in them looking tired, perhaps, or overweight and in need of exercise although, to be honest, I don't think I am overweight and I tend to get enough exercise. The truth is I just don't like seeing myself, I never have, it's like hearing the sound of my voice, I hate that too and in a way I kind of hate the way I sound too and can simply hope that others don't find me as grating as I do. Perhaps they don't and I'm just a shivering pile of paranoia, like that character from Catch the Pigeon, if anybody remembers it.

The view from room 709...

The weather here is cold, but it's just about bearable. Today, in the press room at the furniture show, I briefly discussed the weather with the two women behind the counter and they said it felt colder than minus 4, which is what I guessed it would be. Actually, I wasn't guessing, the woman on the reception desk of my hotel last night said it was minus 4, much to my disappointment as I wanted to later brag about being out in minus 13, but that was scuppered until the press room women said they thought it was around minus 10. Who knows? Not me – or them by the sounds of it. Let's just say it was brass monkey weather out there, but surprisingly (not in the city at any rate) there hasn't been any snow and the paths are as dry as anything, you won't be slipping over on black ice here! Or any other kind of ice for that matter.

A brief mention of the lift, or hiss as they call it in Sweden. It has two doors: the main and conventional sliding doors that all lifts have and then, as you stand there looking out, there's also a door, ie a proper door that opens outwards (as all doors do in Scandinavia, I think!) that only serves my floor, the 7th. When the lift stops I push the door, which is to my left, and get out. People aren't allowed to stand around the edges of the lift and if they do, apparently, the lift simply gets stuck (or so they say).

Yes it is a boring shot of an exhibition centre...

Right, I'll probably skim through a few television channels, see if anything good is on (there won't be) and then I'm going to bed, getting an early night and then another early start tomorrow morning. I've got to check out and there's nothing worse than checking out of a hotel, I just hate having to leave my bag with the concierge or, worst still, taking it with me to an appointment, which I might have to do. Still, the upside to all of it will be the night boat to Helsinki...I can't wait!