Sweden

It is nice to be back! We arrived Monday night, lots of luggage and just after midnight. Unfortunately we have the same crappy weather as we did in England but at least it is nice and toasty indoors.
Manchester airport may win the prize being the least child friendly airport. Lots of stairs, no elevators...Only one toilet with a changing table. None in the lounge upstairs. Booh! Even had to taste the baby formula. Not even the Americans made us do that. Britain is being super strict! Even had to fill in a landing card for Emily at the passport control. Hopefully her Swedish passport will arrive before we leave.

I always had the impression of Sweden being the ultimate child friendly country. Cologne was terrible, lots of smoke everywhere, people slamming doors into the pram or me or walking right into it/us. And all the angry looks I got in the cafés and restaurants as soon as Emily made a little tiny noise. Not even the baby shops were especially child friendly. I got both angry looks when coming in with the pram (it was raining outside, but what do you expect when you live in a rainy country?? Things do get wet!) England, well, not exactly being famous for being child frienly either, I thought Sweden would be the top country (at least that is how I remembered it) but I am quite disappointed. Steps or stairs to get into some shops, elevators but no lift...some shops are not so spacious so the pram won't fit,,,I have a long list. Hm.  It is nice to see so many people (especially MEN) out walking with prams but a lot of shops are not been designed for prams.We are definitely the only ones with a pink pram though. Yay!!

Are we perhaps getting a little americanised? I certainly miss the customer service, especially when I had to walk around the show shop earlier on today to ask for assistance. Hello, does anyone work here? Got my husband to giggle at Arlanda airport. We walked through the passport control and the dorr behind it was shut and "wouldn't open". I turned around and told the officer it wouldn't open and he replied " you have to open it". Well, I guess I will try that one immediately next time. LOL 

How do parents survive here? Getting all the kiddies dressed, going out in the rain, undressing them again...Respect! I will never complain again that it is to cold to go to the park again. Live could be so much worse.

Now, time to hit the sofa again, get some "grill chips" some Swedish sweet and do what you are supposed to do when you are at your parents and the babs is asleep - nothing.