On the train to Stockholm

The pictures and video are from my stop at one of the stations in Southern Sweden, called Hässleholm. Being one of the first days of Spring, it was great to see the sun and soak in it for a bit before catching the train to Stockholm.

3rd of April 2025

One often tends to underestimate the amount of preparation and paperwork that goes into an international trip - which is doubly complicated when you are a foreigner abroad looking to visit a third country. Just one aspect is the visa application process, something Swedish citizens don’t have to think about, but which I, a South African living there, need to head up to Stockholm to sort out. This meant taking a 4-hour train ride north from my home town, finding accommodation for the night (finding something to book and, as it turns out, actually finding where it was in the dark after GPS let me down), waiting for the interview, and then taking another 4-hour train ride south.

The good thing is: my visa was approved!

Now it’s just the small matter of hoping my stamped passport arrives before our planned departure date 😅 and then we’ll be seeing you in Austin, Boulder, Reno, Palo Alto, and San Francisco. But it’s funny how things work. The guy in the queue in front of me at he embassy was also from South Africa - The Green Mamba passport of ours is very recognisable. His name is Leon, and he moved to Gothenburg to work with his brothers 10 months ago. His girlfriend is still in SA - apparently a TV star, though I don’t watch much TV, so I’m not familiar with her work. Anyway, such a small world we live in.