European Adventures - 18. Park Inn, Radisson, Stockholm

18. Park Inn, Radisson, Stockholm

Looks Like Muskoka

CAN $2.66 a liter for gasoline is what we had to pay. 

The landscape around here reminds me of Muskoka, Ontario; rocky at every turn.

Muskoka Chairs! (Adirondack Chairs in the U.S.)

We drove along the highway from Oskarshamn to Stockholm, there was no need to try to find an exciting drive, and we now know the local roads are just more split up in terms of speed limits. The highway is a bit better, you can drive more consistently at 110 but there are also many spots, too many, where 80, 70, 50 is posted. Yuk!

Our GPS got us to the Hotel perfectly even though we were in a huge tunnel system under Stockholm. The tunnel system is not comprehensible when you are in it, never mind a map you hold in your hands. But then... who has time to look at a map while driving through new territory, in the semi dark of the tunnel, with traffic buzzing all around you. A GPS is essential. 

I am not against electronics if they help, like a GPS, but... well, you will see.

We checked into the Hotel at about 3 PM, parked in front of the lobby and while inside to register, told the lady we would like to park in the garage. A big smile and she said, yes, of course, but only after 5 PM. The garage was being cleaned or repaired or something. So where do we park meanwhile I asked her. She pointed to a street that had some empty spots and said, park there, you just have to pay for 2 hours and then come back and park in the garage. OK, sounded good.

We unloaded the car and then Carol and I moved the car from the front of the hotel to a free space along the street where the lady had pointed. I went to the Auto-mat that gives out parking slips and put in my credit card. You guessed it? The machine held my credit card and spun, and spun and... It then released the card, so I took it. But I

We Parked Where the White Van Is Now, I Took a Picture of the Sign IN FRONT of the Car

received no parking slip to put on the dash board. OK, I stepped aside to watch a lady do it, she did what I did, but she pushed a series of buttons, some once, and some twice?  Huh?  How did she know what to press?

This Is the Sign Right In Front of Our Car

The next guy who came to the machine did the same and I asked him what I did wrong. He took the time out to show me... you need to push a button for the right credit card, a button for a certain time slot and then confirm all the info you just pressed in; Makes sense?  It was all in Swedish, I don’t speak Swedish! Now what do I do? The machine does not switch to any other language. So I watched one more person do their thing on this apparatus and then I copied the moves. Well, kind of, I had to get 2 hours on the meter, rather than the other person who just needed a few minutes. There was nothing intuitive about the set up, read and punch-in was the system used. No icons just read the Swedish instructions and press the appropriate button. Well, I received a print out that was perfect, I took my credit card back and then I deposited the parking slip on the dash board of the car. I had until 5.20 PM by which time I would have the car parked in the garage and then could forget about the car for the 3 days we would be in Stockholm. Sounds like a good plan, right?

As a precaution, Carol took a picture of the parking sign right in front of the car and since it was all in Swedish, asked the Receptionist to confirm we were in a legal parking spot – which she did.

At 5 o’clock sharp Carol and I were now at the car again to drive it into the garage. I had secured a dongle from the Receptionist to get access to the garage door. No credit card needed, the hotel would just add parking to the bill but you will need that dongle to electronically open the doors to the underground garage.

Ok, we are at the car and ... I have a parking ticket.  1200 SEK!  That is about $ 135 U.S. Why?  Why did I get another ticket?

I moved the car to the garage under the Hotel and then walked up to the lady at reception to ask why I would get a ticket, I cannot read the ticket, of course and she was shocked also to see such a high amount. She asked me, "Where did you park?"  I pointed to the spot and she said, that is a loading zone! You got the ticket in a loading zone!  

This Is the Sign 2 Spaces Behind Our Car

Now, how would I know?  We parked directly in front of the sign which was verified by the receptionist as legal parking. But here in Sweden, the ‘action’ applies behind the sign. There was another sign 2 cars behind us that said we were in a loading zone (in Swedish of course). Confusing?  You bet!

Now this ticket was not given in a parking lot, a private lot operated by a store, this was a public street, patrolled by people who are hired to give tickets. They earn their living by giving out tickets. The more tickets they give the better for Sweden! 

The lady at reception told me that there is so much need for money in Sweden that any kind of ticket that can be given, will be given. I should not feel bad, she said, there really was nothing she or anybody can do, just shrug it off, she said. Well, that is easy to say, it was not her $135 dollars, it was our money.

So now how do we pay this ticket I asked her?  Well she said, that is easy, just tell your Giro account to transfer the money, make sure you put all these numbers on the transfer, she pointed to a series of numbers on the yellow strip of paper. 

Can You Read It? Do You Want It?

Right!  “Giro” accounts?  What is that?

I still have the ticket, do you want it?  When I get a notice in the mail at home I might consider the payment via PayPal or I will instruct BoA to send a wire to handle this. The instructions are all on the yellow strip in Swedish. I looked up how to pay parking tickets in Sweden online. Even they have a difficult time telling me concisely how to do it. While the world shrinks and electronics take over, like using a dongle now to open the door instead of a key, at the moment it still is all ‘local’ and not international. I wonder what a Chinese person does when he cannot read English, or anybody whose writing system is obscure, like in Georgia, Thailand, Japan, etc.  Or, God forbid cannot communicate in English. 

The world is shrinking, technology is growing, but we are far away from really communicating with each other. Sweden is trying to advance but selfishly so, because to just do things in Swedish is not helping at all. Think broader, Sweden, make it as international like a GPS, only THEN will people copy you. USE ICONS.

We parked the car in the Hotel garage and we are now on foot. No more cars in Stockholm until we are out of here. We bought groceries and had our supper in the room. I was a bit peeved about not being able to figure out a simple thing like parking a car. Never mind this ‘Giro’ thing!