When the City Wakes

6:32 AM

Monday the 10th, morning. And suddenly you’re in Stockholm at 6:30 AM. The city is still waking up, so I grab a quick breakfast at Starbucks and then head into town. Nice and quiet!!

7:18 AM

And slowly the city wakes up. The noise level rises and more and more briefcases and people in business suits appear on the streets.

8:24 AM

The shops are still tightly closed. Restaurants are preparing for a new day.
A homeless man eating out of a trash bin. Cleaners quickly tidying everything up.
City life is starting.

9:06 AM

The first boats appear on the water. A few tourists start to show up, and then—

10:38 AM

An explosion of people. Lots of Japanese and Chinese tourists with iPhones, iPads, or big telephoto cameras. Shouting across squares and lawns, wanting their photos taken.

The day has arrived. Even the birds try to rise above the noise.

For me, that’s the moment to retreat.

1:53 PM

Monday the 10th, end of day. The hotel room overlooks the terminal. Tomorrow I can watch airplanes all day. The synthetic food bank McDonald’s sits right below me. People constantly coming and going, stuffing themselves with plastic. Apparently still a solid business model.

I managed to arrange a 4:00 PM checkout with the hotel, so I don’t have to wait around for six hours. Perfect!! Nice hotel, the Radisson Blu Sky.