Willow (girlfriend), Imola (cat), Bibi (Fiat 500) and I left London for Stockholm on the 4th of August and it isn’t until today, the 25th 27th, that I find time energy and the will to write anything.
In short, this is what has gone down.
The Drive
BiBi at Fredrickshavn Ferry Port
The drive over from London to Stockholm went very well. Bibi and Imola were superstars on the road. What I would change, if i’m driving BiBi (or any other Fiat 500) for a longer stint (which I think is very likely) is;
- not to drive more than 500km per day
- have less stuff in the car
- do what ever it takes to stay off horrible motorways
We did stay off the motorway as much as possible, but our schedule didn’t allow us to experiment to the extent I would have wanted.
Me and BiBi having a break next to the lake Vättern, Sweden.
My favorite part of the drive was probably everything after Bremen, Belgium, to Fredrikshavn, Denmark.
But generally, driving Bibi is so extremely fun. It totally puts the joy of driving in another dimension.
The House
For the first three weeks in Sweden, Willow and I stayed at my very good friend, Vinh Kha’s, flat (who’s currently in New York). In the beginning of September, we moved into a lovely little house in Saltsjö-Boo, Nacka.
It’s a huge contrast from our flat in London. Maybe not the space that much (they are both very nice), but the surroundings and the peacefulness. Time rolls slower in Saltsjö-Boo compared to Hackney.
Imola is absolutely loving it. She’s outside most of the time and brings in all sorts of things from the surroundings. Twice (so far) i’ve needed to save small animals from Imola’s playful paws.
The Job
It’s way to early to tell how well I will adapt to the working life in Sweden. I’m still crossing hurdles as I go and ironing out and accepting the differences. I’m also still a bit undecided what I would like to focus on and what part I would like to develop and change / not change from my working life in London. Generally the roles and responsibilities in Sweden seem much more divided. So being a bit of a hybrid makes the work situation a bit more tricky. One company I met up with even had a problem to work out what sister company to place me in… let alone department or title. They had divided production, strategy, interactive design into different companies.
I’m currently working on a project at a company called Doberman. Doberman got nominated as the best workplace in Sweden 2007 by Alecta and have for the last five years been selected as one of the top three interactive agencies in Sweden by the industry magazine Resumé. So, without a doubt, it’s a good place to be. I also have plenty of good friends working here, among two old POKE’rs — Henrik Engdahl and Patrik Berg and some other really good and nice people. So don’t get me wrong — I’m enjoying it at the moment. It’s just that i don’t run smooth on all cylinders, yet.
Collage of photos from the Doberman office. Photos captured by Daniel Källbom
In the beginning of December Willow and I will be flying out to New Zealand to celebrate Christmas and New Years with Willows parents. My parents will also join us. Beside holiday celebrations, Willow and I are doing two longer walks.
I have told myself that after that break I will make a more active decision and commitment when it comes to my job situation in Stockholm.
If you want to see some photos of the trip, the house etc, head over to Willow’s flickr photostream.
wooohoooo – i love your car nico!!!!! its lovely!
i want one!!!!
hope you and willow are well and it looks like it!!!
here are some more car pics from italy…http://oldparrshead.blogspot.com/2008/08/cool-little-cars-take-by-vicky-plush.html
Hello Dickon! Yes; she’s very lovely! You should get one ;) I saw the photos on your blog after have driven Bibi from London to Stockholm. Thought it was quite a funny coincident.
Hej Nico. Varför sitter ratten på vänster sida?
TJENA HENRIK!! ;)
Trevligt.
Bibi importerades till England fran Italien ‘73. Sa bilen ar Italiensk och dar av har den ratten pa vanster sida.
Ah. Tjusigt.
Tack för musiktipsen förresten, ska absolut kolla in Hellsongs. Om du har tid o ork kan du kolla Woven hand. Har snöat in på dem totalt och ska se dem i malmö nästa månad. Oil on panel, Whistling girl och Kicking bird tycker jag är bra highlights. Tror du skulle gilla dem.
Hej Niko, du känner inte mig, men jag och min familj bor i London och vill bila till sverige i sommar, vad är den bästa vägen? Bodde ni över någonstans på vägen? Vi har en hund med oss, ser du hade en katt, fanns det ställen att övernatta med djur?? Hur lång tid tog det er? Förlåt för alla frågor!
Hej Philippa,
hur snabbt och smidigt det går beror nog lite på vad ni är ute efter. Vill ni bara komma over så snabbt som möjligt eller vill ni ha en trelivg bilsemester. Sen har våran bil en ca 30 hästkrafter och en tophastighet på just över 100km/h, så er resa kommer nog att gå lite snabbare ;)
Vi bokade inte några hotell innan vi åkte. Bara tåg till Frankrike och båt från Danmark. Vi bokade alla hotell längst vägen (detta eftersom vi inte riktigt visste hur det skulle ga med bilen) och ingen nekade oss p.g.a katten. Ingen av ställerna vi stannade var väll speciella och något jag skulle rekommendera över något annat.
Detta är vägen vi körde (obs Google länken vissar inte rätt). Vi stannade i Eindhoven (Netherlands), Flensburg (Tyskland) och Frederikshavn (Danmark). Mitt tips skulle vara att hålla er borta från motorvägar, ta det lugnt, stanna ofta och hoppas på gått väder! Skulle jag köra det igen med Bibi skulle jag tillåta två dagar till (men då kanske lämna katten hemma ;)). Hope it helps.