Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Tuesday 20th of June
14.44 It is a hot summer day. I am currently sitting at the Örnsköldsvik travel center. Soon I will start my part of this year's summer trip. Christer is doing his last day of work before thw summer vacation today and has not yet started his trip.
15.10 I have boarded SJ's express train 585, car 3 and seat 37. The first of many partial journeys is now underway. At the end of last year's trip, I expressed a desire for a long trip outside of Europe. Am I able to go from words to action? We'll see.
16.07 So far, I'm doing this with the travel without any worries. If everything continues as it has done so far, it will be smooth.
17.03 My train has arrived at Christer's place of residence, Sundsvall. He will travel from here as well. However, it is not happening now because he worked his last day of work today. In about two hours his train leaves. We will meet in Uppsala. Our trains do not stop at Arlanda Airport, we have to rely on Mälartåg to take us the last stretch to the airport. The reason for this is a derailment on May 27th and ongoing repair work due to it.
17.16 Now Christer also has summer vacation. He is at home to pack the last things and to eat.
19.12 The train with number 585 is a little delayed between Söderhamn and Gävle. Christer's train has just left Sundsvall.
22.27 We have arrived at Arlanda Airport and made our way up from the underground railway station. Our minibus departs from stop 12 outside Terminal 4 and will take us to our hotel free of charge. In the football, Austria scored two goals against Sweden at the end of the match. It went better for Sweden when it was ice hockey.
Wednesday 21st of June
Peter starts his journey in Örnsköldsvik.
Arrival in Uppsala.
Mälartåg takes us from Uppsala to Arlanda.
We have been transported to the hotel Good Morning Arlanda.
The first hotel room of the trip.
04.10 It's super early, but we're already awake. Our last night in Sweden has been short. I have just washed off the dust of the night and a little else.
05.02 A good start to a travel day is to have a good breakfast. We received this today here at the hotel. Now the teeth must be brushed before we return to check-in and the next gate. 05.31 It is June and bright early in the day. The sun shines between veils of clouds. We have loaded our backpacks and got into the connecting shuttle that will take us to Terminal 4. 06.01 We disembarked at Terminal 4 and walked the short distance to Terminal 2 where it turned out that our check-in counter was right in front of us. Now we have lined up to show the boarding passes and drop off our backpacks. 06.31 It's so slow to get to the check-in desk. In fact, the queue does not move at all. What is slowing it down further ahead?
We got up at four o'clock but it's not dark.
Christer eats an early hotel breakfast.
We are on board the first flight of the trip.
07.08 After even more waiting, we changed queues and will hopefully be able to drop off our luggage soon.
07.26 British Airways Airbus A320 has let us on board. There was no waiting at the gate today. Lucky we are "only" going to London. 07.34 After we have taken off we have switched to British time. Healthy snacks and water have been served. All is peace and joy on board.TIME ZONE CHANGE
09.12 The weather is clear and we have a nice view from our aircraft. We left the North Sea and flew in over English soil at the Thames Estuary and Essex. Then we looked down at some football stadiums, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Charlton Athletic's home The Valley. 09.26 We continue to fly over the London area and are heading down towards Heathrow. Down there we see the grass tennis courts of Wimbledon and a rugby field. 09.36 The plane has landed and in the usual disorder some of the passengers have got up and started to take down their luggage before the plane stopped. They continue despite announcements over loudspeakers and by cabin crew.UNITED KINGDOM
10.01 The automatic passport control went just fine. Now we are inside the UK and we are waiting at baggage claim, belt 4.
10.22 The progress continues. Both of us got our backpacks and the customs didn't want to look at our belongings. Now I sit on backpack watch while Christer looks for food here in Terminal 5. 11.11 Lunch, or whatever meal we eat, will be da capo from last year. We are back at a café in the Costa Coffee chain. Hot coffee and sausage sandwiches are to be consumed. It was easier to order than to find somewhere to sit but we found a free seat next to some African ladies. 11.51 Now it's time to throw away the rubbish and get a ticket for the underground train.
We fly in over Essex.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
River Thames.
12.25 It went well to buy tickets in a machine. Finding the Piccadilly Line was worse. We found the descent to the Elizabeth Line and the Heathrow Line. After some wandering we found the right way. There were no above ground signs pointing to the Piccadilly line.
12.40 Our journey ended at Hounslow Central station. The time has come to find our British home. Here in the district of Hounslow in West London, the singer of Deep Purple, Ian Gillan, was born. 13.01 In room 109 at the Civic Hotel (https://www.civichotel.co.uk) we will stay one night while waiting for our next flight in about a day. The room is small but it is ours. When we booked our trip, we were actually supposed to arrive here late in the evening, but British Airways chose to change the time of our flight from evening to morning. This gives us a full day here in Hounslow. What do we fill it with? 14.24 We are still in the room watching ITV's broadcast of the horse races in Ascot. There are very nice people there in various suspicious hats. 14.36 The race that we and the hat wearers covered was won by number 9, Crimson Advocate. 15.35 Enough with TV. We intend to go out and explore Hounslow. We'll see what's on offer. It's not a place that usually attracts tourists right away.
We continue with the tradition of eating sausage sandwiches at Costa Coffee.
We'll go there eventually.
We got off the tube at Hounslow Central.
Lampton Road, Hounslow.
Civic Hotel, Hounslow.
Running tracks in Lampton Park.
16.10 After we have bought an Oasis drink each and baguettes at Greggs, we will now just go to a park. Shopping at Greggs is a tradition from last summer's English trip. It's a perfect snack at a reasonable price. We have also seen a Romanian car from Oradea, a city we visited on the Easter trip earlier this year. It was a city where a lot was rebuilt.
16.57 It wasn't easy going to the park as we thought. Due to construction works, it was a real detour for us. Once inside Lampton Park, there were no benches, just a large grassy area. At least now we have found a bench with a memorial plaque for Major Benjamin Toneldon Jr 14/5 1935-26/4 2005. Here we consume our snacks. 17.52 A stream of airplanes from different companies glides through the air corridor above us. There are also squirrels in the park. Here it is peaceful to sit and enjoy life. 18.32 In addition to watching airplanes and squirrels, we read a number of pages in the books we brought with us. Now, however, we are back at home in the hotel room. 19.58 It's almost time to go out to look for tonight's dinner restaurant. 20.43 As a connection and a transition from the previously mentioned Easter trip, we have decided to visit Restaurant Carpatica, a Romanian restaurant on Bath Road. Dishes have been ordered and two Ursus, Romanian beers, have been served.
Christer in Lampton Park.
Peter is watching airplanes.
Airplane heading for Heathrow.
Peter is waiting for dinner.
Christer at Restaurant Carpatica.
Evening at the Civic Hotel.
21.12 It was really good food and most likely the last Romanian meal for a while. Now we just have to buy our breakfast for tomorrow. There is no such thing at the hotel.
21.24 Life is full of choices. Tonight we needed to choose where to buy breakfast and drinks. We could choose between ALDI, Lidl and some smaller stores. We chose Lidl. 22.21 We didn't find everything we wanted at Lidl, above all no ready-made sandwiches, and the self-scan didn't flow quite OK. I prefer a real cashier! At least we got something edible, but we probably need to stock up on more nutrition at Heathrow tomorrow. It was easier to get home and also to wash up the day's clothes. The next step will be the online check-in for Thursday's flight to the United States. 22.34 The only one we have managed to check in so far is Christer. It's a hassle when it comes to my check-in. 23.15 Now both are checked in and have seats on tomorrow's plane. However, we have to sit in different rows, but we probably won't lose each other in the air.
Thursday 22nd of June
08.43 We want to say a big thank you to our table fan. It has kept the night air tolerable in this room. The shower is interesting. It offered minimal, fine-grained droplets. Good thing the nozzle is adjustable.
09.27 Via Christer's mobile phone we have been listening to P4 Radio Västernorrland. A little has been reported there about midsummer and folk costumes. While we were listening, we were wating our Lidl breakfast here in the room. 10.05 Soon it is time to check out and return to Heathrow via the underground. Is it today that our journey really begins? 10.27 We are back at Hounslow Central station. The ticket machine did not leave change when we were paying. 10.55 Christer and I have arrived at Heathrow's terminal 5. Here we have taken the escalator to the arrivals. There we changed to an elevator to the floor for departures. It first went down back to the underground station before turning around and going straight. Now we are sitting and waiting to check in. 11.37 There is a manned check-in desk for our flight. The others are based on baggage drop and self-printed boarding passes. We go and try to get boarding passes in a machine. 11.45 It went well to scan the passports and get our boarding passes. On the plane, we have to sit diagonally next to each other with an aisle between us. 12.03 Pretty soon it's time to drop off our backpacks. How are the tags arranged? Who arranges them and gets them in place?
Time to check in at Heathrow.
Waiting at Heathrow Airport.
We are waiting for gate information.
Christer on board the plane that takes us across the Atlantic.
Outside Terminal A at Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport.
We got off the free bus from the airport.
12.38 With the help of staff, the backpacks were tagged. We also received a paper baggage claim. Now after the security check, we think about what to do next.
13.36 It is not easy to eat at today's airports. The range is small and where it is possible to eat there are no available tables. We just had a simple snack from the WH Smith kiosk. Christer who bought two triangle sandwiches received a small bag of crisps with the purchase due to a special offer. Now we await information about our street number. 13.53 The question now is whether there will be a connecting train to terminal B or C. We are waiting for an announcement. 14.16 There will be no train at all. We are already in the right terminal, A. We are now at gate 10. 14.33 Inside gate 10B, we and the other passengers are waiting for the bus that will take us to the plane. Outside 10B, the bus is waiting for us.' 14.54 The bus is now boarded. Soon we will leave for today's long flight. 15.12 British Airways Boeing 787 with destination San José in California, USA is almost ready to fly. It's time for us to change to California time, eight hours back. It is our strategy to adapt to the time we are going to. It is the time where we are going that gets to guide us. We are sitting in seats 39H and 40F.TIME ZONE CHANGE
08.29 We are in the air and on our way. The journey was bumpy, turbulent and/or windy. There was a lot of turbulence. Below us right now we have Bolton. 09.03 Now it's starting to look good. At 37,999 feet/11,582 meters I enjoy a GT (gin & tonic) made with Schweppes Tonic and Tangueray gin. It is a favorite of the flight attendant who served me. 09.14 The flight attendant has good taste. It was clearly a good gin. Now I sit with a small bottle of wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Valley from Casa Saulita and await the hot dish. 10.26 The wine went well with the chicken dish that was served. Good accessories for the bird made the taste better. Is there coffee with avec? Estimated landing is in 4332 miles at 6:20 p.m. 10.55 Sure enough, I got black coffee and Johnnie Walker Red Label next to it. At an altitude of 39,006 feet/11,889 meters, we are on our way over Greenland. 12.02 We climb further and I will look for a film or some music. 13.28 It was over an hour long concert with my favourites Deep Purple. Our plane has reached North America and is flying over Repulse Bay in northern Canada. Just under five hours left of the flight. Everything still feels good.
Peter is on his way to the first American home.
We will stay here for two nights.
We stay in a classic American motel.
15.23 Far down there is Fort McMurray in Canada. Three hours of flight time remain. The cabin is quiet and peaceful.
16.01 High above Calgary, we creep towards the American border. When do I get tired? Is there anything else being served before we land?17.35 Yes, there was a little more eating and drinking here on board. Within an hour we will hopefully have landed in the US. We have been up to 46668 feet/14224 meters altitude. I've never been that high up before.
18.21 It was a calm and soft landing, perfectly on time. Now we are moving towards the terminal here in San José, a little south of San Francisco. Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport is the name of the airport that will soon embrace us.UNITED STATES
19.26 At this airport there is no automatic scanning of passports. Queuing at the passport police took time. However, the time there itself went smoothly for me. I didn't need to scan the fingertips. Christer, on the other hand, had to do it and it took some time to get the device to recognize his fingers.
19.50 There are at least two terminals here at the airport but not many places that offer any kind of food. After passport control and customs, we only came to a door and a few benches with a drink machine next to it. We have connected ourselves online and are reading the latest news. The wreckage of the mini-submarine Titan has been found, wrecked near the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic. It has apparently imploded. 20.04 We took a walk from Terminal A to Terminal B in search of a place to eat but had to give up. Apparently one is not expected to eat on arrival, only on departure. 20.15 At the small kiosk Euro Café we found what we were looking for, something that can be eaten. However, it was ridiculously expensive, close to SEK 300 for some soft drinks, sweets and bread. Now we will take the bus from the VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) to get closer to the accommodation. In any case, it is free if you step on it at the airport. 20.42 We got off the bus at a light rail station on North First Street and walked the last stretch just as the sun decided to stop shining for the day. At EZ 8 Motel (https://www.ez8motelsanjose.com) we found only a closed reception and a note saying, at lunch, back 9pm. It was a late lunch! 20.57 A bearded gentleman who parked a car registered in South Dakota joined us and had the same business, to find some staff at the reception. 21.24 Staff appeared after a while and we were allowed to check in. However, we were not allowed to enter the reception, only to talk through the "night window". Lucky we paid in advance. It was difficult to communicate through a small gap. Once inside room 132, I discovered that there was detergent scattered inside the backpack. The glass jar with detergent that has been there for many years has now finished traveling. But at least it smells good in the backpack. The motel we are staying at feels like something taken from a movie. It is not top accommodation and internet connection costs extra. As usual, accomodation in the United States is insanely expensive, so you have to take what is offered at a reasonable price level. 22.39 It's nice to have a bed. Now we will finally get some sleep and hopefully the bodies will adapt to the new time zone.
Friday 23rd of June
07.41 Happy Midsummer! Today it is Midsummer's Eve, but we don't notice that very much here in California. We have slept well and for a long time. Hopefully, we are adapted to this time zone. I just took a dip in the room's small bathtub. Today we will get to know San José and then we will see. San José with its Spanish name was founded back in 1777. It is the largest city in Silicon Valley. 930,862 inhabitants live in the city. Some companies that have their headquarters here include Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems and Ebay. The city is also known for its successful ice hockey team, the NHL team San José Sharks which was formed in 1991.
08.38 A coffee-free bedside breakfast is finished. The expensive purchases from Euro Café are consumed. We are considering whether we´ll walk or take the tram to the central parts of the city. 09.24 On the third attempt, a car started outside our room. Despite repeated attempts in here, we have not been allowed to buy surfing time. It is stated that the address information we provided is not correct. It would have been good if we had an internet connection and could navigate the way we are going today. We get to drive "old school" as we did during our first trips. 09.52 Shortly we start a walk towards downtown. It's sunny, beautiful weather and we feel energized to move our legs a bit. 10.20 We have started the walk along North First Street. Running parallel to the street is VTA's Light Rail where silent streetcars whiz past at regular intervals. 11.13 On our walk towards the center we have passed a number of Bail Bonds. It is a company that posts bail for convicts and also looks for those who have not returned in time. Now we are sitting in the shade on a bench in Saint James Park. The park is a hangout for a large number of homeless people and drug addicts but we found a secluded bench by a playground. The highlight of sitting here, however, is that we found a WiFi network that we can use for free. It is time to update the world around us that we are alive and where we are.
A morning in a motel room.
We leave the motel to discover San José.
Saint James Park, San Jose.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, San Jose.
San José - downtown.
Christer with an unknown twin at Starbucks.
11.45 What's a trip without a stop for coffee at Starbucks? This stop is made on 5th Street, near San José City Hall. We have chosen to sit outside. Now we begin to enjoy the holiday in earnest.
11.52 When I was waiting to get the code for the toilet, a small dog (pug) came and licked my right calf. A transvestite member of staff punched in the code and let me in. How lucky it wasn't the other way around. 12.54 At the intersection of San Fernando Street and Market Street, we have looked at the city's Catholic cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph. It is not a European class cathedral but a cathedral nonetheless. 13.02 In a fountain some distance away, a girl plays with her soccer ball. On the pavement in front of us are fallen, purple leaves. What tree could they be from? We are in the heart of the city, in the Plaza de César Chávez. Nearby there are expensive hotels in the form of Hilton and Sheraton. 13.50 When we left the park and got to see the cathedral again from another side, we got to see a wedding couple. Now we are on our way on foot towards a long awaited meal. 14.29 After a longer walk, it's time again to enjoy a burger each at Carl's Jr (https://www.carlsjr.com). Their superb burger saved us on the visit to Los Angeles four years ago. Hope it will be just as good this time. We are in an area with shops and restaurants along Coleman Avenue. 14.48 Our confidence in Carl's Jr continues. It was once again well prepared and tasty. In addition, it was good service and a quiet environment. Now it's a walk back to the center and then a tram ride back to the motel.
San José City Hall.
VTA Light Rail, a convenient means of transport.
Art in downtown San José.
San José Museum of Art.
A squirrel is watching us.
Bench break, Plaza de César Chávez.
15.18 After crossing the Guadalupe River, we have reached the neighborhood of Little Italy. It's not too big but a few Italian restaurants fit here. We take a bench break in the shade before continuing.
15.49 So we are back at the Plaza de César Chávez. It's time to look for some useful information. 16.12 Now we have been to a ticket machine and bought a Clipper card each and filled them up with 5 dollars per card. That's enough for two journeys with a transfer. Should they be tapped before boarding or? 16.16 The card should be tapped to a small post, not on the sticker but on a small display. 16.32 It's time to take the light rail along the blue line. We leave the center and go north from the San Antonio station. 16.56 We got off at Gish station and bought drinks at 7-Eleven. Now we are at home in a pristine, untidy room. After the pandemic, there are always various excuses for not cleaning guests' rooms. Before it was the coronavirus, now for environmental reasons. It's time to take it easy and think about how we'll spend the evening. The dogs are barking out there. 17.36 We watch TV. CNN and Anderson Cooper take a closer look at the wrecked mini-submarine Titan.
A fountain in the park, nice on a hot day.
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph.
Christer visits Carl's Jr.
Little Italy in San José.
Art outside Hotel De Anza.
We chose a faster option to get back to our motel.
17.53 More information reaches us from CNN. A Russian paramilitary group fighting for Russia in Ukraine has apparently turned around and marched into Russia's Rostov region.
19.27 More information from CNN. It is the Wagner group under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin who reportedly started moving out of Ukraine and into Russia. We too will soon find our way out and away from the room. We had some thoughts of going to Starbucks or some restaurant tonight but Starbucks closes early and it's a long way to any decent restaurant. We find another solution. 20.30 There was another visit to 7-Eleven. There we bought something for tonight and for breakfast tomorrow. There will be no real dinner tonight. We are still quite full after the burger meal at Carl's Jr. Now Christer has started the room's AC. It was a significant change of air. 20.33 Breaking news, this time it's not from CNN. Our friend Roberth has started this year's bicycle adventure a quarter of an hour ago, 05:25, Swedish time. He started in Jäderfors outside Sandviken. 21.53 It has been a literary evening in the room. We have read our books and enjoyed drinks with snacks. 22.53 San José was a good start to our North American trip. It's nice but not too much to see. Tomorrow we´ll continue traveling here in the United States.
You can see 12 photos from June 20 in this photoalbum.
You can see 46 photos from June 21 in this photoalbum.
You can see 15 photos from June 22 in this photoalbum.
You can see 58 photos from June 23 in this photoalbum.