Landing in Sweden
If you've ever wondered what it's like to be in one of those "hurricane hunter" aircraft that NOAA flies, give me a call sometime and I'll tell you all about it. Yesterday, I was in a 737 that flew through a hurricane. The winds on the bridge to Oslo yesterday were clocked at just over 98 miles per hour (85 knots) - a category two hurricane. It's very rare for the storms up here to bring that much wind, so I guess we were just lucky.
Our pilot tried to land in Goteburg (I've seen 4 different spellings for the name of this city and I still don't know which one is right). About 1000 feet up, he aborted the landing. We were all being tossed around in the plane like popcorn, so we were just fine with the idea of finding another airport. The pilot did not know the conditions on the ground at the airport (GOT) because the winds were so strong they destroyed the weather equipment at the airport (and also caused a blackout).
So we landed in Oslo in conditions that were better, but not by much. We all clapped when the wheels touched down, and the pilot himself was a bit shook up over things, but we were all fine. It was an experience, that's for sure. Upon learning more from locals and the news once we arrived in Goteburg (they bussed us - 5 hours), it really was a serious weather event. The bridge to Copenhagen was closed. All trains and ferries on the west coast of Sweden were cancelled. There was a rock-slide on one of the coastal highways from all the rain. Trees fell on cars. It was pretty bad. Here is a news article about it.
Now that we're here though, I love it. The flight in (minus the last leg) was wonderful. The service on Northwest was fantastic - French wines, fresh fruits, beef with carmelized onions and mushrooms. The flight over from Amsterdam to Sweden was beautiful. The coast of the North sea is really impressive. The landscape of Sweden looks a lot like the boundary waters area of Northern Minnesota. Lush, dense pine forests, tons of lakes, and the lakes are all a slate/dark gray.
So far I've had fresh seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I plan to eat it until I get sick of it, which won't be anytime soon. Lunch today was a cod fillet stuffed with mushrooms and spinach, topped with a lemon/cream gravy. This plus dill potatoes, pasta salad, and all the dessert you care to eat cost $15.
The EDS offices here in Sweden are straight out of an IKEA store. Beautiful pinewood everywhere. Tons of natural light, ergonomic chairs. They've given us one of their conference rooms for the three of us to work in this week. People here have been exceptionally friendly to us, and everyone we've met so far speaks very good English. Further bulletins as events warrant.
Our pilot tried to land in Goteburg (I've seen 4 different spellings for the name of this city and I still don't know which one is right). About 1000 feet up, he aborted the landing. We were all being tossed around in the plane like popcorn, so we were just fine with the idea of finding another airport. The pilot did not know the conditions on the ground at the airport (GOT) because the winds were so strong they destroyed the weather equipment at the airport (and also caused a blackout).
So we landed in Oslo in conditions that were better, but not by much. We all clapped when the wheels touched down, and the pilot himself was a bit shook up over things, but we were all fine. It was an experience, that's for sure. Upon learning more from locals and the news once we arrived in Goteburg (they bussed us - 5 hours), it really was a serious weather event. The bridge to Copenhagen was closed. All trains and ferries on the west coast of Sweden were cancelled. There was a rock-slide on one of the coastal highways from all the rain. Trees fell on cars. It was pretty bad. Here is a news article about it.
Now that we're here though, I love it. The flight in (minus the last leg) was wonderful. The service on Northwest was fantastic - French wines, fresh fruits, beef with carmelized onions and mushrooms. The flight over from Amsterdam to Sweden was beautiful. The coast of the North sea is really impressive. The landscape of Sweden looks a lot like the boundary waters area of Northern Minnesota. Lush, dense pine forests, tons of lakes, and the lakes are all a slate/dark gray.
So far I've had fresh seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I plan to eat it until I get sick of it, which won't be anytime soon. Lunch today was a cod fillet stuffed with mushrooms and spinach, topped with a lemon/cream gravy. This plus dill potatoes, pasta salad, and all the dessert you care to eat cost $15.
The EDS offices here in Sweden are straight out of an IKEA store. Beautiful pinewood everywhere. Tons of natural light, ergonomic chairs. They've given us one of their conference rooms for the three of us to work in this week. People here have been exceptionally friendly to us, and everyone we've met so far speaks very good English. Further bulletins as events warrant.
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