Sweden is a small, gorgeous kingdom crowed with shimming archipelagos and filled with some of the most beautiful and friendly people in the world. I have always admired this country, but after last night, I am madly, deeply in love with it. On my final night I was treated to a star-studded affair. First, Liza and I went to dinner with Jeff, a friend of mine from Stanford, and then she surprised me with a night brimming with Counts and Countesses, celebrities and society. 

(Here is a side note: If you have spent any time on the Stanford campus, you would know the Wallenberg Hall. It is the massive building in the front of campus. Mr. Wallenberg lives in Stockholm and is a big supporter of Stanford.) So, back to my perfect night in Stockholm…..

We went back to Cuckoos, that fabulous restaurant owned by Nina von Krusenstierna, the Stockholm sweetheart and Russian nobility, (see my past blog). I had a tuna and scallop appetizer and a chicken noodle dish for my main meal. I think it was the first time I have eaten chicken in a while – I have bee eating lots of fish and pasta. After dinner, one of Liza’s close friends joined us and we said “farewell” to Jeff. The rest of the night was reserved for just us girls! Then, Liza swept us away to a private après hunt cocktail party teaming with the who’s who of Sweden. The ironic thing is, I did not really understand how special all these people were. I felt like a bushman walking into a party at Studio 54 – a room filled with gorgeous, glamorous Swedes and I have no idea who they are!

The night was magical, and because I was there 2 weeks before, I had a whole group of new friends greeting me. Liza said, “You are part of the group now.” We drank champagne, chatted about the past 2 weeks and laughed about all the fun we had during my visit.

I am really going to miss Sweden. I have made some wonderful friends here. It is going to be hard to drink champagne without Liza now. We have spent so many incredible nights chatting about life over bubbly.

My Icelandair flight leaves at 2 pm, I have a massage booked at 10 am and then I am fly back home. It is a long flight, but I am sitting in Saga Class, so that makes travel so much easier.

From rock stars to royalty, this trip as been incredible. I am sad to come home, but I look forward to kisses from my husband and cuddling with my kitty. 

P.S. I am home now and the morning I left, Liza met me at my hotel and gave me a stack of Swedish magazines and a block of yummo Swedish chocolate. She told me I can look at the pictures in the magazine and recognize some of the faces from last night. So, that is what I did. And there was a shot of the King of Sweden admiring a framed picture of the torpedo boat I rode on with my new friends. What a fabulous, magical trip!