So Much To Look Forward To
Hi Friends!
I’m at a cozy coffee shop on the mainland, enjoying a delicious fika. I’m going to spend a few hours editing footage and photos from yesterday’s adventure.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I drove to Varberg yesterday to look at a car I was interested in buying. It was a long day at the dealership, but I was so happy to work with such a genuine and helpful person, Claes. I was relieved to hear that they had a Hertz drop-off center in Varberg, so I didn’t have to drive back to Landvetter to return the rental car! The whole day went smoothly… until it came to payment.
I have a Swedish bank account from when I was a child, but because I haven’t lived in Sweden since 1999, my account was so old-fashioned that I needed a cheque book to make the payment. Today, Sweden is mostly cashless, and of course, cheque books aren’t common anymore. I was stuck with old restrictions and no way to access the money. At that point, I was stranded in Varberg, having already returned the rental car.
Today I went to the bank and, as you can imagine, I was very frustrated to learn that I wouldn’t have access to the money without this 1990s cheque book. I had to submit a request to close the old account, which will take six months.
I am so grateful to my Dad, who loaned me the money to buy the car. Now I have my car, which I will spend a long time with. I’ll take good care of it and already see it as part of the dream I am building here. I envision many photography and camping trips in my new SUV. I think my future dog will love it too. It’s the perfect size for long drives along the coast. My dream is to visit the national parks and fjords in Norway.
There is so much to look forward to, and I feel like a whole new door has opened now that I have allowed myself to dream again.
The lifestyle I want now requires a car. Gone are the days of relying on London public transport and being stuck in city traffic. Here’s to nature, the open road, and my new car whom I’ve named Snowflake.
Yesterday day ended with sushi to celebrate before a very dark and rainy three-hour drive up the West Coast to Smögen. My Swedish grandfather worked for Volvo his entire life, so it feels special to honor him by investing in a Volvo.
Speak to you soon!
Annika
