I don’t know if I should call this My Saab Story or Adventures in Babysitting. It goes a little like this….. Tuesday morning we got up at 04:30 to make sure Jamie was up and ready for work (he was riding with a friend and then staying at their house while we were gone) and then finished packing ourselves. We waited until 08:30 and the guy that was supposed to watch the youngest 3 was still not there. So, we quickly packed up the kids and were just about to head out the door when he showed – a half an hour late. Got to the Weil der Stadt train station and hopped the train to the Stuttguart Haputbahnhof (main train station). We had to walk about half way across the station to get to our ICE train (about the length of a concourse at the airport). When we got on the ICE there was a German lady sitting in one of our seats. We had to show her our tickets and at first her reply was, “Are you getting off in one stop or two?” - AS IF IT MATTERED!! We told her two. At this she got out of our reserved seats and sat in someone else’s. The trip was uneventful, until they announced that the train was running 8 minutes late. This was of great concern to us because we only had 5 minutes to change trains. Thankfully they made up the lost time (by going in excess of 300 km/hr!!!) and we made our change without any further incident. The second ICE ended up running 35 minutes late because there was a fire in the brush beside the tracks – in the train yard no less! – and the trains had to take turns on one of the tracks furthest from the fire. Next stop was the Kiel Hauptbahnhof and a “two block walk” to the ferry. However… The two blocks were big down town city blocks and we had luggage. We made it to the ferry and found our cabin was on deck 6, just one deck down. Since we were so tired from schlepping the luggage we hopped on the elevator and pressed 6. But, we went to the 5th deck. So, we tried again. Press 6. Feel upwards movement. Go to deck 7. ????? We got off the elevator and asked why we were having this problem. The Stena Line lady just pointed to the stairs. So… down the stairs and ½ way across the ship we went. The cabin was ‘cute’ in a playhouse sort of way. We had 2 beds (actually there were 4, but the top 2 were folded up), and a private bath. The bath was very small, a stall shower a commode and a sink, with very little room to move around in – kind of like some trailer bathrooms. Dinner that night was a Swedish Smorgasbord and breakfast the next morning was also. Upon arriving in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden we carried our luggage back ½ way across the ship, up the stairs, down the gangplank, through the terminal, and down the stairs to the parking lot to meet someone from Saab. But… There was no one there. I left Ted and the luggage down stairs and went to the ticket office to ask if they knew if there was some place special we were to meet. The agent said she would call Saab and see if they had forgotten about us because “they do that sometimes”. !?!?!?! She called, and sure enough they forgot us – all that money for a custom car and they forgot!?! So, we had to schlep the luggage back up the stairs and wait for 30 minutes for a taxi (our friends who bought a Volvo 2 years ago got a limo ride!!!). But, hey, it was a Saab taxi. The taxi driver wasn’t sure where to go and spent a good deal of time talking on his cell phone while driving – make that speeding – to Trollhatten. When we got to the city, he went right past all the signs for the Saab plant and pulled up in a Saab dealership. We asked him if he was sure this was the correct place because we were supposed to pick up the car at the factory and have a tour. The diver said to wait a minute and he’d go in and see. When he came out a salesman was with him and they started taking our luggage out of the car. Apparently in the summer (anywhere from mid-June to mid-August depending on their schedule) the Saab plant shuts down for 6 weeks for holiday. So we didn’t get to go on the plant tour, but they did let us go to the Saab Museum for free (oh, boy!). We finished all the paperwork, got in the car and drove to our hotel. At one time the hotel - The Ronnums-Herrgard in Vargön, Sweden- was a private residence (and later added on to to make it into the hotel). While the hotel was small, the room was quite nice and the smallness of the hotel gave it more of a homey feel. We were looking around in the lobby and noticed several pictures and letters to the hotel. One of the letters was from Lauren Bacall and the other from Nicole Kidman, both of whom stayed at the hotel while filming “Dogtown” (not to be confused with “The Boys of Dogtown”). Of course, I’m sure they both had the private (read much more expensive!) rooms that were more like small houses than hotel rooms. All the same, I can now claim to have stayed in the same hotel as two movie stars. After unpacking, sending some e-mail to let all know we had arrived and now possessed our new car, and “refreshing” – taking an hour nap – we went down to supper. This was the first positive experience of the trip (for me this was all about the vacation, not the car!). We ordered the “special” and got…. Three different types of home made bread with four different spreads. Of course Ted and I had to try all 3 breads and all four spreads. Spread 1 – fresh churned butter Spread 2 – fresh churned butter sweetened with red wine Spread 3 – fresh churned butter with honey Spread 4 – finely chopped olives with olive oil and salt (tapenade) My favorite was actually the olives, and I don’t usually like olives! An appetizer of Foie Gras (yes, goose liver pate), and one uncooked lima bean with red wine reduction sauce (the pate was 1” x ½” x ½”). Surprisingly, I actually liked it – especially the sauce. A salad of smoked clams, fresh lettuce mix (some of the leaves I have never seen before), and a vinaigrette dressing. The main course was a HUGE beef steak (about 5” x 4” x 2”) cut in half on the diagonal and cooked to perfection, with a steak sauce/gravy, “potato pancake” (Which was actually a large baked potato with both ends cut off and hollowed out. This was filled with a mixture of cream cheese, green onion, bacon, and something to make it a deep orangey-red color.), and sautéed mixed veggies (carrots, zucchini, asparagus, yellow squash, snow peas, and broccoli). Dessert was chocolate mousse with chocolate espresso cream and seaberry (a very yummy local fruit) sorbet. In the true European tradition, we took 3 hours to eat this meal. Doing so didn’t make me feel like I had overate, which I did, but it was all so incredibly delicious I couldn’t resist. The next day after a buffet breakfast (won’t describe it, but it too was HUGE), we packed up, paid our bill and set off for a little sight seeing in Trollhatten before having to get back on the ferry. All weather predictions for the area were “high near 70 and lows in the lower 50’s”. So, I packed slacks and long sleeve shirts (2 being turtle-necks) and a couple of short-sleeve shirts ‘just in case’. Once again the weathermen were wrong. I was about 85-90 and I was in a turtle neck because the morning had started out quite cool (thankfully it was white). We decided the place we wanted to see first were the locks. A little walking around got us to the Canal Museum and from there we walked around the better part of all three lock systems and were treated to the opening of one of the old locks that dates back to 1800. In the new locks we watched several boats going both up and down the system. At one point there were so many sailboats and one large passenger tour boat that we thought there was going to be a stau. After the locks we went to the Saab museum which wasn’t that bad, but still not as exciting as the plant tour would have been. I did learn that at one time Saab manufactured train engines, not cars. Around lunch time we stopped for a bite to eat and I can now say that I am addicted to a Swedish meal that is bread (either half of a baguette type roll or half of a bagel) slathered with mayonnaise, 2 wedges each of tomato and hard boiled egg, piled high with shrimp and topped with fresh dill. And then to buy a couple of short sleeved shirts for me – Ted had packed some shorts and short-sleeved shirts – so I wouldn’t roast for the remainder of the trip. By this time it was time to head back to the ferry for our trip home. Thank goodness! The trip home was much better. Ted had “won” a voucher (for over 250 Euros) for the Mariott in Cologne, Germany, so we stopped there for one night. With the voucher we were able to afford the Presidential Suite. When you walk in the door there was a bench and wardrobe to your left. Just past this was a half bath. To your right was a door leading to the sleeping area. In the center of this room was a glass table with seating for 6 (8 if you put chairs on the ends) and a small floor cabinet with a 52” TV on it. On either side of the cabinet were doorways (but no doors! – Germans have doors EVERYWHERE!!!) to the living room. The living room had another cabinet and TV, a couch, loveseat, chair, and coffee table. On the back wall was the door to our own private terrace (about double the size of Dad and Kathy’s wooden deck) complete with 2 lounge chairs a wicker couch 2 wicker chairs, and a wicker coffee table. To the right of the door to the terrace was a desk. Going into the sleeping area to the right there were 2 wardrobes and a display cabinet with mini-bar. The bed was king size (of course what else would the President have!) with a night stand on either side and 2 chairs and a small round table to the left of the bed. On the wall opposite the bed was yet another cabinet and TV and the glass pocket door to the bathroom. The bathroom featured a 2-holer sink and counter, a built in shelf for all the extra towels and 2 robes and slippers. We also had a whirlpool tub and a shower with swinging glass doors that was large enough for about 4 people! And of course your standard commode and a bidet. While someone parked our car and we were waiting on our luggage to be brought up, they delivered a tray of fresh fruit (strawberries, banana, apple, pear, grapes, and kiwi fruit). After our snack, we “freshened up” and went to the Executive lounge for our complimentary hors d’oeuvers and then down to the French restaurant for supper. At the Fou (means Crazy in French) there was a young man peddling a bicycle with a young woman in the front basket, a young man playing an old upright piano, and the servers sang a song for the guests. Ted had been “nagging” me for not being adventurous and trying new foods, so I ordered the rack of lamb with Dijon sauce. Once again we were given fresh bread before the meal (only this time with just fresh butter). The lamb came with fresh spinach cooked with a creamy cheese sauce and French country potatoes think Au Gratian only much better). All this was washed down with champagne - we were only “driving” the elevator. Next stop home! Upon arriving home, we found the Maj.’s oldest (13 years old) and Jamie home alone. The rest of the gang (this included a “friend of the family” who we had no idea was staying at our house for the week until we got home) had gone swimming. The dining room was decorated in Strawberry Shortcake for the Maj.’s daughter’s birthday party that they were apparently having at my house. The rest of the house looked like a hurricane/tornado had struck. I was asked for a list of house rules before we left and NOT ONE was adhered to. AND while making the birthday cake they apparently had had a cake batter fight in the kitchen (there was still chocolate batter in places that I have no idea how they managed to get it there.) When all the swimmers got back I discovered that not only had they (6 kids and 2 adults in a 7 passenger Durango) been eating in my vehicle, but the food was ground into the carpet and upholstery, there were empty popsicle papers and sticks stuck to things, and empty and partially empty soda cans rolling around on the floor. Two days before we had left Jamie spent a couple of hours washing it inside and out for their use while we were gone. When he saw the condition of the Durango he was livid! But that is not the worst of it…. Apparently my children were allowed (if not encouraged) to stay up late so that the Maj. could drink and then sleep it off the next morning because the children were all too tired to get up at a decent hour. They were fed a very late breakfast (cereal and juice) and then they had a big lunch type meal around dinner time. They were allowed to eat where ever they wanted to – this was evidenced by food crumbs etc. in every room of the house. And when they were taken to Legoland (we knew this was going to happen) they some how LOST Teddy (my 6 year old). Thankfully a nice German couple took him to the lost and found where he waited while the others looked for him. BUT… they didn’t do this as a group. OH NO, the Maj. decided that they should go in twos to search the park for him. The other children (the Maj. was the only adult) were ages 13, 10, 10, almost 10, 8, and 7. None of these children (in my opinion) should have been left to wander the park by themselves!!! Luckily for the Maj., I did not learn about this incident until about a week after we got back. Had I been told about this when we were having the birthday party for his daughter, I do not think I could have held my tongue. With all that we went through in only 5 days and 4 nights, Ted and I have decided that we will take the children with us or not go. If you want to see pix of our trip go to http://s95.photobucket.com/albums/l155/travelinmama/ | 
