In Stockholm now after a 75-minute flight from Berlin on Saturday morning.

I bought a reasonably-priced ticket on Air Berlin which has struggled financially as it has grown to be a decent-sized carrier with some 10-thousand employees.  The base fare on my ticket was $51 but an array of fees and taxes brought the total to $162.75.

We pushed off the gate a full hour after the scheduled departure time of 825 AM.  The captain announced in both German and English that two passengers who checked luggage had failed to report to the flight.  He said it was “policy” in such an instance to remove the bags in question.  The workers responsible for loading (and in this case re-loading) bags on Air Berlin are outsourced through a massive third-party outfit of ground handling services called Globe Ground.

All but a few seats on board were full.  The all-coach cabin configuration made maximum use of space on the 737-800.  There was little space between seats front to back which is fine on such a short trip.

Flight attendants served German pretzels and a beverage after we leveled off.  “Sweet” or “salty,” they asked as it relates to the pretzel.

Back at the airport gate lounge, Air Berlin positioned a large newsstand offering a selection of free newspapers.  That was a nice touch.

On arrival in Stockholm’s Arlanda, I withdrew some Kronor from a bank machine and bought a bus ticket for the 45-minute ride to the city’s center.  There was no customs/passport inspection or inquisition on the way in.  I found this aspect a surprise but perhaps there’s some kind of open border deal between Germany and Sweden.

There are two competing airport bus companies.  Swebus and Flygbussarna.  Both charge the same one-way fare of 99 Kronor (6.6 K to the dollar).  I chose the Flygbussarna because they claim their buses run entirely on bio-fuel.  There’s also an express train but the cost of that is more than triple that of the bus.

My hotel (another Scandic property) is on a quiet street north of downtown.  The breakfast buffet is free and includes two varieties of pickled herring and caviar dispensed from what looks like a tube of toothpaste.  It takes two separate elevator rides with a long walk in between to reach my room on the ninth floor.  It only gets dark for a few hours this time of year.

I bought a 72-hour unlimited use public transit pass for 230 Kronor and have jumped around town quite a bit.  One of the subway (or U-Bahn) lines terminates at a station called “Morby centrum.”  There’s an umlaut over the o.

Lots of visitors converged on Stockholm Saturday for the royal wedding of Swedish princess Madeleine.  Young women moving about in groups wore tiaras and wedding veils adorned with small Swedish flags to celebrate the occasion.  I watched a bit of it on TV.  Coverage was extensive and the front pages of all the newspapers displayed at area newsstands today show the couple in various states of schmoochie pie.

I got lost on Sodermalm this afternoon as I tried to case a path to the rock club that will host the Babies show tonight.  Hopefully, I’ll find it when I go for real in a few hours.