msleo1977's Profile

Hm, my husband and I tried Airbnb for the first time in January, and it was quite interesting. The property pictures were electic and past guests were raving about this particular home, so we took a chance and booked a room. The home/room was on the chilly side and dusty, the bed was small, the kitchen was greasy with a non-working oven, we had no TV, and there was one bathroom to share with two other guests (not including the home owners). I think the rave reviews had more to do with the location of this home than the amenities/cleanliness this home had to offer. While we got more of a native's perspective staying in a residential neighborhood, it still felt a bit weird for us staying in a stranger's home. But the icing on the cake was when the home owner wrote that we were unusual guests (reserved), which was unfair as we spent most of the day exploring the city and rarely ran into the home owners. Basically, it depends on a person's personal choice. We tried it out, and we prefer a hotel with a kitchenette. You feel more comfortable having your own clean, functional space. And just because people rave about a particular space doesn't mean it's all it's cracked up to be.

@ SarahSnow -
The deo I used was L'occitane's L'occitan (purple label). It smelled fresh and protected against odors. I tried their Eau des Baux deo, and it was a complete waste of money. Since then I've been a bit apprehensive in trying their other deos for fear of wasting money on lousy products. This is the second product that L'occitane has discontinued...I loved their rice face lotion, and it's nowhere to be found. Quite annoying.

Hm, this sounds like it would smell nice, but does it really help with odor? My go-to deo was a L'occitaine product, but the product has been discontinued. Why??? Now it has been a trial-and-error mission in finding a replacement that won't irritate and darken my skin as well as protect against odor.

I'm surprised that there's that much color in the hotel room! Swedes have a thing with white on white on white...not to mention extreme minimalism. There's no set rule on how to make/dress your bed - it's whatever tickles your fancy. I've been living in Stockholm for 6.5 years, and I still haven't adopted the duvet-only-no-top-sheet lifestyle. Fortunately, it has gotten a bit more common where stores sell top sheets. But then again, I usually do my shopping when I go home for the holidays (much cheaper and variety).

Wow, wow, wow. Such a beautiful and elegant home.

Sean, forget your home. You're far more interesting to look at!

I empathize and sympathize concerning your mother. More often (and as previously mentioned), it is an old building issue as well as different lifestyles. We're in the sort of same predicament with our neighbor stomping whenever he walks, not to mention he's a night owl. We actually spoke to him concerning noise in the wee hours, and he was apologetic and understanding. Of course, we can hear him throughout the day, but one has to be reasonable concerning regular, daily noise. When it comes to bed time, I highly recommend earplugs and a fan. In the past I've used earplugs, and they do work. However, be sure to get a good comfortable pair as it'll take a bit to get used to them. As suggested in other comments as well, white noise like a fan also definitely helps. If you've already spoken to your neighbors in a decent manner about the noise level, and they haven't been cooperative, then the only other solution is to move. It's really not worth the anger and sleepless nights. Good luck.

These are far too common in Sweden (with older population). Very typical after dinner dessert with coffee or for the holidays. I find them dreadful as I like my chocolate and mint separate.

The staircase is beautiful, but otherwise it is typical Swedish design (with the exception of color!). Very minimalistic, no personality, and understated. However, it has to deal with the culture as the Swedes don't believe in being flashy. It's considered rude and there's the general unspoken conformity.

Hmmm... I wish I could be honest, especially when I get invited to my partner's mother for dinner! First, we can't communicate as I am an English speaker and she a Swedish speaker. Second, I always feel this obligation from my partner that I have to accept his mother's invite on the spot. And third, despite the language barrier we have nothing in common and her company is death defying boring! In the past I've tried in being honest with my partner, but every time the subject comes up he gets bent out of shape. Another is his cousin. Although she's an English speaker, I find her gatherings a bit boring as well (or uncomfortable), and her teenage son being anti social and rude doesn't make things any better either. How do you communicate that to someone diplomatically? It's also the reason why she doesn't get invited to my place for gatherings.