2. “My Swedish Suitcase Thriller”

A summer in Sweden! Who doesn't immediately think of a bright blue sky with puffy clouds, of the countless lakes or the sound of the surf, of red wooden houses on bare archipelago cliffs polished smooth by the ice, of a true summer idyll in the country or at the coast, strawberries with cream, in white clad, and blond and partying Swedes! And everything in a calm and relaxation mood, the hectic rush and stress seem far away ... Oh yes, that is the Swedish summer, definitely, I’ve seen it again and again, so very exciting.

But, this idyllic impression can also be deceptive. Do not trust the"Lindström" certificate so lightly: We are on our way in Sweden, a country where the grotesque, absurd and even criminal can happen. You don’t want to believe it? Then I will tell you about my personal suitcase thriller, which also happened in the very tranquil southern Sweden.

When I started my first one-week tour of Sweden in the 2012 summer season, I had no inkling of what was going to happen. Full of joyful anticipation, I arrive from Hamburg Airport with my guests from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We fly to Jönköping, which is picturesquely located on the south bank of Lake Vättern. After landing at the small airport, all passengers walk across the tarmac to the terminal. This walk alone, coupled with the sight of the small, automatic lawnmowers, which do their rounds in front of the terminal building, trigger astonishment and budding enthusiasm among the passengers.

Then the wait at the luggage belt, where the first pieces of luggage will soon appear. Those who receive their suitcases can consider themselves lucky, because I quickly realize that this is not a given situation.

Connection flights, in particular, seem to carry with them the innate risk that reloading and forwarding of the suitcase is not always guaranteed. So, one of my first official acts at the airport is to submit the"missing person report" of two suitcases, the owners are a slightly angry mother-daughter team. “This is a great way to start your vacation!” is their sarcastic comment, which I should hear more often … to my deepest regret.

Soon afterwards, rain sets in - greetings from “Murphy”! The rain jackets of my suitcaseless guests are of course well and safely stowed in their suitcases. We spend our first night in Jönköping, but unfortunately, it is not possible to shop for cosmetics that day. Because it is midsummer and all the shops are closed, but luckily, our hotel is prepared for such emergencies.

The next day, a Sunday, takes us south-west to Lund in Skåne, where we will spend the second night. In the course of the evening, one of the missing suitcases actually arrives, but one is still missing, although the two"injured parties" did traveled together. In the meantime, the nerves of the guest, whose suitcase is still on the move, and who has spent the whole day at around 18°C without a jacket while encountering several rain showers, are pretty fried. The next morning there is the redemption: shortly before our departure from Lund in the direction of Malmö, a taxi from Copenhagen Airport arrives at the hotel with the last missing suitcase! The rest of the trip runs without further losses worth mentioning, and in the end, it is a wonderful