Sonia Holz - Genealogist

Today was a special day for me in Sweden. I met my Swedish genealogist, Sonia Holz at her home in Södertälje. Södertälje is a southwestern suburb of Stockholm and about a 25 minute train ride from Stockholm Central Station. Sonia and I have been working together on locating my Swedish ancestors for the last 14 years. And today we finally met in person.

Making the trip to Södertälje proved to be an adventure. I had as yet taken the subway or "pendel tåget", local commuter train, since arriving in Sweden. All of the places I have visited so far I have walked to. But today, to get from my hotel to Sonia's place, I needed to take the subway and a commuter train to Södertälje.

The taxi from Stockholm Central to my hotel when I arrived was the equivalent of $44. The subway from the closest subway station to my hotel (two blocks) at Östernalmstorg to Stockholm Central was $2.60. And so long as I traveled within the next 75 minutes, I could use the same ticket to get to Södertälje via the commuter train. So getting to Sonia's and back was a little over $5. Next time.

The commuter train both to Södertälje and returning to Stockholm Central was comfortable. Personally I enjoy taking trains. It's one of the things I enjoyed most during the many times I visited England where my dad lived until passing in 2010. 

I left my hotel at 11:15 this morning to give myself plenty of time to get to the 2pm appointment Sonia and I agreed to meet at her home. Turns out I didn't need all that time so I ended up taking in some local sites in Södertälje before taking a taxi to Sonia's apartment on the outskirts of Södertälje. 

Sonia, her two adult children and I had a traditional Swedish cafe fitka. Which is basically coffee and conversation while enjoying various pastries and cookies. Her son, Manfred, is a journalist who specializes in motorcycle reviews. Her daughter, Susanne, is a registered nurse at a local hospital. We chatted each other up during the next two hours talking about everything from Covid to NATO, which Sweden became a member just a few months ago. 

After Sonia and I said our goodbyes, Sonia's daughter gave me a ride to the Södertälje train station. Manfred joined us as he lives 100m from the train station. 

I got back to my hotel around 5:30 retracing my steps and connections I used to get to Södertälje. I got a bite at a sushi restaurant that is a 3 minute walk from my hotel. The California roll (I couldn't help myself) and the miso soup were every bit as good as I've had anywhere. Well maybe not the sushi I had while in Tokyo. 

I feel like my jet lag is waning. Tomorrow I look forward to exploring more of Stockholm. Meta Fock's embroidery is housed at the Nordic Museum close to the Vasa Museum I have already visited. I am hoping I can get a physical showing of the embroidery as the museum shows it is part of only a digital exhibit.