Amanda Takes Off...

So I don't tend to splurge when traveling. I stay at hostels. I eat with the locals. I do it on the cheap. And, in fact, when Good Man and I go to Stockholm, we're staying in a hostel (with a private double-bed room but no bath).

But we decided to splurge on our honeymoon, when we go to Gotland.

Using Gotland's tourism website we found a hotel called Medeltidshotellet (Medieval Hotel). Gotland's website has even more photos of the hotel.

I wanted to stay here but worried about the cost. My new co-worker asked about our honeymoon plans and I mentioned this place, as well as how I wasn't sure that we were going to stay there. She said, "You know, Amanda, I know you aren't going to have kids and I know you're going to live all over. I get that. But this is your honeymoon. And you're only going to be honeymooning once and I tell you, the years go by fast. If you can afford it, go for it, just one night. We went to St. John's and ate peanut butter sandwiches every day for lunch and let me tell you, I would never do that again."

And you know what? She's right. I'm cheap. I hate spending money unnecessarily. But being frugal isn't just about saving money; it's also about learning how to spend it at the right time, on the right things. I think this is one of those times and one of those things (and Good Man agrees). I wouldn't drop the money to stay at a Hilton, but a 14th century building which has housed nuns, been a hospital, been a hotel, and an office space and then a hotel again? A 14th century building with a house ghost? Oh yeah.

We're going to be spending our first full three days in Sweden using the Stockholm Card and go-go-going in Stockholm. And then we're going to relax in Gotland, in a medieval hotel. We might rent a car or a bike. And we're going to just enjoy ourselves and each other. And it's going to be worth it.

We're spending three nights in one of the Knight's Chambers rooms and I am so excited!