Stockholm, Sweden...the beginning

Planes are awful, we know this; but my incredible luck struck again when teary and sad after leaving the children I found my seat and there was an Old Greek couple. We start talking and before I know it she has kicked him out of our seat and is encouraging me to lay down. Through the flight she plied me with yummy biscuits and gently woke me when food came.
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The people of Stockholm are so friendly, you can go into any shop and ask for directions and they will race to the door to help you and make sure you get to the right place. The standard of manners is high in Scandinavia people are not in general rude. I've spent a fair bit of time alone as I loathe socializing at conferences. And I've had some awesome food and wonderful service, dining alone has been a pleasure and I have read every time I eat, which just isn't allowed at family dinners.

He smiled at me like a spider sizes up a fly. I felt his stare and I raised my gaze to stare back and stare him down, out of my space. He would not look away and smiled that creepy smile again. When I jumped off the train at my stop he followed me. At first I wasn't sure that he was following me, but as I keenly checked my periphery I saw he was there. I stopped and turned around and he went around to the other platform I kept looking for him but it seemed he was gone, however, as I got to the stairway out he was waiting there laughing. Time very kindly slowed down and gave me a moment to think, I knew if I let this go he would keep following me and the end result was too frightening to think about - the darkness of it steeled me and I turned back to him and I yelled. I didn't swear or threaten him, as I imagined I would; 'Are you following me?' I shouted, people started to look at us, he started to protest ' Are you following me, cause your completely freaking me out, just get lost' I screamed even louder - people stopped and actively looked at us, he ran up the stairway and disappeared.
The victory was initially hollow and I was too frightened to follow him. Adrenaline disoriented me and I wandered around the Metro for another half an hour, to find another way out. I kept coming back to the same spot and finally the Metro released me. I haven't used it since - I just stick to the subway which is less dingy. Heading back to my conference I eyeballed every slightly creepy looking character, ready this time to pip a bad guy at the post. It took me a few moments to realize that I had independently taken care of myself. Small, limited Swedish (read none) and no idea where I was going, I took back the power - I owned it; he tried to take it and I took it back! I love being a woman this age, with this kind of inner strength. As a young women I would have been in deep shit, not wanting to make presumptions, not being sure of what to say; he saw me as a victim and I wouldn't accept it, so I wasn't. How do we share this strength with younger women?