So here are my last thoughts on Scandinavia:
Favorite Things:
- City: Balestrand or Copenhagen, very different settings. Balestrand was small, little to do, but great to just relax and recuperate. Copenhagen was a big city, but kept it's European ambiance.
- View: Absolutely the fjords. I love waterfalls, and they were everywhere.
- Museum: Copenhagen's National Museum - the whole museum was great, but the prehistoric and "Stories of Denmark" wings stood out as the best for learning about Scandinavia. (Stockholm's Vasa Museum does come in a close second.)
Memorable Experiences:
- Bicycles in Copenhagen - bikes were in all the cities, but the Danes were unique in the volume, type (mostly 1 speed that looked like they were left over from WWII), way they left them (they were never locked, you just trusted it would be there when you returned), bike lots instead of car parking lots, and best of all, their multi-tasking (carrying packages, talking on cell phones, etc).
- Hiking in Levi - the weather was great, the view was wonderful, but the best was finding our own unique way down from the mountain. Of course I could have done without the foot in the mud and the sliding down the toboggan run, but that just made the memory more interesting.
- The glaciers - it was great to see the glaciers. The efforts I went to find a path closer to the glacier, when all I had to do was walk up the shore still makes me laugh, but the best part was the people we met and the laughs we had together. It's amazing to think that on that day, only Americans took the tour, and we got along so well.
Notable trends and happenings in Scandinavia:
- leggings are back - at first I put it down to the biking (leggings under skirts makes perfect sense), but we saw it in younger people going out (leggings with longer shirts over the top), and people just walking around. Reminded me of the 80's.
- ski poles - I never knew these would make good walking sticks until this trip. In every city, we saw people (usually older) walking around with ski poles as walking sticks. Once or twice, I the person was younger (probably 50's), and didn't appear to need them, but still carried them around just in case.
- cobblestones - these are a pain to walk on after a few hours. Every city had at least one area of cobblestones, and in some cities, you could not escape them. I really prefer our concrete sidewalks and streets.
- Parks - Scandinavians do love their parks. The portable BBQ grill business, which is booming here plays perfectly to this. This is their social arena and opportunity to enjoy the days of sun. We need more of this at home.
Alright, time is running out, so this is it. No more emails. Thanks for joining me on this trip around Scandinavia. See you all soon.
It's hard to believe it's our last day :(
Bergen is cold and damp - colder than the Lapland/arctic area! But first a recap of yesterday, since I couldn't get to a computer on Sunday (options are surprisingly scarce in Bergen).
Was serenaded to sleep by a band Fri and Sat night. Our timing was good, as they left Sunday on the same boat we did. I found out they are a subset of a 50 member band from Bergen. They periodically travel around in smaller groups to give free concerts at towns along the fjords. It was funny to see all the townspeople (kids and adults) come down from their homes at 10:30-11 pm to enjoy the band - it was like a Andy Griffith show. Remember, it was still very light, so starting that late only interrupted sleep (which I think they tend to limit in the summer anyway to enjoy the sun).
Went to the Anglican church right outside our hotel Sun morning. They provide services during the summer months using visiting English pastors. The pastor was great - he tried to get those attending involved in both the morning service and the one Sunday evening. We sang songs from a hymnal, but they were words only, no notes - gave me a taste of what some of the congregation feels when we sing praise music they don't know and show words only (luckily I knew two of the songs). It helped that the person behind me knew all of the songs. Frank, the guy from Paris showed up as well. Communion was a little different than I was used to (Cathy says it's similar to the catholic church). The sermon started with a joke (it must be a standard practice here as well). And was simple, personal, and applicable (the fruit of the spirit, joy).
The boat ride to Bergen was not as much fun as getting to Balestrand because the heavy cloud cover and cooler weather made standing outside too cold. I think I've taken all the pictures of the fjords I need to anyway.
It was spitting rain yesterday when we arrived, but not so uncomfortable that we couldn't get out and walk some. We met the couple from the glacier trip for drinks, then ate at Peppe's Pizza - pizza is huge here, so we had to have it at least once. Their pepperoni is more like kielbasa, but otherwise it was good. Mine had pepperoni, BBQ chicken, green pepper, and onion.
I will send a final perspective (if I can slip it in before I get kicked off this machine, you'll see it soon, otherwise whenever I can get to an Internet again).
Wow, today has been a full day. We woke up early to go to the glacier tour. I was glad they did not squeeze us in yesterday. They were packed yesterday (I'm guessing 50-60). Today, there were 7 of us. First we met two ladies in their 70's from Sacramento on the boat and talked with them a while. We had a 1 1/2 hour boat trip up the fyærland fjord. Then we took a short bus ride to two different glaciers.
We were not able to get close enough to touch or walk on either glacier, but they were cool to see. They have a blue tint at spots, which I found intriguing. This is were ice has recently split off, and ice will absorb slightly more red and yellow light, and less of the blue. Once the exposed ice has a chance to melt a little, or snow falls on the ice, the blue appearance will go away. The other fact I learned about these particular glaciers, is that they are moving 2 meter/day down the mountain.
The second glacier had a lake in front of it. As I was leaving the lake, I found a path through some woods I thought would get me a closer shot, and being curious, and always up for a good picture, decided to see where it took me. I walked through tree limbs, carefully over rock in a creek, balanced on some tree limbs someone had put in the really muddy areas. Finally I came to a rope with a sign saying to go no further, so I stood on my toes, lifted my camera as high as I could to get a close shot. I was so excited at what I had done to get a good picture, and I had not fallen into the water or mud. Then I turned to go, walked a few feet and noticed people just to the left of me where the lake was - the shore of the lake actually went to the same place as my path, with only a small step over a little water. And the picture was much better since there were no trees in the way.
After the glaciers and a trip to the glacier museum, the bused dropped us in the town where the boat would meet us for a 3 hour wait. At first, I figured it was a tourist trap, and they were using this to get us to buy there food and souvenirs. Not exactly. This town had a market (i.e. grocery), hotel (oldest in Norway), church, and about 5 bookstores (seriously). The only food was in the backyard of this place, where they had set up 6 or so tables and had a grill on the back porch. Our choice of food was hamburger, hot dog, or spicy sausage, served with potato salad. By now, the 7 of us had become a group, so we walked the "town", looked for the oldest grave in the church cemetery (1833), and ate lunch. We got to know each other better. All but one are taking the same boat to Bergen tomorrow. Two of the ladies are on our same flight home. The 7th guy is an American who has lived in Paris for the last 20 years; he just came from Bergen.
After we got back, 5 of us (minus the older ladies) bought a six pack and drank beers on the pier, then the guy from Paris joined us for dinner (the other two had dinner already pre-paid at their hotel). Before I knew it, the day was over, and it was time to go back to the room and pack for the last leg of our trip. In some ways, its like I've been gone forever, but yet it's hard to believe it's almost over.
So anyway, on to Bergen.
We were not able to get on the boat to the glacier today - it was full. So we got reservations for tomorrow.
Today, we are going to take advantage of this beautiful, quiet town in the middle of the fjords. I went back to sleep for another hour, did a few errands, then sat on the pier with my feet in the water. It was cold! I kept having to take them out. The sun was out, and it was warm, but not uncomfortable. Perfect day to be lazy.
I met a friend. Vanessa is 12 years old. She used to live in Germany, but moved here a few years ago. She knows a little English, so between that, hand motions, and my small German (I have forgotten so much), we talked for about half an hour. She overslept, so missed school today. She said the are a few hundred in her school, which surprised me. It seems like such a sleepy town, mainly tourists. She walks to school, and based on were she described, it is probably a 2-4 mile walk. As we were taking, she noticed a beer bottle, and started collecting plastic and glass bottles that people had left behind or in the trash. Over here you get money when you return them. She made 19 kroner (~ $4). Reminded me of when we were kids and used to look for pop bottles by the side of the road as we walked to the "little store" (they were worth a whole 5¢!).
Went biking this afternoon. The bolt that kept the bike seat in place was stuck, so I had to ride with the seat a little short (what adult is renting this bike with legs shorter than me?). The really sad part was when an older couple (probably in their 70's) passed us up. Then when we decided to turn around because we hit another uphill and had enough, and a young girl comes flying passed us on her way home from school. When we started out, I realized that it is mostly downhill, which bad news for the return trip. I was really worried as we turned around, but it must have been more gradual than I thought. We stopped at one point and sat on a bench for a while, and the next thing I knew,we were back. I felt like I could go further, but that was only because the very end was downhill. I'm guessing the first time I would have had to go uphill again, I would have wanted to turn back. Why is it that an hour+ at the gym is not the same as an hour+ in the real world?
Grabbed a sandwich from a bakery and fruit and beer from the market (as small as it is, I can't really call it a grocery), then went back to our hotel and ate on the balcony. Basically we spent the rest of the day enjoying the view, absorbing the sun, and being lazy. I guess I could also consider it a day to rejuvenate for the last few days, as it sounds like tomorrow will be a full day and we will likely try to cram a lot into the 1 1/2 days in Bergen (it will take us a half day fjord boat ride to reach the city).
By the way, my hair is lightening - almost going blond. I wonder if the Nordic features are catching. If so, I want the long legs and skinny body everyone seems to have.
Got back to our room last night after a walk around the fortress to find a clothes tornado had hit our room. We had new roommates, two young Asian girls (l'm guessing 18-22). They're clothes & paraphernalia were all over the room. When we walked in they moved their stuff to their side of the room (they saw our suitcases, they had to know we were returning). It actually did not bother me since I had already packed to leave and did not need the room - I just thought it was funny. I did have to laugh when they went to bed before us (hah, we are not old).
Left this morning for Balestrand on the Sognerfjord, after a train ride from Oslo to Myrdal, an old-fashioned train ride to Flam (pronouced "flome"), and a boat ride on the Sognerfjord. The train ride was fun. Three of the 12 window in each car could be lowered part way. I had the only one on my side of the train. We pretty much stood the whole hour, and when anything exciting happened on my side, I let everyone know they were welcome to use the window to take a picture (it was a better picture than through the window). I noticed another group doing the same thing in the back on the other side. The third couple sat at their window, seldom taking a picture and looking out the bottom. If anyone came over to take a picture, they would not say anything, but neither did they move to let us in or made us feel welcome - what a waste old the "good" window. I feel like I got to know most of the others. Like the whole car was part of a party, and the one family just sat in a corner. As you can tell, I was really bothered by it, but to me, we all are likely to do this only once, and everyone deserves a chance to get good pictures. Besides, it made it fun.
On the train, I talked for a while with an older couple from Dallas. They travel often (they're part of a travel club). I asked them their favorite place (I do this all the time with people who travel frequently). They mentioned New Zealand and Hawaii.
Later on the boat, I met a woman from Australia, whose husband is from Croatia, and son is living in The Netherlands and applying for citizenship (talk about cosmopolitan). We spent most of the boat trip talking and snapping pictures.
The view both from the train and boat was fantastic – lots of snowcapped mountains, waterfalls from the melting snow, quaint towns, etc. We stopped on the train for 10 minutes at a waterfall that almost soaked us (reminded me of "cave of the winds" at Niagara falls, but not as large. You had to rush a picture, jump in the train to dry your camera your, then attempt another picture.
We are staying in Balestrand, about halfway through the Sognerfjord. The town is not that big, but I think I heard 12,000 people live hear. After dinner, walked around the town (and I mean, literally around the town). It was about 4 km. There is an old church right in front of our hotel, some Viking burial mounds (all you see are two small hills), and a few old “traditional houses” (which means a Swiss-style house with dragon decorations on the house-their self-proclaimed attempt to create a Norwegian-style of house). We also stopped at a small, stone beach. It was covered with mussels - I've never seen so many on the beach.
Well that’s it for now. Hope to visit the glacier tomorrow. Will try to email again, but finding an Internet that works with Time-Warner is tough. I may have to switch to AOL.
Arrived in Oslo after a 6 hour train trip + nothing exciting out the window, but the time went really fast. We had 170 Kroner left (~$30), and knew the train was the last chance to spend it (each country we've visited has their own money), so we bought lunch, and then went back later and spent all our money on sandwiches, fruit, and water for later (i.e. dinner).
My first impressions of Oslo was not good - the street outside the train station was a huge, gaping hole, the people standing around outside were smarmy-looking, had a few beggars approach us, and, worst of all, there were no rooms anywhere in town (do I look like Mary?). The nearest hotel open was an hour away on train for $350.
We finally got two beds in a four bed room (so we could end up with up to two other people in our room). They call it a hotel, but it is sort of a blend of hotel and hostel - a great breakfast is included (more of a European brunch), we sleep in bunk beds (I get to relive my childhood, and this time I get to sleep on the top bunk), and towels are extra (luckily I brought by micro fiber camping towel - it works great for wringing out clothes after I wash them).
Only one of the other beds was used last night. It was a lady in her 70's (her husband is in a male room). They are from Boston and have been in Russia this past month. They are going to the fjords tomorrow. They have been traveling like us, getting rooms once they get to towns in pensions or homes. They did not have any towels, so she used her pillowcase and he used his duvet cover (beds are made with a flat sheet on the bottom, with a feather comforter covered in a fresh duvet cover folded over the bed). He said it was the best towel he's ever used.
After settling in, we walked around the center city (after eating my cheese sandwich from the train for dinner). We walked up to the palace, down to the national library (it was closed, which is the reason you did not get an email yesterday), and then to Frogner Park. Oslo redeemed itself somewhat with the large number of lilac bushes still in bloom (who can be sad when they are breathing in the scent of lilacs).
Frogner park is a huge grass park (175 acres), which Vigeland (forget his first name) "decorated" with almost 200 statues before his death in 1943. The park was filled with lots of people, mostly in groups, enjoying the warm weather and bright sun (sunset was ~11 pm, but it was dusk until sunrise). People were barbecuing (they sell disposable grills here, which are just foil pans with charcoal in the bottom and a grill on top, supported on a frame with a butane flame underneath), talking, playing games (among others, I saw a volleyball game and some other game which they stood on separate ends and threw sticks into the middle where other sticks lay), etc. I was surprised to see so many people out at night given it is a weekday, but my guess is they enjoy the long days and good weather while they can.
Today, we went to the Viking Ship and Kon Tiki museums.
The Viking Ship museum had three ships from 900 AD which had been used for burials. Two of the ships were in amazing condition, and the tools, cooking instruments, textiles, and animals help us understand more about they life of the vikings back then. Unfortunately Cathy left her camera in the bathroom by accident and someone stole it. Since I brought two cameras and some extra SD cards, I was able to give her one of the cameras to use for the rest of the trip (sort of a paying it forward from the Kenya trip when I didn't have a camera and the friend I made loaned me her spare).
The Kon Tiki museum is focused on Thor Heyerdahl, who is known for proving that people of South America, given their knowledge and resources at the time, could have sailed on a balsa wood raft (called Kon Tiki) to the Polynesian islands and settled there (it took him and his 5 man crew 101 days to arrive). He did a similar voyage for Morocco to Barbados (this time aboard a reed raft named Ra), and Ethiopia to Samaria. He also spent time on Easter Island digging up ancient ruins.
We me a couple on the boat back from the museums who were American and also carrying the Rick Steve's Scandanavian book, so we started up a conversation. They too said it has become their favorite tour book. They are doing a similar two week trip, except they are skipping Finland and the fjords, and flying to a Norwegian Island in the arctic circle then taking a cruise to various islands up there. It sounds very cool.
It's interesting, I thought Oslo would be my favorite big city, and Copenhagen my least favorite. Instead, I would put Copenhagen at the top of the list (I liked Stockholm, but Copenhagen has done a better job at keeping it's European quaintness, while Stockholm is more like any big city (with tons of parks). Oslo is third on the list, and only because Helsinki was definitely my least favorite (glad we didn't plan to stay long there). Oslo is typical big city, like Stockholm, but does not have as much character. By the way, my understanding is that if you are into late night partying, Helsinki and Stockholm have lots of opportunities, which is consistent with the young people I saw going out as we were going home (don't I sound old).
Anyway, I think that's it for now. We leave for the fjords tomorrow. Not sure the Internet access in Belestrand, but I will try to keep on writing emails as I can.
Had another late morning, sitting around the community area of our "pension" (hey, if he wants to call 10 rooms on the 6th floor of a building a pension, who am I to argue), drinking tea and making a high level itinerary for the rest of our trip. We leave for Oslo tomorrow morning; have our top 3 list. We leave for the fjords on Thursday, and get 4 1/2 days in the fjords (yea!).
Spent the afternoon in the Vasa museum. The Vasa is a ship built in 1628. It took 3 yrs to build and 20 min to sink (<1 mile from shore). Luckily for us, it sank intact and in waters that are not as salty as the ocean. In 1957 the ship was found and after 5 years of effort, raised out of the water (talk about patience). Then they spent 29 years restoring it (it is 95% original material). The cause of the sinking was the extravagant top (which made it top-heavy), that was not offset by adequate ballasting. The blame is a combination of:
* poor decisions in order to show off (firing cannons as leaving, which meant sailing with the gun holes open and letting water in),
* poor management (it failed the stability test so they knew it was not sea-worthy, but everyone was afraid to tell the king, who was insistent it sail for...), and
* lastly poor know-how of the period (dimensions were typically based on previous ships, but this ship was unlike any built at that time (an experiment that failed).
Not only the ship was intact, but much that was in it. They found butter casks with 333 year old butter (I assume they didn't eat it), pottery with the glaze still brightly colored, personal items, etc. The skeletons of the few that died and the belongings found with them were used to show what the people looked like and how they lived (they had busts that looked eerily real). Lastly, there was a section on how the people lived in that era, mostly relative to those on the ship (most were conscripted into the army, most were commoners with a poor upbringing (the rich paid someone else to take there place), poor 4 orphaned were put into forced labor), justice was determined by townsmen (no lawyers), etc
Ate dinner outside at the main square in Gabla Stan (old town). A well was built here, which is what attracted people to this square. I was attracted by the pretty buildings and winding roads. After a great meal, we listened to musicians who had set up in front of the Nobel building to play classical music. The waiters brought us blankets to wrap around ourselves since the tall buildings put us in the shade. Made it back home just in time for a gorgeous sunset.
That's all for now, better go get ready to leave early tomorrow (we catch an 8:30 bus downtown).
Woke up to rain this morning. Once again our timing is good. The week before we left, the weather was code a rainy, yet by the time we got here, it was beautiful. After two gorgeous days in Rovaniemi, we leave when it starts raining.
Flew to Helsinki and had less than 2 hours to collect our luggage, go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal, check-in on a different airline, go through security, and get to our gate. At least our walking the last few days was good training for our sprint between terminals. To make things harder, it was the first day of a month long school break for Scandinavia and the eticket kiosk was down, so the line was packed. I have to admit, I was getting stressed by the time we made it on the plane. But I have to add a cool thing about the Helsinki airport. You know when personnel move around in our airport, they use those golf cart thingies that beep annoyingly? Well in Helsinki, they use scooters (like razors, but more like 7-10 inches wide). It was funny to see these adults in their dress uniforms pushing themselves around on the scooters.
Then we reached Stockholm, took the train into town, and ran into the mass chaos which is central station. We tried to find somewhere to stay, but all the ticket agents had were expensive hotels (>$200). The kiosks had places to stay, but were not real descriptive as to whether the double was one bed or two. In the end we stored our baggages and walked the few blocks to the central information desk. They were great and got us into an unusual place. Our room is extremely tiny (basically two beds, a small refrigerator, a small armoire, a sink, and a narrow walkway between. But our few is fabulous, overlooking a park and then the main city, with the canal in between. Also there is an Internet and some basic kitchen facilities we share with the 10 or so other rooms. We also share a bathroom and shower.
Walked over to the main city island and had corn on the cob from a street vendor for dinner. Sat in a park that was small, but crowded with everyone temperatures of almost 80. Took a boat tour of around a few of the islands (Stockholm is built on 14 islands). It was a great day for it. Then we walked around Gamla Stan (old town), where the palace is as well as the original town of Stockholm. The streets are narrow and wind around, but the buildings are cool. You can also see where the harbor used to be, until they reclaimed some land and added a couple of more streets before the harbor.
First impressions of Stockholm:
* people, people, and more people
* parks, parks, and more parks (there are ~1000 parks in the city)
* expensive! (very little costs less than $10 - $50-$100 for dinner, $50 for the train ride from the airport- luckily Sun has a 2 for 1 deal, and $1 to use the bathroom at McDonald's
* beautiful people - everyone is gorgeous, tall, fit (likely from all the walking and biking), etc.
* they know how to relax - lots of people sitting or walking in the parks, canoeing on the canal, riding one of those boats you pedal, or sailing a boat (an estimated 7% of the population own a boat).
That's all for now. Tomorrow we go to the Vasa Museum - the Vasa is a boat that sank in the canal within 20 minutes of launching. Then who knows what else.
Went to Levi (pronounced like levee) today. It's about 170 miles into the arctic circle. Had seen by the weather report that today was going to be beautiful, still I planned for the worst - mid-length tee, long sleeve button down, pullover sweater, & jacket. I packed the sweater and jacket in my backpack for the 3 hour buss trip. We get there, and it is 17°c (low 60's) and later it reached 21°c (70°f). It was hard to believe I was in the arctic, except the vegetation was different, there was still snow on the mountains, and there was not a cloud in the sky (actually, I haven't seen one since Copenhagen). Needless to say, the sweater & jacket never left the bag, and my long sleeve shirt was rolled up before long.
After getting a map from information, we left for the gondolas at the ski lift, which we were told could take us up the mountain where we would be able to see quite a distance. Then we could hike down. We walked the 3 km to the gondolas, only to find that it was closed for the season (they will open again during when summer peak hits). So started climbing a path that was sort of up and sort of back to town. We walked through lots of mud and snow along the way (my socks got soaked, but luckily I had my "wick" socks and they did not bother my feet after I got over the initial shock of the cold).
Before long we came to a clearing and realized we were most of the way up the mountain (later found we were 2.5km up, 0.5km from the top). Since we couldn't find any easy way down, we made our own path (for those of you who got emails from Croatia, this may sound familiar). There was a summer toboggan run in front of us that was also on our map (although not open yet). So we used that as a guide and started down. We climbed down a rocky area, then through mud and snow. At the first crossing of the toboggan run, I stood on the rim and jumped across, then went on. At the second crossing, there was lots of snow built up around the run, so I could not stand on the rim. So I got as close as I could, and jumped. But with my short legs, guess who jumped right into the middle of the toboggan run, and then took a sort ride (only a few feet). After a few minutes to laugh and shake off the snow, we eventually made it down. I only wish the toboggan run had been open, it would have been fun to ride the whole way down.
Because we still had 1 1/2 hours until the bus returned, we walked on the other side of town, down by a lake. We sat by the lake for a while and I hung my feet in - boy, was it cold, but it felt good on my tired feet. We saw several houses with ladders from the 2nd floor down (safety I presume), but one house was funny, it also extended up to the point on the roof. Given the high slant of the roof, I was convinced they must use the ladder to slide down the roof on the other side.
Grabbed a lunch of salami and cucumber on a rye/sourdough bread (sandwiches are huge here) and treated myself to my 2nd diet coke this trip. I swear it was the best I ever drank.
Coming home on the bus, Cathy saw several elk in an open area sunning themselves, but I was on the other side of the bus and missed it. The only thing I saw was a husky that was clearly a pet. Saw lots of sawed-off tree trunks, though. Some appeared to be a thinning out effort, while, based on the pile of logs, others were done by a logging company. Logging, fishing, and mining are big economies here.
So tomorrow, we're off to Stockholm. Although it will be 40's when we leave here in the morning, it will be 70's when we arrive (actually forecast is showing 60's-70's and sunny for the rest of our trip). Though it will be tough to go back to 20 hour days. Between the gorgeous weather and the long days of sunshine, I am quickly getting over the winter blues.
It is hard to believe it will only be Sunday...it feels like we've been here longer. I could easily keep doing this a lot longer than 2 weeks, so if you don't see me after Jun 10, you'll know why...
Well the layers went on this morning when we hit Rovaniemi at 9 am - mid-sleeve tee, long sleeve button down, pullover sweater, & jacket. It was a bit of an overkill, but I was cold. Temperatures were 50°, our lowest daytime temperature yet. Later it warmed up in the sun and I was able to go to my tee alone.
But first about Helsinki...
Walked to the "church in the rock", which was literally built into the rock...there was a presentation from various ministers going on, so we were limited to the balcony. I had to laugh when one ministers referenced a proper name, then SWOT. It is funny how often we find them integrating a few English words or phrases into their language.
Walked around the city some. There was a plaza area with several restaurants filled with lots of what appeared to be college kids, otherwise there weren't many people, unlike Copenhagen which was packed at night.
Ate at Zetor, a "traktor restaurant" which the book says, "lampoons Finnish rural culture & cuisine, while really celebrating it." The tables in the bar were tractors with a bar around it. The hanging lights were made with cheese graters & tin pails.. The food was excellent.. I ate Rudolph. Oh, better not read that to the kids. But I did have sliced reindeer meat with boiled potatoes and an excellent red wine sauce. I expected the meat to be gamey, but the texture was a lot like a beef roast with only a slightly different flavor.
After dinner, we walked around the city. Saw pretty much everything on our list - Senate Square, with the Lutheran Cathedral, Senate House, and Helsinki University; the Russian Orthodox Cathedral; and the harbor. It helped that it was broad daylight even at 10 pm. The only thing we missed was going inside the buildings. We also didn't get to see the bustle of the harbor during the day, but we will get a chance for that in one of the other cities.
Walked by a park on the way home which I noticed had gravestones in it. Cathy said she read somewhere that the graves are from a plague in the 1800's. At some point, people just started hanging out there, so the city made it a park.
Went to bed at midnight because we had an early flight to Rovaniemi. It was dusk when we went to bed and very light when the alarm went off at 4:30 - makes it easier to fool ourselves regarding the time.
We really did leave Helsinki fast, but we visited everywhere Rick Steve's (our travel guru) & a consumer rated website recommended. I would have liked to have gotten settled a little earlier in the day, but otherwise was ready to leave. I would prefer to get to the Lapland area of Finland (land above the arctic circle) and the fjord region of Norway, anyway.
My impression of Finland is an American college town with much older buildings. Cars are similar to home, except I did not see any SUVs (but lots of crossovers, station wagons, and vans). College age girls passed us going out all decked out in jeans or leggings and high heels at 10:30 at night, just as we were heading home (which is also just like home). Met some nice people along the way who helped us out, but people were not overly friendly.
Landed in Rovaniemi this morning. Started taking pictures of the Santa-themed displays (yes, we are tourists), and within minutes, they started closing the airport. I guess there are only a few flights a day, and they open the airport 1 hour before each flight, and close it after everyone has departed the plane. Some of you may remember we had a similar experience in Pula, Croatia. So at least this time we knew what was happening.
Found a guesthouse and got settled - it's basically a bed and breakfast. A nice lady owns the place - she agreed to do our laundry, so she got extra points. I had washed clothes out in Copenhagen, so I didn't have much to give her, but what I had not done was the heavier stuff that is harder to hand wash and takes longer to dry.
Went up to the arctic circle - stood on the line and crossed over. Tried to see Santa Claus, but he was busy. Then we came back to Rovaniemi and visited the Arctic Museum. There was a lot of information about the Sami (Finland arctic indigenous), as well as about arctic dwellers around the world (i.e. US, Canada, Russia). The best part was a recreation of the aurora borealis. Sort of a cheaper version of a planetarium, but since we are getting the midnight sun, we are not going to be able to see it, so I was glad to get the recreation.
Also visited the northern-most McDonald's and then walked the town. Had dinner at a tex-mex restaurant, Amarillo's. Or at least, Rovaniemi's version of tex-mex. I got a chicken quesadilla. It was made with chicken, hard boiled eggs, ricotta cheese (at least that's what I think it was) and red salsa. It was topped with a mango salsa (which was good, but I ate it separate). Cathy got a burrito, which, among other items, had lima beans and white pinto beans, and was topped with mozzarella melted over yams.
Having an early night both because of the 4:30 am wake up this morning and because we need to be up about 6 am tomorrow to catch a bus. We are going hiking at a ski area about three hours north. The snow is supposed to be melted...
You'll here from me again tomorrow night (there is an Internet at the bed & breakfast).
Hi again. This will need to be short, as we have very limited access to a computer.
Went to the Royal library yesterday: chairs outside to sit, read, and what the boats on the canal, bookstore and cafe downstairs, library upstairs. The outside is made of black granite and shiny, so it is called the "black diamond". Instead of a car parking lot, they had a bike parking lot. The escalator is typical for Copenhagen, a ramp instead of stairs.
Went to Tivoli last night. This is an amusement park, similar to when I was young, right in the middle of the city. So as you are standing in the park, you see the city hall, an old clock tower, and the national museum. We only got to see two shows because of how late we showed up. One was a big band show, that also played Ray Charles, James Brown, and disco. Several people in the audience got up and danced to the music. The second was a light show at the end of the evening. It was cool, but Disney has nothing to worry about.
Around the park, we saw old style arcades, candy stores, and rides from long ago. One of the rides had me completely confused. Kids would get on chairs in pairs, and when the ride started they would pull themselves to the top using a rope. Once they got to the top, they would let go for as long as they wanted, then pull themselves up again. There was no goal other than having fun. I kept thinking there would be some type of "winner", but no...I just don't get it. Another game that boys seem to like involved a soccer ball. Instead of hitting a hammer to find out how strong you are, you kick a soccer ball to see how good you are. The top category was "score".
Last note on the bicycles, since they are so predominant. Cathy and I thought about renting some, but decided it was safer not to. It would be like renting a car in Boston. Saw one lady who reminded me of the mean woman in the Wizard of Oz, with her black skirt, black tights, and pumping really hard. Saw many people biking with instruments, packages, and lots more in their hands or back. The classic was the guy who had a package in one hand and a cell phone in the other.
So on to Helsinki. We arrived mid-afternoon. Everyone recommended taking the bus, but they did not tell us it would take over an hour to reach the hotel because of all the stops. We got in too late to do much of anything. We are enjoying a glass of wine right now, then going to the "church in the rock". After that, we'll likely take a quick tram ride around the city.
We leave early in the morning for Rovaniemi, Finland. Not sure how much access to an Internet I will have there, but if I can, I will write again.
Met the family whose house we are staying in last night. There are the parents, Benni and Ann, and two kids, Willas and Olivia. They are very sweet. Gave us a tour of their apartment (living room, study, kitchen, bath, and bedroom with 2 connected rooms which they all share). Then they have a separate room for us with our own door to the hallway. To use the bathroom, we have to enter their apartment. They have given us free reign in the kitchen, but you know me, I wouldn't know what to do there anyway. They also gave us access to their Internet - my email does not work on my PDA, but we have been able to access other sites to get information. Outside the window was a clothesline, so I was able to wash a dry my clothes from the airplane. The apartment is right next to a theatre and has lots of restaurants around. The only negative was the five flights up we had to carry our luggage. Thank god I have backpack straps on mine and pack light! Especially after the long hike around the city yesterday.
After we settled in last night, we went out for dinner. I kept nodding off and imagined conversations with Cathy that were not happening. I know a few times I answered a question never asked - luckily Cathy is used to me by now. After a while, I got good at figuring out which conversations were real and which were imagined (at least I think so; I should probably ask Cathy to be sure). The service was typical European - meals are meant to be relaxing and once you buy something, you can have the table for the day/night. We sat outside, where they had heaters (Heather, a lot like the one you and George used the other night) and blankets on the chairs. Needless to say, we were wanting a short night.
Day two was more relaxing. I woke up at 5:30 to sunshine outside (it's dark from 11 am to 4:30 am right now). I could not get to sleep for a while, but eventually got another 2 hrs. Grabbed breakfast at a 7-11 (they have fresh baked pastries, donuts, coffee, everything you could want). Then we went to the main square to eat, figure out what we were going to do, and watch people.
Our first stop was the National Museum, and we ended up staying the whole afternoon and not doing anything else. Once again the politeness of the Danes came through. Everyone in the museum whispered or talked in low voices, if they spoke at all. When you passed someone, you might smile or nod, but that was it. It does not come across as cold, just respectful.
The museum had just opened a wing regarding the Danish prehistoric era - ice age, bronze age, etc. The had found many bones of animals and people and artifacts in some peat bogs. It seems that, during this era, when people died they often through them in these bogs, and sometimes their favored possessions as well. They had the bones of an intact elk and aurochs. Boy were they big. The back reached higher than my head.
They also had skeletons from later with information about burials and how they evolved.
I skimmed through a few other wings on "peoples of the world" and "Danish middle ages", then spent the rest of the day in the "stories of Denmark" wing. This gave the history from mid-1600's to 2000. I learned a lot more about the history of Denmark and the land they picked up (Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and parts of Germany and Sweden), and then later lost. I liked the story of right after they lost all the land in the war with Sweden, and were basically bankrupt, they had to figure out what to do from there. Historically the kings had been elected by one of the noble groups upon the previous kings death. This gave them a lot of power. Well after the war, everyone except the noble voted to have a king that was based on ancestry. Then they went about trying to create a constitution, but the different parties could not agree, so they decided to leave it in the king's hand - he made it an absolute monarchy. Ah, if only they had learned the art of compromise. Instead of everyone getting a little, all except the king got nothing!
Heading to Tivoli Gardens now. Supposed to be an amusement park, Danish style, with the prerequisite rides, but also puppet shows, acrobats, pantomime shows, concerts, etc.
Tomorrow we leave for Helsinki. Will only have the day in Helsinki, so I am guessing the earliest I will be able to email will be late at night for me (just before dinner for you). So mom, don't make dad look every few minutes during the day.
More tomorrow...
I arrived after a 1 hour delay in NY due to an auxiliary engine failure (oops, dad, better not read that part to mom). Unfortunately we got to sit on the runway with no air. Other than that, the flight was inconsequential. Cathy & I traded seats at the last minute and ended up each with a row of seats to ourselves. Unfortunately, that did not help me sleep - combination of busy mind and shorter flight than I have gotten used to the last few years.
Got a room in a family residence, but no one will be home until 5:30. At the time we agreed, we didn't realize how tired we were. We decided to start out with a boat tour on the canals. I kept dozing off, but Cathy woke me for the important stuff.
We walked the Stroget (think Legacy Village, but longer and authentic=. I guess this was the original that started all the copy-cat versions. Walked all over the city. Saw the little mermaid and a couple of parks. Probably make an early night of tonight and focus on Trivoli and museums tomorrow.
So first impressions of Copenhagen:
- Bicycles everywhere. They are outside of almost every building. and Bicyclists are crazy - they are as aggressive as cars, move fast, and are not afraid to multi-task (I have seen several using their cell phones while pedaling). Most bikes are utilitarian (plain black) and have been adapted for ease of use - baby carriages, baskets, etc. I even saw one used as a rickshaw to show people around the city.
- Cars will drive anywhere they think they can fit.
- Cobblestone sidewalks are painful on the feet.
- Constant restoration or construction going on - good thing they have not heard of orange barrels.
- Ultra polite of others - on the train into town, they announced that no loud noises were allowed except at the edges of the car (which was a little separated from the main car). Everyone on the trained whispered.
Alright, that's it for now. I need to grab dinner then sleep.
