Last Thoughts on Scandinavia

Here are a few final thoughts on the wonderful Scandinavia region & its peoples:
* Fairly similar cultures across the four nations - Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark
* They love their bikes - great bike riding paths all across Scandinavian cities.
* An absence of visible public toilets - you have to know where to go.
*Love those Swedish meatballs with brown sauce & loganberries - & you can get them nearly everywhere.
*Really good coffee!
*People are mostly open-minded, welcoming, friendly (when you get to talking), quite hip/cool (those under 45 anyway), nature-loving (watch them flee to their summer houses), & generally laid back.
*Really quite loyal to their country.
*There's not much crime here - the countries generally take good care of their citizens.
*Because of the high tax, alcohol is really expensive (think a min of AUD$15 per glass of wine).
*The natural environment is exquisite!

13/14th July - Overnight Train from Stockholm to Oslo

My first overnight train in Europe was booked so that I could save a bit of money on a hotel room. Leaving fairly late in the eve, I'd had a final day wandering around Stockholm before going back to the hotel to pick up my bags.
Sharing a compartment with 4 other women, it was no different from the train rides in China. Being surrounded by strangers, I still felt the need to guard my little backpack containing all my valuables by keeping it between my legs all night.
Sleep just wasn't an option for me. The train was rattling away all eve, the bed rock hard & people walking back & forth all night. I was lucky to have maybe got 2 hours sleep if that.
But I did arrive in Oslo bright & early & ready for new sightseeing opportunities.

Absolut Ice Bar

I was told a place I must visit while in Sweden was the Ice Bar. Made completely of ice & at a constant temperature of -5 degrees, it's a novelty experience, especially for one who has never even seen snow falling (me). I'd heard that it's really cold, even though they give you a jacket & gloves, so I went back to the hotel first & put my thermals on & rugged up over that.
It cost 125 Swedish Krona as I had a juice instead of an alcoholic beverage (would have cost 180). I met Margaret from Glasgow & her lovely family & had a good old chat with her. I also met Alex & his Mum from Philadelphia & found out about where to go in Norway. Love these little chats here & there!
After 45 mins, I'd had my drink served in an ice cuop & was more than ready to head back to the warmth of my hotel.

Djurgarden in Stockholm

On Sunday I planned on getting over to the island of Djurgarden where my Stockholm Card would get me free access to a few sites. First stop was the Skansen Open Air Museum, feauturing over 150 cultural-historical buildings from all over Sweden. It was HUGE! Not only were there all these old houses, barns, shops, etc to look through, there was also an Aquarium (which strangely also had non-aquatic wildlife) & a zoo with all kinds of Scandinavian wildlife. There were also showcases of pottery & glassware making.
Next stop was the Vasa Museum which was centred around this almost perfectly preserved 17th Century Swedish ship that sank after only 25 mins of its maiden voyage because it was far too tall & narrow to keep itself upright. That's the theory anyway.
Next, on to the Nordic Museum which ran through more of the domestic culture of Sweden over the centuries.
By the end of the day, I was buggered. But I still managed to walk all the way back home, with a stop at Gamla Stan for a bite to eat first.
Ahhh...I'm loving Stockholm!

Nobel Prize & a Free Concert

What a lovely afternoon I had today! The Nobel Museum was great, taking you through the various winners in history in the different categories - Peace, Medicine, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Literature. It also had a section on freedom of speech - how the concept had risen historically & what had happened to silence this freedom throughout history & today. Very inspiring!

Then at 6pm there was a free concert just outside the museum in the square. The Swedish Royal Army Band were playing a range of tunes. I met the General & the Conductor before they started - even got the semi-official handshake. And all for only asking what time they were starting & who was playing! After the show, I got a photo with the General. Obviously I was seen as a very important tourist!

City Hall of Stockholm

These Scandinavians certainly are progressive! The Finns were the first in the world to give women the vote. And the Swedes have a majority of women politicians in the Stockholm government - go Sweden!

The City Hall is quite a building. The 45-min tour was comprehensive & took us through the various rooms including the room where the banquet for the Nobel Prize ceremony is held on the 10th Dec each year. Nobel, the inventor who bequeathed his sizeable fortune to recognising those who promote progress & peace.

The Gold Room is remarkable. Made up of millions of tiny 23 carat gold mosaic pieces, it depicts the history of Sweden in picture form across the room.

10th July - Around the Home of ABBA, Vikings, Volvo & Ikea

Stockholm is beautiful! Made up of islands linked by bridges, the locals even fish for salmon on the steps outside the Royal Palace. The people are friendly, open-minded, cultured & laid back. It feels nice here.

On my first day, I took the free 45-min boat canal trip I got with my Stockholm card & it was pretty nice for a very touristy thing to do. I also visited the National Museum (wonderful art) & the Royal Palace (Royal Apartments, Treasury, & Museum tre Kronor) which were splendid to see.

Surprisingly, I was charged 15 Krona (about A$3) for a glass of tap water with dinner - unbelievable! It's so bloody expensive over here in Scandinavia!!

The Stockholm Card

I took the plunge & purchased the Stockholm Card which cost me about 585 Swedish Krona (about A$120) - a lot of money. What did I get? 72 hours of free entry to every museum around Stockholm, a free canal cruise, & unlimited city transport. Pretty good, I thought.
So, I'll be out & about seeing as many attractions as I possibly can before my 72 hours is up!

All Aboard for Stockholm

I'd decided to catch a cruise ship over to Stockholm as the train didn't go all the way around & it was a bit of a change from flying. It turned out to be really cost effective too. The travel, including a bed in a 4-berth cabin was only 41 euros - great price!

Having never been on a cruise ship before, it was all a bit of a novelty for me. I met a nice couple, Marie & Michael, just before boarding who suggested I ask for a free sea-sick tablet if I was worried about getting sick. I was worried & I did get one. And the info woman said I was sensible cause the sea was forecast to be very rough overnight.

I chose to go for the all-you-can-eat buffet meal for 35 euros, & I'm glad I did. As much salmon, caviar, prawns, meat, salads, desserts & everything besides that you can get your teeth into. I was absolutely stuffed afterwards.

An then it started...the ship started to sway just a bit. I went & watched a movie at 8pm - Angels & Demons - & by the time it ended, it was getting quite rough at sea. There was a cargo ship about 800m away & you could see the waves breaking right over the top of it. I found out that all smaller ships were prevented from leaving port because of the weather conditions.

I got back to my cabin at about 11pm & two of the three women staying in the cabin were throwing up - one in the bin & one in the loo. It got so rough during the night, being at the bow of the ship, that I'd be bouncing around the bed. So, let's just say I didn't get much sleep that night. But it was an adventure. And now I know I definitely don't have sea legs!