Scandinavia
Update Blast emails
June
6, 2006 – From Narvik, Norway
Hi
everyone. My trip so far in Scandinavia has been great. Very
different from my past few travels in many ways. This trip was very
loosely planned, I only had my return ticket, train pass, no other plans.
My other trips have been very orchestrated with tours and schedules.
And this place is so civilized and modern compared to places like Africa
and South America. Here's an overview and recap of the trip so far:
I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany and spent a couple of days before taking the train to Copenhagen, Denmark. My friend Lars lives in Copenhagan, and was kind enough to let me stay with him (Thanks Lars!!!). Copenhagan is a beautiful city, very old, with lots of cobblestone and beautiful old buildings. I went to the Tivoli amusement park, which is famous in the city. I strolled through the pedestrian shopping streets, just people watching, stopping for the odd coffee or snack. I curled up in pew of an old church on a rainy afternoon and read my book. I took a walk along the seawall to see the cruiseships as well as 'Den Lille Havrue' = 'The little Mermaid' which is a famous statue landmark on a rock in the water. I sat and had a beer at Nyhavn, which is a popular cafe strip alongside a beautiful canal in the downtown area. The place to see and be seen!
About Copenhagen, Denmark:
- the bike couriers are sponsored by Tuborg (the beer company)
- the place is crawling with twin babies
- it's flat, flat, flat!!! Some rolling hills, but basically flat!
- it's a very international city. Not only are there tourist from everywhere, but it appeared to me there has been lots of immigration. Lots of middle eastern looking locals. Definately not the typical tall, blond hair beautiful people. There are all shapes and colours.
- lots of bikes
From Copenhagen, I took the train to Stockholm, Sweden. Holy smoke, that is a beautiful place!!!! I strolled through the old city, with it's cobblestone pedestrian streets, cute shops and restaurants. I watched the changing of the guard at the royal palace (these people love their royalty over here!). I took a boat to a nearby island and went to the Vasa Museum (recommended to me by my Dad), which is a raised and restored battleship from the 1600's that sunk in Stockholm harbour on it's maiden voyage. Very interesting. I found a local festival in one of the city parks, packed with locals eating and drinking beer. It just so happened that the Stockholm marathon was held while I was there. About 17,000 runners I was told. Very cool to stumble upon a marathon race snaking its way around the island and bridges that make up this city. Stockholm has a very unique skyline and harbour, very beautiful.
About Sweden:
- It's flat
- I've seen very little evidence that this is the IKEA homeland, and still no sighting of ABBA
- I haven't seen one viking
- very patriotic people, they fly the Swedish flag off anything they can
- coffee costs $6 CDN, but I guess that's almost on par with Starbucks in Canada
From Stockholm, I took a 20hr train to Narvik, Norway, 400km north of the Arctic circle on the coast. Beautiful train ride, although I slept through the first 8hrs of it (sleeping bunk on the train). The train ride was mostly in Sweden, crossing over to Norway in the last hour or so. All of the houses in rural Sweden are red. The same colour red, with white trim on the windows and doors. It's quite charming. There are trees up here, but they are small. I saw lots of reindeer, and I'm hoping to see lots more. Narvik is a tiny little town in a fjiord, where everyone knows each other. I decided to treat myself to a meal in a restaurant last night, instead of the stale bread and bananas I'd been subsisting on for the train ride. The only other person in the restaurant was also sitting alone, and he asked me to join him. Before long, I discover that he is the town millionaire, and to make a long story short, by the end of the night, he treated to a number of bottles of wine, and we were joined by a bunch of other locals, (since they all know each other). By midnight I was in bed, but the sun was not. It's the land of the midnight sun here at this time of year. At midnight it looked like mid-day outside. It's quite hard to sleep when it's so bright out!!
This afternoon I'm taking a ferry to the Lofoten Islands off the coast of Norway. Very remote fishing villages, and aparently beautiful scenery. From there I'll wind my way down the coast of Norway, through the fjiord villages, to Oslo, then back to Copenhagen. I'm attending the wedding of my good friends Lars and Lone in southern Denmark on June 17th. That's where my plan ends, but my trip isn't over until July 5th. I'll fill you in again after the wedding!
Bombing around by backpack......
Heather
heatherfulcher@gmail.com
I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany and spent a couple of days before taking the train to Copenhagen, Denmark. My friend Lars lives in Copenhagan, and was kind enough to let me stay with him (Thanks Lars!!!). Copenhagan is a beautiful city, very old, with lots of cobblestone and beautiful old buildings. I went to the Tivoli amusement park, which is famous in the city. I strolled through the pedestrian shopping streets, just people watching, stopping for the odd coffee or snack. I curled up in pew of an old church on a rainy afternoon and read my book. I took a walk along the seawall to see the cruiseships as well as 'Den Lille Havrue' = 'The little Mermaid' which is a famous statue landmark on a rock in the water. I sat and had a beer at Nyhavn, which is a popular cafe strip alongside a beautiful canal in the downtown area. The place to see and be seen!
About Copenhagen, Denmark:
- the bike couriers are sponsored by Tuborg (the beer company)
- the place is crawling with twin babies
- it's flat, flat, flat!!! Some rolling hills, but basically flat!
- it's a very international city. Not only are there tourist from everywhere, but it appeared to me there has been lots of immigration. Lots of middle eastern looking locals. Definately not the typical tall, blond hair beautiful people. There are all shapes and colours.
- lots of bikes
From Copenhagen, I took the train to Stockholm, Sweden. Holy smoke, that is a beautiful place!!!! I strolled through the old city, with it's cobblestone pedestrian streets, cute shops and restaurants. I watched the changing of the guard at the royal palace (these people love their royalty over here!). I took a boat to a nearby island and went to the Vasa Museum (recommended to me by my Dad), which is a raised and restored battleship from the 1600's that sunk in Stockholm harbour on it's maiden voyage. Very interesting. I found a local festival in one of the city parks, packed with locals eating and drinking beer. It just so happened that the Stockholm marathon was held while I was there. About 17,000 runners I was told. Very cool to stumble upon a marathon race snaking its way around the island and bridges that make up this city. Stockholm has a very unique skyline and harbour, very beautiful.
About Sweden:
- It's flat
- I've seen very little evidence that this is the IKEA homeland, and still no sighting of ABBA
- I haven't seen one viking
- very patriotic people, they fly the Swedish flag off anything they can
- coffee costs $6 CDN, but I guess that's almost on par with Starbucks in Canada
From Stockholm, I took a 20hr train to Narvik, Norway, 400km north of the Arctic circle on the coast. Beautiful train ride, although I slept through the first 8hrs of it (sleeping bunk on the train). The train ride was mostly in Sweden, crossing over to Norway in the last hour or so. All of the houses in rural Sweden are red. The same colour red, with white trim on the windows and doors. It's quite charming. There are trees up here, but they are small. I saw lots of reindeer, and I'm hoping to see lots more. Narvik is a tiny little town in a fjiord, where everyone knows each other. I decided to treat myself to a meal in a restaurant last night, instead of the stale bread and bananas I'd been subsisting on for the train ride. The only other person in the restaurant was also sitting alone, and he asked me to join him. Before long, I discover that he is the town millionaire, and to make a long story short, by the end of the night, he treated to a number of bottles of wine, and we were joined by a bunch of other locals, (since they all know each other). By midnight I was in bed, but the sun was not. It's the land of the midnight sun here at this time of year. At midnight it looked like mid-day outside. It's quite hard to sleep when it's so bright out!!
This afternoon I'm taking a ferry to the Lofoten Islands off the coast of Norway. Very remote fishing villages, and aparently beautiful scenery. From there I'll wind my way down the coast of Norway, through the fjiord villages, to Oslo, then back to Copenhagen. I'm attending the wedding of my good friends Lars and Lone in southern Denmark on June 17th. That's where my plan ends, but my trip isn't over until July 5th. I'll fill you in again after the wedding!
Bombing around by backpack......
Heather
heatherfulcher@gmail.com
June 19, 2006 – from Toftlund, Denmark
Hi
everyone!!
My last update from from Narvik, Norway; 400km north of the Arctic circle. From there I went by boat to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. I wandered down to the port looking for my `ferry` to the islands. I was expecting something resembling a BC Ferry, instead, I found something resembling a fishing boat. So hilarious. With about 20 passengers on board, the boat sped at about 70km/hm to a town called Svolvear in the Lofoten Island archipelago. I understood there would be a bus at the pier in Svolvear to take me to the little town I was going, Stamsted. I was wrong. Instead, the only option to get to that town is by coastal steam ship, which happened to be pulling into port just then (only one sailing a day). In Stamsted I stayed in a hostel that is an old fishing cabin right on the water. So charming. A wood burning stove heats the place, and is used to cook food on. The midnight sun is in full effect up there. For the most part, the weather was lousy. COLD and raining, and really windy. I wandered over to the local coffee shop, sat and read my book while I surveyed the comings and goings of this tiny little town. The weather was actually quite nice for one afternoon, so me and an Aussie dude took a row boat and a fishing line, and set about to catch dinner. And we did!!! I`m not sure what kind of fish they were, but they were yummie. Especially cooked over the wood burning stove only minutes after we caught them.
I decided to take the coastal steamship from Lofoten Islands down south along the coast of Norway to Trondheim. This 2 day boat trip was actually a perfect way to travel allowing a beautiful view of the scenic shorelines, and fjords. The cost of passage on the ship was not cheap, so I opted out of the frills such as a bed, food and a shower. I felt like a stow-away. The boat stopped in one port along the route, where they were celebrating the `Coast Festival`. Our boat was met by a marching band, and the locals offered walking tours of the town to the ship passengers. Very cool.
Trondheim is Norway`s second largest city, such a beautiful place. I was pleasantly surprised. The Coast Festival was continuing in this town, with the streets closed to traffic, marching bands and choirs performing, special displays and performances all over town. What a fluke that I just happened to be here for it. The city is very charming with its canals and beautiful and unique architecture throughout. I climbed up to a fortress overlooking the city, a place where the locals have picnics and relax. It was such great weather here, and a welcome change from the frigid north. Finally its shorts and t-shirt weather!!! I even got a little too much sun!
Oslo was my next stop. My first impression wasn`t great. It wasn`t until I took a sightseeing fjord cruise in the harbour that I began to appreciate this place. The inner and outer harbour is filled with little islands, all covered in beautiful little vacation homes. Many of the cottages have miniature cottages at the water`s edge, matching the main house. So cute. One of the other attractions that I enjoyed was the sculpture park. Sculptures of naked humanity is the best way to describe this. The path lead to a huge monolithe, carved human images from a single peice of stone. Extraordinary.
Gøteborg, Sweden was my next stop. This is the second largest city in Sweden, along the west coast of the country. Very charming town, lots of cobblestone streets and beautiful old buildings. One of my fellow hostelers told me how to get to the little islands off the coast, so I decided to go. My transit pass took me the entire way, with a combination of tram car and ferry boat. I wandered the streets of the one of the islands, along the small paved paths, amoung beautiful vacation properties to a cute little marina. I decided to splurge for a sandwich and a beer at the marina cafe ($20CDN), and sat an outside enjoying the sunshine while I ate and drank. Before long I was befriended by a local, and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and drinking beer.
From Gøteborg, I took the train/bus to the south of Denmark, to the small town of Toftlund. My Canadian friend Gary met me, and picked me up at the bus station. He and I decided to explore the little town for a few hours before we joined our friends Lars and Lone (my Danish friends who are getting married) at Lone's parents' home. Within 20min of walking in the little town (4000 population), Lone's father Borge happened to spot the Canadian flag on my backpack as we were walking, and pulled over to escort us back to their home. I guess my nationality is written all over me........
The wedding
What an amazing experience. I am overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality of the the friends and family I've met here. Lone's parents have opened their home to my friend Gary and I, as have their neighbours. The wedding itself was so beautiful. It was held in a very old Danish church, and conducted entirely in Danish. The bride escorted by her father, and the groom by his brother. The four sat facing each other for the majority of the ceremony, quite different from Canadian weddings. Although I couldn't understand the words being spoken or hyms sung, the sentiment and symbolism was clear. The reception started with some greetings outside the hall, and a helium balloon release with a personal note by each in attendance attached to each. Canadian weddings pale in comparison to Danish weddings. The meal was exceptional, and the setting was extraordinary with the ocean on one side and an inlet on the other. Guests clearly put a lot of thought into their contribution for the evening. Speeches, remarks, songs, and skits continued throughout the evening, with toasts and hip-hip-horrays peppered throughout. At the stroke of midnight, the band began and the couple took their first waltz. As is the tradition, the guests circle the couple and gradually closing in the gap. The groom is then lifted and his shoes removed, and the tips of his socks are cut off. Lars was prepared for this and surprised us all with his toes painted bright pink. Attention is then turned to Lone, where all the girls tear and cut her bridal veil. Dancing and drinking lasted past sunrise. All evening we were eyeing the two beach volleyball nets just outside the reception room, and had every intention of making use of them at the first daylight, but in the end, sleep won out. The people I've met at this event are all so amazing. They have come from all over the world. I've exchanged contact information with so many, and feel like I have a whole new circle of friends to visit in different places around the world.
Tomorrow I travel to Copenhagen, and from there to Helsinki, Finland. My plan is to try to find a Finnish travel agency that can help me plan a short tour to St. Petersburg, Russia. From Helsinki, I'm also planning to take a short ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. I have a little over 2 weeks left in my trip. My next report will be just before I return on July 5th.
Lots of Love,
Heather
My last update from from Narvik, Norway; 400km north of the Arctic circle. From there I went by boat to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. I wandered down to the port looking for my `ferry` to the islands. I was expecting something resembling a BC Ferry, instead, I found something resembling a fishing boat. So hilarious. With about 20 passengers on board, the boat sped at about 70km/hm to a town called Svolvear in the Lofoten Island archipelago. I understood there would be a bus at the pier in Svolvear to take me to the little town I was going, Stamsted. I was wrong. Instead, the only option to get to that town is by coastal steam ship, which happened to be pulling into port just then (only one sailing a day). In Stamsted I stayed in a hostel that is an old fishing cabin right on the water. So charming. A wood burning stove heats the place, and is used to cook food on. The midnight sun is in full effect up there. For the most part, the weather was lousy. COLD and raining, and really windy. I wandered over to the local coffee shop, sat and read my book while I surveyed the comings and goings of this tiny little town. The weather was actually quite nice for one afternoon, so me and an Aussie dude took a row boat and a fishing line, and set about to catch dinner. And we did!!! I`m not sure what kind of fish they were, but they were yummie. Especially cooked over the wood burning stove only minutes after we caught them.
I decided to take the coastal steamship from Lofoten Islands down south along the coast of Norway to Trondheim. This 2 day boat trip was actually a perfect way to travel allowing a beautiful view of the scenic shorelines, and fjords. The cost of passage on the ship was not cheap, so I opted out of the frills such as a bed, food and a shower. I felt like a stow-away. The boat stopped in one port along the route, where they were celebrating the `Coast Festival`. Our boat was met by a marching band, and the locals offered walking tours of the town to the ship passengers. Very cool.
Trondheim is Norway`s second largest city, such a beautiful place. I was pleasantly surprised. The Coast Festival was continuing in this town, with the streets closed to traffic, marching bands and choirs performing, special displays and performances all over town. What a fluke that I just happened to be here for it. The city is very charming with its canals and beautiful and unique architecture throughout. I climbed up to a fortress overlooking the city, a place where the locals have picnics and relax. It was such great weather here, and a welcome change from the frigid north. Finally its shorts and t-shirt weather!!! I even got a little too much sun!
Oslo was my next stop. My first impression wasn`t great. It wasn`t until I took a sightseeing fjord cruise in the harbour that I began to appreciate this place. The inner and outer harbour is filled with little islands, all covered in beautiful little vacation homes. Many of the cottages have miniature cottages at the water`s edge, matching the main house. So cute. One of the other attractions that I enjoyed was the sculpture park. Sculptures of naked humanity is the best way to describe this. The path lead to a huge monolithe, carved human images from a single peice of stone. Extraordinary.
Gøteborg, Sweden was my next stop. This is the second largest city in Sweden, along the west coast of the country. Very charming town, lots of cobblestone streets and beautiful old buildings. One of my fellow hostelers told me how to get to the little islands off the coast, so I decided to go. My transit pass took me the entire way, with a combination of tram car and ferry boat. I wandered the streets of the one of the islands, along the small paved paths, amoung beautiful vacation properties to a cute little marina. I decided to splurge for a sandwich and a beer at the marina cafe ($20CDN), and sat an outside enjoying the sunshine while I ate and drank. Before long I was befriended by a local, and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and drinking beer.
From Gøteborg, I took the train/bus to the south of Denmark, to the small town of Toftlund. My Canadian friend Gary met me, and picked me up at the bus station. He and I decided to explore the little town for a few hours before we joined our friends Lars and Lone (my Danish friends who are getting married) at Lone's parents' home. Within 20min of walking in the little town (4000 population), Lone's father Borge happened to spot the Canadian flag on my backpack as we were walking, and pulled over to escort us back to their home. I guess my nationality is written all over me........
The wedding
What an amazing experience. I am overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality of the the friends and family I've met here. Lone's parents have opened their home to my friend Gary and I, as have their neighbours. The wedding itself was so beautiful. It was held in a very old Danish church, and conducted entirely in Danish. The bride escorted by her father, and the groom by his brother. The four sat facing each other for the majority of the ceremony, quite different from Canadian weddings. Although I couldn't understand the words being spoken or hyms sung, the sentiment and symbolism was clear. The reception started with some greetings outside the hall, and a helium balloon release with a personal note by each in attendance attached to each. Canadian weddings pale in comparison to Danish weddings. The meal was exceptional, and the setting was extraordinary with the ocean on one side and an inlet on the other. Guests clearly put a lot of thought into their contribution for the evening. Speeches, remarks, songs, and skits continued throughout the evening, with toasts and hip-hip-horrays peppered throughout. At the stroke of midnight, the band began and the couple took their first waltz. As is the tradition, the guests circle the couple and gradually closing in the gap. The groom is then lifted and his shoes removed, and the tips of his socks are cut off. Lars was prepared for this and surprised us all with his toes painted bright pink. Attention is then turned to Lone, where all the girls tear and cut her bridal veil. Dancing and drinking lasted past sunrise. All evening we were eyeing the two beach volleyball nets just outside the reception room, and had every intention of making use of them at the first daylight, but in the end, sleep won out. The people I've met at this event are all so amazing. They have come from all over the world. I've exchanged contact information with so many, and feel like I have a whole new circle of friends to visit in different places around the world.
Tomorrow I travel to Copenhagen, and from there to Helsinki, Finland. My plan is to try to find a Finnish travel agency that can help me plan a short tour to St. Petersburg, Russia. From Helsinki, I'm also planning to take a short ferry to Tallinn, Estonia. I have a little over 2 weeks left in my trip. My next report will be just before I return on July 5th.
Lots of Love,
Heather
July
4, 2006 – from Berlin, Germany
Greetings
from Berlin!
My last travel update from from Denmark. After leaving the little town of Toflund, my friend Gary drove us to Copenhagan. We explored some more of the city together, including Christiania, which is a squatter village within an abandoned military base. The people living here are self governing, and except for keeping the drug sales in check, the police and the city take a hands off approach to the area. We saw lots of colourful characters, it's a very hippie type drug culture. Although covered with graffiti, the place still has some semblance of order and decorum, with parks, common buildings, garbage areas etc. Gary and I were fortunate to spend our two evenings in Copenhagan with some new friends we met attending the wedding. A backyard BBQ one evening, and dinner at a local brew pub another.
Finland - land of forests, lakes and saunas
From Copenhagan, I travelled 26 hours to Helsinki. First the train to Stockholm, then an overnight boat from Stockholm to Helsinki. I slept in a dorm cabin on the boat with 3 other girls. My first priority was to hit the spa onboard. First the sauna, then the Turkish bath, then the sauna and back to the turkish bath. I self administered a hair mask, face mask, and a foot scrub. It's been ages since my body has been so clean. This boat is known as the shopping boat, with the usual duty free offerings. And people buying it up by the wagonload. I arrived in Helsinki just at the start of the Midsummer festival. This is a huge holiday here. About the same scale as our Christmas. I celebrated the festival with the locals on a nearby island park (similar to Vancouver's Stanley Park). There was Finnish handicrafts, work displays, traditional food, dancing, and the evening was capped off with the lighting of the bonfires. There were bonfires all over the shores, lit with great ceremony and accompanied by songs and dancing. Upon the lighting of the main bonfire, people turn to each other and hug and kiss, and exchange some sort of greeting. I think it's a lot like our New Years. What a fluke that I happened to be here for this! My next day in Helsinki was spent at a nearby group of islands, accessible by a transit ferry boat. This place is recognized as a world heritage site due to the old fortress, which was very interesting to roam through. Cute little cafes, lots of grassed park area, people sunning themselves on the rocks, and families having BBQs. Very cool. The next day I took a day trip to the nearby town of Porvoo, which is such a charming old town. Beautiful old wooden houses, cobblestone streets, cute little cafes and shops. Did I mention the saunas here in Finland? There are sauna's in all of the hostels here.
Estonia - wrought iron, medieval, church bells, cobblestone, town wall and defence towers
From Helsinki I took a boat to Tallinn, Estonia. 1 1\2 hours by speed boat, and boom, I'm in a different country. I found my hostel, dropped my bag, then started exploring. Around the first corner I stumble upon a marching band and a parade. All of this for me? I feel so welcome! What an amazing place this is. The old town in medieval, with a fortress wall, defence towers, and old churches around every turn. The old town is addictive, with it's maze-like alleys and medieval squares. I checked out the beach in Tallinn, and I'm happy to report that beach volleyball is alive and well in this Baltic country. While in Tallinn, I decided to roll the dice and get my hair cut from a hairdresser that doesn't speak English. The smock went on, and before I knew it, the Tazmanian Devil was having a go at my head. I now look like a 12 year old boy with a mullet (business in the front, party in the back). I guess this haircut will be my souvenir of Estonia. I hope my souvenir grows back soon. The good news is that Estonia is the cheapest country so far on my trip. I can actually afford to have a meal in a restaurant.
I explored the possibility of going to St. Petersberg, Russia, but had to scrap the plan due to the processing time for the Visa. Instead, I explored a few more little towns in Finland before setting sail for Germany:
Rauma, Finland
Rauma, Finland is another of Finland's World Heritage sites, for its old town. Old wooden houses with clapboard siding, painted in beautiful period colours, and each house with unique trim around windows and doors. Old Town Rauma has been compared to Nantucket, New England for its charm and style. I loved walking the cobblestone streets, wandering down alleys. I peaked through open gates to the immaculate back courtyards of these beautiful old homes. My hostel in Rauma is one of the best on my trip. Connected to a seaside campground, the dorm house is a beautiful character building right on the beach. As as chance would have it, I had the entire place to myself that night.
Turku, Finland
By chance I happened to arrive in Turku for their annual medieval festival. The perfect opportunity for me to stock up on swords, shields, armour, bows and arrows. Entertainment stages, market stalls, jesters and musicians, work displays and everyone dressed in period costume.
Hanko, Finland
Hanko is a delicious little seaside village with B&Bs in old mansions, sandy beaches, spa retreats, and an active marina. The summer playground for the who's who of Finland. As a mid-afternoon respite, I contemplated life sitting at a marina cafe in the sunshine, drinking pear cider.
I had a few heart palpitations in stand-by mode for the 24hr ferry from Finland to Germany, but luckily made it on! There were two young Russian lads on stand-by as well. We got to talking when I offered some of my little picnic dinner to them. I learned that they are on a 'Motorcycle Diaries' style journey from Moscow to Austria for some sort of snowboard thing. They are driving a junky old car held together with paper clips and rubber bands, hardly have two dimes to rub together, and hadn't eaten all day. Such wonderful characters. I love meeting people when I'm travelling, everyone has a story and a journey.
Berlin, Germany - World Cup Fever!!!!!
I spent a day in Berlin enroute back to Frankfurt for my flight home. Berlin is totally buzzing with World Cup fever. They have turned one of their main parks into the 'Fan Mile' where the games are broadcast, and people can come and cheer their team, eat and drink and party. This city is crawling with visitors from all over the world all their sporting team colours. In Berlin I met up with my good friend Laura's sister who lives here with her family. It was so nice to spend some time with some locals.
Enroute to Frankfurt
I leave Berlin this morning to travel to Frankfurt for my flight tomorrow morning. As luck would have it, Germany is in the semi-finals of the World Cup, and they play tonight against Italy. My plan is to drop my big pack in a locker in Frankfurt, go to view the game somewhere in Frankfurt, then stumble to the airport and throw myself on the plane at 7am tomorrow morning. No sleep for me tonight. I'll sleep on the plane.
Did you know?
- in Denmark, 'Danish Pastry' is called 'Viennabrod'='Vienna Bread'; also affectionately knows as 'Roses of Mohammed'
- in Finland, there is a sauna for every three people
- Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It costs $2 just to use the washroom there!
- Europe and Scandinavian toilets have a half flush and full flush system with toilets.
Home sweet home, here I come!
Heather
heatherfulcher@gmail.com
My last travel update from from Denmark. After leaving the little town of Toflund, my friend Gary drove us to Copenhagan. We explored some more of the city together, including Christiania, which is a squatter village within an abandoned military base. The people living here are self governing, and except for keeping the drug sales in check, the police and the city take a hands off approach to the area. We saw lots of colourful characters, it's a very hippie type drug culture. Although covered with graffiti, the place still has some semblance of order and decorum, with parks, common buildings, garbage areas etc. Gary and I were fortunate to spend our two evenings in Copenhagan with some new friends we met attending the wedding. A backyard BBQ one evening, and dinner at a local brew pub another.
Finland - land of forests, lakes and saunas
From Copenhagan, I travelled 26 hours to Helsinki. First the train to Stockholm, then an overnight boat from Stockholm to Helsinki. I slept in a dorm cabin on the boat with 3 other girls. My first priority was to hit the spa onboard. First the sauna, then the Turkish bath, then the sauna and back to the turkish bath. I self administered a hair mask, face mask, and a foot scrub. It's been ages since my body has been so clean. This boat is known as the shopping boat, with the usual duty free offerings. And people buying it up by the wagonload. I arrived in Helsinki just at the start of the Midsummer festival. This is a huge holiday here. About the same scale as our Christmas. I celebrated the festival with the locals on a nearby island park (similar to Vancouver's Stanley Park). There was Finnish handicrafts, work displays, traditional food, dancing, and the evening was capped off with the lighting of the bonfires. There were bonfires all over the shores, lit with great ceremony and accompanied by songs and dancing. Upon the lighting of the main bonfire, people turn to each other and hug and kiss, and exchange some sort of greeting. I think it's a lot like our New Years. What a fluke that I happened to be here for this! My next day in Helsinki was spent at a nearby group of islands, accessible by a transit ferry boat. This place is recognized as a world heritage site due to the old fortress, which was very interesting to roam through. Cute little cafes, lots of grassed park area, people sunning themselves on the rocks, and families having BBQs. Very cool. The next day I took a day trip to the nearby town of Porvoo, which is such a charming old town. Beautiful old wooden houses, cobblestone streets, cute little cafes and shops. Did I mention the saunas here in Finland? There are sauna's in all of the hostels here.
Estonia - wrought iron, medieval, church bells, cobblestone, town wall and defence towers
From Helsinki I took a boat to Tallinn, Estonia. 1 1\2 hours by speed boat, and boom, I'm in a different country. I found my hostel, dropped my bag, then started exploring. Around the first corner I stumble upon a marching band and a parade. All of this for me? I feel so welcome! What an amazing place this is. The old town in medieval, with a fortress wall, defence towers, and old churches around every turn. The old town is addictive, with it's maze-like alleys and medieval squares. I checked out the beach in Tallinn, and I'm happy to report that beach volleyball is alive and well in this Baltic country. While in Tallinn, I decided to roll the dice and get my hair cut from a hairdresser that doesn't speak English. The smock went on, and before I knew it, the Tazmanian Devil was having a go at my head. I now look like a 12 year old boy with a mullet (business in the front, party in the back). I guess this haircut will be my souvenir of Estonia. I hope my souvenir grows back soon. The good news is that Estonia is the cheapest country so far on my trip. I can actually afford to have a meal in a restaurant.
I explored the possibility of going to St. Petersberg, Russia, but had to scrap the plan due to the processing time for the Visa. Instead, I explored a few more little towns in Finland before setting sail for Germany:
Rauma, Finland
Rauma, Finland is another of Finland's World Heritage sites, for its old town. Old wooden houses with clapboard siding, painted in beautiful period colours, and each house with unique trim around windows and doors. Old Town Rauma has been compared to Nantucket, New England for its charm and style. I loved walking the cobblestone streets, wandering down alleys. I peaked through open gates to the immaculate back courtyards of these beautiful old homes. My hostel in Rauma is one of the best on my trip. Connected to a seaside campground, the dorm house is a beautiful character building right on the beach. As as chance would have it, I had the entire place to myself that night.
Turku, Finland
By chance I happened to arrive in Turku for their annual medieval festival. The perfect opportunity for me to stock up on swords, shields, armour, bows and arrows. Entertainment stages, market stalls, jesters and musicians, work displays and everyone dressed in period costume.
Hanko, Finland
Hanko is a delicious little seaside village with B&Bs in old mansions, sandy beaches, spa retreats, and an active marina. The summer playground for the who's who of Finland. As a mid-afternoon respite, I contemplated life sitting at a marina cafe in the sunshine, drinking pear cider.
I had a few heart palpitations in stand-by mode for the 24hr ferry from Finland to Germany, but luckily made it on! There were two young Russian lads on stand-by as well. We got to talking when I offered some of my little picnic dinner to them. I learned that they are on a 'Motorcycle Diaries' style journey from Moscow to Austria for some sort of snowboard thing. They are driving a junky old car held together with paper clips and rubber bands, hardly have two dimes to rub together, and hadn't eaten all day. Such wonderful characters. I love meeting people when I'm travelling, everyone has a story and a journey.
Berlin, Germany - World Cup Fever!!!!!
I spent a day in Berlin enroute back to Frankfurt for my flight home. Berlin is totally buzzing with World Cup fever. They have turned one of their main parks into the 'Fan Mile' where the games are broadcast, and people can come and cheer their team, eat and drink and party. This city is crawling with visitors from all over the world all their sporting team colours. In Berlin I met up with my good friend Laura's sister who lives here with her family. It was so nice to spend some time with some locals.
Enroute to Frankfurt
I leave Berlin this morning to travel to Frankfurt for my flight tomorrow morning. As luck would have it, Germany is in the semi-finals of the World Cup, and they play tonight against Italy. My plan is to drop my big pack in a locker in Frankfurt, go to view the game somewhere in Frankfurt, then stumble to the airport and throw myself on the plane at 7am tomorrow morning. No sleep for me tonight. I'll sleep on the plane.
Did you know?
- in Denmark, 'Danish Pastry' is called 'Viennabrod'='Vienna Bread'; also affectionately knows as 'Roses of Mohammed'
- in Finland, there is a sauna for every three people
- Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It costs $2 just to use the washroom there!
- Europe and Scandinavian toilets have a half flush and full flush system with toilets.
Home sweet home, here I come!
Heather
heatherfulcher@gmail.com
