So Long, Stockholm

Yes, it's time to move on. A change in plans, though. My original thought was to go to Turku, Finland, then on to Helsinki. But talking to several folks along the way, and others in the past, I've decided to stop in Tallinn, Estonia rather than Turku. I leave on the ferry on Saturday nite, and arrive at 10:00 AM on Sunday. Not sure what I'll find there, but I'm sure it will be interesting.

Before I go into more on Stockholm, I thought I'd tell a story on myself. Why not? I think I mentioned that I had to change rooms in Kalmar. When the clerk gave me the key, she told me which hall to go through to find the room. Dutifully, I did so. Wandered up and down for 5 minutes or more looking for room 60 with absolutely no success. Finally broke all rules and conventions of machismo and asked for directions from one of the maids. She turned my key right side up and told me where room 09 was. Skill and science win out again over ignorance, superstition and evil.

Another side-lite: on my last European trip, I ran into many, many Australians, and even a few New Zealanders. Other than a few in Vienna this trip, there haven't been any. Don't you folks like Scandinavia, or have you stopped traveling the world?

I guess it's time to ramble. Remember Hitchcock's movie 'The Birds'? Well, in Karlmar, and then again last evening several birds really dive bombed me. On the first pass, I thought it was just a mistake, but they kept it up, and were getting closer and closer. Kalmar's birds looked and sounded like crows, but had gray heads. The ones here were gulls.

My plans to use my IPOD to pass the dead time haven't worked out. I remember reading in the manual something about being careful syncing it to other computers, as it will replace your computer's music with the music from the other computer. I ignored that, as it didn't seem like the way I'd design it. I synced it to my laptop to add a few songs. Guess what. They are the only ones I've got. Read and believe the instructions.

So far the English here in Scandinavia has been great. I really respect these folks for their determination to have English as a second language. Wish I was as dedicated. And as I head farther north, I hope it keeps up.

The weather here has remained in the low 80's since I've been in Stockholm. Seems from talking to folks that this is a bit high for this time of year.

And I did have the Swedish meatballs, with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. Not sure if the jam was to be eaten with the meatballs, the potatoes, or alone. No bread. I tried it all three ways, and it was fine.

If you ever get to Stockholm and only have time for one major attraction, see the Vasa museum. The Vasa was a 17th century warship, at the time one of, if not the largest.. She's a tribute to nautical engineering incompetence. She took a bit of wind less than an hour into her maiden voyage, heeled over and sank! She lay in the Stockholm harbor for 333 years, before she was brought to the surface and restored.

She's the only example of a complete 17th century warship in existence, or so they say. The museum is excellent. They cover everything from her construction to her re-construction. I spent four hours there (including time for lunch and a snack). Later, reading the brochure, I found I'd missed several displays that I'd probably have enjoyed. Only problem I found was that the lighting wasn't bright enough to really see the ship. Maybe that's a preservation issue, I don't know. Their web site is vasamuseet.se Check it out.

Also went to the Junibaken, which is really a children's play-place and a tribute to the author of 'Pippi Longstockings', Astrid Lindgren, and a number of other children's books. A nice place to spend an hour or so, wishing you were a kyd again. There is one ride that takes you through one of her stories. There are models of the characters in various scenes from the story. I rode through it with two retired elementary school teachers from somewhere in south LA county.

Adding to the Stockholm summary on Saturday, I have to change my mind a bit. If you ever visit Stockholm, make time to see both the Vasa and Skansen. Skansen is an open-air museum. It was started in the late 19th century. It covers many acres on the same island that the Vasa is on. In it are original homes brought from all over Sweden to show what life was like as far back as the 18th century. The farmsteads in particular are interesting. The differences in construction from one part of the country to another are very evident. construction was based on available material. In the south, with few forests, 'half-timber' homes were the thing. A frame was built of wood and then the voids were filled in with clay. Sod roofs were in. Further north, wood becomes the primary construction material, for both the structure and the roof. They also had examples of city life, small shops, craftsman's workplaces, you get the idea. Enough of my rambling. Enough to say I really enjoyed the day there, and if you're interested in things like this, give it a try. LaRita and Jim, I know you'd love it.

At the end of the day, they had several musical presentations. First a pair of fiddlers playing Swedish folk tunes for about 15 minutes. Then after a short break, the fiddlers led a procession of 8 folk dancers. They performed a number of dances, and really looked like they were enjoying themselves. Then, on the way back to the railway station, passing through Kungstradgarden, the main event location for downtown Stockholm, I happened on a brass band. Just as I got there, they went into a rousing version of one of (don't know which) John P. Sousa's works. Naturally I stopped to listen. Unfortunately, I got there for the finale. Tough luck, but then it was getting fairly late.

It's now Saturday PM, and I'm killing time at the train station updating this. My ship leaves for Tallin at 18:00, and I have to be there atl least an hour or more before. Local buses seem to be a pretty good option for getting to the dock. At least I hope so. The fare was a lot, and I'd hate to miss the boat. I doubt if they give refunds. I'll arrive tomorrow at 10:00. I think they are an hour ahead of Stockholm.


I spent this morning just walking around. I tried to get to the top of the City Hall, close to the tallest building in town. But it's closed for renovation. There's an elevator to a restaurant near Gamla Stan (Old Town) that had a pretty good view, so I tried that. Not bad. But Stockholm doesn't really have much of an exciting skyline. Nearly all the buildings are 6 to 10 stories, with a very few a good bit more. Several church spires, and that's about it. I do think I like Stockholm better than Copenhagen. Maybe the weather has a bit to do with that.

Had an excellent salmon for lunch. Even better than my own pseudo-poached salmon. Nice outdoor restaurant in Gamla Stan, lots of people to watch. Nice relaxed morning and early afternoon.

I can't think if anything more to bore you all with, so I guess I'll close. Probably touch base again from Helsinki on Tuesday. Don't know what I'll find in Tallinn.