European Escapades

I've always used the excuses - and they're a pretty good duo - that Europe is too far away and too expensive for this frugal Canadian student to travel to/within. But now that I am in Sweden and have some contacts (classmates and their families) I'm venturing into the continent that up to now I've barely touched (6 weeks in Italy and several trips to the UK hardly rate as exploration). I'll use this page to chronicle my trips outside of Sweden.

• first up, from June 22-30, 2013 - Lithuania, specifically the city of Klaipeda, home of my classmate Vilte - this is a long post but there are plenty of pictures to liven it up a bit and I don't mind if you just look at the photos (and how would I know anyway?)
• second, for just a few days over my birthday - Riga, Latvia (which I passed through on the way to Lithuania and was intrigued and charmed by)
• third - Helsinki in the summer in late July (and Helsinki again in December 2013)
• fourth - Copenhagen in late August 2013
• fifth - Nice - January 12-19, 2014

Klaipeda Lithuania

Stockholm to Riga

I traveled to Lithuania via the MS Isabelle which is a lovely ship of the Tallink Silja line (though I suspect it is perhaps a little bit shabbier and not quite as luxurious as other ships in the fleet). The route is from Stockholm to Riga, Latvia. It is a 17-hour trip and I found it very enjoyable. I also think it is quite a bargain - I paid $110 Canadian for the return trip and that includes a bunk bed in a 4-bed female cabin both ways and the breakfast buffet on the way back. A warning however that the accommodation at this price (called C-class cabins) is not for the claustrophobic or those with phobias about marine disasters - these cabins are at the very bottom of the boat, below the car decks, and they have no windows and are pretty small. But I wouldn't say they are any stuffier or confined feeling than some hostels I've stayed at and the bathrooms are quite generously sized and come complete with shower (and bedding and a towel is provided which is helpful).

My flags which will accompany me on my travels this summer

View of Stockholm highrises - not sure what suburb this is

The ship sails at 5:00 pm and there is lots to see. The first few hours cruising through the Swedish archipelago are very scenic. Although there is supposed to be wildlife I did not see anything other than birds (gulls of various kinds) and butterflies (when we set off - not once we got going). It was such a joy for me to be close to the sea again - I really miss the ocean so much and I know now that this will be an important criteria for where I choose to locate in the future. It was of course very reminiscent of what you see from a BC Ferries vessel although the Swedish flags and characteristic red-painted houses/cottages might give you  a clue that you are not in Canada.

Butterfly that landed on a bench on the ship before we sailed from Stockholm

Fabulous 'rays from heaven' effect

Morning sky (this is actually on the trip back but whatever)

One of the scenic islands in the archipelago

from the stern of the boat

another lovely little island - wonder if you can buy one?

As you might expect on a boat plying international waters there are slot machines however they are exorbitantly priced (lowest bet 2 SEK per spin or about 32 cents but this is on a machine with only a single payline so it eats your money very quickly indeed). I took food with me for the evening and decided that I would splurge and buy breakfast - this turned out to be a good move. Breakfast is far from cheap (about $16) but to my mind it is worth it to sit having coffee and toasted dark bread with marmalade while the scenery slips by. Heaven! But back to the night before.

breakfast - this dark bread studded with seeds and just slightly sweet - delish!

the view from the breakfast room on the Stockholm-Riga trip (actually nicer on the way back when you are in the archipelago at breakfast time)

Once I had eaten and got my fill of looking at birds and the scenery with binoculars I decided to drop some of my stuff in the cabin where unfortunately I had been allocated a top bunk (I much prefer a lower bunk as my aging bladder insists on getting me up at least once or twice a night). I went down to the cabin at about 9:00 pm and to my surprise my two cabinmates were already in bed and asleep in the two lower bunks. I tried to be as quiet as possible but based on the dagger look that one woman gave me the next day she was not pleased with my efforts. But hey - who goes to bed at 9:00 pm when you're sleeping in what is basically an oversized storage locker?

Back upstairs I enjoyed a performance of Latvian folk dancing that was really great - beautiful young people, high-spirited and colorfully dressed performing intricate moves and footwork smiling broadly the whole time and several of the couples looking as in love as Romeo and Juliet. Then when a band came on several of the troupe's members, still in their traditional outfits, danced in a more modern fashion (perhaps the Lindy Hop or some variant on jiving?) with the same vigour. Oh the energy of youth! I tried a few spins of the slot machine burning through 100 SEK (about $16) in very short order and went down to sleep around 10:20 pm.

It was not a great night's sleep - dagger-look woman was a vigorous snorer and it was a bit stuffy - but I managed to get a few hours and felt pretty good in the morning. Then it was time for breakfast which was yummy although missing some of the things that I am used to - bacon, fried ham and breakfast sausages for example. But the coffee was hot and strong, the bread (do you sense a trend here?) delicious and the scenery spectacular. Soon after I finished breakfast we arrived in Riga.

There is a young woman who gives out tourist information on the ship and she explained to me where the Riga bus station was (where I would catch my bus to Klaipeda) and advised me to catch a tram there. I ended up walking - it was only a couple of kilometers - but it turns out I should have either paid more attention to my classmate who is from Klaipeda or simply opened my eyes since my ticket clearly indicated that my bus would pick me up at the port (not at the bus station) and when we got there to pick up other passengers I saw that this stop was not more than 50 yards from the ferry terminal. Oops. Oh well - at least I got a chance to see some of Riga and that inspired me to return there as soon as I could for a proper visit.

Riga to Klaipeda

Vilte had warned me that the bus from Riga to Klaipeda might in fact be a mini-bus and that is indeed what it turned out to be. It was one of those little 16-seaters but it was quite okay once we got going and the air-conditioning kicked in (it was not that hot - maybe in the mid to high twenties - but with so many people packed into a small space it quickly got very uncomfortable). 

When I came back the other way we took a different route - perhaps because we had nobody that needed to go to intermediate stops but were going simply from Klaipeda to the ferry terminal in Riga - but on this trip we took a route that had us going on roads that seemed to be under construction. In several places we had to stop at traffic lights in the middle of nowhere (or so it seemed) where one half of the road was torn up and so traffic was reduced to a single lane. We waited while vehicles came from the other direction and then once that stream ended our light would turn green and we could go. The landscape was very pretty but seemed almost without people.

It reminded me, quite frankly, of being in India. The driver seemed quite distracted (and distractable) spending far too much time, in my opinion, doing something on his cellphone while barreling along on a pretty substandard road at 100 km or more per hour. As we got within about half an hour of Klaipeda it started to rain fairly hard but this didn't cause him to decrease his speed or what I thought was pretty unsafe passing practices. But, obviously since you are reading this, we came to no harm and arrived in Klaipeda only 25 minutes or so late although from the driver's tut-tutting and expression you would have thought we were hours behind schedule.

I asked the driver where the hostel was, he thought that I said hospital, but then I told him never mind because I realized that I could see the hostel's sign from the arrival platform where the bus had pulled in. I went in and got settled in the very pleasant hostel which was also quite a bargain (about the same price per night as breakfast on the ship!). Then I headed out into the warm evening air for a stroll around Klaipeda.

Klaipeda

Klapeida Day 1 (Sunday)

My arrival in Klaipeda coincided with one of the biggest holidays in Europe - Midsummer (called St. John's Day in Lithuania). This is a holiday with various layers of pagan, Christian and nationally-specific celebratory symbols and activities. On the trip to Klaipeda I had seen many people by the roadside with heaps of tree boughs and bouquets of flowers for sale. I knew that a bonfire would be part of the festivities and, on the advice of the hostel staff, I wandered to the centre of the town where sure enough an edifice that would be set alight at midnight was out in the middle of a moat.

In the meantime there was singing, lighting of torches and even a horse (not sure what that was about). As I entered the area where the stage was set up I was offered water to wash my hands and a towel to dry them on - this was more symbolic than anything as only about a teaspoon of water was allocated to each person. I had a beer - 6 litas for a generous glass (about $2.25 - certainly a far cry from the price of beer in Sweden) and a cold supper of bread and cheese that I bought from a grocery store.  I wandered around the city a bit and admired the old buildings and the tree-lined sleeps and the interesting sculptures dotted randomly around. But I was tired and long before midnight I returned to the hostel for a good night's sleep.

handwashing and drying

the bonfire to be lit at midnight

folksingers

Klaipeda Day 2 (Monday)

I got up fairly early, ate my remaining bread and cheese for breakfast and wandered into the city for a decent cup of coffee (which I found at the Coffee Inn which I have since learned is a chain). Then back to the hostel, packed up my things and met Juleta, Vilte's mother, and her partner Algis.

They took me to Juleta's house which is in a seaside suburb of Klaipeda called Melnrage. We went for a walk along the breakwater and beach and then in the afternoon to a place called the Dutch Cap (apparently that's what mariners thought it looked like on the map). Then they treated me to a traditional Lithuanian lunch where I had my first taste of saltibarsciai (cold beetroot soup), cepelini (dumplings made from potato and stuffed with meat) and the possibly slightly-alcoholic (I'm not quite sure if it is or isn't) and highly refreshing drink gira (called kvas in Russian apparently). Juleta insisted I try some of her blood pudding which was palatable but not something I'd order myself. My dishes were good although I found them both rather rich for my palate. The dessert was delicious - basically apple fritters (pieces of apple battered and then deep fried) served with ice cream. Yum!

A couple of hours were then given over to relaxation and digestion. Algis returned to Silute - the town where he lives and works (he is an abdominal surgeon) and dropped Juleta and I off in the centre of Klaipeda on the way. We wandered down to the ferry terminal (so I would know where to go the next day), watched the swinging bridge in action and then caught the bus back to Melnrage (bus service is regular and cheap in Swedish terms). We had a quiet evening.

Klaipeda Day 3 (Tuesday)

Juleta dropped me off at the ferry terminal in the morning so that I could travel over to the Curonian Spit. This is a long finger of land thats unique sand dunes have earned it a place in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. I spent an hour or so wandering around Smiltyne where the ferry lands and then caught the bus to Nida - the biggest settlement on the spit some 54 kilometers south of Smiltyne. Here in Nida I walked along the cognitive path that led to the sundial from where you get a fabulous view of the great dune. I walked back through the forest stopping to read the plaques about the trees, lichen and birds found along the path.

Looking back toward Klaipeda and the Amberton Hotel and its K-shaped building

A very attractive fence in Smiltyne at the open air museum

House of a well-to-do occupant in the old days in Smiltyne

Fishing boat exhibition in Smiltyne

Beautiful garden in Nida

Close up of the garden in Nida

A view of the dunes of the Curonian Spit (looking south from Nida)

forbidding landscape

Looking toward the Great Dune from Nida

dramatic landscape

Very nice (and inexpensive) fika in Nida

Back in Nida I wandered around the little town, ate my packed lunch (economizing again) and then splurged on an absolutely delicious coffee and cake at a small coffee shop that Juleta had recommended. I had intended to stop at Juodkrante on my way back to the ferry stop but it began to rain very hard and I didn't fancy trudging up a hill or looking at birds in the rain. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Klaipeda and enjoying the pretty city until Juleta picked me up at the Amberton Hotel (which is housed in a building shaped like the letter K).

A boy and his dog

A cute mouse

A random dragon

The view looking across to the spit (on the left) and on the right the working part of the harbour

Another great sculpture - quite ominous isn't it

We then traveled to Silute to have dinner with Algis at his home which is a small gem set in a lovely garden complete with a home-made warm house (that uses plastic sheeting rather than glass) in which a bumper crop of tomatoes and cucumbers is growing. Soon after our arrival, but unfortunately before Juleta had made dinner, there was a terrific rain storm and the power went out. Algis came home from the hospital temporarily to see us and we drank wine since we couldn't cook anything (not Algis who was on call) and when we had just about given up hope (and Algis had left) the power came back and we ate a delicious 'studenty' type dinner of fried potatoes, onions and eggs.

Klaipeda Day 4 (Wednesday)

The next morning Juleta dropped me at the library where I used the public terminal to access the Internet for an hour or so. Then back to the house where I packed up a lunch and then she took me to the bus station - which wouldn't have looked out of place in India (perhaps Indian bus stations were built according to some Soviet-era blueprints with all that blocky concrete and unwelcoming dimensions and spaces) - where I caught a minibus first to Kintai and then onto Vente to do some birdwatching. It was a lovely afternoon although there weren't that many birds to see and the insects were vicious with more mosquitoes than I've encountered anywhere.

Algis was finished his duties that evening and made us a delicious dinner of shashlik (men everywhere love to barbecue I guess) and Juleta put together a salad from home-grown veggies. I must say that Lithuanian food is a bit challenging if you want to try and eat vegetarian. Then I returned to Klaipeda on the bus - which turned out to have wi-fi which was helpful - and Juleta stayed on in Silute.

Klaipeda Day 5 (Thursday)

Thursday was a hedonistic day for me. I went to 3 museums and enjoyed them but really the theme of the day was gambling! Before I went to Klaipeda I knew that they had casinos and though I couldn't tell much about them from the websites they looked like small (usually less than 30 slot machines) but fun places. And the Olympic Casino in Klaipeda certainly turned out to be most enjoyable.

The best part of the casino was that the betting on the machines was very low - 0.01 litas (the Lithuanian currency which is worth about 40 cents) per line. So on the 20-line machine I was playing this was only about 8 cents Canadian a spin. And the machines were generous and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Thursday was the casino's birthday and as the evening went on there were free (alcoholic) drinks and some very yummy snacks and good music. It was a lot of fun and the upshot was that I ended up leaving Lithuania with about 2/3 of the money that I had taken out of the bank to finance the trip (oh yes, I forgot to mention that my Canadian debit card worked just fine in Lithuania - unlike in Sweden where it doesn't work at all).

Klaipeda Day 6 (Friday)

Friday, June 28 was my last full day in Klaipeda. In the morning I wandered through the lovely sculpture park, poked my head in the second hand shop Vilte had told me about (called Humana - I had thought that used clothing might be cheaper in Lithuania than Sweden but this was not the case) and then went out to the 'mega mall' to shop a bit. The shopping mall, Akropolis, was really pretty impressive and reminded me in the restaurant area of casinos in Vegas. And it had an ice skating rink. Managed to get what I wanted, bought some fruit at good prices from a street vendor and caught the #6 bus back to Melnrage from just near the shopping centre.

most of the pieces in the sculpture park seemed vaguely depressing/sad

War memorial

another part of the war memorial

interesting sculpture

happy but somehow (in my opinion) disturbing child

a definitely disturbing piece (at least for me)

again - I find this family unit vaguely off-kilter and eerie

is that an angel or a devil?

another family unit

what the heck is this? a mine? a representation of some kind of animal? anyone?

I thought this was sweet and it seemed to me to be the most normal piece I'd seen

Juleta and I went out in the evening for dinner to Ridikai a restaurant with a growing reputation for honest, homemade food. The meal was very nice - especially the 'lava cakes' for dessert. However, as many of those on Trip Advisor mention the setting is rather peculiar as you look out onto a busy street pulsing with traffic. Juleta and I both thought that what the owner needs to do is grow a hedge to block the noise and view of the traffic or better still buy the abandoned property next door which has a lovely courtyard area that could be turned into a wonderfully tranquil and welcoming space. My trip the next day was at 12:25 pm from the main bus station.

Klaipeda to Riga to Stockholm to Uppsala

The next day's trip to Riga was very quick! Another race car driver although in his defense the roads on the route we took were of much better quality than the earlier trip. We were scheduled to arrive in Riga at 3:50 pm and we were there shortly before 3:00 pm. Unfortunately I was allocated an upper bunk yet again. Oh well. At least this time my cabin mates seemed more reasonable and no dagger looks were experienced in the morning. The only incident of note was a 500 SEK win on the slot machine (which is an old-fashioned kind that still thunks out the coins you have won - I gathered them up in my travel mug and took them to the currency exchange booth where the lady working there graciously turned them into notes for me).

Again a lovely breakfast with the marvelous scenery flowing by. Arrived in Stockholm on time but then spent about twenty minutes at the bus stop as several busses came and went (the route I wanted to take goes every 10 minutes, even on a Sunday, so I didn't care) trying to help some foreign tourists purchase tickets from the very obstinate and dysfunctional ticket machine (it didn't want to acknowledge the validity of any of their credit cards - but then it would suddenly work - then next time it wouldn't - they were trying to buy tickets for a group of ten). Really I wonder about this policy of transit in Sweden to not accept cash on the busses - it sure makes it difficult for visiting tourists and despite this information being publicized everywhere many people are obviously unaware of it.

The bus driver advised these folks to return to the terminal and buy paper tickets from the shop there and I boarded, used my stored-value card and was at Central Station a little while later to catch the train back to Uppsala. By the early afternoon I was back in my apartment and the trip was over. But I can't wait to go back - maybe next spring - and explore Vilnius and Kaunus and other Lithuanian attractions/locales.

Riga (Latvia)

I got a brief peek at Riga when I passed through it on the way to Klaipeda in Lithuania. It looked so interesting and so I decided to go later in the summer for a proper visit. I didn't fly there but rather travelled again on the Tallink Silja line ferry which I've described elsewhere.

One of the definite attractions of Riga is how inexpensive it is. My bed at the Riga Hostel was less than 11 Euros (about $17 CAN) for two nights and that included a very generous buffet breakfast that included bread, jam, cheese, meat, veg (sliced cucumber, tomatoes and peppers), cereal, yogurt, juice and coffee. Staff were friendly and helpful, the place had a cozy feel and the location was excellent.

And, since you know me, it will come as no surprise to you that another attraction was the presence of casinos – in fact the same parent company as those in Lithuania. Olympic Casinos actually has branches in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Poland, Slovakia, Belarus and Italy. They have a much more congenial and welcoming attitude to gambling than the Swedes do – any time I am in a Swedish casino I feel like no one actually wants to acknowledge that there are people in there gambling and certainly no one is very friendly. It's like they find it all slightly distasteful. I visited the casino in Riga the day after my birthday and the young man tending the bar insisted on offering me a drink (alcoholic) as a perk, a nice glass of sparkling wine followed. The staff will also bring you a coffee or juice for free when playing (and of course a little tip is appreciated).

But there is much, much more to Riga than cheap accommodation and friendly casinos. Most notable is the abundance of art nouveau architecture. You can get a crick in your neck from continually looking up. The town itself is very walkable and strolling around is fun and interesting. Food is inexpensive and  diverse. Pastries are varied and scrumptious (see below).

The Gateway of Blackheads House

Interesting building facade

A restored movie theatre called the Splendid Palace

St. Peters spire against an interesting sky

Statuary - St. Peters

Blackheads house on right, spire of St. Peters

Wall decoration

It was yummy, inexpensive (less than $1 I think) and quite boozy - all round delicious

I paid something outrageous ($5 or $7) to go up in the tower of St. Peters which admittedly had great views. That's where the following photos were taken from.

Blackheads House Square

Those hangars in the background of the picture house the fabulous central market - it's amazing!

The wavy roofed building to the left of the bridge on the opposite side is the new National Library

Old town and another church

It was windy and I didn't have enough hands to compose my picture with flags properly

More old town

Radisson Hotel - casino there too rich for my blood

Old town again

Building with the red sign is the Stockmann's shopping centre that also houses the central railway station

 
A sombre but very moving 'attraction' is the Salaspils concentration camp where it seemed to me that the pain and sadness of the past trauma still imbued the location with a poignant and melancholy atmosphere. The metronome that sounds out a ceaseless human heartbeat adds an eerie backdrop to the sighing of the wind through the trees. Well worth a visit.

Two of the huge statues - I think the closer one is called humiliation and the one behind mother

Inside the monument

This one is called solidarity I believe

Mother

An area where people come to remember lost children

Inside the memorial

Wall of remembrance

Statues against a dramatic sky

What you see as you approach - you must pass underneath the huge slab of concrete that makes up the memorial

Unbroken

Another highlight was the open air ethnographic museum which was delightful and very sparsely attended. I enjoyed very much wandering through the forest and coming upon various buildings in the style of anywhere from 50 to 300 years in the past. Many are not replicas but are actual buildings that were transported to Riga from other parts of Latvia.

This building seemed warm and welcoming inside and out

Such wonderful workmanship

Quaint little church

Serious thatched roof!

I may return to Riga later this spring – there was much more that I didn't get time to see (I only stayed 2 nights/3 days) and the boat trip is always enjoyable though I may look for an inexpensive flight.

 

Latvian Academy of Science Building (everything online says its ugly but I don't think so)

See the graffiti artist at work on the far right hand side of the breakwater?

Remains of a synagogue in Riga destroyed in 1941 (according to online sources local and Lithuanian Jews were herded inside and the building burned with them in it)

Rough seas

Looks like the end of the world doesn't it

Wooden house in the Russian quarter

Helsinki (Finland)

Summer

Definitely the best part of doing my master's in Sweden has been the wonderful people I have met in my class (and of course I have met some other lovely people too that are not classmates but since most of us international students hang out with each other most of the time they are the core group of my friends here). My classmates come from all over the world and one that I felt an almost instant sympatico towards (with?) was Maija from Finland. She's a nurse, one of four sisters, spent her early years in Japan, has traveled widely and is just an all round fun, smart and engaging person. As I remember we started talking as we bandied about a vulgar term for female genitalia – if you want to know more you'll have to ask.

Like most of my classmates Maija headed back home for the summer break and she was kind enough to invite me to visit her in Helsinki. So on July 29, 2013, I got up early (3:30 am I've recorded in my diary) and headed to Arlanda Airport where I boarded an inexpensive (probably less than $100 Canadian – for some reason I didn't record the cost) and short flight to Helsinki. Maija had told me which bus to catch and I hopped on the reasonably priced (by Swedish standards – the city bus to Arlanda from Uppsala is 68 SEK or about 7.6 € versus 4.5 € for the bus in Finland) airport bus into the center of Helsinki. Maija was waiting for me in the sunshine and our adventure began. At some point of course we visited the Sibelius monument though I can't remember which day exactly. It is really an impressive sight but it was so busy it detracted from its attractiveness. Here are my attempts at capturing it in an 'arty' way.

The texture of the different pieces making up the sculpture lends more interest

Looking skyward through part of the monument

There were probably half a dozen busses pulled up at the monument

We spent the day wandering around this beautiful city in the delightful weather (seems so far away both in time and climate in these early days of January 2014). There is lots to see in Helsinki and the architectural details, as is typical for me, had me craning my neck and snapping lots of photos. 

Interesting coat of arms - scion of industry and also a sailor perhaps?

Everywhere there's a bear - crouching by the lower windows and looking down from the upper ones

Odd figures at the top of columns

Another coat of arms - foxes, oak leaves, salmon (?) and a mysterious building (on the left)

Decorative painting (or is it tile work?)

More bears

Guarding the doorway

Delightful

Close up of owls - a bit worse for wear

Owls and bears are a common theme in Helsinki

oh, and tortoises

Beautiful door

In the evening we met up with one of Maija's sisters and two of her nieces (who are the children of another sister). We went to an amusement park called Linnanmäki which was just a blast and uniquely Finnish in its approach. There was no admission charge to get in and around a dozen of the rides were completely free until 8:00 pm (I think the park was open until 10:00 pm). This means that low income families can still take their kids to an amusement park and enjoy it. It was wonderful for me since one of the free rides offered a panoramic view over Helsinki. Maija and I went on a kids' ride too – got us some weird looks and I thought I was going to get stuck inside the midget airplane but it all worked out okay.

Maija and me on a ride at the amusement park - yeah, maybe we're just two big kids

 

Views from the marvelous panoramic ride (free!) at the amusement park

We finished up with dinner at a Nepalese restaurant which are very common in Helsinki. It didn't taste that different than Indian to me but it was delicious with generous portions so I had no complaints.

The next day consisted of more wandering followed by lunch at a Russian place that serves only blinis (BLINIt). Yummy! By this time we had walked a fair bit and so we returned to Maija's for a bit of a rest then she went out to dinner at a friend's place and I went to – wait for it – the casino! I quite liked the casino which had a bank of Fort Knox progressive machines. I did well and we discovered that for some reason I wasn't getting texts from Maija. Luckily I heard my phone ringing over the noise of the casino and found that she had been worried about me since she had texted a couple of times and never heard back. But of course I was fine and walked back to her place in the middle of the night with no worries for my safety.

The next day we went to the fabulously interesting Workers' Housing Museum -  which was free of charge and also provided an English-speaking guide for a personalized tour. It was fascinating to see how people had lived through the past 100 years and the museum is set up in such a way you feel as if the people have just stepped out of the room a moment before you entered. Well worth a visit if you are in Helsinki.

We then met the same sister and nieces as before and went to Suomenlinna which is an island fortress off the coast of Helsinki. You reach it by public transport so it is quite inexpensive to visit – especially if you don't go in any of the attractions on the island itself (like the museum). We had a wonderful time tramping around and I discovered a potential link with Finland's history (and later the same name would crop up in southern Sweden). An important person in Suomenlinna's past was a shipwright by the name of Fredrik Henrik Chapman – that last name being the one I was born with. Although he was Swedish his father was British and one day I shall see if we are related.

The King's Steps - presumably this is where he used to come ashore for ceremonial occasions

The tomb of somebody famous

Helsinki's famous cathedral far in the distance

That's not a soldier at the other end of that cannon!

 

Massive old cannon

I forgot to record what we did for dinner but I am sure we called it a day early after wandering around Suomenlinna and especially since I had to get up at some obscene time (4:00ish I think) the next day to return to Sweden. However, it was a great trip and I vowed to return again and check out some things I missed the first time and visit the casino again.

 

Winter

My trip to Helsinki just before Christmas wasn't really much of an extension over what I did in the summer and contained way more gambling (which actually was the whole idea). This time my classmate Maija and I traveled 'together apart' – we left Arlanda within 15 minutes of each other but from different terminals and on different airplanes and airlines. But we took the bus together to the airport and from the airport to Helsinki centre. I stayed this time at a hostel since Maija herself was scrambling to figure out who she was staying with. 

Fantastic ceramic stove (not in use) in the hostel kitchen/common room

Close up of door on the stove

Stove chimney

Dramatic sky

Interesting sculpture near the hostel

A sculpture called 'Happiness' that I came across on a walk

A closer view of the sculpture - I was surprised when I read the plaque that said it was called Happiness because I thought it had something to do with the Garden of Eden story from the Bible (note the apple between the two and ....

the lack of belly button on either figure - indicating to me that they were the first humans :-) )

Maija had booked a massage for me at a massage school and that was lovely – 50 minutes of bliss during which I think I actually fell asleep. He recommended some stretches for my very tight (and usually very painful, especially in the morning) lower back and I will put those into action soon (really!). After that we went and had a yummy dinner at a Nepalese restaurant, I went to the casino and Maija went off to do her thing.

The next day I wandered around just enjoying being somewhere different – weather was mild and not very snowy or slippery – perfect. I discovered the Stockmann department store which I had seen last visit but never been inside. The supermarket section in the basement (called the Delikatessen) had the most wonderful baked goods and that is what was my usual go to meal. On Friday Maija invited me to have lunch with her and her friend Mariko who it turned out had met one of my friends (Karin) while she was in Somaliland. I met Karin in Zimbabwe when I was there in 2006. What a small world it is.

We had a fabulous lunch at Sandro - gosh it was so good to eat such authentic food, bread with texture and taste, wholesome salads and delicious hearty soups. Then we all parted ways at the architecturally stunning University Library in the city centre (where Mariko and I stopped in to use the loo – thankfully Helsinki is not as bad as Uppsala for finding a toilet for free). I of course headed off to gamble.

The next day – a Saturday – I wandered back to Sandro thinking I might have lunch there again but it was jam packed with a crowd enjoying a special Christmas brunch offering. I could have perhaps got in if I was waited (especially since I was alone) but I decided to go elsewhere. I checked out the food hall and a couple of other places but nothing much appealed so I ate somewhere that I won't disclose as it was definitely downmarket (in my defense it was not McDonalds). I found sculptures I hadn't seen before and generally just prowled the streets enjoying myself for a couple of hours. I left for the airport early, had an uneventful flight back to Arlanda and was back in my own room in Uppsala by midnight.

Copenhagen (Denmark)

I visited Copenhagen from August 19-22, 2013 and this time I stayed at a hostel as my classmate (Vilte from Lithuania) who was doing an internship there was living in very restricted circumstances (basically she was couchsurfing by the time I arrived though she had had a proper room earlier in her internship – the housing situation in Copenhagen is even worse than Uppsala which is saying something). I was very annoyed that the first hostel I booked at informed me (well, not me personally, it was a notice to all bookers) that they had an upper age limit for those who stayed with them which meant that I couldn't stay there (I think the limit was 25 or 26). Ridiculous! The next place I booked (Generator Hostel) had no such foolishness going on and turned out to be very good – modern, clean, toilet in the room (luxury!) and great location although not cheap (687 SEK or about $112 for 3 nights in a dorm bed). 

I did all the usual things that one does in Copenhagen - went to see the statue of the Little Mermaid, wandered about the 'freetown' of Christiania and, of course, went to the casino. I ducked inside the shabby trailer type of building off of the Tivoli Gardens (but that didn't require you to pay the garden admission fee to get into) and tried to figure out the way the weird slot machines in there worked but couldn't and so left just a few Euros poorer. I would check out the 'real' casino in Copenhagen on the Wednesday when admission was free (otherwise it was 5€ or something outrageous) and only hoped it wouldn't be full of the same kind of machines as at Tivoli. On the subject of Tivoli it was about as different from the amusement park in Helsinki as you could imagine with a stiff entrance fee (about $18 Canadian as I remember - it is, as I write this, closed for the season and admission fees are not listed for when it is open).

What else did I do - I had several snacks and meals with Vilte including a delicious cake and coffee break at Paludan Bogcafe (at least that is where I think it was).  We had an inexpensive and tasty meal at Govinda's which is the vegetarian restaurant of Copenhagen's Hare Krishnas. I wandered into any building (church, palace, museum, hotel) that looked interesting and didn't have guards on the door. I took a great free walking tour with young, local and enthusiastic guides. I strolled along the colourful Nyhavn waterfront and went to the fabulous National Museum and its stunning Viking exhibit (both free of charge).

Rather miserable looking dead white guy statues - especially the guy at the far end who is covered in a plastic bag!

Statue of Bishop Absalon - founder of Copenhagen - on the city hall

Close up of dragon in the fountain at city hall

very attractive building although you wouldn't get me in there (Church of Scientology)

Mosaic in gallery window

Sure I don't have to tell you who this is

Marble church

Worker's housing

Fabulous carving above a door

Twisty church spire

Church sculpture (in church in Christiania I think)

Russian church (not open for visitors)

Underwater sculpture

Nyhavn

Nice (France)

Nice was an absolutely glorious break away from Uppsala even though the last couple of days there were rainy and grey. Some background is in order - soon after arriving in Sweden I discovered that the greatest little airline in this part of the world is Norwegian which offers inexpensive flights all over Europe (and even to destinations in North America though sadly none in Canada). My return flight to Nice was 1,047 SEK (about $170) with free WiFi the whole way (though it must be mentioned that this is the price without checked baggage - checked bags are 100 SEK extra each way). And I managed to find a reasonably priced hotel (Hotel Comte de Nice - deux etoiles) - 200 Euros for 7 nights - not that much more expensive than a hostel bed in much of Scandinavia!

My outward flight was at a not too early 7:30 am but I was up and out long before that because winter has finally arrived here in Uppsala and I didn't want to take a chance on any bus delays on the way to the airport (plus I am habitually very early for flights). The plane was about two thirds full so as soon as we were airborne and the seatbelt sign was off I slipped out of my aisle seat and into a window seat in a completely unoccupied row at the very back of the plane. The day was clear and the view was simply spectacular.

Monaco I believe

Italian Alps (maybe? somebody's Alps that's for sure)

The trip to the hotel from the airport was inexpensive (1.5 Euros) and took about 40 minutes. I wandered around looking for my hotel because I didn't realize that the directions I had printed off from Google Maps were based on the tram stop that had the same name (Liberation) as the bus stop that I got down at (which was about 100 yards around the corner). But I finally figured it out and since it was a pleasant enough day and I had only my carry on bag it was no big problem.

I hadn't expected my room to be ready - it was only about 12:30 pm and the website had said check in wasn't until 3:00 pm - but it was so I dumped my stuff and headed out to explore a bit. My first purchase was a French English dictionary at FNAC (as well as a quite nice FNAC cloth bag for half a Euro) and - how cliche - a baguette.

I think (heck, I know - who am I fooling!) I stumbled into a casino (or two) early on and spent too much money - but never mind. For those who care to know Nice has two casinos neither of which did much for me in terms of interest but which I still managed to visit more than I should have. Both are right on the Promenade des Anglais - Casino Ruhl and the Palais de la Mediterranee which is located inside a Hyatt Hotel of the same name.

I wandered and gambled and just drank in the sea vistas and the busy, wide streets thronged with people chatting and laughing and just enjoying life. I climbed to the top of the castle hill and - as is typical - explored the cemetery. I snapped photos of architectural details of buildings and, of course, the views from the castle hill looking out to sea. Finally, I returned to my hotel where I fell into bed and to sleep very early (I'd gotten up at 3:00 am so was exhausted).

View from castle hill looking to the city center

From castle hill to the old town

Glorious sunshine - blue skies, blue seas

Interesting sculpture on a grave in the cemetery (on top of castle hill)

Interesting way of showing remembrance for the dead

Amazing statuary in the cemetery

Moving gravestone

Closer look at statues - seagull on the head kind of ruins the effect!

Very different than the simple, rather spartan Uppsala cemetery

Poignant marker for a child's grave

Chapel in the cemetery - love the colour and the roof tiles

Architecture

On Tuesday, January 13, I traveled to Monaco. The bus trip was wonderful - along the Basse (lower) Corniche which runs along the sea with fantastic views - spectacular value for 1.5 Euros! I paid the 10 Euros to go into the Monte Carlo casino which was excessive but that's okay. It really was magnificently ornate inside although the slot machines were all too rich for my blood in that casino. I did visit another couple of casinos in Monaco and gambled moderately and without much return - but it was worth it just to say I had.

Backside of the famous Monte Carlo casino in Monaco

One of the private salons inside the casino

Decoration over the top

In the summer they actually move table games (and slot machines I believe) out onto the terrace

Wow!

It seemed that no matter where I went this year no one wanted to let go of Christmas

There was some interesting sculpture around the casino - including this rather amusing version of Adam and Eve. I then wandered up to the old town above Monaco but didn't bother to look at the royal residence (for a fee of course) but just strolled around the narrow streets, visited the cathedral where members of the royal family (including of course Princess Grace) are buried and took in the spectacular views over the principality.

I should mention that one of the most spectacular sights in Monaco was one I didn't even bother to try and capture with my camera since I knew I couldn't do it justice. At around sunset several hundred birds (probably jackdaws) were performing an intricate aerial ballet in the sky outside the Casino Cafe de Paris. They wheeled and turned - forming 3 dimensional shapes and moving in a coordinated flock and tilting their wings altogether so as to form a completely different pattern than the moment before. It was breathtaking and continued for at least ten minutes before the birds dispersed. Myself and another person were staring up entranced but nobody else seemed even to notice - how complacent our species has become about the wonders around us. 

Adam and Eve

Reminds me of something from a science fiction story or movie

Monaco from the 'old town'

You can almost smell the money!

Art? Memorial to a beloved family pet?

The next day, January 14, I caught a bus that took the Moyenne Corniche to a medieval village called Eze (there's an accent on the first E that I am too lazy to implement). I wandered around this very atmospheric old place gazing out over the ocean from various viewpoints and exploring its tiny cemetery. I even managed to find a connection with Sweden (as you'll see in the photo of the plaque on the five star luxury Chateau Eza hotel).

Bougainvillea and a huge flowering cactus on one of Eze's narrow streets

Odd looking berries (fruit?)

Somebody was well loved

Charming old fountain

So much fun to explore

Hard to believe it is only January

The plaque says (among other things) that the Swedish royal family used to holiday here in the winter from 1923-1953

Wall ornament

View to the ocean

From Eze I went down to Eze bord de Mer (the village of the same name but on the sea and nowhere near as old) via Nietzche's footpath which is an easy 45-minute scramble down the hillside to sea level. I then continued along the sealevel road (Basse Corniche) back to Nice passing through Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and Villefranche Sur Mer. It was a gorgeous day and so wonderful that all along this busy road there was a protected space for walkers.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer - where I stopped for lunch

Luckily I made it back to Nice without getting rained on (at least on this day!)

Rather odd sculpture (?) on Saint Jean Cap Ferrat - see the silver bubbles in the middle background of the photo

On the 15th I remained in Nice and popped by the very pretty Russian Orthodox church in the morning. Beautiful. Then I walked to the old town stopping in a couple of other churches along the way. I was very fortunate to get a table for lunch at Bistrot d'Antoine where I enjoyed a delicious risotto with ham and arugula followed by a absolutely scrumptious yet wonderfully light and not-too-sweet chocolate mousse. Total was 19 Euros - the same amount I might pay for a very average meal here in Sweden and certainly much less than I would expect to pay at a restaurant that is favourably mentioned in the Michelin Guide.

In the old town - apparently this portrayal of Adam and Eve (again!) attacking each other with clubs is nearly 500 years old

Russian Orthodox church

Detail of Russian Orthodox Church

Beautiful church against a beautiful blue sky

So pretty

Colourful decoration above a window in old town

Risotto - yummy!

After lunch I went to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) which didn't do much for me I'm afraid but was free and also offered fantastic views over the city from its rooftop terraces. I went around to the port (on the other side of the castle hill from the old town) and took some pictures of the war memorial and just enjoyed strolling in the sunshine and gazing out on the sea.

View of castle hill from the rooftop terrace of MAMAC

Town and the sea beyond from MAMAC's roof

Castle hill again

War memorial

The next few days were not that exciting as it was rainy and dreary and I spent quite a bit of time reading. I stupidly had not packed appropriate clothing (a light windcheater would have done the trick - just something to keep the rain off). I did go to Cannes which wasn't very exciting in the wet, stormy weather. I was quite happy to just wander around a bit when the rain let up or sit in my room and read (the hotel had a small library - I read three books in as many days). I was quite content to only venture out to the main boulevard and go in and out of shops looking for bargains. I also went to the Matisse Museum which was quite good and to a couple of exquisitely pretty churches (I rarely take photos inside churches because either it isn't allowed and/or it is so dim that I know my cheap camera will do a poor job).

Cannes (no celebrities that I noticed)

There were several museums I never made it to and I never tried any of the signature dishes of the area. Certainly I would go back in a minute but I think it is unlikely I will since there are quite a few other places on my list of destinations to get to before I return to Canada. All in all it was definitely a week well spent and the weather, although wet and chilly, was for me quite preferable to snow and cold.