And the last night has come

Disclaimer: Apologies in advance for potential typos and grammatical errors, but I am not proof reading this right now.

Today will be my last night not only in Gothenburg, but in Sweden as well! Tomorrow, I will again shoulder my backpack(s) and hit the (rather damp) road again. My bus leaves from the Central Terminal at noon, and I will be aboard it for three whopping hours before I reach another country.

Yes, I am being sarcastic.

Actually, many of the Swedish people that I have spoken with have said that they never have visited Oslo. Personally, I think that for people from Gothenburg, it could be done as a day trip. For Stockholmers, maybe it is more of a weekend trip.

Today in the Gothenburg adventure chronicles, I visited the southern archipelago via commuter ferry. Visited it is rather an overstatement, I rather observed it while doing a loop on ferry 282 from Saltholmen Brygga. It was a rather gray day, so wandering around the islands didn’t seem all that attractive an option, and I rather enjoy being on the water (as I mentioned yesterday). All in all, the whole loop took about an hour and a half, along with more than an hour travel from the hostel. That time, along with needing to pack, and a late start due to the deadly combo of a headache and stomach ache in the morning, meant that by the time I got back to the hostel it was already dark. I saw some pretty awesome sights though, got to spend time on the water (always a plus), and did it all on the same ticket I already use to take trams and buses around the city – pretty cool, in my opinion. I took some pictures, but since it was so gray, I had a hard time finding the sweet spot for shutter speeds, and ISO’s and whatnot…I’ll see if this hostel computer can handle me viewing them. If it can, I will try to put them up, as well as all the other ones from Gothenburg.

Thoughts upon leaving Sweden? Indeed, I have a few…but I will preface it with a bit of advice for anyone my age (lets make the range 18-26) visiting on their own:

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1. Sweden is not cheap. If you are trying to conserve money DO NOT EAT OUT. Food is ridiculously overpriced when prepared by anyone with any sort of training in the culinary arts. Even McDonald’s is pricey.

I have to admit though, one of the times that I got lost in Gothenburg, I wandered upon a McDonald’s and was super tempted to get some chicken nuggets. It was hard to resist, but in the end not being broke feels better than deep fried chicken tastes.

And that’s how you take a Kate Moss quote which smacks of excess and ridiculousness, and turn it into a life lesson filled with common sense and respectability.

I am exaggerating here.

Anyway, i have gone on a tangent.

2!!!!! Again, if you’re travelling with a monetary constraint, travel in the summer time. It is easier to diverge from the main cities and, therefore, more expensive sleeping arrangements. The cheapest sleeping arrangement that seemed to have the most acceptable approval rating is the one I am staying at now, and it cost 200 SEK a night for a dorm bed. I think that if I came to Sweden again, it would definitely be during a warmer, less rainy time of year, and I would take the opportunity to hike more of the countryside, sans prearranged sleeping place.

3. Have something planned ahead of times for Sundays and Mondays. A surprising number of shops, museums, and attractions are closed on those two days. Of course, there is always something open, but you just have to make sure that you don’t do that something on a day when everything else is also open. Logical, no?

4. If you come on a weekend or a Friday, many young peoples will be clubbing and drinking. I did not go myself, as I am a lonely girl, but this is what I found out from my fellow hostel mates:

There are different drinking ages for different alcohols. Beer, I believe, is 18, and liquors is 21. Some clubs will not allow individuals that are less than 21 years old to enter, so don’t think that all of Europe is a boozey free for all. Also, only alcohols bellow a certain proof will be sold at general stores. Liquors above that percentage must be purchased at a government run store. At social establishments, all drinks are expensive (even beers), and so are the cover charges that many have.

Go out only if you want to make your wallet cry.

I have also been told that Swedes go cray cray when on a night out. Beware the crazy blondes. Not to be stereotypical or anything.

5. This is especially for the age range that here in Sweden is called “youth” (ie. 18 to 26). There are many places that have up to 100% discount for this group of humans. I was able to enter for free into three of the museums here in Gothenburg; into one other, the prices was severely reduced. Both the bus tickets I have bought were reduced price as well, which is good because they were still pretty expensive (at least compared to Poland and the cheap as anything Chinatown buses in NYC). Take advantage of it!

6. This one is more of a side note. If you’re into ships and water activities, come during the summer. Kayak rentals and boat tours close during the colder months, and even the museums that are located on ships (think the Intrepid in New York) close down for maintenance during the wintertime.

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As for reflections…I will have to give this a little bit more thought on the bus tomorrow, write some stuff down in my notebook, and make sure that my thoughts aren’t too nonsensical to post on the internet. I write these posts with great gravity. Obviously.

Anyway, right now I have a hankering for some tea so…

Peacesicles. wondrous rainbowliscious unicorns of the world. Go gallop across that colorful bridge into your personal vat of skittles! TASTE THE RAINBOWWWWWWW…

Identity crisis: Hipster edition

Right now I am sitting in a cafe on a quiet street, surrounded by older couples and friends who apparently come here to have a cup of coffee or tea and chat. And when I mean older, I mean, like, somewhere above 60.

Yes, parents, it is three times my age. Therefore I consider it old.

Cafe Nina is a pretty relaxed and cool place. The walls are a bright, sunny schoolbus yellow, and the windows are framed by heavy red and white drapes. The chairs remind me of wicker baskets, and against one fall there is an olive green couch with a carved wooden frame. The floor is mostly linoleum, but is covered in the center by an ornate, floral patterned red, blue and cream rug. It doesn’t sound like it should match, but it does.

The coffee is pretty wonderful as well, and much cheaper than I have seen in most other places around Sweden (a measly 26 SEK, compared to the minimum of 30 SEK that I saw in Stockholm). I’ve come to accept that if a want caffeination, I have to shell out 3-4 USD, at least.

On another bright note, Gothenburg is quite young-visitor friendly. Both museums I visited today were free for ‘youths’ below the age of 25 (ie. me), and were quite foreign language friendly. The first musueum, the Stadmuseet, or City Museum, offered a comprehensive view of how Gothenburg was founded, developed, and treated during various points in history. Most, not all, rooms had English descriptions next to the Swedish ones, and the topics of the rooms flowed well with each other. It also had a pretty cool room with some Viking history, tradition, ornamentation, and ship building exhibits. Not enough for my taste, but I could use a whole museum with a few floors filled with this sort of thing.

The next museum was the Maritime Museum and Aquarium. This one was completely concentrated on the ships that docked, utilized, and were built in the Gothenburg port. There were many, many models, which was cool, but few had English descriptions, which was a slight bummer. There was one room that was filled with ship figureheads and headphones that (I’m told) described their history….in Swedish exclusively. There was also a small two roomed aquarium attached to the maritime museum, but this was very obviously geared towards small children, and I sped through the glass tanks in a few minutes.

In short, the museums could have both used more…but anything that is free is pretty close to A+ in my book.

A picture of my coffee; a testament to my hipster identity crisis. The little guy sitting next to it is a carving of a Nordic soldier bro on a keychain that I got for my mother…happy random present day mom!

He’s actually pretty cool, I am sorta jealous. I hope you will treat him well and give him a good home, mother dearest.

And now, I continue on my way. It’s getting close to 3pm: I need to figure out my dinner plan before it gets dark, so I don’t starve like I did yesterday.

Bon voyage!

Bus ticket! Also, a bit of…political? commentary

It has been purchased! Let me tell you though, public transportation in Sweden is not cheap…I got the cheapest option, and it still cost me a painful 60ish USD…I look forward to the time shares in the UK, and the more scenic visiting there. Going to hike and bike the shiz out of Wales. It’s gonna get…

Physical, physical

I wanna get physical, let’s get into physical

Let me hear your body talk…

My body is screaming today. Well, at least the left side of my back is; we spent three hours on the bouldering walls yesterday, which was really fun…but today I can’t really turn my head. A run and a hot shower this morning helped a little bit, but I still feel like Batman, the exact opposite of the owl I am supposed to be.

Ah well, tomorrow’s elongated bus trip will be for recuperation purposes.

Today was for ticket buying, and will be for packing and for making sure I leave my family with as little to do as possible after my departure. Depending on weather and how I feel, I might go into Stockholm Center for a quick walk. Considering that it might snow today though…I might have to pass. I’ve seen enough of the city center for myself anyway…though I would have enjoyed going to school there.

Speaking of school in Sweden…how much more awesome is it than school in the states? I’ll answer that: much more. You apply to school when you graduate the American equivalent of high school, and you get into university for 5 years. The first three years are undergrad, and the last two are masters. There is no applying to grad school; you finish it all in five years. School is free, and you get a bit of money to live and support yourself. You can take out more loans to help your living situation a little bit, but it is generally a comfy life, especially if you work a bit on the side.

I am super jealous. America, you done got outdated. Take me back, Europe.

And I say Europe, because this is becoming the standard outline for higher education across the continent. So that it would be easier for students to study in different countries and not have a messed up studying schedule.

America can’t even figure out how to make schools accept class credits from other schools, to make transfers easier.

I am crying a bit on the inside. Why didn’t I know about this four years ago?  Ah well, I guess that’s what socialism gets you: A good student life, minimal debt, and an actually relevant degree in 5 measly years.

‘Murica.

A Slower Day

It was a slower day today, which meant that I didn’t have planning, or running around, or learning to concentrate on. Which isn’t always good for me. I should be allowed as little time inside of my head as possible.

Today we visited the castle at Gripsholm, right by the town of Mariefred. Parking by and entrance to the grounds, which are very pleasant to walk around, were for free. Entry into the building cost 100 SEK, which is reasonable, but it could be argued excessive based on the fact that almost none of the 65 available rooms have any sort of information given in them. You actually just wander from furnished room to furnished room, gaping at the paintings on the walls, wondering who could have used it, what it might have been used for…

We finally out that this is where the dethroned king, Gustav IV, served out his house arrest. I think this knowledge was achieved in room thirty something. It was quite a quest to retrieve it.

You know what…I’ll finish this tomorrow…Today I am a bit more tired than I expected. Maybe tomorrow I’ll even have pictures taken off the camera…but today I need to go to sleep.

I apologize.

I’ll try to be up to snuff tomorrow. Nordic Museum, and Gripsholm grounds. There they are, on the agenda. That is currently written on the inside of my eyelids.

Look at the pretty colors!

Where in the world is…Marta Sowka?

So I actually woke up at a normal time today! Even though I was planning a later day! Oh…wait…

It’s alright though, because I got a whole bunch done today. On the way into the city, due to the wonders of internet available on telephones, I discovered that the Medieval Stockholm Museum doesn’t open until noon, which meant I had some time before needing to head over. So, I made it to Central Station, and headed off to visit the Stadshusset, or, in English, the City Hall. There are two parts of the City Hall available to visitors, the Courtyard and what I believe is called the Blue Room. The Blue Room, which is where something having to do with the Nobel Prize occurs (I read a plaque…and it’s late now…cut me some slack), is only available through guided, fairly expensive, tours. The courtyard, however, is free; anyone can come wander in off of the street. From the edge of the yard, there is one of the prettier sights I’ve seen in Stockholm. You can look off at the rising tower peaks of the Old Town; at the metallic and modern figure that is the Central Station; or at the scenic town on a cliff that is the coast of Sodermalm, ringed by boats. Sure, there is some construction here and there, but at the right angle, it’s barely noticeable. The gardens are wonderfully manicured, and there are steps leading right up to the water, guarded by wrought statues that, to their eternal shame, I am sure, seem to be constantly ridiculed by tourists. Just today, I saw one of the stoic, helmeted men being dressed in a baby blue down jacket and hugged for a photo opportunity.

It was pretty amusing.

The building itself is beautiful as well, although its most striking features have to be the towers, topped with half moon pinnacles, covered with climbing ivy that has started to turn red, orange and yellow with the coming of the fall weather. Against the brownish brick color of the building, its is quite a stunning contrast.

There are a few bridges leaving the island which houses the Stadshusset, some leading back to the mainland, some leading to the Old Town…I managed to take that one wrong turn somewhere, and ended up in Sodermalm. Somewhere I had not planned on going, but am ultimately glad I ended up seeing.

This area of Stockholm is quiet, colorful, full of personality…walking down what could only be described as a boardwalk, you can see an array of sailboats, house boats and work boats on the right, and high cliffs with railings and roofs peaking over the edge on the left. Runners practically swarm around you, and the streets are practically devoid of tourists. After about ten minutes of walking along the water’s edge (although it might have been more, I easily lost track of time today) I saw a wooden staircase leading up from the coast, through a more green area, practically through the backyards of houses, towards the higher streets. The path up itself is a sight worth seeing, it really does have a magical quality about it. The bases of the trees are dotted with tall, vibrantly colored sunflowers, and the fences, built tall in the traditional style, are painted bright colors that match the changing greenery. It was quite a happy break from the crowded, neon lit streets that, in my mind, define Central Stockholm.

The upper streets themselves are quite pleasant as well, especially as there are a few houses that were specifically preserved in their original colors and styles, especially around the street which would translate to ‘Cat Alley’ in English. People wander; dogs romp around parks situated right on the edge, looking over the coastline; and large, beautiful birds attempt to hijack bikes.

It’s true. I have photographic proof.

In the end, I wound up just spending a lot of time wandering around the place. I got lost a few times, and during the rest of them, was distracted by what I was seeing. Sodermalm wasn’t ornate, its streets weren’t bustling, and it definitely was not trying to be the spectacle that Central Stockholm is.

I think it is why I enjoyed it so much.

I did notice the time at some point, and I successfully made my way to the Old Town of Stockholm, where I was completely and ridiculously unsuccessful in finding the Medieval Museum, despite the aid of google maps, a GPS tracker, and the TripAdvisor Stockholm City Guide, which even has a “Point Me There” option.

Though, truth be told, I didn’t quite mind.

I made my way over to Djurgarden, since yesterday it has seemed like a very green, pretty and park-like place. I was right, it was, but by that point, I was hurting from all the walking of the day. Strangely enough, my legs were completely fine, it was my back that was the issue. All I wanted was to lay down, chug a cup of water, and read my notes.

So I hopped a bus back to Central Station and headed on home.

I had wanted to write a little bit more about the Nordic Museum, since I just lightly brushed over that yesterday, but this post turned out a bit longer than I expected it to. I guess I enjoyed Sodermalm even more than I had thought. So, tomorrow, I will write up what I thought of the Noriskamuseet. It can be my breakfast, although I must insist on my morning cup of coffee first. I don’t even want to consider the drivel that might spew forth without it.

For now, I am tired, more full than I have been in days (I would be happy if this were to not be the norm, though. I am quite pleased with how I feel on my minimal eating schedule), and sitting in bed. I think that that is a sign it is bedtime. Although I do have to mention dinner: delicate, uncooked brined salmon, crusted with dill. It was delicious. Do recommend. I would also recommend the yeast cardamom buns. Yeah, it sounds funky, but I scarfed that thing down.

In other news, Morgan Freeman sounds wonderful saying the word, “motherf****r.” It’s quite magical really.

Alright. Now I am actually done. Really.

Ciao!

I’m tired…

…and I really don’t have an excuse to be. I had been planning to wake up early this morning yet again and, yet again, I failed miserably. Once I did wake up, I managed to panic, have that panic shoot some adrenaline through my body, and get ready and out the door in half an hour. That, at least, was a success.

I then managed to catch a bus to the train station, and therefore spend less time getting lost. I made up for the time that I saved by completely overshooting the museum stop, once I had gotten into the city. But, you know, I’ll take any win I can get.

Once I actually got to the correct stop, Djurgarden (plus or minus an umlaut or two), I hopped over the bridge and made a beeline straight for the Nordic Museum. It was interesting, but frankly, I preferred the museum that came after, the Vasa Museum.

The Vasa is a battleship, a product of the wars constantly happening between Sweden, Denmark, Poland and a few other countries that were just constantly vying for the best ports. The Vasa was built, actually, to fight the Poles! Oh, wait, I’m a Pole in Sweden reading about a killing ship that sank on its way to my country…whoops? I won’t go into the history too much here (even though the museum did teach me a lot), as I am sure that reputable sources on the internet will be much more accurate than I am. The Vasa, or rather the parts that were sufficiently conserved, are on display in the middle of the museum, and different levels of the ship are observable through four floors. These floors also have exhibits discussing the reason for the sinking (really bad design), life on the ship, sculptures and carvings, and reactions and repercussions of the tragedy. My favorite exhibit, located by the base of the ship, shows the bones of the some-teen skeletons found during excavation, skeletal analyses of their lives, and facial reconstructions done based on the skulls. It was the ultimate way of bringing long-dead human beings back to life, or at least to the imagination. I stayed to the museum until closing, which was at 5.

The walk back was rainy, and colder than the journey to the museums had been , but enjoyable nonetheless. It had started growing dark, and Stockholm was starting to light up. It was very pretty, but my past gripe still stands: there is hardly a view worth seeing that isn’t at least a little bit obstructed by scaffolding, or a crane…things that don’t really match the neon aesthetic of the city at night. But I digress.

Tomorrow, the Medieval Museum is on the agenda, as well as the Rathaus (City Hall?) abd the Stockholm Cathedral. A lighter day, so I’ll actually plan to take it more easy in the morning. Maybe then I’ll actually wake up before I want to. Ah well.

Peace!

Hey, I survived the night

Day 2! I survived the night, which, I suppose, is an accomplishment. I woke up an hour later than I planned to, but considering that I had planned to wake up at around 7am, I don’t think I did that badly. I left the house soon after 9am, got to Stockholm Central before 10am, and even managed to buy a SIM card and a plan for my phone before 11am! Truth, the data on the card didn’t work right away, but I figured that out later with the aid of the internet and Swedish to English translation.

I got a map from an information center, and decided that my first objective of the day would be to see the old town. It’s and easy walk from Central Station, and within minutes I was crossing one of the bridges that connects the historical island with the modern mainland. It’s a pretty stroll, although currently marred by some pretty constant construction work going on in the water. The little streets on the island, however are clean, pretty and neat, although they don’t evoke the…nostalgia? or some other unexplainable feeling that some other “Old Towns” I’ve seen have. There is none of the color and decoration of Venice, nor the periodic architecture that I have seen in Krakow, or the mesh of historical and modern that I saw in Bern. It’s very organized, very aesthetically pleasing, but in the parts that aren’t specifically styled to be so, not very old. The Royal Palace is located on the very tip of the island, and although very large and ostentatious, it is not particularly ornate on the outside. Actually, unlike many royal palaces if have seen, it is very boxy and gray. Entrance into the Royal Apartments, Treasury and Three Crown Museum costs 150 SEK altogether. The most developed segment of the three exhibitions is definitely the Royal Apartments, and this is the part that I found most enjoyable to wander through. The apartments are still used for formal occasions today, which makes it so much easier to imagine them having been used in the past. The best part of visiting these sort of places is trying to see the people that had passed through there: maids, waking up in the morning to light or stoke the fires, to clean and to cook before the royalty awoke; the royalty passing through oblivious to all the hard work that went into making their days posh and easy. The Swedish Royal Apartments are much less ornate than they had the potential to be, which is, in my opinion, a choice made in good taste. Was the whole experience worth the money that I paid? I can’t say that i will ever visit the palace again, even if I do revisit Sweden in the future, but it is worth visiting at least that one time.

After a few hours, I left the palace and the island behind, and started down a large street that was quite similar to New York City’s 5th Ave, although I suspect that I would be able to say the same thing of many of Stockholm’s streets; it’s not exactly a poor city. I observed a low-speed road rage incident between a biker and driver, which very politely climaxed with both of them spitting at each other. I saw a girl unseasonably undressed in a crop top and short skirt, in the rain. I saw a presentation of the royal arms, complete with marching band and stiff legged soldiers.

And then it got cut short by my getting sick.

Yup. It sucked. I ended up aborting sightseeing for the day to go home, to try to feel better. Unfortunately, I didn’t even make it, I had to barge in to a senior citizen’s center. I even completely forgot the Swedish word for bathroom, which is pretty much exactly the word toilet (toalett). I even managed to get lost on the way from the train to the house, barely making it before getting sick again.

So, now it is dark, and soon I will have achieved my second night in Sweden. I have a plan for tomorrow, a plan that I hope my stomach will allow to come to fruition. In my sights are the Vasa Museum and the Nordic Museum, two of the more recommended attractions I have heard of. I hope that they deliver!

For now, dobranocka!

Here we go…

I’m in Sweden! I’ve lost a day, as well as a good night’s sleep, but i am here. Sadly, there is not much to report for a first day, as I got to my mother’s cousins’ house, started trying to plan a day of activities, and promptly fell asleep. Although it did me well, I lost four hours of usable daytime. I see it as all the more incentive to use tomorrow well.

Arlanda airport is a 45 minute transit from Stockholm Central Station, with a few modes of transportation available. I opted for the cheapest choice, the bus, which costs 79 SEK (~12.30 USD) and leaves every ten minutes from terminal 11, right outside of the airport. Stockholm Central is reminiscent of Penn Station, with its underground food and shopping area, connection to the metro that runs under the city, and the trains and buses that connect to outer, more rural, Stockholm. A week long transportation pass costs 320 SEK (~50 USD), which is not horribly cheap, but is usable on everything in the city. The place where I am now is called Skogas, and is an easy train ride from the city center.

Tomorrow morning I will go back into town, do some sightseeing, buy a SIM card, and just get things done in general. Maybe I’ll go for a run when I get back (if I don’t get lost) and later go to a climbing gym with my family. But for now, I think it is bedtime.

One more interesting thing I noticed today: Sweden has many more commercials emphasizing fitness than America does, advertising many more different types of sports.

God natt!