Category: Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

Sweden, Part 2

by Henberta, posted in Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

A journey by rail is not always smooth sailing. The train from Oslo to Stockholm was delayed once while local police conducted a search for a fugitive (maybe the train was sealing off an escape route!) and again when a bridge was damaged. But eventually we arrive in….

Stockholm

Okay – I promised a salute to ABBA. (In case you don’t know, ABBA is a pop music group that burst onto the international stage when they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 with their song “Waterloo”. They are one of the most renowned and successful musical groups in history.) Their music is joyous and energetic; the museum rather pedestrian. Stood in line a while, stood in line again, learned a few things, but would rather have spent the money downloading and listening to their greatest hits while eating a nice dinner.

This guard at Sweden’s Royal Palace looks similarly inspired…..

A bit slumpy and bored, but one may suppose the risk of a riot at the Swedish king’s palace is fairly remote.

Nearby on the lawn of the Swedish state house, a tribute to the first five female members of the Swedish Parliament who have served since ladies were allowed to vote and run for office beginning in 1921…..

Their busts are carried on a tray by young people who represent the spirit of the future of women in government service…. Although it looks like they will be the entrees at lunch, it is still gratifying to see their contribution celebrated at the seat of power.

Kulturfestivalen is a huge street party thrown by the City of Stockholm in the Old Town and surrounding areas. There are live music performances, dancing, mini-parades, eating and drinking. The entire venue is free to all comers – young and old people from many different cultures…. even senior visitors from “away”. And the weather was just perfect after days of drizzle.

This sculpture – the Sun Singer – appears to be leading the celebrations. (Appropriately enough, as it represents Apollo, the Greek god of sun, music and poetry!)
A silent disco!
These balloon floats were enchanting.
Street art encountered along the way reinforced the feeling of oneness with humanity. We helped decipher the caption on this piece for a family from Iraq, afterwards shaking hands all around.

A couple of cultural notes….. Confined to a limited wardrobe, many articles of clothing were in desperate need of refreshing. We were lucky enough to track down the ONLY laundromat in Sweden!

People who don’t have access to a washer/dryer at home or in their apartment building send out their laundry… many grocery stores have drop boxes for this purpose. The entrepreneur of this laundromat caters to lots of travelers like us… to the tune of $30 per load washed and dried. (You do your own separating and folding.)

Nicotine and tobacco pouches are amazingly popular, especially among young people who are drawn to the many strengths, flavors and bright packaging in stores like this one.

This store is “all pouches… all the time”. There are a very few that are nicotine-free. The salesman admitted it is quite an addictive habit, but claimed there was no real down side to it. Hmmm.

Sweden By Rail

A central feature of our planned train itinerary was the Inlandsbanan, a one-car train that traverses much of the length of Sweden over the course of two very long days on board. Unfortunately, our first day was cancelled due to downed trees on the tracks; instead they put us on a bus. Not quite what we had hoped for. The second day, however, we spent a full day on board with a couple dozen other passengers, stopping for brief lunch and coffee breaks.

Östersund

Particularly enjoyable was stopping in small towns along the way, such as Östersund, a city of about 50,000 people located on a large lake in the central part of Sweden.

Quiet but with pleasant parks and public areas, access to lots of outdoor sports…. It would be a great place to raise a family. Several colorful highlights…..

…and a good Italian restaurant where you can get an excellent Negroni!

The Inlandsbanan took us north of the Arctic Circle….

Gällivare

And on to the town of Gällivare, which is undergoing a fascinating transition…

This region of Sweden is devoted to mining iron ore… and has been since the 17th century. The state mining company controls production, and over the last 15 years has embarked on a huge project….. shifting most of the population of 15,000 to a refurbished urban center so that production can be expanded into new areas. This process entails buying people out of their property and constructing new public buildings, housing, churches, schools, medical centers, roads, entertainment venues, and all the other infrastructure that makes up a town. Hundreds of meetings were held with community representatives to ensure that they had a voice in their new world.

A brilliant new civic center

Change, as you know, is hard. Many of the residents have adapted to the changes; some have left; but lots of other people, including immigrants, are happy to earn the more-than-competitive wages of the mining industry…. And to enjoy the spanking new town facilities. Sæko at the Visitors Center spent lots of time explaining the history and the transition…. She was excited and proud to share their story.

We plan to check back to see how the progress continues in the future!

Abisko

Leaving Inlandsbanan behind, the traditional railway carried us even further north, to the outdoor sports center of Abisko. Jillions of people come from all over for hiking and camping in pristine Arctic settings.

Lots of rainbows here, as sunlight comes and goes over the drizzle…. We still interpret each one as a harbinger of good things!
Incredibly fresh and clear water surges down from the mountains and into the fjords and lakes.
The chairlift provided breath-taking views over the lake and surroundings.

We continued on to Norway for a while, but that is a subject for the next posting. Our return on the Swedish train from the north to Stockholm was on a sleeper train – not exactly high-end but it got the job done.

One note about train travel with people who have been camping and hiking……

God love them, after being out in the wilds for a week or two….. the BO is eye-watering – especially as they get comfortable on the train by divesting themselves of their outer coats and footwear. Just a cautionary word.

Some pretty pictures from our final few days in Sweden…..

Amazing grapes! Thought they were sausages when I first saw them….
Roman snail….commonly eaten as escargot.
Mama cow and baby in a communal pasture.
A precious sitting nook in an old bank vault in our room at a bed and breakfast….

Finally, one doesn’t usually think about an Arctic landscape being colorful, but please look at these close-ups of lichen, moss, plants and berries…. The textures and contrasts are marvelous.

Coming up next will be an entry from the far north of Norway.

Norway, Part 2

by Henberta, posted in Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

The train from Sweden ends in Narvik, a Norwegian town far north of the Arctic Circle. Its harbor nonetheless is favored as it does not freeze in winter, owing to the influence of the Gulf Stream…..

This ice-free port is critical to the export of Swedish iron ore…. A strength that was not overlooked by the German forces during World War II. Norway declared itself a neutral state initially, but was drawn into the conflict and forced to capitulate in 1940. (Interesting side note: the Norwegian who headed Nazi Norway during the occupation was named Quisling; his name is now synonymous in English and Scandinavian languages with “traitor” or “collaborator”.)

But this post is really about the majesty of the archipelago of Lofoten…. Indicated on the map below for those of you who may need a little geographic orientation.

This is another of those places that, when mentioned, everybody says, “Oh, it’s beautiful there.” They are correct.

The approach to Narvik by train had everybody straining toward the windows in anticipation…..

Driving there is also quite dramatic, as roads clearly had to blast through or be carved into the rock that plunges down to the valleys and waterways created by glaciers over the millennia.

There is no culture or history that is apparent to the common visitor…. Just the magnificent fjords and the fishing villages nestled alongside.

Drying racks for fish extend along the roadsides, often with interesting scarecrows (recalling Calvary) to divert the birds….

Weather was drizzly and overcast at first….enlivened by gray landscapes, minor monuments, dramatic rock faces and sea birds.

The primary activity here is hiking. Views are dazzling when the weather clears a bit….

The walks we took were advertised as easy…. However, they looked a whole lot like climbing as we ascended 300 to 400 meters.

This young Finnish woman and her dogs were visiting from their home in Portugal.

Other animal friends joined us along the way.

Another ascent provided views of a fjord-side golf course….

And this is a micro-view of crowberry, a low-growing evergreen commonly found in tundra and boreal forest environments. Such varied colors from a single teeny plant!

These ascending and descending videos are obviously in time-lapse…. To save us all some agony!

Fireweed – also common in Alaska and the Yukon – is a colorful part of the landscape, but considered by many to be invasive.

The flowers are brilliant purple….
When the flowers drop, purple seed pods… that look like little twigs… remain.
When the time is ripe, the seed pods burst open and release jillions of tiny fluff-borne seeds. It’s a visually fascinating life cycle!

Some more pretty pictures…

A typical fishing village along the fjord, similar to where we stayed….

Sea urchins beneath the deck…. Who knew they were pink?

And a final sunrise as we prepare to leave Lofoten and Norway behind.

Finland

by Henberta, posted in Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

Åland Islands

Between southern Sweden and Helsinki lies the unique geo-political archipelago called the Åland Islands, a fairly short ride on one of the many ferries that serve the Baltic. (Again, a helpful map for the geographically-challenged.)

The Åland Islands have a unique relationship with the world and the nation of Finland, of which they are formally a part.

As noted proudly on the sign, the islands are self-governing for the most part and demilitarized. Through a complex history involving exchanges between Finland, Sweden and Russia over the last couple of centuries, this region, while part of Finland:

  • enacts its own domestic legislation (excluding foreign affairs, the court system and state taxation), and
  • is neutral in times of war, does not support any military activity and its citizens are exempt from Finnish military service.

The sole official language is Swedish, not Finnish; its currency is the Euro (same as Finland)….. but it has its own postal service. Here is a beautiful Åland stamp.

Note the Chinese letters – this one celebrates the Chinese year of the pig. These pigs are depicted feasting on the islands’ major agricultural product – apples.

SIDE NOTE: If anyone enjoys stamp collecting or knows someone who does, please let me know, as we have a collection of interesting pieces from both Åland and other countries that we would love to share.

Apples and other local crops are primarily for domestic consumption.

The biggest sector of the economy is shipping and trade…. Which makes sense considering its key location on the Baltic Sea.

The total population of the islands is about 30,000 souls; Mariehamn is the largest town and capitol city with almost 12,000 people.

It’s a charming place with its own atmosphere of contentment, tolerance and pride….

An illuminated mailbox kiosk sports original paintings and carefully-cared-for potted plants.
Whimsical street art
Midsummer maypoles bring prosperity and successful crops. They go up in July but stay in place year-round.
Pride Week was observed indoors and outdoors in virtually every business and public venue.
Second-hand stores – here and through-out the Scandinavian countries – are quite mainstream as part of a popular trend toward eliminating waste and using resources efficiently… something Henry whole-heartedly endorses!

The traditional dish is the Åland pancake

Cake made with semolina or rice porridge flavored with cardamom and served with prune compote and whipped cream….. and a jaunty little flag if you’re lucky!

Turku

From Mariehamn, it’s a 5-hour ferry to the first major city on the Finnish mainland – Turku, or Åbo in Finnish.

We stayed in a cool hotel that used to be a prison….

Some of the rooms have that prison vibe…. Except for the plush bathrobes hanging from the bars….

With only one full day in Turku, we visited one “sight” – the Luostarinmäki outdoor museum. It’s a 200-year-old district of wooden houses and craftsmen’s workshops… a realistic simulation of how people lived in the pre-industrial 1800s.

Cabinet-maker/carpenter’s workshop

The “play area” provided an opportunity to revisit an old skill….

So impressed with Henry’s feat that I failed to record the spectacular fall that followed. He is also quite good at landing.

More fun street (and waterway) art…

The Finns do like their canine companions – and often take them along on trips.

May as well admit that people leave their dogs alone in hotel rooms… with proper warning to housekeeping!
“Dog parking” for the companions of humans visiting the outdoor museum!

A common display in Finland relates to the war in Ukraine….. certainly an issue of concern in a country that shares a border (and a history as a victim of aggression) with Russia.

Yes, please – peace, mutual respect and civility.

Side Notes on Travel

The ferries that service the cities and towns that circle the Baltic Sea are really impressive – whether you are bringing along a car or not.

Panoramic windows, lounges, clean and comfortable overnight cabins, children’s activities, dining alternatives, bingo and bars and live music!

It would be very cool to take an unstructured trip using the ferry system to go from one city to another, circling around or criss-crossing the Baltic from Copenhagen to Oslo to Stockholm to Helsinki to Tallinn to Hamburg (even to Turku and Åland!) You could spend as much or as little time in each location as whim and time constraints dictate. You would not need a car…. Most of the docks are in walking distance from the city centers. And getting there would be a big part of the fun, with a front-row seat to port activity and shoreline. Very cool.

Speaking of cool, maybe you remember Henry’s acquisition of a walking stick way back in June in Ireland…. It has accompanied us all along the way, proving quite useful as we were often waved to the front of security and passport control lines.

(Important to fake a limp if you plan to take advantage of the shortcuts!)

Final Note from Finland

The Moomins are cartoon characters dreamed up by a Finnish author who first published their story in a children’s book in the mid-1940s. They are large soft trolls that resemble hippos who have adventures together with their friends. Extremely popular in Finland, as well as the rest of Scandinavia (and Japan!)…. In books, comic strips, theme parks, television and of course, merchandising.

Finnair, the national airline of Finland, incorporated Moomin art on a couple of its aircraft…..

We were not so lucky to fly on one of these planes upon our return from Helsinki to the US…. Surely that would have been icing on the cake! Sufficient that our Finnair flight was pleasant, the crew friendly and efficient, and our arrival early!

Back now in the US, we look forward to enjoying the fall and winter weather (which we hope will come soon). Until next time, we wish you peace, civility and kindness – please take some and pass it around.