Remember...

We have been home for over two weeks! Isn't it funny how after a trip it almost feels like it never happened? And while I am away I feel like my other life - my real life - is just a blur on the horizon. That is the wonder of traveling. However, I do always need to remind myself of the wonderful things that I did and saw.


One thing that does keep coming back to me is how comfortable the seating was in Scandinavia! Ever public bench was easy to sit on. We found this bench in Uppsala, Sweden on the last day of our trip, and it was the best of all. It over looked the river and when we sat on it the world faded far away. Luxury in a park bench.


Some other things I was reminded of while looking through pictures :

The Kaali Meteor crater on Saaremaa.

The tombstones displayed in Katarina Passage, Tallinn.

I have been keeping busy the last couple weeks with camping, volunteering at a summer camp, and visiting a friend's cottage. The pressures of living are coming closer, and I think it is time to find a job. The closest I can get to Scandinavia at the moment is through pictures and listening to Abba.

Last Day

Today is the last day of this trip. Excluding flying. Flying doesn't count.
We are in Uppsala, about an hour north of Stockholm. This is the old center of Sweden where the Vikings had settlements that were built on top of older settlements. We walked up to Gamla Uppsala, or Old Uppsala today and saw the old burial mounds built by pre-viking civilization. It was pretty interesting! There is also an old church there that was built on the site of the main pagan temple for a large area.
This trip has been so wonderful. We are very very thankful for how well everything has gone, how safe we have been, and we have managed to navigate unknown cities and languages. It has been fun!
Home is sounding very nice though. I look forward to my own bed.

Somethings that I have noticed...

I woke up early this morning and need to do something with the time! Thankfully internet is free at this hostel, and it is early enough that there isn't a lot of demand for the computers. I thought that I would write a few of the favorite things I have noticed through our travels. (For lack of anything better to do.)

In Estonia all the cafe's that have outdoor seating, also have blankets you can put on your lap. This is a revolutionary idea, and much appreciated.

Coffee isn't served in insanely large cups. They give moderate sized servings. Also, I haven't once been given or asked if I would like something 'to go'. It is assumed that you will sit down and enjoy whatever has been bought. And it avoids the waste.

Grocery stores in Estonia and Finland have scales that give you a price tag for things bought in bulk...no more writing down silly number or forcing the cashier to remember vegetable codes. Sweden it seems has not adopted this system.

Sweden does have change machines, so that the cashier never handles any coins. This has taken some figuring out. When you by something you give a bill to the cashier and put the coin in the machine, with then spits out the rest of the change. Sweden has coins that are worth quite a lot, so my wallet weighs about 10 pounds! And I thought that Canada was bad that way.

In the smaller towns life still shuts down on Sunday. Shopping centers are not open, and many restaurants are closed as well. While this can be inconvenient for the tourist, I like the idea.

Sauna is the most wonderful invention...especially when it is on a lake. You have to experience an authentic Finnish sauna for yourself.

I think that this may be all I can think of for the moment. More may come to me later. To sum up: I think that I like it here!

Stockholm

~Everything lingers here~ That was Sheryl's comment this afternoon and I couldn't agree more. At least in the summer Stockholm presents itself as a leisurely, relaxed city. People take time to sit by the fountains and walk by the water. The sun takes hours to set and darkness comes slowly. The heat stays long enough so that I don't even need a sweater in the evening.

I am glad that we are in Stockholm last. If this had been our first destination, I think that I would have been overwhelmed by the size and beauty of the city. It is really spectacular. Water is never far away since the city is built on a series of islands, and every building is beautiful. Even structures like the public toilets and the stairs to underground parking garages have an aesthetic element. Clean, simple, but well planned so that they are not an eyesore.

Yesterday we went to the Nobel Museum. Even though it is rather small, I was awed at the wealth of knowledge and inspirational people it represents. These are the minds that have made the last century what it is.

Today we went to the Museum of National Antiquities. It had a very well exhibit on the Vikings and pre~history. We also went through the Medieval Art section, that was mostly sculpture from churches. It was very beautiful and really gave an idea of the world view of the Middle Ages. It made me think about a lot of things that I feel I must learn more about when I get home. Things like: what makes a Saint in the Canonized sense? And what is the original role? Why did the church begin this tradition? Thankfully I wish Sheryl who can fill me in on some of the history, but there is so much to learn!