So after I returned to Sweden from Norway, I decided to go to Stockholm. I ended up taking a night bus there from Gothenburg (where Margie is living), and arrived at around 6 am. I didn't sleep a wink all night, because busses are so uncomfortable, so I was pretty much running on adrenaline after that. I had planned to meet my new Korean friend JiEun who I met on the Norway in a Nutshell Tour at 8, since she was also in Stockholm for a few days.
In the meantime, I grabbed some hot chocolate and a chocolate muffin for breakfast at the bus/train station. A bird had flown into the building, and was chirping loudly from an artificial tree in front of me. At 6 in the morning, after a sleepless night, this irritated me.
8 o'clock came and went. Then 8:15 came...and went. Then 8:30. 8:45. 9:00. No JiEun. We were supposed to meet at the tourist information counter, but she never showed. I was kind of frustrated, but shook it off. I ventured out into the city, and started Rick Steve's walking tour.
The first thing I found was a beautiful church about 2 blocks away from the train station. It was made of brick and had a huge steeple. The trees around it had turned deep red and bright yellow, which was beautiful. There was no one around at all.
Then I walked to Gamla Stan, the historic and oldest district of Stockholm. Here, you will find the Royal Palace, Parliament, the Stockholm Cathedral, the Nobel Peace Prize Museum, Stortorget (the central square where the "Stockholm Bloodbath" occured back in 1520, when Swedish noblemen were massacred by the King), the German Church, the Danish Church, cobbled streets, midievil alleyways, and archaic architecture.
As I was making the rounds, I met a group of 7 Turkish girls who were international students at a nearby university. Initially, they asked me to take their picture, and then we all just sort of stuck together. They were very sweet, and I was glad to meet them. We also looked around a few shops, until the changing of the gaurd was taking place at noon.
We went to the Royal Palace, where a large crowd was already starting to form. I was excited, because I've never seen any type of changing of guards before. It was quite cold outside, and my hands, face, ears, and legs were freezing. All of the sudden, someone tapped on my shoulder, and it was JiEun! I couldn't believe that we found each other!! I guess she thought we were meeting at a different information counter, and we never found each other.
Unfortunately, because of some sort of police emergency, the changing was delayed by 20 minutes. Everybody groaned, but waited anyway. Then the guy came back on the mic, and said that it would be yet another 15 minutes. At this point, JiEun and I said "screw it" and left. We found a restaurant and had the traditional dish of Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes. It was extremely salty, but good nonetheless.
After this, we visited the German church. Gamla Stan was an interesting place back in the day, when many settlers from many different countries occupied the city. Therefore, there is a German church, a Danish church, and a Dutch church. Everyone wanted their own church!!
Then we went to the Nobel Museum. It was a little hard to get into because of all of the intense information to read, and we didn't have much time to stay there. There were also some pieces of artwork here that were very interesting...like a statue of the Dahli Lahma carved entirely out of a stack of Manhattan phonebooks!
Next, JiEun and I walked down the cobblestone roads to the sea. My feet were killing me thanks to those damn stones. They are beautiful to look at, and even walking on them is ok....as long as you don't do it all day long. To make matters worse, I had my backpack, my purse, and my laptop. Adding this to no sleep, blistered feet, no sleep, and a chronically sore back and neck, it wasn't the best thing in the world.
We caught a ferry over to a different part of Stockholm, where we visited another cool open-air museum/zoo called Skansen. It is 75 acres, including an full replica, 19th-century town with over 150 buildings and people dressed in period clothing. There are also beautiful gardens, a fernicular train, a reindeer farm, bears, and windmill...the list goes on. It was really unique...definitely my favorite thing in Stockholm. I highly recommend it!
Next, we went to the Vasa Ship Museum. Back in the 1600s, a top-heavy warship named the "Vasa" was built, only to sink on its native voyage a little over a mile off the coast due to insufficient ballast. There were 145 sailors and 300 soldiers on board, off to fight in the Baltic fleet during the Thirty Years' War. All perished. Then, in 1961, the Vasa was recovered from the ocean floor...in remarkably good condition. It has been preserved and kept in this museum ever since. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship))
We stayed there until closing, before heading back to JiEun's youth hostile to rest. We literally did nothing except lay down and mess around on the internet for the next 3 hours. After that, I caught the night bus back to Gothenburg, and returned to Margie's at around 8 in the morning, more exhausted than I have ever been in my entire life.
48 hours of no sleep at all + hardly eating (except for a few really sweet or salty things) + constantly walking on cobblestone roads with loads of bags = a really really bad idea.
Overall though, it was cool to see. Check it out if you get the chance.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
One more thing: Norway=Really Freaking Expensive
One thing I didn't mention in my last post was how freaking expensive everything is in Norway. I only bought the absolute necessities, such as 1 meal a day (the other two being stretched out from the complimentary breakfast at the hostels), a place to sleep, a refridgerator magnet or two, and...that's it really. However, I still managed to put myself in the red a little. To give you an idea:
-Most places in Europe/Scandinavia, you have to pay to use any public restroom. In Germany, this averages around 50 cents. In Norway, this costs $2. Yes...$2!!! Going to the bathroom is a basic human function, and they exploit it fully. I can't believe this injustice, and was tempted to rebel and just go outside. Luckily however, I timed myself so that I only went at the hostel or someplace I ate at for free. Screw you, officials!
-One scoop of ice cream in a cone = $6.
-2 regular candy bars, nothing special = $8.
-Whopper Combo Meal at Burger King = $20.
-Cup of potato soup (not bowl, a CUP) with a slice of bread and small non-refillable drink = $25.
-Small bottle of Fanta = $4.
-Lunch special at TGI Friday's, including one medium drink = $40.
I could go on, but you get the idea. The basic formula you should keep in mind is as follows: 4*(Average US price)=Norweigian cost(roughly).
Yeah, bring lots of money when going to Norway. That's all I can say.
-Most places in Europe/Scandinavia, you have to pay to use any public restroom. In Germany, this averages around 50 cents. In Norway, this costs $2. Yes...$2!!! Going to the bathroom is a basic human function, and they exploit it fully. I can't believe this injustice, and was tempted to rebel and just go outside. Luckily however, I timed myself so that I only went at the hostel or someplace I ate at for free. Screw you, officials!
-One scoop of ice cream in a cone = $6.
-2 regular candy bars, nothing special = $8.
-Whopper Combo Meal at Burger King = $20.
-Cup of potato soup (not bowl, a CUP) with a slice of bread and small non-refillable drink = $25.
-Small bottle of Fanta = $4.
-Lunch special at TGI Friday's, including one medium drink = $40.
I could go on, but you get the idea. The basic formula you should keep in mind is as follows: 4*(Average US price)=Norweigian cost(roughly).
Yeah, bring lots of money when going to Norway. That's all I can say.
More on Norway
So, once again I've been slacking on my blog. Sorry, guys! :ß
Anyway, more about Norway. The first night I was there I stayed in Oslo, since early the next day I had to catch the train from there to do my tour. When I got off the bus, I felt totally lost and disorientated...and of course, all signs were in Norweigian, so that wasn't much help. After asking about 3 people, I finally found my way to the hostel I was staying at. It was pretty nice, and once I got there I completely crashed for several hours. I wasn't too worried about going out because I knew I would be coming back.
The tour I went on is called "Norway in a Nutshell", and it seems to be quite popular. Normally I would book everything myself, but this package made it so easy because it included every train ticket I needed plus the ferry ticket through the fjords, which was definitely high on my priority list. Plus, I could also meet other tourists since we all had something in common. It wasn't too expensive, either.
I started my tour in Oslo, which is in the eastern part of the country. The first train went a town called Myrdal...a 5-hour, very scenic ride. The countryside really is something to admire, and the brilliant fall colors only added to its beauty. There are mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, quaint little villages and farms, lots of sheep, and rugged hills. It is probably the most photographic location I've ever been to.
Once in Myrdal, I changed to a smaller train that would take me to a small village named Flamm. This was only a 12-mile stretch, but it was extremely beautiful. The conductor even stopped a couple of times for people to get out and take pictures. There was a breath-taking waterfall, as well as some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. On this train I met a nice family from Australia that took me under their wing, as I was traveling alone. I also met a really sweet retired couple from Virginia, and a girl from South Korea named JiEun.
We stopped for a few hours in Flamm to eat lunch and do a little exploring. I had a salmon meal that was pretty tasty. After this, it was time to tour the fjords, so we all boarded the ferry. The water was so calm and reflective...it was like a dream. The air was a little bit brisk standing outside, but it was totally worth it. The ferry doubled as a regional mail carrier, so along the way we would stop and the various villages along the fjords to drop off crates.
The fjord tour last 2 hours. Afterward, we were bussed to the next town called Voss to catch the train headed for Bergen (west coast), my last stop for the day. We arrived fairly late, so my hostel was already closed for the evening. Luckily I called ahead of time and the lady told me to pick up my key at a pool hall next door. I thought this sounded a little sketchy, but in the end everything worked out.
I actually had a German roommate! She was really nice...around 40 years old, and shocked that I could speak with her in German. It was great. Haha. I have to say, there are soo many Germans in Scandinavia! Everywhere I went I heard German.
The next day I spent touring Bergen. Unfortunately, due to the season, many things that I would normally want to see were closed, but that's ok. The best thing I did in Bergen was take a trolly that went straight up a mountain that half of the city rested on, and got an amazing view of the city, the mountains, and the bay. Also, the Edvard Munch exhibit was actually visiting Bergen (normally in Oslo), so I managed to see "The Scream". He is the most famous Norweigian artist, and "The Scream" is nearly as well-known as the Mona Lisa. It was awesome!
I took the train back to Oslo that evening. The next day, I did Rick Steeve's walking tour, and saw some interesting things. The Royal Palace was preparing for a visit by the Swiss president that day, so there was a military parade. It was really cool...the soldiers carry swords! I also saw the main cathedral, and I thought it was beautiful.
By far my favorite thing I did in Oslo was visiting the Folk Museum. It is an "open-air" museum of over 150 original, preserved buildings from various periods of time. It was so cool, and reminded me a lot of my dad's Old Train Town in Cody. Very quaint. There was so much to see. I wish I had more time to go through it, because I would gladly spend an entire day there. I highly recommend it.
Right next to the Folk Museum was a Viking ship museum, with actual restored Viking ships. It was pretty cool to see them, too. Only problem was that my camera was dead at this point. lol.
Speaking of my camera, something happened to it the night before my tour, and most of the pictures I took were blurry. Some of them turned out well, but unfortunately not as many as I wanted. Oh well. Stupid camera.
All in all, it was cool to see Norway from my own eyes, especially since that's where my Great-Grandpa Sam came from, who I've been hearing about for my entire life. I have to say that his home town of Oslo was totally different that I expected. Not bad, but I think he made the right choice to come to America. ;)
Anyway, more about Norway. The first night I was there I stayed in Oslo, since early the next day I had to catch the train from there to do my tour. When I got off the bus, I felt totally lost and disorientated...and of course, all signs were in Norweigian, so that wasn't much help. After asking about 3 people, I finally found my way to the hostel I was staying at. It was pretty nice, and once I got there I completely crashed for several hours. I wasn't too worried about going out because I knew I would be coming back.
The tour I went on is called "Norway in a Nutshell", and it seems to be quite popular. Normally I would book everything myself, but this package made it so easy because it included every train ticket I needed plus the ferry ticket through the fjords, which was definitely high on my priority list. Plus, I could also meet other tourists since we all had something in common. It wasn't too expensive, either.
I started my tour in Oslo, which is in the eastern part of the country. The first train went a town called Myrdal...a 5-hour, very scenic ride. The countryside really is something to admire, and the brilliant fall colors only added to its beauty. There are mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, quaint little villages and farms, lots of sheep, and rugged hills. It is probably the most photographic location I've ever been to.
Once in Myrdal, I changed to a smaller train that would take me to a small village named Flamm. This was only a 12-mile stretch, but it was extremely beautiful. The conductor even stopped a couple of times for people to get out and take pictures. There was a breath-taking waterfall, as well as some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. On this train I met a nice family from Australia that took me under their wing, as I was traveling alone. I also met a really sweet retired couple from Virginia, and a girl from South Korea named JiEun.
We stopped for a few hours in Flamm to eat lunch and do a little exploring. I had a salmon meal that was pretty tasty. After this, it was time to tour the fjords, so we all boarded the ferry. The water was so calm and reflective...it was like a dream. The air was a little bit brisk standing outside, but it was totally worth it. The ferry doubled as a regional mail carrier, so along the way we would stop and the various villages along the fjords to drop off crates.
The fjord tour last 2 hours. Afterward, we were bussed to the next town called Voss to catch the train headed for Bergen (west coast), my last stop for the day. We arrived fairly late, so my hostel was already closed for the evening. Luckily I called ahead of time and the lady told me to pick up my key at a pool hall next door. I thought this sounded a little sketchy, but in the end everything worked out.
I actually had a German roommate! She was really nice...around 40 years old, and shocked that I could speak with her in German. It was great. Haha. I have to say, there are soo many Germans in Scandinavia! Everywhere I went I heard German.
The next day I spent touring Bergen. Unfortunately, due to the season, many things that I would normally want to see were closed, but that's ok. The best thing I did in Bergen was take a trolly that went straight up a mountain that half of the city rested on, and got an amazing view of the city, the mountains, and the bay. Also, the Edvard Munch exhibit was actually visiting Bergen (normally in Oslo), so I managed to see "The Scream". He is the most famous Norweigian artist, and "The Scream" is nearly as well-known as the Mona Lisa. It was awesome!
I took the train back to Oslo that evening. The next day, I did Rick Steeve's walking tour, and saw some interesting things. The Royal Palace was preparing for a visit by the Swiss president that day, so there was a military parade. It was really cool...the soldiers carry swords! I also saw the main cathedral, and I thought it was beautiful.
By far my favorite thing I did in Oslo was visiting the Folk Museum. It is an "open-air" museum of over 150 original, preserved buildings from various periods of time. It was so cool, and reminded me a lot of my dad's Old Train Town in Cody. Very quaint. There was so much to see. I wish I had more time to go through it, because I would gladly spend an entire day there. I highly recommend it.
Right next to the Folk Museum was a Viking ship museum, with actual restored Viking ships. It was pretty cool to see them, too. Only problem was that my camera was dead at this point. lol.
Speaking of my camera, something happened to it the night before my tour, and most of the pictures I took were blurry. Some of them turned out well, but unfortunately not as many as I wanted. Oh well. Stupid camera.
All in all, it was cool to see Norway from my own eyes, especially since that's where my Great-Grandpa Sam came from, who I've been hearing about for my entire life. I have to say that his home town of Oslo was totally different that I expected. Not bad, but I think he made the right choice to come to America. ;)
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