First, we were extremely lucky to have the opportunity to meet and stay with friends in both countries:
I. Andreas & Sara (Gotenbörg & Stromstad)Note: Most Norwegians go to Sweden for cheap booze, Swedes go to Finland and the Finnish go to Estonia (important to know once you pay 10 bucks for a cheep beer in Norway).
OK, as I was saying, Sara meet us in Sweden late in the evening and let us crash in her room. We explored Stromstad for a while and made the trek down to Gotenbörg where we met up with Andreas (Sara's boyfriend and a classmate of Mariah's in New Zealand). Both were excellent hosts and were a great intro into Swedish life, IKEA style, and the difference between real and fake beer...
Fake Beer: Is sold everywhere and does not require a specific license and contains less than 3.5% alcohol
Real Beer: Is sold with wine in special shops where there is no limit for alcohol
I definitely made the mistake of buying "Fake Beer"
II. Ida & Anders (Stockholm)
Again thanks to these great hosts we got settled into Stockholm life before meeting up with my folks. They showed us around Stockholm and we definitely shared their love for the city. We even had an R&R day where we ransacked their computer, had our first access to news in a month and got caught up on emails and Internet phone calls.Ida is working for the Swedish education system and worked with Mariah at Barretstown in Ireland. Anders, if I understand correctly, is working for the Swedish university system doing statistical analysis for the admissions department.
III. Timo & Family (Helsinki)
We were recently connected with Timo and his family by the Schlaepfer's (a good friend of Mariah's Professor Dr. May) - Mariah's ability to stay in touch with everyone has definitely paid off. Timo helped us all lug our stuff from the train station to the hostel when we arrived. I will say that the two hostels I booked in Stockholm and Helsinki have worked out great and have been in walking distance from all the major sites in each city. (Mariah's hostel choices haven't been too bad either :) - edited by Mariah)
Timo also took us out to explore the outskirts of Helsinki to get a more accurate feel for what life is really like, and he gave us a better understanding of Finnish architecture, which is more new age and natural. He also treated Mariah and I to a very nice dinner out with his family where we sampled some traditional Finnish food and had great conversation.
We were grateful to have such wonderful hosts in Goteborg, Stockholm and Helsinki!
We were grateful to have such wonderful hosts in Goteborg, Stockholm and Helsinki!
We've covered a lot of ground in the last two weeks with my family and will try to blitz through it in about a paragraph, but please check out the photos and ask us questions.
Inlandsbannan Railroad - A full 14hr journey up the center of Sweden that took us by reindeer, past the Arctic Circle and gave us plenty of time to play cards, read and check out the ever changing Swedish scenery: lakes, forests, villages & mining camps.Hiking in Abisko - I think we all agreed this was one of our favorite parts of the trip hiking near this lakeside town. The area was gorgeous and we lucked out with having a dry hike. I don't think mom Cherniss would have survived the 8km hike if it poured the whole time. We hiked up a "glacial" stream for half the hike and had fun just catching up (like we didn't have enough on the train, but there is something different about hiking where you are immersed in nature and feel more philosophical). We also saw a cool Sami exhibit (Sami are the indigenous people of Lapland, Northern Sweden and Finland).
Enjoying the Ice Hotel - OK, this is a place that is worth the $300-500 price tag per night.
The Hotel melts each year, but they have a mock up and an exhibit on display year round. The -5C temp of the hotel almost took my dad's toes as he decided that it would be a good idea to wear sandals. During the winter the hotel at -5C is nice and warm compared to the -30C outside. We all enjoyed a nice Vodka at the original Ice Bar. It would be cool to go here for an anniversary (they just opened a new flight from London to Kiruna specifically for guests, I guess you only stay one to two nights in the hotel and then a few next door in the warm hotel).
The Hotel melts each year, but they have a mock up and an exhibit on display year round. The -5C temp of the hotel almost took my dad's toes as he decided that it would be a good idea to wear sandals. During the winter the hotel at -5C is nice and warm compared to the -30C outside. We all enjoyed a nice Vodka at the original Ice Bar. It would be cool to go here for an anniversary (they just opened a new flight from London to Kiruna specifically for guests, I guess you only stay one to two nights in the hotel and then a few next door in the warm hotel).Helsinki - Definitely a cultural change from Norway and Sweden, a bit more punk rock. We've had fun learning some of the history and relationships with Sweden and Russia, and are now getting psyched to go to Russia... a little nervous though.
We're currently in Helsinki and kickin' it. The time with my sisters
and folks has been great, but we are ready to continue on our adventure and we both know that Russia will be a whole new animal. Scandinavia has been fun, but the transition from the States has not been too challenging as our cultures are similar and the language barrier doesn't exist because most have taken English for close to 8 years in school.
and folks has been great, but we are ready to continue on our adventure and we both know that Russia will be a whole new animal. Scandinavia has been fun, but the transition from the States has not been too challenging as our cultures are similar and the language barrier doesn't exist because most have taken English for close to 8 years in school.
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