Scandinavia and Baltic Europe, Summer 2000: “R&R in Scandi” 

 After arriving back from my travels around England and Wales, Rich arrived back from his sojourn around Turkey and after spending a few days catching up on alcohol-blood ratios at such events as Adam’s 30^th birthday pool party, we jumped on a Go-fly plane from Stanstead to Copenhagen to begin our jaunt around Scandi.

 Monday 21^st August

 We arrived in Copenhagen yesterday, still needing some sleep despite the 1hr 30mins sleep on the plane and rocked up to the City Sleep Hostel to find it already closed for the year! We went back past the train station to the tourist information centre and got directions to the Johanson Hostel where we planned the next sections of our journey, before going for a wander, eating some dinner and “funny” ice cream and home for fanta/vodka and bed. Today we got up to an excellent brekky and checked email before jumping on the train to Arhus. The train ride is 3hrs 8mins and aside from my own navigational inadequacies and smelling room mates – things are going well.

 Thursday 24^th August

 Arhus was really nice, after we got there we found the hostel and left our gear there. We went out for a walk, and stopped for a couple of pints down by the water. Very nice sitting in the sun, but very expensive at four pounds each. That night we had a lot cheaper beer at the hostel, and played pool whilst listening to Rich’s CDs on the excellent sound system. The next day we got on the train to Fredrikshavn and got lunch before getting the ferry to Gothenburg. The ferry was very modern and fast, and we bought some cheep beer on it which would come in handy in expensive Sweden. We took the beer on a tram, and caught the tram into town where we met Perc. We went back to his place and had a quiet one in. Yesterday we got up and went into town and Rich got his ‘little problem’ fixed and we got lots of little numbers. That night we had beer, cooked dinner, drank vodka, went out, had more beer, played blackjack and got home 3:30ish. Today was a very hung over start and we sorted out our trains for tomorrow and went to the library to read papers and check email.

 Sunday 27^th August

 Friday was a very long day! We left Perc’s in Gothenburg at 5:00am and arrived in Oslo at around 12:00 and had a wander around the city centre and the harbour. It was very relaxing and a nice warm, sunny day. After that it was off to the very modern train station where we waited for the train to Bergen. It was an hour late and we lost time along the way and ended up getting into Bergen at around 11:30pm 1.5 hours late and very tired. After chatting with a couple of people we decided to jump on a ferry at 8:00am and go down the Sonjefjord which included some of the ‘Norway in a nutshell’ fjord (name forgotten) and finished in Flam where we caught the train up to Mydral and then back to Bergen. Missed the 6:00pm closing for the weekend (for alcohol) and ended up getting a salad, bread and chips for tea and eating them on the waterfront. A couple of 500ml bottles of fizzy mixed with vodka and then it was off to bed and an attempted sleep-in. Today we went up the finicular to Floyen and did the three hour hike to Ulriken. That knackered us, so we went to the 7-11 and bought some food for dinner and ate it.. too much, so now its waiting for bed (8:40) with full stomachs.

 Tuesday 29^th August

 Yesterday was a chill-out day in Bergen. We got up late and went for a wander around the town where we saw the fish markets, the old town, a Jackie Chan film (Shanghi Noon) and got back to the hostel at 4:00pm to catch (Danish guy) Klaus, who took us out fishing on the harbour. It rained all day and when we got to the fishing spot there were heaps of fish jumping. We managed to bring home six fish – one cod and five Lyr (English translation unknown). I lost one lure and caught one fish and Rich lost a lure and caught two. Klaus lost a lure also. Had millions of hot dogs for dinner, changed our incorrect train ticket, didn’t say goodbye to Klaus, talked to Aussie slappers and found our sleeping compartment before drinking vodka and fanta, a pleasant train ride and sleep. This morning awoke in Oslo on time and jumped on the train to Stockholm where I am writing this whilst waiting for a spot in the internet café in the Kulturehaus. The ferry to Helsinki leaves tonight at 17:00, it should be an interesting trip.

 Wednesday 30^th August

 Helsinki. Today was a great day – around 20degC and calm. We arrived very hungover and tired after a drunken ferry ride the previous night where we met Phil the Aussie who demonstrated his Finish accent, and stuffed ourselves at the buffet. We wandered around the town and saw the market and the cathedral where the video to the dance track ‘Sandstorm’ by Darude was filmed. We booked the very expensive trip to Russia and sorted the ferry to Estonia then went to the park before back to the hostel ‘Erottajanpuisto’. Tonight its noodles from bar No 9 and an early start to Tallin in the morning. – Just have to add a note here about a kiwi idiot we met tonight who has driven me crazy, he was saying stuff like “reaching out to cultures” by trying phrases like “you are a good prostitute” and singing “I cant speak French” to the tune of les Marsellies.

 Friday 1 September (1^st school day for Russian schools)

 On Thursday we got up early after a very restless sleep as a result of inconsiderate roommates and jumped on the ferry to Tallin. We walked around the old town and saw the Estonian parliament buildings, some churches and the cathedral as well as a few parks and some of the city. It was very clean – I only saw one wrapper – and also very quiet. We returned and got our tickets and vouchers for our trip to Russia and we booked the return ferry to Stockholm. After lunch we headed back to the hostel, packed our bags for today and went downstairs to Bar#9 for beer and noodles. Today it was a 5:30am start for a 6:30 departure for St Petersburg. The journey is just over 250kms but took 6 hrs including a 1 hour time difference. After we got off the train, we went straight to the State’s Hermitage where we spent 3.5 hours looking at only 4 buildings of the 10 that comprise this magnificent museum. The returned treasures room featured Monet, Cezanne, Gaugain et al but then we got to rooms full of the same artists eg Michealangelo, Leomardo Da Vinci, Rapheal Van Gogh, all the impressionists again, Picasso et al. The place was just massive, one room had 8kg of guilded gold recently added to aid the restoration process. After the tour had finished we checked into the hotel and chilled out for an hour and a half before meeting Eric and Ellen from the tour for a meal. We weren’t sure where to go, but they had a place recommended so we decided to go with the flow. To get there we chose the locals method of hailing a car, and getting some bloke to take us. The 29yr old car that pulled up was only just a car! The right hand rear wheel was flat (ish!), there were numerous holes in the floor/doors and one windscreen wiper was a nut. Im pretty sure that the brakes only worked on one side also. The ride was certainly the most terrifying Ive ever had!! The restaurant was good, and we had a nice chat and a few drinks. The trip home was interesting also, it was raining and after getting wet for five minutes we found refuge in a pub and got the barmaid to order us a cab. We had a couple of pints there and a couple of pints in the hotel after the ride home – then to bed to await the new day and hangover.

 Saturday 2^nd September

 Today we got up and had breakfast, then jumped on the bus for the city tour that took all day. We stopped at all the major tourist sights, the bronze horseman, Alexanders column in the Palace Square, St Isaccs Cathedral, the Smolmy cathedral and up and down Nevsky Prospect. We had lunch (4 courses) at a restaurant, and after that we went to the Yusopov palace where Rasputin was assassinated. Rich and I got off the bus at the winter palace and wandered down to the Metro which was really clean, deep under the ground and seemingly efficient. Back home for a quick sleep, shower and back out for KFC and a beer before bed.

 Monday 4^th September

 Back in Helsinki today – chilling out after the Russian experience. This morning we went to an internet café to convey our experiences to the outside world and bought a couple of souvenirs. This afternoon will be spent at the laundramat before our ferry at 18:00 back to Stockholm. Yesterday we saw the ‘suburb’ of Pushkin formally Tsarskoye Selo (Tsars village) and St Catherine’s Palace – or at least 23 of the 44 rooms that have been restored since the war. The day was once again fantastic and we walked in the gardens of the summer palace before catching the bus to our restaurant for lunch. The lunch was a traditional Russian affair with salted garlic, gerkins, tomatos and bread followed by mushrooms, borsh and strogonoff accompanied with red wine and vodka, of which Rich and I polished off a bottle and some of another (helped by the other 8). Back to the train station and the long and uncomfortable ride home where we said goodbye to Eric and Ellen and back to the hostel. Awoke once or twice during the night – once to the sound of vomiting!

 Wednesday 6^th September

 Spent the rest of the day in Helsinki on Monday just chilling out, and doing some laundry before jumping on the ferry and despite best intensions, repeating the performance from last time. Met a couple of Kiwis who were good value and Rich talked to them and we played some blackjack. We arrived in Stockholm and caught the Metro to Sluisen where our boat (hostel) was moored and left our bags before a wander around the city. It was a  really nice day but I still managed to resist taking too many photos – the count for the trip is now over 100! We wandered to and around Djurgarden (the royal gardens) where we had a look at the aquarium – the south American display was excellent. Then had a sleep and back via the train station. We also wandered around the old town and had a beer before going back home and chilling for an hour or so. After that we got a kebab and McDs ice cream then off to ‘The Patriot’ at the movies. This morning we had a very large brekky at the hostel and stopped at the Internet cafe before paying the supplement for the X2000 fast train to Gothenburg where I am writing this.

 Friday 8^th September

 After the trip to Gothenburg where we met a young lad (10mths) called Elliot, who tried to eat squiggle, and his mum, we arrived and before going up to Paul and Anna’s and cooking, eating and sleeping. Yesterday we hung out until around 3:30 and went down to the youth hostel, then out for a few beers and dinner. We ended up having a few more than expected. Today started late and involved a wander into town to check out the trains to Copenhagen and a coffee at the marina. Out for a big one tonight, so tomorrow might be even more uneventful.

 Tuesday 12^th September

 Last day of the adventure! The big party in Gothenburg with Perc, Anna and her sister went well with lots of drinking and gambling and the next night we made a nice stew and after the loud seppos departed, went to bed early. On Sunday, we caught the train to Malmo and changed for the Danish train system over the bridge and under the sea to Copenhagen. Went for a wander and ended up in ‘Pool and Sports Bar’ which had 250 Kr beer and 350 Kr pool for 50 mins. We staggered out at 11:00 – which happened to coincide with closing time. Yesterday after breakfast we went for a walk to the palace and then down to Nyhavn to sit in the sun drinking coffee for an hour or so before jumping on  a canal cruise for another hour. We saw a helicopter in addition to all the sights and found a cheap, good Chinese food stall for lunch before walking slowly back to the hostel via a park. After a while watching tele and not going to Kristiania we went back to the bar from the previous night and once again played pool and drank beer, celebrating the end of a particularly good trip.