Scandinavialog (pics added)

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082106

It was a cloudy day today and it threatened rain, so I dispensed with my plan of riding to the city centre and opted to buy a Stockholm City Card. All of the big cities over here offer these cardsö you pay a set price and for 24 hours you can ride public transit and see attractions for free. I did the internet thang at the library nearby the campground and got on the subway to Gamla Stan.

Gamla Stan is Old Stockholm. It's where the city began over 800 years ago, and I think it's the most incredible neighborhood I've laid eyes on. It's street after street of the most charming straight-out-of-a-fairy-tale building blocks imaginable, and random alleys as narrow as three feet help wide link it all together. My first stop was the Royal Palace. Before entering the Palace I circumnavigated it, gaping not only at the Palace, but at the city itself in every direction. It was so wonderful that this thirty-eight and-a-half year old man cried. I literally wept at the beauty of it. And it wouldn't be the last tear I shed today.

The Royal Palace has over 600 rooms, making it the largest royal residence on Earth. I started with the apartments; essentially the rooms that were (and in some cases still are) lived in and/or used by the residents for official business. There is much too much to describe in detail, but suffice to say I kept shaking my head at the opulance of it all. There seemed to be hardly an inch that wasn't painted or sculpted or gilded; the ceilings were works of art combining paint and relief and sculpture. The furniture was masterpiece after masterpiece, the design was varied yet consistently superb. I would turn a corner and stop dead in my tracks overcome with sensory input. It was really quite amazing and something only Alzhiemers will be able to wrench from my memory. Next I visited the treasury in the cellar. Royal crowns festooned with elaborate jewels and several extravagant pieces, like a solid silver baptismal bath brought from France about a half a millenia ago that must weigh 200lbs. I checked out the special exhibit on the royal cabinet maker that displayed remarkable pieces, including a 250 year old hide-a-bed! There was also the Hall Of Antiquities, a collection of parts salvaged from the fire that destroyed the initial castle in the late 1700äs before it was immediately rebuilt (I don't get how fire can bring down a stone and brick building - perhaps insight into the twin tower collapse). Finally I visited the oldest museum in Europe which is housed in part of the castle. Opened in the 1790's, it is a collection of Roman statues the king of the time collected on a trip to Rome, and they are still displayed exactly as they were 210 years ago. Adding to the whole experience was the vicious thunder and lightning and accompanying rainstorm that persisted outside. What an incredible start to a day of sightseeing.

Fortunately the storm subsided to a reasonable drizzle by the time I was ready to go. As I was leaving the Palace I almost got trampled by the changing of the guard, and I stepped into the foyer of the next building to get out of the rain. "What is this?" I asked the receptionist. "This is the Cathedral," she said, so I flashed my Stockholm Card and stepped into the 15th century.

Aside the sublime tombs and the reverent artwork, the cathedral boasts a famous life-sized statue of St. George slaying the dragon, a fifteenth century sculpture in multi-media, including elk horns and oak and iron. As gaudy as it might seem near the front of a place of worship, it fit right in with the elaborate carvings and motifs protruding from every angle. Also near the front is a twelve foot high candlabria made in Germany 600 years ago. The altar itself is constructed of ebony and silver.

Leaving the cathedral to further wander the unreal streets of Gamla Stan I came across the Nobel Museum and popped in. The main exhibit is dedicated solely to Einstein, and the exhibit itself is a functional yet undeniable work of art. Further on was the famous will that Nobel left, leaving the bulk of the massive fortune he made from his more than three hundred inventions (most notably and profitably was of course his creation of dynamite) to the fund that awards achievements in the promotion of peace and world harmony. The last area I checked out was the listening room where you don headphones and can listen to the award speeches of a number of Nobel Laureates. I listened to Martin Luther King Jr. and cried again. That man could deliver a speech like no man.

I wandered those crazy streets some more, and now that the sun had come out I took about a million pictures. Exhausted, I headed up to the central station and enquired into ferry information to Finland. At the station I bought a hot dog and a coke and grabbed a London paper; I haven't read a newspaper (or done sudoku) in over three weeks. Hopped the subway back to the camping area, bought some groceries and got to my tent.

There was a German guy playing guitar nearby so I went over and hung out. I played a bit and realise that I have nearly lost all of my guitar skills. I don't mean in the last three weeks, I mean that my abilities that have been waning from lack of dedication the last few years have hit rock bottom. It got me a bit down, no, it got me a lot down, but it's a problem that is fixable, and I intend to get on that as soon as I get back to Canada.

The good news is I didn't start using my Stockholm City Card until after one o'clock this afternoon so it's still valid tomorrow morning. I'm gonna try and get up early and take advantage.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Guest

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082206

I spent some time last night planning out a schedule for today, and I gotta tell ya everything worked out to a tee. I had laundry to do this morning and had to book a time so I booked the first slot, eight pm. I woke up at 7:59 without an alarm and got on it. Made some breakfast and took a shower and grabbed my clean clothes. I still had until 1:30 to use my Stockholm City Card so I hopped on the subway back to Gamla Stan.

I have an unnatural interest in dead people and as such I really wanted to hit up the kings mausoleum (I forget what it's called and the brochure is all packed away). It's housed in the oldest and only midieval church in Stockholm, built in the mid-13th century. A splendid building from the outside, once you enter it becomes fascinating. Aside from all the knight's grave markers you constantly are walking on the building houses dozens of late Swedish kings and queens and their consorts. As they span seven centuries (the first king laid to rest there was in 1290, the last in the 1950's) their coffins vary widely in style. The eldest ones are in stone boxes capped with scultures of the deceased. Several are in elaborately ornate coffins (think The Ark Of The Covenant from Raiders Of The Lost Ark) capped with their crowns, up to the ones from the last 150 years or so that lay in solemn carved marble boxes (one weighs fifteen tons). Call me crazy, but I dug it, big time. Back on the subway for a stop and change to a bus at central station. I thought I was in for a snag when my bus clipped a parked van but in no time another came along and off we went. My next stop was one of Stockholm's most popular tourist destinations, the Vasa Museum.

Get this:

In the thirteenth century Sweden and Poland were at war. The king of Sweden commisioned a large warship to be built, whose function was to block traffic in and out of Poland. Partially of the king's design, it was Sweden's first warship with two cannon tiers. Almost three years in the making, the 69 metre long vessel was completed in 1228 (or was it 1258? Again, the brochures are down in the cabin) and built to hold 450 seamen. Made from over 1,000 oak trees, and remarkably ornate with hundreds of carvings and statues it was also designed as a boat of propoganda; it had sculptures of victorious Swedish kings and patheticly pained Poles. Finally ready for it's maiden voyage, the ship was loaded up with cannons and ammunition and it left the Stockholm harbour with 150 people aboard, 90 seaman and some family members (as it was the inaugaral trip), with intentions of stopping a bit up the harbour to unload the civilians and take on a full load of fighting sailors. I giggle as I write this: it travelled 1300 metres and sank. What happened was a slight wind came up and it tipped. Everybody ran to the other side and it righted itself. Soon another breeze kicked up and this time she tipped enough to allow water to enter the holes for the cannons, which were open solely for show as it left the harbour. Down it went, with it's 150 metre main mast sticking up out of the shallow bay when it hit bottom. A third of the passengers perished. Inquiries were made, fingers pointed all around and nobody was ultimately blamed or punished. The problem was it was top-heavy and didn't contain enough ballast. The Vasa (as the ship was called) sank into the mud at the bottom of the harbour, the ship builders retrieved the mast and soon enough people forgot about it. Then in the fifties somebody started looking for it. It was discovered fifty years ago this Friday, and was raised in 1961. Because it was encased in mud it was extremely well preserved, and it's now on display, 95% of it original. It is by far the best preserved ship of the era and I wanna tell ya it's a sight to behold. Interestingly, the museum itself was built on the harbour; they initially made three walls and a roof, pontooned the thing in, built the fourth wall and drained the water. The main mast is missing, and the front pointy-out part was never found, but beyond that there it is, brand new, pretty much no mileage on it at all. Over a million people walk through the doors every year and I bet they are all amazed.

I left the Vasa Museum with a half-hour left on my Stockholm Card so I booted it over to Skansen, on the same island (Stockholm is built on a dozen or two islands).

Skansen is a huge park, and the world's oldest open-air museum. It opened in 1890 and is mainly one of those period areas where people wear old clothes and work as smiths and the like. Not generally my thing, but I heard it was interesting, and to a point it was. There's about 150 buildings in Skansen, and the cool thing is they are all original. Each building has a marker telling where in Sweden it came from and when it was relocated to Skansen. Frankly I found most of it boring but I liked the zoos. One had critters from all over: anacondas, koala bears, baboons, miniature marmosets, alligators, and lemurs. Lemurs! One of my favourite animals is the lemur and the best part about this was you walked through the lemur area and they ran wild all around you. I mean they would all but jump on you. It was super cool and I took about 30 pics of just the lemurs. I was in primate-loving heaven. The other zoo had Swedish animals and I thought it was cute how small their moose are, especially considering all you see in this country are keychains and t-shirts of moose; they seem quite proud of the little guys. The bears were neat if only because three of them were playfighting two feet from me.

I finished with Skansen and splurged on a real restaurant for some meatballs with potatoes and salad and a beer. After subsisting on mainly hot dogs and pasta for the last few weeks, I could feel the nutrition seeping into my pores with every bite.

Right on schedule I transitted back towards the campground. I took a chance and spent twenty minutes in the library correcting the punctuation from the last few logs (what a stickler, huh?), leaving me short of time to pack my gear but I powered through it and got on the road to the ferry. I had to be there at 7:10 and I got there at 7:09.

So here I am on my way to Turku, Finland. I thought the boat to Norway was big! This sucker is ten stories high, and I sat in the bar at the back watching the sun sink over Stockholm while the boat veered through the 24,000 islands (no exaggeration) that surround the city. I met a guy from Finland who is quite a traveller, and he might have altered my trip yet again. We'll see if I can do 120kms tomorrow, if so, we may meet again. Lost $150 on roulette (only the third time I've ever lost money on the game) and now I'm off to my cabin for the night. I hope I don't snore the other three in there awake, but with all the beer I've eaten I'm sure I will.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Guest

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082306

There were only two other guys in my cabin when I went to bed last night and when I finally went down I went straight out. Sometime in the middle of the night someone pounded on the door. I shot straight up, the other guys didnät move. I ignored it and there was more pounding. I ignored it again and this time it worked; whoever it was went away (or stopped pounding at least). I suspect it was the person that was to occupy the bunk above me and perhaps they lost their card to get in. Tough.

At 7am (6am Stockholm time) the very loudspeaker announced that we were a half hour from docking and should get our sorry asses out of bed (loose translation). It was a harsh wakeup to say the least. Last night on the boat I acted like I wasn't on a budget; I gambled and drank beers without a care in the world. It's been since day one in Copenhagen since I spent money with abandon. So all fuzzy-headed and with scant sleep I hopped in our tiny shower and got ready to disembark. I made it to the deck just as we reached the dock. Upon disembarking there was a police officer essentially directing traffic. He was waving vehicles one way and another. That's the closest I've come to going through customs since the Ottawa airport.

Bright and early and with time to kill before the tourist office opened I decided to visit the Turku castle which is right next to the dock. It wasn't open for tourists yet, but a quick examination showed that it was indeed open; the back door to the courtyard was all the way ajar. I wandered in and around and it was quite interesting, but in an old fort sort of way. I didn't enter the castle itself, but it seems to be much less regal and more utilitarian than others I've seen on this trip. Ultimately I made my way to the city centre and found the tourist bureau.

And boy did I talk to the wrong person.

There were three ladies working there. I went up to the first one and asked about biking to Helsinki. Blank stare. "Do you have a map of Finland?" She pulls out the map and there's a big blue line marking the Kings Road. I said, "So that's the way to go then?" "No," she replied, "That is the main highway, this is the way to go," pointing to the E18. I told her that I had difficulties on the E18 previously and some of it didn't even allow bicycles at all. She asked her collegue and came back saying, "Yes, the Kings Road is the best way to go by bicycle." Okay then, now what about things to see here in Turku? "There's nothing to see here in Turku." "Nothing?!?" "Well, there's a bus tour that goes every day at 1pm...or maybe 2, but that's all." It was very clear that she was an anti-tourism agent, but how do you just walk over to another counter? I bided my time with a bit of free internet and asked another attendant if there was a washroom as a ploy. "Yes, right around the corner." "Okay while I got you, is there anything to see in Turku?" "Oh yes, this is the former capital and we have the oldest cathedral in the country and there is the old town square and the..." on and on and on with directions and info and descriptions of the Kings Road, etc, she was a fountain of information. Hard to believe these two people work three feet from each other.

Anywho, got out of there and went to the cathedral which was great. More old ornate caskets, more vaulted ceilings, more huge paintings, it was awesome. I'm glad I'm not tiring of this kind of thing. Biked around town to the market and the old town square, there was enough to do to keep me in town until noon. Then I hit the Kings Road.

I gotta say I was a wee bit disappointed. I believe I've mentioned the Kings Road in an earlier log, but here it is again:

Dating from the 14th century, the Kings Road was a route that connected the major cities of Scandinavia resulting in a blending of cultures not unlike the more famous Silk Road. It extends from Bergen in western Norway all the way to St. Petersberg and was used as a trading route and as a path the nobility would use to go hang out with each other, building castles and churches and resting places along the way. I was expecting an old pathway through the countryside, but as it has continually developed it is really just a connection of lesser highways and rural roads. Not to complain though, as it sure beats the E18. It's fairly well marked and has accompanying bike paths for about half of it, though it still necessitated stopping often for directions.

Last night my new friend Marcus told me that Helsinki has an arts festival on Thursday night with lots of events and live music, including the cream of Finlandäs jazz players, and for those not in the know, Nordic jazz is the shit. I found that pretty interesting but wasn't planning on making it to Helsinki until Friday. He said if I can make it to where he lives by Thursday morning he would be happy to drive me to Helsinki as he has to go there for work Thursday anyway. I told him I wasn't sure but thankfully took his number. He lives about 120kms from Turku and if the wind was right I could make it for sure, but I do want to ride into the city so I had my options to weigh.

When I set off today the wind was pretty strong against me and it did not let up. About an hour into the ride it occured to me that if I made it 120kms today I'd be within cycling distance of Helsinki anyways and dispensed with the idea of catching a ride with Marcus, though I still wanted to press on and get far enough to make it possible to get to Helsinki tomorrow afternoon or early evening.

Disclaimer: The next sentance is rated PG13, or perhaps R.

But the motherfucking gawdam piss eating son of a fucking bitching cunt licking shitty asshole cocksucking prickass wind pounded me in the face all day. It makes it a bit worse that as I sit here typing I'm looking at the first limp flag I've seen all day; as soon as I pitched my tent the wind stopped dead. On the upside, a few times when I wasn't sure of my way I just pointed my bike into the wind, figuring (correctly) that against the wind must be the right way. I pounded away and eventually gave in, dropped down to low gear and just took it steady and (relatively) easy. At around three o'clock I stopped on a pretty little road, leaned against a tree and had a short nap which felt so good. I dropped in on a house to ask if I could get my water bottles filled (my standard method of hydration) and the man dropped a bucket down his well and topped me up. That's when I remembered how awesome this trip is.

Starving, I stopped in the town of Halikko around 5pm for some dinner and beer at a pub. I talked to a couple of guys and told them where I was planning on pitching my tent, as Finland also has the rule that you can camp anywhere for free as long as it's a certain distance from a dwelling. They told me that there were too many houses and farms that way and I would have a very hard time finding a spot. They suggested a campground that was only about five kilometres away. I thought it was such a good idea I had another beer. English speakers are not as common here as they were in the last three countries, so I got rough directions from the guys and set off. A little way down the road I asked directions again to ensure I was on the right track and was told to turn around. I did so, went about two kilometres and asked someone else. Again I was told to turn around. Hmph. I went back in the original direction and asked someone else. He spoke English and told me that I was going the wrong way yet again. Argh. This time I got detailed directions and decided that unless I drive ten kilometres witout finding it there was no way I was gonna ask anyone else. Luckily this time I did find the campground and it turned out to be the cheapest (and one of the prettiest) campsite so far this whole trip, five Euros.

I pitched the tent, mixed a drink (bought some duty-free scotch on the ferry) and here I sit, positively exhausted. I can't remember my legs ever being this sore from biking - maybe the day I did 185kms from Labrador to L'Anse Aux Meadows beats it, but memory is no match for throbbing muscles. Every turn of the wheels today was a chore, and every kilometre was a hard-won prize.

Here's the stats for the bit of riding I did around Stockholm and today:

Time: 6:33.08

Average speed: 16.1

Distance: 105.35 (I'd say about 70kms of that was today)

Maximum speed: 43.5 (That was certainly not today. I had to pedal even going downhill in the damn wind.)

Total distance: 871.51

The last two nights have been meager sleeps for me, and coupled with todayäs workout I suspect I'll sleep like the dead tonight. I have about 120kms to go to Helsinki, but I doubt I'll make it tomorrow, and even if I do after that kind of ride I probably wouldn't feel much like going out on the town anyway, so I hope to get close enough that on Friday I'll just have a nice short ride into the city. To ensure a good nightäs sleep I'm gonna drink as much of this scotch as I can before it gets dark (about an hour from now) and then I'm gonna pass out.

The scabbing from my wipeout in Copenhagen is finally all gone, through a vigilant regiman of constantly picking at it. My right knee which was by far the worst hit is now just a pink circle of new skin. I'm sure I'll wear the scar for many years to come. I shoulda got that insurance from Lloyds Of London. Sometimes I'm just not thinking.

By the way, Finland is really pretty.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Guest

[Davey Boy 2.0]

primate-loving heaven

wasn't that a Bob Loblaw song?

[phorbesie]

i think the stats section should include

Beers Consumed:

[Alexis]

i think the stats section should include

Beers Consumed:

i completely agree! perhaps using one of those devices bouncers have to count how many people have gone into the bar might help on busier beer nights

wow todd, read all of these in one sitting, and man o man you have a lot of fun.

thanks for sharing. such an inspiration.

[Velvet]

Many less beers consumed here than home.

Busy day ahead, gotta run.

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082406

I did indeed catch up on sleep last night. I finally rolled out of bed around 10am and leisurely got my stuff together. I didn't hit the road until noon. I rode into Salo, the nearest town and found the central square which had a market going on. I bought a sandwich for later and searched for the info booth. At the info bureau (which was very small and seemed little used) I asked where I could find internet. The lady led me into her office (which was also very small and seemed little used) and turned on her computer, indicating that I was free to use it. Her computer was ancient and try as I might I couldn't upload my logs. I hope I didn't screw her machine up.

I got on the road towards Helsinki, travelling southeast, and noted happily that what wind there was was blowing south. It was a pretty drive on a sunny day through rural Finland, and the wind hardly hindered and sometimes even blew to my advantage. I stopped in the tiny town of Kisko and asked for a library. I was referred to the public school across the street which of course houses a library and was given free reign over the 'net. Did my business and got out of there shortly after 2pm, noticing the sun had disappeared in the interim. I stopped a ways up for a break and had my sammich and kept rolling.

The road twisted back and forth putting the wind sometimes a bit against me and sometimes a bit behind me but at one point I entered that glorious calm that occurs when the wind is directly behind you travelling at the same speed you are. First time this trip. I yelled out, "There it is!" and about thirty seconds later it was gone. It was a beautiful 300 metres.

I deviated from the Kings Road for the first half of the day, saving myself at least 30kms in doing so. Eventually I caught up with it again but frankly my route was nicer. Around 5pm I had to take a left putting the wind straight at me and it started to rain. Just a sprinkle but enough to make the ride a bit cold and a bit unpleasant. I stopped to ask for some water so I could cook food tonight and soon enough I pulled off to camp. The spot ain't perfect but it'll do. Set up and cooked a meagre meal. I spent two Euros today.

The stats:

Time: 3:59.08

Average speed: 19.3

Distance: 76.87

Maximum speed: 48.5

Total distance: 948.38

Strangely, it seems I'm still a good fifty or sixty kilometres out of Helsinki and I really want to get there early enough tomorrow to get some stuff done. It's 8:30 now and I have nothing to do so I'm gonna try and read myself to sleep as soon as I can so I can be up and on the road really early tomorrow. Considering I only woke up about eleven hours ago that might be difficult, but then I'm reading a pretty boring book (All The President's Men, Woodward/Bernstein), so I'm sure that will help.

Geez, what a boring log.

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082506

I did manage to sleep hard last night, about twelve hours actually, and I awoke to a sunny, windy day. I packed up pretty quick with plans of eating on the road. I was in the middle of Finland farmland; a beautiful world to bike through. Only five kilometres along I found a gas station with a little food kiosk, grabbed a sandwich and a Fanta, and a poor excuse for a donut. The wind was against me and I didn't care in the least.

Helsinki was 55kms away and is to be essentially the end to my biking. At the end of the rural road I was on a minor highway for a bit and then bike paths right into the city. I didn't feel any sense of accomplishment when I got to Helsinki, unlike the grand feeling of victory I felt when I boarded the ferry leaving Newfoundland. My east coast adventure was a bike trip through and through, and I had intended this to be similar, but as you have read I certainly took my share of public transport this time around. Certainly no regrets; I think I did this trip right, I just had some adjustments to make once I realised how much I would be missing out on if I spent all my time on the road. Bottom line is I made it, bike and body mainly intact.

I cycled to the Eurohostel which is the cheapest and most central place to sleep (the nearest campground is more than ten kilometres out of the city and as such wasn't an attractive option for me) and found it booked solid for the next two weeks or so. Yikes. I headed to the tourist office to find a room for the night. She said it was a five Euro fee to book a room, if they could find me one. Again yikes. As she called and called I yikesed and yikesed as she kept coming up empty. Finally, the last place on her list had just had a cancellation and had a room for me. I grabbed it, though it was a good four or five kilometres from the city centre. The Ava Hotel is still unquestionably in downtown Helsinki, and I got a room with a kitchenette and a bathroom. I took a much needed shower and headed out on errands. I left the hotel around 1pm. I had ferrys and trains to look into, and especially had to book rooms for a few scattered nights in the next week and-a-half. Ever the optimist(?), it was a good oppourtunity to get to know the city.

You wanna get rich? Open a hotel or hostel in Helsinki. I was looking for a room a few days from now and ten days from now, and I was all but shut out. I rode and enquired for hours, finally booking a room at a great central place for Monday, and in the end could only find a double room (I woulda been happy with a single or a dorm bed) for a couple of nights next week. It was the first time I sought a bed on this trip, but I was surprised how difficult it was. It took over six hours to get it all done.

Here's the stats for the day:

Time: 5:23.43

Average speed: 16.1

Distance: 87.35

Maximun speed: 40.0

Total distance: 1035.73 (sure it was a lax biking trip, but at least I cracked a thousand kilometres)

By the time I was on my way back to the hotel I was grumpy and very, very hungry, having only eaten breakfast so far, and a less than fulfilling meal the night before. As I consider myself an amatuer connisseur of fast food I felt drawn to sample the big chain around these parts, Hesburger. I ordered the Mega-something burger meal deal. The picture looked like a Big Mac but it was essentially a double-Whopper with extra pickles. Happily, I don't think mustard is very common here (I despise mustard more than anything edible), but they have things called burger sauce and hot dog sauce (two different condiments). They are a tad mustard-like, but I find them quite edible. The burger was good and filling, if a tad bland, the fries were standard but good, but the big plus (you're gonna think this is stupid) was the drink came with a bendy straw, something I find sorely lacking at the North American joints. Also notable: the Fanta is the first time on this trip I've seen ice. Nobody gives you ice in your drink up here, it's crazy. Anywho, giddy with the idea of a kitchenette I hit a grocery store for a late night frozen pizza, some stuff for breakfast and some beer and mix for my whiskey. Back at the hotel I did some laundry (for free, even found a one-time use of soap in the laundry room), called my girlfriend, took advantage of the in-room detergent and washed my dishes that havn't seen soap since I left Canada, and did some internet work, though I was unable to hook up the Alphasmart. The girl at the counter was very helpful and soon informed me she had a cancellation for the nights I needed next week. I booked the room and had her cancel the double I had booked.

Back at my room I decided to stay in and treat the day as a work day; there would be other oppourtunities to experience Helsinki's reknowned nightlife. I drank my beers and made the pizza and caught the last half of Airplane III. I was intending to sleep afterwards as I had an early morning but got sucked into another movie, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Luckily I had the whiskey to finish off because the movie really rattled my nerves. Went to sleep around 1:30 and spent all night tossing and turning (maybe I'm not used to sleeping in a bed) dreaming that I was conducting a phone interview with Benny Anderssen from ABBA*. He played me some new stuff of his over the phone, and I'm happy to report he's still got it. In dreamland at least.

*I know, wrong country, but whattya gonna do?

Edited September 10, 2006 by Guest

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082606

The tv alarm went off at 8:30 but I was already mostly awake, due in no small part to my dream about ABBA. Got up, showered and packed and left some of my stuff in the hotel's luggage storage. Hopped on the bike down to central station and booked Tuesday's train, and made it down to the ferry terminal in the nick of time. As I find myself a couple of days ahead of schedule I've decided to spend some time in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The cheap ferry is a three-hour ride (if you wanna pay double you can hydrofoil there in an hour) and I type this from the deck, on my way to another member of the coalition of the willing (Denmark is also in that questionable group). Though the bar doesn't open for an hour or so there's a kiosk on deck selling beer and Jager shots (a very common combo here) so I grabbed a couple of beers and a shot to try and chase away the cobwebs in my brain. It was nice to see Helsinki from the bay, and interesting to pass by the myriad of islands that surround the city. I opted to bring my bike with me to offer more versatility throughout the city whereas most travel here on foot. After the difficulty I had finding hotels in Helsinki I had emailed a couple of places looking to book a room for the night. I've not heard back but fingers and toes are crossed. I'm hoping with my bike I'll have first crack at places and a wider range of possible locations as compared to tourists on foot. If I don't find a place I guess I'll have to spend the night in a bar somewhere. Things could be worse!

Later now:

I did manage to find a place to sleep; I got a dorm bed right in the middle of old town. Tallinn is a fairly large city, but the big attraction is Old Town. I described Stockholm's Gamla Stan in an earlier log, well this is similar but way, way better. Blocks and blocks of 700 year-old buildings and churches that are navigated by way of twisting brick and cobblestone streets and alleys, and it's fortified. One of the churches here was the world's tallest building during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, at 159m. This area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can only be described as like walking through a fairy tale. I did a bit of a walkaround, visited the Tallinn historical museum, and had a bite to eat and a beer at a Cuban restaurant. It was sooo delicious. I wandered through every street and poked my head into a few of the millions of souvenier shops. I found a funky little alternative tourist info stand and enquired as to the evening's options. I asked about hearing some live music and was referred to a few bars in Old Town. I told them I was more interested in hearing Estonian music than touristo cover bands and found out there was a free all-day concert about seven kilometres away. Ideal.

I bought a bottle of Canadian whiskey (Estonia is by far the cheapest place I've been so far on this trip and as such it seemed like it was the place to spend a little money) and some Coke and went back to the room for a little primer. Had a few drinks and headed out of town.

I'm now a monster on the bike when there's no gear on it, I was maintaining 30kms/hr the whole way. The bike path led me along the sea and soon enough I found the place. A huge amphitheatre with a capacity of at least 14,000, and if they backed the stage up to allow grass seating the capacity would be fairly limitless. To give you an idea, the place is called Singing Park, and it got it's name back in the eighties when 300,000 locals staged a protest and sang Estonian folk songs. Michael Jackson played there ten years later and drew a crowd of 100,000. I got there in time for the second last act and there was maybe 250 people at the show. I was dismayed to see I had just missed an act with the charming title of Winny Puhh, but when I arrived Taak was tearing it up. A very heavy six-piece, they are self described as Doom Metal. The were very tight and very good, the lead guitarist could really play and the drummer was solid as hell. I spoke to the guys after their set ("Hi, I write for a Canadian music website, you have a few minutes?") and found that though they have been playing together for over 15 years, they have been playing as Taak for only a short time, with their sole album briefly hitting #9 on the Estonian charts. They play about once a month, mainly in Estonia with a few trips to Finland and of course can't make a living at it. When I asked about influences (I was thinking Judas Priest with a dollup of Metallica) I was told they were mainly influenced by the underground Estonian music scene from the 70's, and, the singer added, Alice Cooper.

The next act was called Genialistit and they were a lot more poppy, and also really, really good. I would compare them maybe to the Spin Doctors, and the crowd made up for their small numbers by surging to the front of the stage and dancing and singing their heads off. Somewhere in there someone handed me a huge plate of food; meatballs and some sort of cucumber/potato goulash. In retrospect that probably saved my ass. By the time Genialistid was done I was quite hammered, though I managed to maintain enough coherency to chat with them afterwards too. They are a big band in this country, and play at least once a week, often organising their own shows at rented houses and the like. I asked why the turnout was so small for such a big venue and was told the show was organised by the group responsible for collecting and distributing Estonian royalties, this country's version of SOCAN, and they did little or no promotion. Eventually I left them to their packing and mounted my bike for the ride back to town. Along the way I stopped at an enormous monument that was built to memorialize dead Russian soldiers. It's quite a poignant structure, a concrete groove that widens and flattens as it approaches the cliff overlooking the sea, where it just abruptly ends, dropping off to nothing. It quite looks like an unfinished bridge reaching towards the ocean. I was drunk enough to dangle my feet off the ledge and sober enough to not fall. I remember getting back to Old Town and going back to the room for another rye & Coke, then I went to a bar, perhaps two. I don't think I stayed out too long; I recall an in-depth conversation with some guy but I don't remember what we talked about. I left the bar staggeringly drunk and as I was heading the short distance to my hostel a guy tried to take my wallet. I can't really blame him, I was a prime target, but he got nothing except maybe a scrape or two when I shoved him to the ground. That was right outside my hostel door so I ducked in and that was the end of that problem. I don't remember getting to my room, but I must have 'cuz that's where I woke up this morning at 7am.

The tiny stats around Estonia:

Time: 2:22.31

Average speed: 14.3

Distance: 34.15

Maximum speed 33.0

Total distance: 1069.88

Edited September 10, 2006 by Guest

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082706

Unintentional early morning today. I am cursed with the affliction of waking up when I'm hungover, when sleep is needed the most. With nothing to do I showered packed up and got out of the hostel. The upshot was being able to reroam the streets of Old Town without a soul around. The empty streets made for some nice photo ops, and I travelled a little further afield to Toompea which overlooks Old Town. I came across a spectacular church and decided to drop in (it was Sunday morning after all). It was basically empty except for the priest who was singing some Gregorian chant. I had an emotional moment. I rode over to the ferry terminal and booked a spot. Bought a sandwich for breakfast and killed some time until the boat left.

Back in Helsinki I had just missed rain and found the sun shining for all it was worth. Got to my hotel (the same one as before) and checked in. Again I had a kitchenette so I hit up the grocery store and stocked up. I didn't really have the stomach for any beer but grabbed some anyway just in case things changed.

I was thinking of having a nap but couldn't sleep, so after a few hours of R&R I took the bike out for a little tour. I visited the Olympic park and rode down a million nice little dirt paths along the waterfront. I checked out Sibelius Park and the monument to Finland's favourite son. The monument itself is wicked; a mish-mash of metal tubing reaching for the sky. Turns out by tapping on the pipes you can get different pitches (though I don't think that's the intention) so I wrote a little tune for Jean.

One of the things on tomorrow's "to do" list is to box up the bike and store it until I'm ready to go home, so aside from riding down to the city centre tomorrow to change hotels and find a bike box, this was my last ride of the trip. And 1,500 metres before I got back to my hotel my derailer snapped in two. Under most circumstances I'd be pissed but I find it funny as hell. It'll still ride, I just can't change gears on the back end. Hilarious.

So anyway here I am back at the hotel and I'm gonna take it easy. My room tomorrow is right in the middle of the city centre, so tomorrow night I'll do some bar hopping.

It's autumn in Finland. The leaves are starting to turn.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Guest

[ollie]

I am cursed with the affliction of waking up when I'm hungover, when sleep is needed the most.

I thought I was the only one! The more I drink the earlier I awake. Sucks big time!!

As always, a very engrossing read.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

that used to happen to me, one thing i did learn was not to drink juice or anything with sugar in it when you wake up, the sugar rush keeps you up.

tough though with that taste in your mouth

[Velvet]

I learn nothing. That's my job.

[bradm]

I learn nothing. That's my job.

And it's a job you do well; I feel confident in saying it's your calling, in fact. It's not only that nothing gets learned by you, nothing gets learned around you. You emit such a strong illearning field, I could swear it absorbs thing I should remember, as if it were making me un-learn things, too.

I like reading your logs.

Aloha,

Brad

[Ms.Huxtable]

I always try to think of something unique to say after reading your logs Velvet, but all I can think of is how much I enjoy reading them and how happy I am that you're enjoying yourself.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

[Velvet]

Ooooh boy, another unintentional early wakeup today. Sheesh, I'm gonna need a vacation when I get back!

It's a shame about that illearning feild bradm, given that I'm a teacher and all.

By the way, I don't think you guys realise how much I appreciate your responses to my little writeups, it really makes me feel a bit like you folks are actually here with me. Thanks so much.

[Velvet]

Scandinavialog, Stardate 082806

I'm feeling pretty spoiled now that I get to sleep in a bed every night. I seperated my stuff so I could leave most of it here at Ava Hotel as I'm booked in here for my last two nights of this vacation. So with a light load I biked downtown to a hostel in the core of the city centre and dropped off my bag. Did a little ride around in search of a bike shop so I could get a box to pack my bike away. I found a cycle store and they were happy to supply me with what I needed; the guy went into the back, unpacked a bike and gave me the box. I foresaw difficulties in riding with this huge box but I took it slow and it was a lot easier than I expected. I got back to Ava Hotel, boxed up the beast and put it in storage. Thank-you for the ride Mr. Bicycle, you fared well.

The final stats:

Time: 2:07.15

Average speed: 12.4

Distance: 26.41

Maximum speed: 35.5

Total distance: 1,096.29

Hopped a bus back downtown and as it was fairly late in the afternoon I decided to put off my sightseeing plans for the day. I had a little whiskey left so I sat in the common room at the hostel and had a couple of drinks. There was an Australian guy there playing a guitar so we hung out for a couple of hours. He let me play his guitar and I felt a hell of a lot better about my playing than I did last week in Stockholm; I even gave him a little lesson. I fucking love teaching guitar. Then I went out in search of supplies. Dirty trick: the Finnish word for 'Sale' is 'Ale'; damn near every store has a sign in the window advertising it's ale. Anyway, I started at Stockmans, the big store in Helsinki that sells everything, it takes up a whole block and has department stores, grocery stores, liquor stores, book stores, hardware stores, I think they even sell cars. Loaded up with goods I went back to the hostel, microwaved up a meal, cracked a fresh 26er of Canadian whiskey and hung out. I met some Canadians (first Canucks I've met since day one at the Carlsberg brewery) and shared a bit of the bottle with them. By eleven o'clock the bottle was dry and I hold myself about 80% responsible. Then one of the Canadians said he'd buy me a beer so down the stairs and out the door we went.

We took a haphazard route and ended up at an Irish pub. There was a band playing cover tunes and they were pretty good. They won my heart when for their second tune they played Joe Jackson's Is She Really Going Out With Him, one of my favourite songs of all time. At the setbreak I asked if I could sit in for a tune, and I blame them for not noticing how drunk I was, though they may have been distracted by the shirt I was wearing; at my little going-away party my friends Eric and Gennie gave me a sleeveless t-shirt that says, "I am a rock star in Canada." Anyway they got me up for the second tune of the next set and I garbled my way through Keep Your Hands To Yourself by the Georgia Sattelites. Luckily I was too loaded to be embarrassed by my performance.

A couple more beers and we left, headed back to the hostel. We passed another bar that had a great band playing so we veered in for one more round. It was guitar, bass, drums, and a great pedal steel player playing Finnish songs. The pedal steel guy was the star of the band to be sure and I was eating it up. What a great sound those things make under the right hands. Back at the hostel I think I remember logging on the computer...I either made a drunken post or wrote a drunken message to Heather, or both. Either way I'm sure I shouldn't have had my hands on a computer any more than I shoulda had my hands on that Strat back at the bar.

And that was my experience with Helsinki's night life.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

I think we really need to send BradM with you on your subsequent adventures to tape any spontaneous campfire playing or stage hijacking

[headymamamyrna]

I have been loving your writeups.

They make my day.

I am going to miss them when your trip ends.

Perhaps since you are such a good writer and hold everyones interest you can write everyday about you daily life!Just kidding!

[Booche]

but I was already mostly awake, due in no small part to my dream about ABBA.

As hard as a shovel, were you?

[Velvet]

Damn computer here at the hostel oesn't support USB.

It does have all these neat buttons though:

ЯЫФ ДЛЩ ШГ ЦЙ ЮЖЭЪЯЪ

Actually, the subway stop I had to find was called ÐœÐЯКОВСКÐЯ, which I remembered as "Marco Backwards." The street I needed was ЛИТЕИÐЪГИ ЛР so I wrote it out from a map on the train as best I could on a piece of paper. When I showed it to someone to see if I was in the right place he looked at it, scratched his head and finally turned the page upside down and told me I was indeed on the right street.

I'll try to internet cafe soon and let y'all know what's up.

[Hux]

Todd will you be able to insert pics into these when you get back?

Great stuff - very enjoyable!

[Velvet]

If I can get someone to come over and help me I'd be happy to insert pics into the posts. I think it would add a lot to the thread.

[Velvet]

Uh-oh. My Alphasmart has gone down.