July 18th: Vadsbro
We packed up from the partially restored farmhouse to be driven to Peter's friend's house. It is an entire 3 storied, brick railway station built in 1912. A magnificent building desperately in need of restoration. We wandered through the grounds where about 20 cars, boats and a motorhome lie awaiting restoration. Apparently a further collection is housed inside. At least they are housed out of the elements.
Peter was driven the 120kms south to the Skavsta Airport by his friend in a Suzuki sportscar which is in running order. It was delightful to see these two old petrol heads zooming off together just as they did in their 20s. Lawrence and I followed at a safe distance.
The motivation for this trip was to visit the Skavsta aviation museum which was the photo reconnaissance of the Swedish airforce from 1940 - 1980. Peter was invited to fly in the Saab Viggen simulator around the local area. All aviation commands are in English so no interpretation was needed much to his relief. The guides in the museum were thrilled to have an aviator from NZ so were anxious to show him the 8 exhibits on display plus a video with English commentary. Yet another source of fascination for Peter.
Mid afternoon was time for the two friends to say Goodbye. We have had such memorable experiences during this week. On the drive back to Stockholm,Lawrence took us to see the apartment block he is hoping to buy into so that he can open a new chapter of his life as an independent adult.
To celebrate the end of a very successful trip, we took Lawrence to his favourite restaurant to have his favourite meal plus a new discovery of fried camembert and the much prized Cloudberry sauce which he found himself sharing with me. Because I'm worth it.
Thursday 19 July 2018
Tuesday 17 July 2018
July 17th: Vadsbro
Today Lawrence drove us 120km south to the famed Linkoping Aviation Museum. We were there with our noses pressed to the door at the 10.00am opening. The exhibits were magnificently displayed with information about each in Swedish and English but of course Peter knows so much more about each so Ashleigh and Lawrence were thrilled with their tour guide. Usually I follow behind making sure that I keep out of the way of the photos. However, this time I discovered a large exhibition hall entitled Animals and War. And that was where I remained until lunchtime. Inevitably many of the accounts were horrific like details of the 6 million horses killed in WWI, but much was devoted to the training of animals, birds, rats, dogs, porpoises, bees, gloworms even to assist men in battle. And of course, we know of the heart-warming stories of extraordinary animals soldiers took with them through battle. Eg Winnie the bear who has been immortalized in AA Milne's stories. I didn't know about Helene the stork, or the Caiman alligator or Bertie the bulldog. All the creatures recorded in this section were awarded high military honors for their contribution and heroism.
Of course Peter was delighted to have me so enthralled and gainfully employed in my own collection of photos. There was a large cafeteria attached to the museum and the wide range of options included wild boar meatballs and the creamed potatoes in which this country excels. The meals included a range of self -service salads, great slabs of rye bread, an irresistible selection of cakes and steaming cups of coffee. Everybody here is twice the size of us in build and obviously preparing for the winter months that lie ahead.
After inspecting the vast downstairs exhibition of the DC3 that was shot down by the Russians in 1952, Peter was happy to let me have my shopping fix in the town nearby while Lawrence managed a haircut. Ashleigh and Marika had driven to the museum in their well appointed campervan so they continued on their holiday while the 3 of us were happy and content to drive back to the farm and eat the left-overs from the party Marika prepared last night.
Today Lawrence drove us 120km south to the famed Linkoping Aviation Museum. We were there with our noses pressed to the door at the 10.00am opening. The exhibits were magnificently displayed with information about each in Swedish and English but of course Peter knows so much more about each so Ashleigh and Lawrence were thrilled with their tour guide. Usually I follow behind making sure that I keep out of the way of the photos. However, this time I discovered a large exhibition hall entitled Animals and War. And that was where I remained until lunchtime. Inevitably many of the accounts were horrific like details of the 6 million horses killed in WWI, but much was devoted to the training of animals, birds, rats, dogs, porpoises, bees, gloworms even to assist men in battle. And of course, we know of the heart-warming stories of extraordinary animals soldiers took with them through battle. Eg Winnie the bear who has been immortalized in AA Milne's stories. I didn't know about Helene the stork, or the Caiman alligator or Bertie the bulldog. All the creatures recorded in this section were awarded high military honors for their contribution and heroism.
Of course Peter was delighted to have me so enthralled and gainfully employed in my own collection of photos. There was a large cafeteria attached to the museum and the wide range of options included wild boar meatballs and the creamed potatoes in which this country excels. The meals included a range of self -service salads, great slabs of rye bread, an irresistible selection of cakes and steaming cups of coffee. Everybody here is twice the size of us in build and obviously preparing for the winter months that lie ahead.
After inspecting the vast downstairs exhibition of the DC3 that was shot down by the Russians in 1952, Peter was happy to let me have my shopping fix in the town nearby while Lawrence managed a haircut. Ashleigh and Marika had driven to the museum in their well appointed campervan so they continued on their holiday while the 3 of us were happy and content to drive back to the farm and eat the left-overs from the party Marika prepared last night.
Monday 16 July 2018
Tues 16th: Stockholm
Lawrence drove us the 100km to Vadsbro to where his brother and partner Marika now live in the house they have bought to renovate and restore to its original 1890 glory. They moved in January of this year and have worked hard to complete the guest bedroom for us. The house sits on 1.5 hectares and used to have 200 beehives which the previous owner worked commercially. Only 4 remain and those have produced 150 kilos this year. It was such a privilege to be shown around the property and hear of the exciting plans Ashleigh and Marika have for their future.
Graeme wanted to take us to the Vadsbro Kyrka which was built in 1112 as a Catholic Church. We were so lucky to have one of the committee available to take us on a conducted tour of this building and explain the transformation during the Reformation when it was forcibly transformed into a Lutheran place of worship and all the artistic embellishments were over-painted white. In 1650 a bell tower was built to house the three bronze bells which are now operated electronically.
It was not until 1902 that the white paint was removed and the glory of the art work restored to its former glory. It is incredible that such a magnificent building exists in this small village of 300 people. We were invited to coffee and a large selection of delicious home baking afterwards. Marika and I then went into Flen where she was born and raised. So interesting for me to hear all about it from a resident. Shopping at the supermarket was fun as Marika could tell me what all the products are. By then the temperature had climbed to 32C which is now putting the country into a crisis situation.
We have been very thankful to return to our Blagul beer and Rekorderlig cider.
Lawrence drove us the 100km to Vadsbro to where his brother and partner Marika now live in the house they have bought to renovate and restore to its original 1890 glory. They moved in January of this year and have worked hard to complete the guest bedroom for us. The house sits on 1.5 hectares and used to have 200 beehives which the previous owner worked commercially. Only 4 remain and those have produced 150 kilos this year. It was such a privilege to be shown around the property and hear of the exciting plans Ashleigh and Marika have for their future.
Graeme wanted to take us to the Vadsbro Kyrka which was built in 1112 as a Catholic Church. We were so lucky to have one of the committee available to take us on a conducted tour of this building and explain the transformation during the Reformation when it was forcibly transformed into a Lutheran place of worship and all the artistic embellishments were over-painted white. In 1650 a bell tower was built to house the three bronze bells which are now operated electronically.
It was not until 1902 that the white paint was removed and the glory of the art work restored to its former glory. It is incredible that such a magnificent building exists in this small village of 300 people. We were invited to coffee and a large selection of delicious home baking afterwards. Marika and I then went into Flen where she was born and raised. So interesting for me to hear all about it from a resident. Shopping at the supermarket was fun as Marika could tell me what all the products are. By then the temperature had climbed to 32C which is now putting the country into a crisis situation.
We have been very thankful to return to our Blagul beer and Rekorderlig cider.
Sunday 15 July 2018
Sun 15 July: Stockholm
Today we caught the comfortable ferry to Namdo, one of the islands in the Archipelago where Lawrence's mother, Carina has the summer house that her father built in 1967.
People have been living there for hundreds of years fishing and farming, but it was only at the turn of the 20th century that wealthy Swedes started to build magnificent summer houses there. Sweden used to be poor but after WWII the economy picked up and people began to prosper.
Carina is a professional cook and it astonished us what she could produce in such a small kitchen with rationed water because of the drought. Not only were we treated to a lunch fit for royalty, but she then produced an early evening banquet in time for us to catch the ferry home again.
Andreas was kind enough to take us for a spin in his jet motor boat and anchored in a private cove where the men could swim. Peter was delighted to say he had been swimming in the Baltic. I was equally happy to sit in comfort under my parasol and watch the water antics.
We returned to shore and had time for an afternoon nap before dinner. What a sumptuous life-style!!!!!
Driving back to Stockholm, Graeme decided to call in to a friend who lives in an incredible compound of about 138 acres including 4 lakes. We walked down to one of the lakes as the sun was starting to set at 10.00pm. I was hoping to spot beavers who live there but all I saw was a beaver lodge with its many rooms. I did see some of the Russian Blue cats that reside there but they were not tame enough for us to get close to them.
Today we caught the comfortable ferry to Namdo, one of the islands in the Archipelago where Lawrence's mother, Carina has the summer house that her father built in 1967.
People have been living there for hundreds of years fishing and farming, but it was only at the turn of the 20th century that wealthy Swedes started to build magnificent summer houses there. Sweden used to be poor but after WWII the economy picked up and people began to prosper.
Carina is a professional cook and it astonished us what she could produce in such a small kitchen with rationed water because of the drought. Not only were we treated to a lunch fit for royalty, but she then produced an early evening banquet in time for us to catch the ferry home again.
Andreas was kind enough to take us for a spin in his jet motor boat and anchored in a private cove where the men could swim. Peter was delighted to say he had been swimming in the Baltic. I was equally happy to sit in comfort under my parasol and watch the water antics.
We returned to shore and had time for an afternoon nap before dinner. What a sumptuous life-style!!!!!
Driving back to Stockholm, Graeme decided to call in to a friend who lives in an incredible compound of about 138 acres including 4 lakes. We walked down to one of the lakes as the sun was starting to set at 10.00pm. I was hoping to spot beavers who live there but all I saw was a beaver lodge with its many rooms. I did see some of the Russian Blue cats that reside there but they were not tame enough for us to get close to them.
Saturday 14 July 2018
Sat 14: Stockholm
The day dawned bright and clear and off we set being driven by Lawrence 60km to Uppsala which is a University city. Our point of interest was the Uppsala Cathedral which was built as from 1270 and consecrated around 1435 after almost 200 years' work. It is the largest church in the Nordic countries and is just as high as it is long - approximately 118 meters. The height of the ceiling above the central aisle is 26.6metres. It is built in the shape of a cross. As well as the splendour of the ornamentation, we miraculously encountered the organist rehearsing, and then to add to the feast, the choir assembled for a rehearsal. Just spell-binding.
We wandered around the environment and along the weir.
Then we drove to Skokloster to a museum for Peter to enjoy an aviation collection only to discover it shifted some 15 years ago. However it did offer us a church which was authorized by King Knut. The building of it only took from 1229 - 1234. That was not as ornate but still fascinating to experience.
After an ice cream we drove to Sigtuna which is the oldest operating town in Sweden. Unfortunately we arrived after everything had closed but it was still fascinating to see.
We were four tired travellers by the end of the day the temperature of which had risen to 30C.
The day dawned bright and clear and off we set being driven by Lawrence 60km to Uppsala which is a University city. Our point of interest was the Uppsala Cathedral which was built as from 1270 and consecrated around 1435 after almost 200 years' work. It is the largest church in the Nordic countries and is just as high as it is long - approximately 118 meters. The height of the ceiling above the central aisle is 26.6metres. It is built in the shape of a cross. As well as the splendour of the ornamentation, we miraculously encountered the organist rehearsing, and then to add to the feast, the choir assembled for a rehearsal. Just spell-binding.
We wandered around the environment and along the weir.
Then we drove to Skokloster to a museum for Peter to enjoy an aviation collection only to discover it shifted some 15 years ago. However it did offer us a church which was authorized by King Knut. The building of it only took from 1229 - 1234. That was not as ornate but still fascinating to experience.
After an ice cream we drove to Sigtuna which is the oldest operating town in Sweden. Unfortunately we arrived after everything had closed but it was still fascinating to see.
We were four tired travellers by the end of the day the temperature of which had risen to 30C.
Friday 13 July 2018
Day 24: Last day in Helsinki
We have learned so much from these days in this capital city and are now ready to move on to fresh adventures. We discovered the markets straight across the road from our hotel which are used by the locals so although there were some tourist souvenir traps on offer, mainly there was a vast array of produce. Does NZ have such an enticing selection ? I think not. All just so colorful. One section was an acreage of flowers the like of which we have not seen before. I suppose they will all be sold by the end of the day. Surprising - there aren't that many people in Finland let alone this area of Helsinki.
At 3pm we climbed into a taxi and drove into the Silja Line ferry terminal which was packed by travellers looking forward to their night of cruising, feasting, gambling and boozing which seems to be what everybody else enjoys. Obviously they are all very experienced and swarmed on board taking control of their leisure time pursuits. INCREDIBLE! Way beyond our experience even though we have done several overnight crossings. Nobody seemed to be terribly interested in the spectacular sights sailing from Helsinki. It was great for us to be able to pick out numbers of areas we had visited from this bird's eye perspective on the 12th deck at the bow.
We had paid a ridiculous amount to enjoy the luxury of a deluxe cabin and we were not disappointed. There was plenty of room for us and our luggage and a large window. Of course once we had sailed into the Baltic there was nothing to see but but the sea, however as I'm writing this we're sailing through the Archipelago Sea into Sweden. I was woken at 4.30am on Friday 13th by my Albany Toyota dealer asking if my car was going alright. I had not bothered to turn my phone off last night so paid the price. Imagine my response. "I don't really know. I haven't driven it for a month. I'm sailed between Helsinki and Stockholm and sincerely trust my Toyota isn't going at all." Poor man. However, I was grateful to him because I managed to capture the very first tip of the Archipelago at 4.45am. I would have missed that without him.
Now as I'm writing this I am sitting drinking in the most wonderful scenery unspoiled by humans. The world is my oyster. I'll end here and continue taking endless photos until breakfast is served. We seem to have bought a de luxe breakfast as well with our tickets. Peter hopes that includes toast and marmalade. Speaking of food, I forgot to mention our phenomenal meal last night. We stumbled upon a restaurant which offered an array of breads as starters. The waiter was impressed by the 5 breads on offer, but then of course I got cheeky and asked if there was any gluten free bread. Certainly Madame, and back he came with 2 breads which were so far beyond my taste experience. Italian. The gf bread selection throughout Scandinavia has been extremely poor, but I discovered the ultimate gf bread produced by our Italian chef. Bellisimo. I could have made a whole meal of that and not bothered with the delicacies that followed.
Now I'll stop and soak in the view.
Day 25: Friday 13 July - Stockholm
We were extremely relieved to see Peter's friend standing waiting for us as we disembarked from the ferry along with 2,000 other passengers. He whisked us into his wagon and proceeded to drive us around showing us more amazing sights that we certainly had not seen during our first visit. We stopped at the Kaknas Tower , the communications tower built to intercept Russian cold war. It is still in use today although not for military purposes. The temperature had risen to 29C and from the Tower we could look out to Russia. Awesome.
He then took us to the huge IKEA warehouse where all the flatpack furniture is stored. We were delighted that Lawrence could join us for lunch there. He had a half-day as his factory is now closed down for the three week summer break. What perfect timing! We were fascinated to stroll around floor after floor of this warehouse looking at the wide range of IKEA products all arranged in showrooms giving customers ideas for furnishing their own apartments. Peter was fascinated by all the possibilities for his "shed" that he bought earlier this year.
We then needed to go to a bag shop to replace the case that the Oslo customs had cut into during their 2 hour investigation of our coach and contents. Lawrence located a perfect store for us and we now have three cases to use for our flight home next week.
It was such a relief to arrive at the house in the burbs where we will be staying for a couple of nights before moving down to the summerhouse in the Archipelago with all the family. There is no wifi connection down there so the blog and fb photos are coming to an end, but our holiday continues.
We have learned so much from these days in this capital city and are now ready to move on to fresh adventures. We discovered the markets straight across the road from our hotel which are used by the locals so although there were some tourist souvenir traps on offer, mainly there was a vast array of produce. Does NZ have such an enticing selection ? I think not. All just so colorful. One section was an acreage of flowers the like of which we have not seen before. I suppose they will all be sold by the end of the day. Surprising - there aren't that many people in Finland let alone this area of Helsinki.
At 3pm we climbed into a taxi and drove into the Silja Line ferry terminal which was packed by travellers looking forward to their night of cruising, feasting, gambling and boozing which seems to be what everybody else enjoys. Obviously they are all very experienced and swarmed on board taking control of their leisure time pursuits. INCREDIBLE! Way beyond our experience even though we have done several overnight crossings. Nobody seemed to be terribly interested in the spectacular sights sailing from Helsinki. It was great for us to be able to pick out numbers of areas we had visited from this bird's eye perspective on the 12th deck at the bow.
We had paid a ridiculous amount to enjoy the luxury of a deluxe cabin and we were not disappointed. There was plenty of room for us and our luggage and a large window. Of course once we had sailed into the Baltic there was nothing to see but but the sea, however as I'm writing this we're sailing through the Archipelago Sea into Sweden. I was woken at 4.30am on Friday 13th by my Albany Toyota dealer asking if my car was going alright. I had not bothered to turn my phone off last night so paid the price. Imagine my response. "I don't really know. I haven't driven it for a month. I'm sailed between Helsinki and Stockholm and sincerely trust my Toyota isn't going at all." Poor man. However, I was grateful to him because I managed to capture the very first tip of the Archipelago at 4.45am. I would have missed that without him.
Now as I'm writing this I am sitting drinking in the most wonderful scenery unspoiled by humans. The world is my oyster. I'll end here and continue taking endless photos until breakfast is served. We seem to have bought a de luxe breakfast as well with our tickets. Peter hopes that includes toast and marmalade. Speaking of food, I forgot to mention our phenomenal meal last night. We stumbled upon a restaurant which offered an array of breads as starters. The waiter was impressed by the 5 breads on offer, but then of course I got cheeky and asked if there was any gluten free bread. Certainly Madame, and back he came with 2 breads which were so far beyond my taste experience. Italian. The gf bread selection throughout Scandinavia has been extremely poor, but I discovered the ultimate gf bread produced by our Italian chef. Bellisimo. I could have made a whole meal of that and not bothered with the delicacies that followed.
Now I'll stop and soak in the view.
Day 25: Friday 13 July - Stockholm
We were extremely relieved to see Peter's friend standing waiting for us as we disembarked from the ferry along with 2,000 other passengers. He whisked us into his wagon and proceeded to drive us around showing us more amazing sights that we certainly had not seen during our first visit. We stopped at the Kaknas Tower , the communications tower built to intercept Russian cold war. It is still in use today although not for military purposes. The temperature had risen to 29C and from the Tower we could look out to Russia. Awesome.
He then took us to the huge IKEA warehouse where all the flatpack furniture is stored. We were delighted that Lawrence could join us for lunch there. He had a half-day as his factory is now closed down for the three week summer break. What perfect timing! We were fascinated to stroll around floor after floor of this warehouse looking at the wide range of IKEA products all arranged in showrooms giving customers ideas for furnishing their own apartments. Peter was fascinated by all the possibilities for his "shed" that he bought earlier this year.
We then needed to go to a bag shop to replace the case that the Oslo customs had cut into during their 2 hour investigation of our coach and contents. Lawrence located a perfect store for us and we now have three cases to use for our flight home next week.
It was such a relief to arrive at the house in the burbs where we will be staying for a couple of nights before moving down to the summerhouse in the Archipelago with all the family. There is no wifi connection down there so the blog and fb photos are coming to an end, but our holiday continues.
Wednesday 11 July 2018
Day 23: Helsinki
Today I resisted accompanying Peter to the Finnish Aviation Museum and booked myself on to a guided coach tour of Porvoo, a 14th century town 50kms east of Helsinki. We had a character of a Finnish guide who had a cynical sense of humor. During the 45 minute coach trip he regaled us with accounts of the history and political background of Finland some of which I knew and have already written up. But there were intermittent pearls such as " The sun rose at 4.30 in Helsinki this morning but on June 3rd in Lapland". We drove past a beautiful statue of a mare and her foal which is entitled 'Mother and baby' but which locals call the 1.5 horsepower statue.
There are 14,300 trees in Finland per head of population which has increased by 10 so far this year.
Porvoo was originally a port where merchants brought exotic goods but it was declared a city in 1346. Tar was made here and you can still smell it. Many artists come from Porvoo which currently has a population of 50,000 most of whom speak Swedish. The market vendors I spoke to all had good English but nodded their appreciation of my kiitos which I excell at now. That and Hei or Hei hei for Hello and Goodbye seem to do the trick. But then I have to resort to How much is that? We're in euro country now of course rather than the Krone or Krona of Scandinavia so the prices seem reasonable until I remember the exchange rate.
Our guide walked us up a seriously cobbled street to the top of the hill to visit the Porvoo Cathedral which was completed in the 1450s but which has been raided and burned down several times, the most recent of which was 2009 when a deranged boy lit a paper and through it in the window. It now has a gleaming new tiled roof. Another fire story concerned the biggest fire which was started by an old mother-in-law making her specialty fish soup. Sparks from the fire set the area alight destroying 202 of the 293 houses. Miraculously only 2 people died and the recipe for the soup is still used today. The other speciality food we were told to taste is the Runeberg cake which is baked all throughout Finland for a February celebration. In Porvoo it is baked throughout the year, and as it is made of ground almonds I bought and ate one for lunch. Another feature that our guide showed us was the gossip mirror attached to a street frontage window enabling residents to keep an eye on the goings on in their street.
Tonight is our last in Helsinki as we board one of the huge ferries tomorrow to sail overnight to Stockholm.
Hei hei Helsinki.
Today I resisted accompanying Peter to the Finnish Aviation Museum and booked myself on to a guided coach tour of Porvoo, a 14th century town 50kms east of Helsinki. We had a character of a Finnish guide who had a cynical sense of humor. During the 45 minute coach trip he regaled us with accounts of the history and political background of Finland some of which I knew and have already written up. But there were intermittent pearls such as " The sun rose at 4.30 in Helsinki this morning but on June 3rd in Lapland". We drove past a beautiful statue of a mare and her foal which is entitled 'Mother and baby' but which locals call the 1.5 horsepower statue.
There are 14,300 trees in Finland per head of population which has increased by 10 so far this year.
Porvoo was originally a port where merchants brought exotic goods but it was declared a city in 1346. Tar was made here and you can still smell it. Many artists come from Porvoo which currently has a population of 50,000 most of whom speak Swedish. The market vendors I spoke to all had good English but nodded their appreciation of my kiitos which I excell at now. That and Hei or Hei hei for Hello and Goodbye seem to do the trick. But then I have to resort to How much is that? We're in euro country now of course rather than the Krone or Krona of Scandinavia so the prices seem reasonable until I remember the exchange rate.
Our guide walked us up a seriously cobbled street to the top of the hill to visit the Porvoo Cathedral which was completed in the 1450s but which has been raided and burned down several times, the most recent of which was 2009 when a deranged boy lit a paper and through it in the window. It now has a gleaming new tiled roof. Another fire story concerned the biggest fire which was started by an old mother-in-law making her specialty fish soup. Sparks from the fire set the area alight destroying 202 of the 293 houses. Miraculously only 2 people died and the recipe for the soup is still used today. The other speciality food we were told to taste is the Runeberg cake which is baked all throughout Finland for a February celebration. In Porvoo it is baked throughout the year, and as it is made of ground almonds I bought and ate one for lunch. Another feature that our guide showed us was the gossip mirror attached to a street frontage window enabling residents to keep an eye on the goings on in their street.
Tonight is our last in Helsinki as we board one of the huge ferries tomorrow to sail overnight to Stockholm.
Hei hei Helsinki.
Tuesday 10 July 2018
Day 22: Helsinki
Today was Peter's huge adventure involving a taxi, two trains and a bus to get to the military aviation museum. And back again. I have had a couple of texts to say it's all happened in as planned but have not actually seen him since last night. My huge adventure was getting to Marks and Spencers. And back again. I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say I am now safely back in the hotel with a bargain,having thiroughlyenjoyed another proscetto to wash down my meatballs
What I thought you may be interested in is firstly the women here who are heavy smokers and even more heavily tattooed. To add to this, many of them dye their hair in the most garish colours. They don't seem to bother about matching their clothing accordingly. I find the whole image extremely aggressive. Many of them wear heavy working boots even though it is mid-summer. I guess it is the heavy metal influence but it is exceedingly unattractive. I have spent the day snooping around the summer sales but the clothes are very unappealing to me. Good. Saves temptation.
The other bit you may be interested in is our hotel which is the only one in our trip that we have complained about. We could not stay in the room they'd given us as it was entirely impractical. So they have now put us in the Super plus room which is another €100 per night. Peter negotiated them down to €25 per night thank goodness. We have paid for all 5 nights but could not cope in the tiny black cupboard they call an economy room.
The story goes that this Siltasaari are was established in the 1830s and some of those stone buidings are still in use today. A wallpaper factory was built originally on this site, but in 1885 it was forced to close and move to St Petersburg. The building was then converted to a huge circus building seating 2,000 spectators. But then when circus animals were banned the building was demolished and a hotel built on the site. This has been recently redesigned celebrating the stars of the Siltasari circus including the six cycling lions and dancing horses. The reception area and lobby are playfully decorated in circus style patterns. It all sounds such a good concept but all the walls, ceiling and floor are black. 560 black rooms. Incredible! There have been so many complaints that management have started on the top floor in the superior plus suites and painted the ceilings cream and put wallpaper on a couple of feature walls. But even the wallpaper has either broad black stripes or solid black circus figures of lions, bears. Truly extraordinary.
Peter has just walked in after his 16 hour adventure so I'll sign off and we'll disappear to the bar.
Today was Peter's huge adventure involving a taxi, two trains and a bus to get to the military aviation museum. And back again. I have had a couple of texts to say it's all happened in as planned but have not actually seen him since last night. My huge adventure was getting to Marks and Spencers. And back again. I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say I am now safely back in the hotel with a bargain,having thiroughlyenjoyed another proscetto to wash down my meatballs
What I thought you may be interested in is firstly the women here who are heavy smokers and even more heavily tattooed. To add to this, many of them dye their hair in the most garish colours. They don't seem to bother about matching their clothing accordingly. I find the whole image extremely aggressive. Many of them wear heavy working boots even though it is mid-summer. I guess it is the heavy metal influence but it is exceedingly unattractive. I have spent the day snooping around the summer sales but the clothes are very unappealing to me. Good. Saves temptation.
The other bit you may be interested in is our hotel which is the only one in our trip that we have complained about. We could not stay in the room they'd given us as it was entirely impractical. So they have now put us in the Super plus room which is another €100 per night. Peter negotiated them down to €25 per night thank goodness. We have paid for all 5 nights but could not cope in the tiny black cupboard they call an economy room.
The story goes that this Siltasaari are was established in the 1830s and some of those stone buidings are still in use today. A wallpaper factory was built originally on this site, but in 1885 it was forced to close and move to St Petersburg. The building was then converted to a huge circus building seating 2,000 spectators. But then when circus animals were banned the building was demolished and a hotel built on the site. This has been recently redesigned celebrating the stars of the Siltasari circus including the six cycling lions and dancing horses. The reception area and lobby are playfully decorated in circus style patterns. It all sounds such a good concept but all the walls, ceiling and floor are black. 560 black rooms. Incredible! There have been so many complaints that management have started on the top floor in the superior plus suites and painted the ceilings cream and put wallpaper on a couple of feature walls. But even the wallpaper has either broad black stripes or solid black circus figures of lions, bears. Truly extraordinary.
Peter has just walked in after his 16 hour adventure so I'll sign off and we'll disappear to the bar.
Monday 9 July 2018
Day 21: Helsinki
So what happened to the remainder of last night's blog? You'll think I fell asleep in the middle of a sentence. No, but of course today I have no idea what else I had written. Oh yes, I do remember the final dinner with the group last night. That was lovely. Everyone was in very bright spirits and our lovely tour guide thanked us profusely for being one of her best groups ever. It was an excellent group I must say. Let's hope all of today's gets published. Mind you there's not a lot to report.
Peter set the alarm to make sure we did not sleep half the day away. Away we went with me glued to mapsme to make sure I can operate it. We got to the railway station (a 20 min walk) and Peter settled in to organising his trip to the Military Aviation Museum tomorrow. It involves two train trips the first leaving at 7.15am. No, I am not going with him. Coming back at the end of the day he can catch a direct route. I had decided to get myself to Porvoo while he was doing his thing but the guided tour (which I would need) only goes on Wednesday. So that's when I'm going then. Bought my ticket for that by which time we needed a recuperative coffee.
That gave us the strength to walk into the Market Square where there was a cinema showing a 3D video of a flight over Helsinki. Peter was thrilled with it but I decided not to upset my equilibrium. That all required more coffee, after which we boarded a #2 tram and rode out into the suburbs and back again.
The afternoon was still young so I chose to walk down to Stockmans Department store ( think Harrods) and do the sales. I tucked Peter up in a coffee bar and left him with a decadent donut, and sallied forth. There is no way that my handful of euros would have stretched that far, but fortunately there was absolutely nothing I fancied. The Finnish styles are so very different. I'll try Mark's and Sparks tomorrow, if I can operate mapsme all alone.
Now let's hope this blog records properly.
So what happened to the remainder of last night's blog? You'll think I fell asleep in the middle of a sentence. No, but of course today I have no idea what else I had written. Oh yes, I do remember the final dinner with the group last night. That was lovely. Everyone was in very bright spirits and our lovely tour guide thanked us profusely for being one of her best groups ever. It was an excellent group I must say. Let's hope all of today's gets published. Mind you there's not a lot to report.
Peter set the alarm to make sure we did not sleep half the day away. Away we went with me glued to mapsme to make sure I can operate it. We got to the railway station (a 20 min walk) and Peter settled in to organising his trip to the Military Aviation Museum tomorrow. It involves two train trips the first leaving at 7.15am. No, I am not going with him. Coming back at the end of the day he can catch a direct route. I had decided to get myself to Porvoo while he was doing his thing but the guided tour (which I would need) only goes on Wednesday. So that's when I'm going then. Bought my ticket for that by which time we needed a recuperative coffee.
That gave us the strength to walk into the Market Square where there was a cinema showing a 3D video of a flight over Helsinki. Peter was thrilled with it but I decided not to upset my equilibrium. That all required more coffee, after which we boarded a #2 tram and rode out into the suburbs and back again.
The afternoon was still young so I chose to walk down to Stockmans Department store ( think Harrods) and do the sales. I tucked Peter up in a coffee bar and left him with a decadent donut, and sallied forth. There is no way that my handful of euros would have stretched that far, but fortunately there was absolutely nothing I fancied. The Finnish styles are so very different. I'll try Mark's and Sparks tomorrow, if I can operate mapsme all alone.
Now let's hope this blog records properly.
Day 20: Helsinki
We awoke to a bright shiny morning at 9.45 and had a crazy dash to get our breakfast. The rest of the group had a day tour to Estonia but we had decided against it some months ago so did not have to set our alarm. And just look at the result. We are booked into another Scandic hotel, a huge 6 storied giant about 30 minutes walk from the CBD (might be shorter when we familiarize ourselves with the route. This is the worst of the Scandic hotels as all the interior is black. Small rooms with no luggage racks, minimal lighting, no room in the bathroom for toilet bags, no writing desk, etc, etc, etc. And we are here for 5 nights. So our first job was to ask for a room change. Hmmmmmm. All the rooms are the same. So we requested an upgrade. When we returned at the end of the day, we were shown another room equally black, then an upgrade. Ha, for €25 a night more we get a much larger room, a sauna, a desk, 2 luggage racks, and patterned wallpaper with a cream background. So we packed up and moved. That is better.
We had targeted Suomenlinna for what was left of today. This is a sea fortress founded in 1748 on a cluster of islands off the coast of Helsinki. It has some 800 residents who are responsible for administering and maintaining this UNESCO World Heritage site which
We awoke to a bright shiny morning at 9.45 and had a crazy dash to get our breakfast. The rest of the group had a day tour to Estonia but we had decided against it some months ago so did not have to set our alarm. And just look at the result. We are booked into another Scandic hotel, a huge 6 storied giant about 30 minutes walk from the CBD (might be shorter when we familiarize ourselves with the route. This is the worst of the Scandic hotels as all the interior is black. Small rooms with no luggage racks, minimal lighting, no room in the bathroom for toilet bags, no writing desk, etc, etc, etc. And we are here for 5 nights. So our first job was to ask for a room change. Hmmmmmm. All the rooms are the same. So we requested an upgrade. When we returned at the end of the day, we were shown another room equally black, then an upgrade. Ha, for €25 a night more we get a much larger room, a sauna, a desk, 2 luggage racks, and patterned wallpaper with a cream background. So we packed up and moved. That is better.
We had targeted Suomenlinna for what was left of today. This is a sea fortress founded in 1748 on a cluster of islands off the coast of Helsinki. It has some 800 residents who are responsible for administering and maintaining this UNESCO World Heritage site which
Saturday 7 July 2018
Day 19: Jyvaskyla 18C
Yay, sunshine pouring in. I'll pack the jacket away. So this is the last 180kms of our trip. Thank goodness for that.
Our first stop for morning tea was at the international ski resort of Lahti. A massive complex with three ski jumps, swimming pools and several of the 2 million saunas that the Finns need. The jumps have a porcelain surface so they can be used all summer. I caught sight of a person flying down the middle one but just couldn't move quickly enough to catch them on camera. It was the Samis who introduced the Finns to skiing as a sport. Some skis are up to 3 meters in length. The skiers have a weight limit and are disqualified if they do not come in at the requisite weight. They start competing at 7 years of age.
In such brilliant weather the fireweed illuminated the forests making the final journey memorable. There was still a proliferation of moose signs all along the highway yet no sign of a moose. As compensation, our tour guide gave us each a silver moose Christmas decoration.
Helsinki is a young country established in 1850 when the capital of Finland was shifted here to be on the Baltic sea. It was originally a sea fortress going back to the 18th century. Down at the port is a huge statue of a naked woman towering over a pond with seals providing fountains of water. This is Helsinki rising from the Baltic sea. The townspeople were deeply shocked at her naked state but the sculptor explained that she would not be clothed under those circumstances. The population is around 650,000 and coming into the city is a huge ever-changing computerised sign running the length of a rooftop showing the current number of people in the city. So when 40 of us turned up, the sign added us on; each time a birth and a death is recorded, up it pops on the sign. Now, ain't that grand?
Helsinki is an administrative city rather than industrial one, but she does make ice-breakers which can cut through the thick winter ice, and container ships. In a couple of weeks there is to be a meeting of Trump and Putin for which
2, 000 journalists are expected. We were shown the grand meeting hall on the sea front.
We were taken to the grand ostentatious Helsinki Cathedral where a wedding was taking place and then on to the simpler but imposing Lutheran Cathedral. The Sibelius monument is spectacular. It looks like an artist's impression of a pipe organ but is actually just a collection of 600 metal tubes of varying lengths. When you stand under it the wind sings in those pipes capturing the ever-changing moods of Sibelius music. Of course when we boarded our coach it was to the hypnotic 'Finlandia' which we all know so well.
Our tour ends with a farewell dinner tomorrow night but Peter and I are staying on here for another 5 nights so you will hear much more of Helsinki over the next few days.
Yay, sunshine pouring in. I'll pack the jacket away. So this is the last 180kms of our trip. Thank goodness for that.
Our first stop for morning tea was at the international ski resort of Lahti. A massive complex with three ski jumps, swimming pools and several of the 2 million saunas that the Finns need. The jumps have a porcelain surface so they can be used all summer. I caught sight of a person flying down the middle one but just couldn't move quickly enough to catch them on camera. It was the Samis who introduced the Finns to skiing as a sport. Some skis are up to 3 meters in length. The skiers have a weight limit and are disqualified if they do not come in at the requisite weight. They start competing at 7 years of age.
In such brilliant weather the fireweed illuminated the forests making the final journey memorable. There was still a proliferation of moose signs all along the highway yet no sign of a moose. As compensation, our tour guide gave us each a silver moose Christmas decoration.
Helsinki is a young country established in 1850 when the capital of Finland was shifted here to be on the Baltic sea. It was originally a sea fortress going back to the 18th century. Down at the port is a huge statue of a naked woman towering over a pond with seals providing fountains of water. This is Helsinki rising from the Baltic sea. The townspeople were deeply shocked at her naked state but the sculptor explained that she would not be clothed under those circumstances. The population is around 650,000 and coming into the city is a huge ever-changing computerised sign running the length of a rooftop showing the current number of people in the city. So when 40 of us turned up, the sign added us on; each time a birth and a death is recorded, up it pops on the sign. Now, ain't that grand?
Helsinki is an administrative city rather than industrial one, but she does make ice-breakers which can cut through the thick winter ice, and container ships. In a couple of weeks there is to be a meeting of Trump and Putin for which
2, 000 journalists are expected. We were shown the grand meeting hall on the sea front.
We were taken to the grand ostentatious Helsinki Cathedral where a wedding was taking place and then on to the simpler but imposing Lutheran Cathedral. The Sibelius monument is spectacular. It looks like an artist's impression of a pipe organ but is actually just a collection of 600 metal tubes of varying lengths. When you stand under it the wind sings in those pipes capturing the ever-changing moods of Sibelius music. Of course when we boarded our coach it was to the hypnotic 'Finlandia' which we all know so well.
Our tour ends with a farewell dinner tomorrow night but Peter and I are staying on here for another 5 nights so you will hear much more of Helsinki over the next few days.
Friday 6 July 2018
Day18: Rovaniemi 16C
Each evening when I've signed off I remember that I have never mentioned how extraordinarily comfortable the beds and bedding are. If they can do it so consistently in every one of the hotels throughout all Nordic countries, why can't everyone else achieve the same standard? They are all the things that our beds advertise but simply do not achieve.
So away we went on our 550km journey through the straightest flattest woodiest countryside we have ever experienced.All the way down the highway are signs warning care of moose yet not one did we sight. Not a single bird nor animal and very very few people. Every 2km there was an abandoned, desolate house and barns. Every 10-30 km was an inhabited house but not a soul in sight.
We stopped at a little town called Oulu for lunch and people were there. By then the sun had appeared and the temperature risen to 23C. There was an old market place selling sardines, herring, salmon in a wide variety of large very glutenous rye buns. By now we have a collection of foods from the various hotel breakfasts so we can select from those.
To relieve the endless journey our tour guide played "Secret Garden" a delightful compilation from the Irish group and then later some tango music. Apparently the Finns are up with the Argentians in their love of tango dancing. Neither Norwegians nor Swedes sing but although Finns do not speak, they do sing especially at the start of the crayfishing season when they hold a major song festival accompanied by crayfish, beer and schnapps. Then they rush off to their traditional saunas to end the celebrations.
To lift our spirits later in the afternoon, the coach stopped on the edge of yet another of the 100,000 lakes where we staggered out to taste the coveted Cloudberry liqueur. Very yum. Peter didn't like it so I had his.
We were extremely relieved to be delivered to yet another Scandic hotel and enjoy their buffet dinner. That has been the longest stretch on the road but we are promised a much more interesting day tomorrow.
Each evening when I've signed off I remember that I have never mentioned how extraordinarily comfortable the beds and bedding are. If they can do it so consistently in every one of the hotels throughout all Nordic countries, why can't everyone else achieve the same standard? They are all the things that our beds advertise but simply do not achieve.
So away we went on our 550km journey through the straightest flattest woodiest countryside we have ever experienced.All the way down the highway are signs warning care of moose yet not one did we sight. Not a single bird nor animal and very very few people. Every 2km there was an abandoned, desolate house and barns. Every 10-30 km was an inhabited house but not a soul in sight.
We stopped at a little town called Oulu for lunch and people were there. By then the sun had appeared and the temperature risen to 23C. There was an old market place selling sardines, herring, salmon in a wide variety of large very glutenous rye buns. By now we have a collection of foods from the various hotel breakfasts so we can select from those.
To relieve the endless journey our tour guide played "Secret Garden" a delightful compilation from the Irish group and then later some tango music. Apparently the Finns are up with the Argentians in their love of tango dancing. Neither Norwegians nor Swedes sing but although Finns do not speak, they do sing especially at the start of the crayfishing season when they hold a major song festival accompanied by crayfish, beer and schnapps. Then they rush off to their traditional saunas to end the celebrations.
To lift our spirits later in the afternoon, the coach stopped on the edge of yet another of the 100,000 lakes where we staggered out to taste the coveted Cloudberry liqueur. Very yum. Peter didn't like it so I had his.
We were extremely relieved to be delivered to yet another Scandic hotel and enjoy their buffet dinner. That has been the longest stretch on the road but we are promised a much more interesting day tomorrow.
Thursday 5 July 2018
Day 17: Ivalo 10C
Off we set on a cold bleak foggy morning to cover 290km in order to cross out of the Arctic Circle where we have been for the last 4 days. The lowest recorded temperature in Lapland is
-47C. However the greatest problem for the 100,000 inhabitants is the long months without sunlight. To help overcome the resultant depression, the Finnish people each year drink 10 kilos of coffee, 75 litres of beer and 7 litres of vodka and spirits per capita. They consume 29 kilos of sugar. They are very creative artistic people but all literature is very dark hence the term Nordic Noir. Christmas is their main celebration for which herring, white pork and cabbage is their traditional fare.
At the Arctic Circle (66'31'N) we stopped at the Santa Claus Village which is a huge enterprise employing 500 - 600 people. It really does need snow to create the magic. Our tour guide warned us that we might find it a little bit commercialized. It is entirely Christmas bling which I was not enticed into. I could have paid to sit on Santa's knee but we were there during his lunch break so I didn't even venture into his cavern. I had a heart-stopping moment when I boarded the coach and just checked that I had my precious mobile. AH NO! So while all our group sat on the coach, I rushed back and frantically re-traced my steps. Miraculously in the Wayside Chapel (WC) was my phone exactly where I had left it. Thank you St Christopher.
Shortly after leaving there, we arrived in Rovaniemi which was blitzed out of existence during WWII and now the oldest building is the church completed in 1950. There is still radar surveillance right along the highway. The new city has no personality and is extremely functional.
We disembarked from the coach and walked to the riverbank to board long wooden riverboats and travel along the traditional log-floating route of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki Rivers to the Sami Science Centre and Museum. How interesting was that!!!!
The coach drove back to our hotel where some of the group left but the rest of us went on to the Poro Farmi, a privately owned Sami farm. Peter decided to enjoy some relaxation and an Italian meal. He was really saturated in reindeer and Samis. However I found the cultural continuation made an excellent package. Our Sami host was such an entertainer , and of course I loved being up close and friendly with the reindeer. I knew very little about reindeer farming. After being photographed with Rudolf and feeding a number of them, we were treated to a "typical Sami dinner" of a choice of wines, vegetable soup, reindeer stew, mashed potato, loganberries, pickled cucumber, trifle and vanilla sauce, tea or coffee. While we consumed this we were regaled with an account of how reindeer herders live and reindeer husbandry in the north. I bet you didn't know that a reindeer's favourite treat is mushrooms. YUM.
And so to bed, but no worries of being kept awake by the midnight sun. Haven't seen it for a while now.
Off we set on a cold bleak foggy morning to cover 290km in order to cross out of the Arctic Circle where we have been for the last 4 days. The lowest recorded temperature in Lapland is
-47C. However the greatest problem for the 100,000 inhabitants is the long months without sunlight. To help overcome the resultant depression, the Finnish people each year drink 10 kilos of coffee, 75 litres of beer and 7 litres of vodka and spirits per capita. They consume 29 kilos of sugar. They are very creative artistic people but all literature is very dark hence the term Nordic Noir. Christmas is their main celebration for which herring, white pork and cabbage is their traditional fare.
At the Arctic Circle (66'31'N) we stopped at the Santa Claus Village which is a huge enterprise employing 500 - 600 people. It really does need snow to create the magic. Our tour guide warned us that we might find it a little bit commercialized. It is entirely Christmas bling which I was not enticed into. I could have paid to sit on Santa's knee but we were there during his lunch break so I didn't even venture into his cavern. I had a heart-stopping moment when I boarded the coach and just checked that I had my precious mobile. AH NO! So while all our group sat on the coach, I rushed back and frantically re-traced my steps. Miraculously in the Wayside Chapel (WC) was my phone exactly where I had left it. Thank you St Christopher.
Shortly after leaving there, we arrived in Rovaniemi which was blitzed out of existence during WWII and now the oldest building is the church completed in 1950. There is still radar surveillance right along the highway. The new city has no personality and is extremely functional.
We disembarked from the coach and walked to the riverbank to board long wooden riverboats and travel along the traditional log-floating route of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki Rivers to the Sami Science Centre and Museum. How interesting was that!!!!
The coach drove back to our hotel where some of the group left but the rest of us went on to the Poro Farmi, a privately owned Sami farm. Peter decided to enjoy some relaxation and an Italian meal. He was really saturated in reindeer and Samis. However I found the cultural continuation made an excellent package. Our Sami host was such an entertainer , and of course I loved being up close and friendly with the reindeer. I knew very little about reindeer farming. After being photographed with Rudolf and feeding a number of them, we were treated to a "typical Sami dinner" of a choice of wines, vegetable soup, reindeer stew, mashed potato, loganberries, pickled cucumber, trifle and vanilla sauce, tea or coffee. While we consumed this we were regaled with an account of how reindeer herders live and reindeer husbandry in the north. I bet you didn't know that a reindeer's favourite treat is mushrooms. YUM.
And so to bed, but no worries of being kept awake by the midnight sun. Haven't seen it for a while now.
Wednesday 4 July 2018
Day 16: North Cape 8C
We awoke to cold, wet fog. Just shows what it could have been like the entire trip. Of course today is USA Independence Day so to celebrate that and Canada Day on 1 July, our tour guide Signe has ordered waffles to be waiting for us at our first stop returning from North Cape. To achieve our 360km journey, we back-tracked down the E6 taking the opportunity of the inclement weather to doze contentedly on the bus accompanied by snoozy Norwegian music.
A bit of local news was that 5 men have built themselves wooden bikes and cycled from Helsinki to North Cape. They had just reached their destination as we left. I'm not too sure of the significance of the feat.
We learned that Norwegian girls are given a national costume on their 15th birthday. The costume is in the design of their father's region and costs around $US10,000. The costumes are expandable and are worn throughout their lifetime to every celebration they attend. Saves buying a new frock each time I guess.
Finns and Russians are still not friendly and we drove through 50kms of military area on the border with huge signs banning any photography. Norwegians still have compulsory military training for young men and women: 1 year for the army, 14 months for the navy and 16 months for the air force. There are about 800 trainees at the camp we drove through.
Our lunch stop was at the Sapmi Centre. (Sami = the people; Sapmi = the land of the people). This is where the Sami have their government building.
Shortly after leaving there we arrived at Sven Engholm's Husky Farm where he has built a centre for tourists wanting to experience sledding tours. Sven himself has led expeditions to Spitsbergen, Siberia and Greenland, and won the longest sled dog race several times. He has established a centre with 85 dogs, 9 puppies and is expecting another 9 overnight. He sells the pups for about $US4,500 each. It was fascinating to watch him prepare a dog with its boots and harness to go into teams of 4 - 16 dogs each of which can carry panniers of 10 - 20 kilos. He has built very comfortable cabins for guest accommodation and has a man-shed that Peter so envied. After the tour and a puppy-cuddle we were treated to a decadent afternoon tea that we certainly did not need. Forget the diet. Enjoy the holiday.
It was about an hour's drive across the border into Finland to our hotel in the Sami Village of Ivalo. Finland is a totally different country with a different language (that nobody else can understand. It is most closely related to Hungarian) It uses only the Euro and has an hour's time difference even though it is the other side of the river. It was 4.15 when we crossed the river so the border guards had gone home for dinner. Finnish folk are extremely reserved and do not indulge in small talk at all. They speak when they are forced to but otherwise remain silent. We have experienced this already in our hotel. Finland has over 100,000 lakes many with heavily wooded islands of birch trees dotted throughout. There are more moose and reindeer here than people. It became a republic in 1970. Finnish folk are the heaviest coffee drinkers in the world.
The remainder of our tour is through Finland so I'll be able to tell you more over the next few days.
We awoke to cold, wet fog. Just shows what it could have been like the entire trip. Of course today is USA Independence Day so to celebrate that and Canada Day on 1 July, our tour guide Signe has ordered waffles to be waiting for us at our first stop returning from North Cape. To achieve our 360km journey, we back-tracked down the E6 taking the opportunity of the inclement weather to doze contentedly on the bus accompanied by snoozy Norwegian music.
A bit of local news was that 5 men have built themselves wooden bikes and cycled from Helsinki to North Cape. They had just reached their destination as we left. I'm not too sure of the significance of the feat.
We learned that Norwegian girls are given a national costume on their 15th birthday. The costume is in the design of their father's region and costs around $US10,000. The costumes are expandable and are worn throughout their lifetime to every celebration they attend. Saves buying a new frock each time I guess.
Finns and Russians are still not friendly and we drove through 50kms of military area on the border with huge signs banning any photography. Norwegians still have compulsory military training for young men and women: 1 year for the army, 14 months for the navy and 16 months for the air force. There are about 800 trainees at the camp we drove through.
Our lunch stop was at the Sapmi Centre. (Sami = the people; Sapmi = the land of the people). This is where the Sami have their government building.
Shortly after leaving there we arrived at Sven Engholm's Husky Farm where he has built a centre for tourists wanting to experience sledding tours. Sven himself has led expeditions to Spitsbergen, Siberia and Greenland, and won the longest sled dog race several times. He has established a centre with 85 dogs, 9 puppies and is expecting another 9 overnight. He sells the pups for about $US4,500 each. It was fascinating to watch him prepare a dog with its boots and harness to go into teams of 4 - 16 dogs each of which can carry panniers of 10 - 20 kilos. He has built very comfortable cabins for guest accommodation and has a man-shed that Peter so envied. After the tour and a puppy-cuddle we were treated to a decadent afternoon tea that we certainly did not need. Forget the diet. Enjoy the holiday.
It was about an hour's drive across the border into Finland to our hotel in the Sami Village of Ivalo. Finland is a totally different country with a different language (that nobody else can understand. It is most closely related to Hungarian) It uses only the Euro and has an hour's time difference even though it is the other side of the river. It was 4.15 when we crossed the river so the border guards had gone home for dinner. Finnish folk are extremely reserved and do not indulge in small talk at all. They speak when they are forced to but otherwise remain silent. We have experienced this already in our hotel. Finland has over 100,000 lakes many with heavily wooded islands of birch trees dotted throughout. There are more moose and reindeer here than people. It became a republic in 1970. Finnish folk are the heaviest coffee drinkers in the world.
The remainder of our tour is through Finland so I'll be able to tell you more over the next few days.
Tuesday 3 July 2018
Day 15: Alta 15C
Today we had a drive of 230 km to the North Cape. The day dawned bright and clear again and off we set ( in the very front seats of the coach) to the tip of Norway. There are 20,000 people resident in the county of Finmark
In 1987 the Samis got their own parliament and flag and were recognized as a culture of their own . They have always been nomadic but the Norwegian Government imposed all sorts of restrictions on them and imprisoned them for not being law-abiding. Now, in the period of enlightenment, the government is more relaxed and so the culture of the indigenous people is recognised. It is a world-wide movement isn't it.
The trip was comparable to our trip to Cape Reinga except it gets colder the further north we travel. The drive to Honningsvage ran alongside a fiord very different to yesterday's in that it was obviously weathered. The Nazis had destroyed all the necesessities of life right through this area which was where people were rescued and shipped to safety further south. So little housing remains. A few summer houses have been built but otherwise reindeer are all that can be seen. Dried fish is the main export from here. They are extremely valuable and the huge trucks require police escort to protect them from highway robbers. Eider ducks live up here on just one island.
For the first time in the trip we were hampered by the sea fog so photos were limited. I tried many a time to photograph the herds of deer on the sides of the highway but by the time my camera had got itself in focus the fog had eclipsed the deer. The last part of the trip took as through the 7km of tunnels built under the floor of the ocean. Until recently, all transport was on ferry to cross the two islands. We had a warning that fog had entered the tunnel, but we got through alright.
We reached the handsome North Cape Visitor Centre soon after midday. The North Cape was discovered in 1553 but access has been extremely limited until the turn of this century. This is built on a sheer cliff rising 1,000 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. All our group donned their full Arctic weather gear, but I was wearing so much that I gave my puffer jacket a miss. Mind you, Peter went out on the furthest point for the ultimate photo and mentioned something about freezing the hair off a golf ball. I preferred hot chocolate indoors. There was strict surveillance on visitors eating food not bought from either of the restaurants in the Centre, so we had to hide the food we had pinched from last night's Hotel. There is huge mark-up on everything available at the Centre.
We had been advised to watch the 3D video of the four seasons of the Arctic and we sure enjoyed that. I then stayed on in the vast souvenir shop determined to buy little things from the North Pole, but my income does not extend that far.
On our return trip our tour guide told us about the Norwegian blond woman who boarded her plane in Oslo and sat herself in business class. Absolutely no strategies succeeded in shifting her to economy. In the end the pilot came and sat with her to explain that the seat she was in went to San Francisco. If she really did want to go to Los Angeles she needed to sit further back in the plane. Aha! That was meaningful and off she trotted to her assigned seat.
Towards the end of our return trip we detoured into the Bird Safari where we were taken on a boating adventure to explore the nature reserve. Only half the group had paid for this optional excursion which was just as well as it was certainly not for everyone. When on board we had to don the oozie suits provided in order to survive the Arctic conditions on this midsummer trip. Surprisingly only one woman was seasick. I chatted to the guide afterwards to ascertain his rating of the conditions. He was thrilled that it was all so calm and fine and assured me they hardly ever get such good conditions. Really? I was OK but certainly couln't contemplate taking photos as well. Yes it was worth it. I have never seen so many thousands of Puffins in full operation. There were 4 or 5 other types of bird out there but we do shags and gannets at home. It was the puffins that were the main attraction for me.
We arrived at the Scandic Honningsvag Hotel and headed straight for the bar. The whole day had been so far beyond any comparable experiences. There isn't any sunshine to keep us awake tonight.
Today we had a drive of 230 km to the North Cape. The day dawned bright and clear again and off we set ( in the very front seats of the coach) to the tip of Norway. There are 20,000 people resident in the county of Finmark
In 1987 the Samis got their own parliament and flag and were recognized as a culture of their own . They have always been nomadic but the Norwegian Government imposed all sorts of restrictions on them and imprisoned them for not being law-abiding. Now, in the period of enlightenment, the government is more relaxed and so the culture of the indigenous people is recognised. It is a world-wide movement isn't it.
The trip was comparable to our trip to Cape Reinga except it gets colder the further north we travel. The drive to Honningsvage ran alongside a fiord very different to yesterday's in that it was obviously weathered. The Nazis had destroyed all the necesessities of life right through this area which was where people were rescued and shipped to safety further south. So little housing remains. A few summer houses have been built but otherwise reindeer are all that can be seen. Dried fish is the main export from here. They are extremely valuable and the huge trucks require police escort to protect them from highway robbers. Eider ducks live up here on just one island.
For the first time in the trip we were hampered by the sea fog so photos were limited. I tried many a time to photograph the herds of deer on the sides of the highway but by the time my camera had got itself in focus the fog had eclipsed the deer. The last part of the trip took as through the 7km of tunnels built under the floor of the ocean. Until recently, all transport was on ferry to cross the two islands. We had a warning that fog had entered the tunnel, but we got through alright.
We reached the handsome North Cape Visitor Centre soon after midday. The North Cape was discovered in 1553 but access has been extremely limited until the turn of this century. This is built on a sheer cliff rising 1,000 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. All our group donned their full Arctic weather gear, but I was wearing so much that I gave my puffer jacket a miss. Mind you, Peter went out on the furthest point for the ultimate photo and mentioned something about freezing the hair off a golf ball. I preferred hot chocolate indoors. There was strict surveillance on visitors eating food not bought from either of the restaurants in the Centre, so we had to hide the food we had pinched from last night's Hotel. There is huge mark-up on everything available at the Centre.
We had been advised to watch the 3D video of the four seasons of the Arctic and we sure enjoyed that. I then stayed on in the vast souvenir shop determined to buy little things from the North Pole, but my income does not extend that far.
On our return trip our tour guide told us about the Norwegian blond woman who boarded her plane in Oslo and sat herself in business class. Absolutely no strategies succeeded in shifting her to economy. In the end the pilot came and sat with her to explain that the seat she was in went to San Francisco. If she really did want to go to Los Angeles she needed to sit further back in the plane. Aha! That was meaningful and off she trotted to her assigned seat.
Towards the end of our return trip we detoured into the Bird Safari where we were taken on a boating adventure to explore the nature reserve. Only half the group had paid for this optional excursion which was just as well as it was certainly not for everyone. When on board we had to don the oozie suits provided in order to survive the Arctic conditions on this midsummer trip. Surprisingly only one woman was seasick. I chatted to the guide afterwards to ascertain his rating of the conditions. He was thrilled that it was all so calm and fine and assured me they hardly ever get such good conditions. Really? I was OK but certainly couln't contemplate taking photos as well. Yes it was worth it. I have never seen so many thousands of Puffins in full operation. There were 4 or 5 other types of bird out there but we do shags and gannets at home. It was the puffins that were the main attraction for me.
We arrived at the Scandic Honningsvag Hotel and headed straight for the bar. The whole day had been so far beyond any comparable experiences. There isn't any sunshine to keep us awake tonight.
Monday 2 July 2018
Day 14: Tromso 19C
I was woken at 1.15am by the seagulls fighting over food that people were throwing while they were partying in the midnight sun. One of our group had his entire pizza stolen by a swooping gull. Management were most apologetic and gave him another.
We didn't have to leave until 8.45am so it was a real leisurely start. We travelled 460km northward from the Oslo, the capital of northern Norway, following the Lyngenfjord. There were two short ferry rides with our coach driving on to the boats. Of course, with Norway's new found wealth, huge money is being put into roading and transportation. Just shows what utilisation of natural oil and gas will do for a country and its people. Don't let Jacinda know though, will you.
We have seen several of the Hutiruten cruise ships taking select passengers on what is considered to be the most beautiful cruise in the world. One was anchored at our front door in Tronso last night and it was their passengers feeding the gulls that woke me up.
North Norway was occupied by the Nazis in WWII as a stepping stone to attack Britain and they had 400,000 troops in Norway. The hero of the resistance movement was Jan Baalsrud about whom a movie was made last year called "The Twelfth Man". It has just been released on Netflix. Alta, the town we are staying in tonight was completely destroyed in 1944 but has been rebuilt and of course is now the major centre for the 16,000 tourists who travel to experience the North Cape while it is open May - September. There are only the two hotels here to cater for these people so the schedule is very tightly organized.
The Lyngen Alps rise to 5,000ft above sea level and even in the summer are shrouded in mist. Today though was the hottest day there has been this year at 20C and the views were spectacular. Only birch trees can survive up here and then we drove beyond the tree line. It was here we spotted our first herd of reindeer running through the snow. Wild screams of delight from all of us. We were driving the whole way on the E6 which runs from Spain right through to North Cape. National Parks were only established here in the 1970s to preserve the brown bears, moose, reindeer, flora and fauna. Income tax has been reduced to 10% with the same benefits to encourage people to live and work up here.
When we were coming into Alta, City of the Northern Lights, we stopped at The Rock Art of Alta which was included on UNESCO'S World Heritage list in 1985. It was in 1973 that two boys discovered some carvings across four uncovered fields that are between 6200 and 2000 years old and include more than 5000 figures of humans, animals, birds, fish and objects such as boats, fishing nets and spears. They were made by people before the Iron Age who lived by hunting, gathering and fishing.
Finally at 5.15 we arrived at our Scandic Alta Hotel straight opposite the astonishing new Northern Lights Cathedral which was consecrated in 2013. The building is constructed from concrete with external cladding of titanium sheets. The end effect is comparable to the Len Lye art gallery in New Plymouth. Fortunately as well as the Lutheran services held there, it is used as a concert hall for the 16000 residents of Alta.
Now again we need to work out how to black out the room to get some sleep. Have I mentioned that hotels in Norway have three entrance doorways? Open one to step into the porch which is stone and not heated; open the next which seems to have slight heating and wooden floors; open the third which gives entry to the carpeted foyer and reception area of the hotel. What's that tell you?
Right, now tackle these curtains. It's 10.30pm!
I was woken at 1.15am by the seagulls fighting over food that people were throwing while they were partying in the midnight sun. One of our group had his entire pizza stolen by a swooping gull. Management were most apologetic and gave him another.
We didn't have to leave until 8.45am so it was a real leisurely start. We travelled 460km northward from the Oslo, the capital of northern Norway, following the Lyngenfjord. There were two short ferry rides with our coach driving on to the boats. Of course, with Norway's new found wealth, huge money is being put into roading and transportation. Just shows what utilisation of natural oil and gas will do for a country and its people. Don't let Jacinda know though, will you.
We have seen several of the Hutiruten cruise ships taking select passengers on what is considered to be the most beautiful cruise in the world. One was anchored at our front door in Tronso last night and it was their passengers feeding the gulls that woke me up.
North Norway was occupied by the Nazis in WWII as a stepping stone to attack Britain and they had 400,000 troops in Norway. The hero of the resistance movement was Jan Baalsrud about whom a movie was made last year called "The Twelfth Man". It has just been released on Netflix. Alta, the town we are staying in tonight was completely destroyed in 1944 but has been rebuilt and of course is now the major centre for the 16,000 tourists who travel to experience the North Cape while it is open May - September. There are only the two hotels here to cater for these people so the schedule is very tightly organized.
The Lyngen Alps rise to 5,000ft above sea level and even in the summer are shrouded in mist. Today though was the hottest day there has been this year at 20C and the views were spectacular. Only birch trees can survive up here and then we drove beyond the tree line. It was here we spotted our first herd of reindeer running through the snow. Wild screams of delight from all of us. We were driving the whole way on the E6 which runs from Spain right through to North Cape. National Parks were only established here in the 1970s to preserve the brown bears, moose, reindeer, flora and fauna. Income tax has been reduced to 10% with the same benefits to encourage people to live and work up here.
When we were coming into Alta, City of the Northern Lights, we stopped at The Rock Art of Alta which was included on UNESCO'S World Heritage list in 1985. It was in 1973 that two boys discovered some carvings across four uncovered fields that are between 6200 and 2000 years old and include more than 5000 figures of humans, animals, birds, fish and objects such as boats, fishing nets and spears. They were made by people before the Iron Age who lived by hunting, gathering and fishing.
Finally at 5.15 we arrived at our Scandic Alta Hotel straight opposite the astonishing new Northern Lights Cathedral which was consecrated in 2013. The building is constructed from concrete with external cladding of titanium sheets. The end effect is comparable to the Len Lye art gallery in New Plymouth. Fortunately as well as the Lutheran services held there, it is used as a concert hall for the 16000 residents of Alta.
Now again we need to work out how to black out the room to get some sleep. Have I mentioned that hotels in Norway have three entrance doorways? Open one to step into the porch which is stone and not heated; open the next which seems to have slight heating and wooden floors; open the third which gives entry to the carpeted foyer and reception area of the hotel. What's that tell you?
Right, now tackle these curtains. It's 10.30pm!
Sunday 1 July 2018
Day 13: Oslo 18C
This was one of those bags-outside-the-door at 6.00am, on-the-coach at 7.00am days as our plane to Tromso left at 9.30. Except it didn't. It left at 11.20. However with the wifi blessing we were able to catch up with correspondence which has been sadly neglected.
What an absolutely fantastic 1 1/2 hour flight and who was the lucky girl that got the window seat ticket!!! I sat absolutely transfixed to the unique scenery and took an inordinate number of photos. It was my lucky day.
Of course the late flight had messed up the careful planning by our tour guide but actually we didn't care. It was all totally awesome. Tromso lies at 69 latitude and was established 300 years ago. It was the town that Amundsen used to prepare for his Arctic trip and has been used for all polar preparation. It is known as the Paris of the North because the fishermen and traders used to bring back exotic fabrics and ideas to dress their women folk. It gets 2 - 3 meters of snow in the winter months September - May but today was so balmy. Their major industry is the herring business. The world's most northern university was set up here 3 years ago to try to keep their young folk here. Much research is being done here into the history of the indigenous Sami people. Every Norwegian town has its ski-jumps and you can easily spot them around Tromso.
Our first stopping point was the Arctic Cathedral a Lutheran church completed in 1965. There was the usual public protests when it was built but it is now recognized as the major architectural drawcard of the north with many public concerts given during the summer months. There is an organ recital there tonight commencing at 11.00pm because of the season of the midnight sun. I would love to go to it but there is no public transport there so I would have to walk. I don't mind walking there but feel a considerable psychological barrier walking back after midnight. Three of our group are organists of considerable repute in the States and they were ecstatic to be allowed to play different items on the magnificent organ. And of course we felt the same listening to them. That will have to suffice for my organ recital.
Some of the group had paid extra to ride on the Fjellheisen cable car for a breathtaking view of Tromso. There were 2 cruise boats in so of course we just had to take our turn in the crowds. While I was at the top I spied a dog with a curious harness on it, so I went up to the owners to ask what it was. Of course, a young Siberian husky in training as part of a 16 dog sledding team. I was delighted that they let me photograph it for Jacqueline. She certainly won't have seen that arrangement before.
Eventually we made our way down the mountain and were driven to the Tromso Park. One of the exhibits our guide told us about was the Himalayan blue puppies. Aha,thought I, more photos for Jacqueline, so off I went in search of them. Couldn't find them so had to get our guide to show me. She took me up a steep path to them. What? Those are just flowers. Jacqueline doesn't do flowers. Of course, we were in the botanical gardens so these were blue poppies not blue puppies. However I took their photo as they were pretty and one doesn't often see blue poppies.
We were then driven to our magnificent hotel right on the harbour and recommended a neighboring pizza restaurant with the best pizzas in the north. My word that was a new experience. They did a GF biscuit base that could become quite addictive.
Have I mentioned to you how wonderful the water is to drink up here? As you know I am not a water drinker, but it is certainly my preferred option throughout Scandinavia. It just comes out of the tap but is so sweet.
Well, it is now 10.15pm and we'll need to close the curtains fully to keep out the sunshine. We are seriously in need of sleep.
This was one of those bags-outside-the-door at 6.00am, on-the-coach at 7.00am days as our plane to Tromso left at 9.30. Except it didn't. It left at 11.20. However with the wifi blessing we were able to catch up with correspondence which has been sadly neglected.
What an absolutely fantastic 1 1/2 hour flight and who was the lucky girl that got the window seat ticket!!! I sat absolutely transfixed to the unique scenery and took an inordinate number of photos. It was my lucky day.
Of course the late flight had messed up the careful planning by our tour guide but actually we didn't care. It was all totally awesome. Tromso lies at 69 latitude and was established 300 years ago. It was the town that Amundsen used to prepare for his Arctic trip and has been used for all polar preparation. It is known as the Paris of the North because the fishermen and traders used to bring back exotic fabrics and ideas to dress their women folk. It gets 2 - 3 meters of snow in the winter months September - May but today was so balmy. Their major industry is the herring business. The world's most northern university was set up here 3 years ago to try to keep their young folk here. Much research is being done here into the history of the indigenous Sami people. Every Norwegian town has its ski-jumps and you can easily spot them around Tromso.
Our first stopping point was the Arctic Cathedral a Lutheran church completed in 1965. There was the usual public protests when it was built but it is now recognized as the major architectural drawcard of the north with many public concerts given during the summer months. There is an organ recital there tonight commencing at 11.00pm because of the season of the midnight sun. I would love to go to it but there is no public transport there so I would have to walk. I don't mind walking there but feel a considerable psychological barrier walking back after midnight. Three of our group are organists of considerable repute in the States and they were ecstatic to be allowed to play different items on the magnificent organ. And of course we felt the same listening to them. That will have to suffice for my organ recital.
Some of the group had paid extra to ride on the Fjellheisen cable car for a breathtaking view of Tromso. There were 2 cruise boats in so of course we just had to take our turn in the crowds. While I was at the top I spied a dog with a curious harness on it, so I went up to the owners to ask what it was. Of course, a young Siberian husky in training as part of a 16 dog sledding team. I was delighted that they let me photograph it for Jacqueline. She certainly won't have seen that arrangement before.
Eventually we made our way down the mountain and were driven to the Tromso Park. One of the exhibits our guide told us about was the Himalayan blue puppies. Aha,thought I, more photos for Jacqueline, so off I went in search of them. Couldn't find them so had to get our guide to show me. She took me up a steep path to them. What? Those are just flowers. Jacqueline doesn't do flowers. Of course, we were in the botanical gardens so these were blue poppies not blue puppies. However I took their photo as they were pretty and one doesn't often see blue poppies.
We were then driven to our magnificent hotel right on the harbour and recommended a neighboring pizza restaurant with the best pizzas in the north. My word that was a new experience. They did a GF biscuit base that could become quite addictive.
Have I mentioned to you how wonderful the water is to drink up here? As you know I am not a water drinker, but it is certainly my preferred option throughout Scandinavia. It just comes out of the tap but is so sweet.
Well, it is now 10.15pm and we'll need to close the curtains fully to keep out the sunshine. We are seriously in need of sleep.
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