Page 61
Sweden 
to Finland 
DAY
212
Nykoping
to Stockholm
It
hadn’t rained but our tents were soaked with dew. Each of us was hoping our
tent would dry before it had to be packed. We wouldn’t be using them again for
a few days. But the sun was weak and there was no wind so we weren’t
successful. Eventually we had to pack them away as they were and start cycling.
It
was a routine cycling day, through more fields and forests, especially forests
and no wonder. I have read that 54% of Sweden is forested while only 8% is
cultivated. There were more lakes, Sweden has thousands of lakes, and another
ferry. Joan felt fit enough to ride so we were together. She was determined to
continue the search for the scavenger hunt items as we needed only one more item
to complete the list. It was a cap from a gas station attendant and it was
proving impossible to find. We stopped at one station of each brand name but
none of the attendants wore caps and in fact most stations didn’t have
attendants. At one station we were offered a dusty hat someone had left there so
we took it plus some copies of the station’s logo to attach to the cap later.
It worked. In the evening at dinner our team were declared the winner of the
contest.
Our
destination in Stockholm was the Backpackers Inn which turned out to be a junior
high school converted to a hostel for the summer. I was lucky and assigned to a
room for 4; Allison, Denise and Kathleen were to be my roommates, but Kathleen
wanted to be with other people so she moved to another room leaving us with 3 in
all which was very nice. I had a top bunk but it wasn’t hard to climb up and
down from a chair. The most remarkable thing about our room were the sheets. We
were each given a little plastic wrapped packet, inside were 2 sheets and a
pillow case made of paper! We were astonished but they actually proved
comfortable enough and durable too.
But
the first thing to do on arrival was to drag out the wet tent and dry it
thoroughly. There was a hot sun shining so that was easy. Some people were
cleaning their bikes, others were washing clothes and hanging them to dry. There
was no laundromat available so I too spent precious time hand washing clothes
because I had no clean cycling clothes left. Outside I strung my clothesline
between two trees, and wringing water out of each item yet again pinned
everything to the line. Only then did I realize that the Cunninghams had set up
their wringer for our use so I took down my wash and ran it all through the
wringer, once then twice, and still lots of water streamed out. By this time
black storm clouds had gathered but I rehung my wash anyway. It didn’t rain
much but everything was still wet at bedtime so I took it all down, rigged a
clothesline in my room and rehung everything there.
At
dinner we asked each other for ideas of the best things to see and do the next
day, our only day in Stockholm. Jane, who had come a day early and had already
been sightseeing recommended the Wasa Museum. We decided to do that. Then there
was the dilemna over how best to see the city, a walking tour or a bus tour or a
harbor tour or a combination of bus and boat. In the end we chose the walking
tour of the Old City. So we were all set for a day in Stockholm!
Goodbye,
Alice
DAY
213
Stockholm
Layover Day
After
breakfast our group gathered and the six of us walked into Stockholm. We were
Joan, Judy Bradley, Maryke, Gudrun, Inge and I. We decided to go first to
the Walking Tour office and reserve our tour. That done we set out to accomplish
some tasks, Judy needed a post office and I wanted to buy a waterproof
groundsheet for my tent. I didn’t find a groundsheet but at the Tourism
Information office I bought a little red wooden Dala horse (dalahast) pin for my
cap. The Dala horse is folk art from one area of Sweden and it has become so
popular that it has become a symbol of Sweden. I was pleased to find a tiny one
for my cap which is quite covered with pins and causing people to stare.
The
walking tour of the old city was okay, we heard a lot of history which of course
I can’t remember. (I stayed awake too. I’ve had to give up bus tours which
are sure to put me to sleep!) We saw the palace and the square where 95 people
lost their lives due to treachery. The conquering Danish king had invited them
all to dinner, proclaiming that if they came they would be forgiven for
resisting his reign. He did feed them but then he detained them, had a trial at
which nearly every one of them was found guilty, and had them executed in the
square where the bodies were left for 3 days. He was asserting his power.
We
happened upon the changing of the guard at the palace, quite accidently it
seemed, although our guide told us that it is done every day in summer. It was
quite the event with a marching band and a group of guards marching behind who
were to replace the soldiers who had been on duty for the last 24 hours. The
setting was beautiful and it was exciting to watch.
Stockholm,
the Swedish capital, is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world
and I would agree. The ornate yet grand architecture of the old buildings, the
beautiful colors (which we learned can help identify the century in which a
building was built) and the setting, Stockholm is built on 14 islands, all are
gorgeous. There are trees, fountains and bridges, and sailing ships and
cruise liners fill the harbor. Everywhere you look, around every corner, down
every narrow street is another beautiful vista and photo op.
After the tour we had lunch. Choosing was tough but I settled on potato pancakes with bacon and lingonberry jam. It was very good but there was too much bacon which I offered to Joan and Inge. They had ordered waffles which in Sweden are thin and more like a dessert than a main course. Beth had joined us for lunch. She ordered a beet and meatball sandwich. That was an enormous thing which proved very difficult to eat. She posed for pictures holding the huge thing for the first bite. But it was already falling apart. In the end she took the top of the enormous bun off and tackled the resulting open face sandwich with knife and fork. After lunch we split into small groups. Judy and I went together to find a post office where she mailed her package. I couldn’t find the type of store I needed so I went to the Tourism Office gift shop and Swedish Bookstore instead.
Finally
we walked to the Vasa Museum which was on another island and a very long way
after walking and standing all day. We might have taken a taxi but didn’t find
one going our way. When we walked into that museum we were awed. The Vasa is a
gorgeous, ornately carved and decorated Swedish warship that sank 372 years ago.
There it stands towering over everyone and everything, completely filling the
building housing it, in fact the masts stick out through the roof making the
museum easy to spot from afar. When the Vasa was built it was the most expensive
and richly ornamented warship in the Swedish navy, the pride of King Gustavus II
Adolphus. One thousand oak trees were felled to build the hull. It had 64 large
guns on 2 decks and masts more than 50 meters high. There were many hundred
gilded and painted sculptures.
But
the Vasa was to meet a tragic end. On August 10, 1628, when the Vasa set sail
for the first time, it capsized and sank after a journey of only 1300 meters!
About 50 of the 150 sailors and their families who had been permitted to come
aboard for this great event went down with the ship. In the 1660’s most of the
valuable guns were salvaged and then the Vasa was forgotten for nearly 300 years
until found by a Swedish engineer, Anders Franzen, who expected to find the Vasa
in good condition because the shipworm does not thrive in the less salty Baltic
Sea. He persisted in the search until he found it in 1956. The Vasa was
salvaged, cleaned, preserved and restored in a massive project requiring 30
years of hard work. The result is stunning. There is no other exhibit like it in
the world. The story of the Vasa is fascinating. Several beautifully
illustrated books have been written.
After
dinner TK&A called a meeting to give out the revised itineraries that had
been promised after the disappointment with the previous revision. This new
revision was more acceptable and does include Japan. People were generally
pleased and applauded Tim for his effort to improve the itinerary. It is
enormously complicated to plan an event like this with so many variables and
probably impossible to please everyone, but this version comes closer to what
the trip was promoted to be before it began. Tim welcomed two riders who had
just returned, Priscilla and Al. Priscilla had finished her radiation treatments
and is ready to ride, Al is still wearing a collar to protect her broken neck
and cannot ride. Both women were thrilled to be back and everyone was glad to
see them. Then we were admonished for writing about others on the web and
instructed to write only about ourselves in the future. That meant I had to
delete what I had written about a recent serious accident before I could e-mail
the last few messages I had ready to send although I know that by now his family
is aware of the accident. We were also admonished for making sandwiches for
lunch at breakfast, so it will be back to crackers and cheese, or peanut butter
when we can get it. Much of the time we ride in country so remote that it is
impossible to buy a sandwich or anything else. Oh well!
Goodbye,
Alice
DAY
214
Stockholm
to Turku (Abo), Finland
We
were going on a cruise! We had to pedal only 3 km. to the harbor to board the
Silja Line ferry to Turku, Finland. We rode our bikes onto the enormous ferry
and went upstairs, and up the stairs and up the stairs! There are 12 decks on
the ferry with a swimming pool and sauna on the top deck. There are casinos, a
band playing dance music, bars, a special program for children, feature films,
duty free shopping, shops and several restaurants. There are cabins too of
course, and since the trip is 11 hours some riders rented cabins so that they
could sleep. After a walkabout to look at everything and to stroll on deck
watching Stockholm disappear, I settled into a comfy chair on the 8th level at
the back of the ship. It is a non-smoking area and the curving exterior wall is
floor to ceiling glass. I am one happy passenger as I sit here working on the
web page, occasionally taking time for a glance out the glass walls. What I
usually see are islands. Millions of them! 24,000 to be more precise. We are
sailing in the northern part of the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia, and it is a
beautiful day. We have seen many sailing ships, some have been very large and
spectacular. I can see why cruises are so popular. The last huge ferry we were
on was quite a different experience. It was very crowded and noisy, I felt
trapped and couldn’t wait to get off.
We
are losing an hour today and will dock in Finland at 8:20 p.m. their time. We
have to bicycle about 15 km. to the school where we are promised ‘mattresses
on the floor’ for most of us. Dinner is at 9 pm. I will be late but I have
eaten on board so I am prepared to skip dinner if necessary. Joan and I sat in
the bow of the ship in a restaurant called The Food Market where we enjoyed a
supper of baked potato, salad, and bread and butter. In addition I had a parfait
glass of strawberries garnished with blueberries. Umm good!
Goodbye, Alice
Sweden
Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm (Left)
Riddarholm Church on Nobles’ Island in Stockholm exemplifies the city’s famous architecture. Built in the 16th century, the church is in Gamla Stan (Old Town), which dates back to the 13th century and is also the site of the Royal Palace. Stockholm’s parks, lakes, and tree-lined squares and boulevards blend gracefully with multilane highways, skyscrapers, subways, and underground shopping malls. Although the city’s population has grown from less than 100,000 to more than a million in a century, careful planning has resulted in a handsome metropolis.Ireland
Photo's from Ireland, Page 54 Irish Roses, Belfast Murals
Inveraray, Scotland on right
Odyssey Riders and Staff
Today's Music
Den vanliga kadriljen - Swedish Folk Tune