So, the last time I blogged was three days before I flew to Scandinavia. Wow, a lot has happened between then and now. Firstly, the Scandinavia trip itself of course. It was nice to see a part of Europe that has not been part of mainstream Western European culture (which bores me to tears that until now I cannot find the motivation to visit Italy, Germany or Spain - much to the disbelief of others when they know how much of Europe I've travelled to). Helsinki, disarmingly modest for a modern capital when you first arrive, exudes a certain charm which is not duplicatable in a big city. Unfortunately the amount of time I have as a masters student who have not finished his dissertation does not permit me to travel to the other areas of Finland, and I so want to see what Finland has to offer outside of Helsinki.
The overnight cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm was, surprisingly, a major highlight of this trip. I was of course rolling my eyes when I first saw TWO overnight cruises on the itinerary. I relented when I realized that even locals do it in order to make full use of the duty-free shopping that is found on the ship. I caved and submitted when I walked onto the ship. Shops. Food. Entertainment. Console games corner. Massages. Sauna. All neatly packaged together in a gigantic steel container which transverses the Baltic Sea. And since the locals do it with such fervour (it is like grocery shopping for some of them, and many don't even bother to alight when they reach the other port and instead continue to make use of the facilities found on the ship, returning home the next night), I can do it too without an ounce of shame as a tourist.
Stockholm is definitely the biggest and grandest of the Scandinavian capitals, not surprising given its superiority in history. The old town is simply jaw-dropping. And the modern side of the town fits into the capital with such harmony. And then there is VASA - a shrine to the 17th century warship which sunk on the same day it left the Stockholm harbour, not even out in the sea, marvellously preserved as a result of the unique saline conditions of the brackish water.
Copenhagen seems disappointingly plain after Stockholm, but that only lasts for a grand total of thirty minutes until you find yourself at the port area. Upon seeing the sails and boats impeccably lined up against the straight canals of the wharf, the fact that you are in a city which was once ruled by the Vikings dawned upon you.
And Copenhagen has lots of interesting bits thrown in as well. Tivoli Gardens, a retro theme park (or more accurately, a theme park built a long time ago and never renovated) , which reminds me a great deal of Teachers' Day planning with the 35th. Christiania, a neighbourhood in Copenhagen which rules themselves, and has become and enclave for bohemians, artists, and other people who feel that they do not fit into mainstream society.
The overnight cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo was a big disappointment. I blame the first cruise for raising my expectations so high that any other cruise was sure to disappoint. Suffice to say that I spent most of the time in my cabin sleeping and reading. Oslo itself didn't do much for me either. Having spent most of its history being part of Denmark, there is very little history or culture that it has accumulated for itself. The city hall (All Scandinavian cities seem to have these) is quite nice with its Communist-style mosaics though.
But then, what Norway is famous for is its fjords. The entire coastline of Norway is full of these inlets cut by the sea into mountain cliffs, forming a saw edge pattern if you examine the outline of the country on a map. I did a bit of hiking (and actually started to enjoy hiking - unbelievable!) and enjoyed the nature - and the cold breeze too! And it doesn't hurt that my hotel room is so comfy - there is a window right above the little alcove with the sofas and little table - allowing sunlight to shine in directly above you - a wonderful spot for reading! I need something like this in my own house ...
And this is where I realized what started off as a 'fast-forward recap' of my life in the last six months became a long drawn, picture-filled report of my Scandinavian trip. Like a bad GP student who realized his time is up and the main body of his essay has failed to achieve what its ambitious introduction has promised, I am going to write a hasty conclusion which does not do justice to the wonders of this trip. I can't believe I actually went to the extent of dragging out 3000+ photos from my phone (not just from the trip) into my laptop when I realized my descriptive powers fall short of bringing out the true beauty of Scandinavia. (Actually my photo-taking powers fall short too, but what else can I do at this point in time? =p)
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