Summertime in Sweden

Here's a puzzle for you.

What should one NEVER take when touring the Ice Bar in Stockholm?

The answer will follow later.

We awoke with the sun this morning, at approximately 4:00am, because we knew that the captain had decided to take us through the Swedish archipelago; a three hour scenic voyage of thousands of islands and summer homes used by vacationing Stockholmers who, much like Canadians, savour summer with great abandon. It was absolutely worth forgoing sleep.

Think Muskoka in July. Hundreds of cottages dotting the sea and its inlets, with granite formations and beaches along the shores. 

I have decided that I love Sweden. I could actually vacation here for an extended period of time. Yes, of course it would have to be in the summer, (the average winter temperature here in Southern Stockholm is a balmy -15C) but this is a city and a country that is very much in keeping with my politics, my lifestyle choices, and my value structure. I love that they have a national holiday to memorialize Alfred Nobel, a man who when faced with the notion of a posthumous record of death and destruction, dedicated his life and personal fortune to peaceful endeavours. This is a country that provides free tuition for university students and actually gives them a living allowance. This is a country that is unabashedly neutral when it comes to world conflict, yet still managed to save almost every single Jew fleeing Denmark during WW II. This is country ruled by a constitutional monarchy with a socialist Green Party forming its government. This is a country that values recreation as much as work, benefits for all of its citizens, and creativity and innovation. There is even a thriving Jewish community here is Stockholm. Yes, I think that I could be very happy in Sweden....during the summer.

Following some wandering through the medieval of Gamla Stan, the oldest of Stockholms fourteen island communities, we decided to do something really "touristy". We went to the famous ice bar. Located inside a posh hotel, the bar is completely constructed of Swedish ice trucked down from the north, and is kept at a constant temperature of -7C so as to prevent melting. They give you these goofy looking parkas and gloves and serve you Kool-Aid with a splash of Absolute. Fun? Yes. But....

And now the answer to my riddle.

What should one never take when visiting the Ice Bar?

A screaming 13 month old!!

Yes there were babies on this tour and one in particular was unhappy from the start. Who in their right mind takes a baby to a bar? The screeches from this child could have thawed Greenland. He wailed when they parkaed him. He wailed when they tried to force the fruit juice down his gullet. He wailed when they tried to take his picture, he wailed some more when they finally disrobed him, and he wailed on the bus all the way back to the ship. We were all ready to smack his parents with blocks of ice. The arrogant stupidity of some people.

We tried to make the best of it. 

Yes I drank the concoction. There was hardly enough vodka in there to drown a fly.

This was our final port. Tomorrow is a sea day and then back to Copenhagen. We have loved visiting this unique part of the world. We have been so very fortunate with weather and our traveling companions are second to none. 

Next year in.....?

Scandinavian Quick Hits

Here are some quick hits gleaned from our first few days in the Nordic countries.

* They may seem like peace-loving and tolerant people today, but their history belies their current status. These countries were constantly at war with one another and there still exists a fierce rivalry. Our guide today in Gothenburg was quick to point out all of the times that the Danes invaded Sweden and destroyed their city over the past four centuries, making special note of their use of fire. I am now firmly convinced that the Danes have a pyromaniacal gene that seems to follow them from palace burnings to maraudings.

* Nobody seems to want Norway. It was first owned by the Danes, but as a condition of surrender during one of their many battles, it was handed over to the Swedes. The poor Norwegians seemed to ping pong back and forth throughout he centuries until finally declaring their own independence. They did get the last laugh, though. Norway is the only Scandanavian country with off-shore oil, making them independently wealthy. The Swedes, stupidly forgoing the Norwegian offer to share, had to settle for Volvo. (Headquartered in Gothenburg.)

* The Swedes take tremendous pride in their heritage, so much so that even the inside of their churches are designed in a style known here as Romantic Nationalism. We saw one today in Gothenburg called Masthuggs that was designed around a Viking ship on the ceiling.

* These are self-deprecating and funny people. The weather here today was cruddy, but we were told by our guide that Sweden always tries to be accommodating to her visitors by giving them an authentic Swedish experience. It is also amazing that the skies cleared for the one hour we were on a Paddan canal tour and the sun shone brightly. (Paddan is a Swedish word meaning toad. These open air boats travel leisurely through the canals and gave us so marvellous views of the old-world European charm of the city.) That's because, according to our guide Ingela, we were only allotted a single hour of sunshine and that was the hour chosen. Her comedy was very much in tune with our Canadian sense of humour.

* The people of Gothenburg worship fish. I'm not kidding. They actually say that. Worship. The fishing industry here dates back centuries and is still quite prominent today. They have even named their central fish market the Fish Church and have designed the building to resemble a cathedral. In my next life, I think that I might like to worship bees. They are communal creatures who all work together for the good of the collective. The bee is essential to the entire food chain. It seems a much more impressive creature to worship rather than a fish, but this is Sweden.

* Everything here is based on stories or legends. It's difficult to know where the truth ends and the fiction begins. An example: Looking out over the harbour in Gothenburg, stands a sculpture known as the Sailor's Wife. She was erected as a memorial to the seven-hundred sailors who perished during the First World War. It is said that she is looking out toward the ocean waiting for her beloved to return. But...she isn't really facing the ocean, but rather the island on the other side of the canal. Gossips insist that she is actually pining for her lover who lived on the island, rather than for her husband. See? Legends.

* We watched the sunset last evening at 10:45. That was magical.

A leisurely afternoon aboard ship while we prepare for a huge day ahead tomorrow in Berlin.