The Generator youth hostel is a wonderful establishment. Dirt cheap and safe accommodation in central London. With a late night bar. Generous prices in the bar, gaming activities, big screen TV, and pool tables. What else is do you need? This bar naturally attracts the better part of the clientele visiting the hostel. Would almost be a crime not to honor its activities with a couple of beers. The crowd is split up into the groups in which they arrived. We have the Scandinavian guys joining in on the trivia games. We have the American high school kids chatting around the [View Full Entry]

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The ship is a little bit worn down. Seems ok though, should manage not to sink at least for one more time on its route between Tallinn and Stockholm. Equipped with most facilities - bar, casino, nightclub, sauna, pool, stores, restaurant, sitting lounge - as slightly more modern ships, it appears to be a safe ride. Concerns arise when listening to the rigorous safety instructions, more detailed than those of any given airline. Why do we need to know that the car deck is super-waterproof? Shouldn't that be pretty obvious? Then the memories go back to the fall of 1994. Estonia. [View Full Entry]

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The ferry ride between Stockholm and Helsinki is commonly known as a booze cruise. It is therefore no surprise that the gang in the pub is very happy. More surprising is that they are Italians, not very common at this latitude. La Cosa Nostra going into Finland? Naw, probably not. Rather a group of friends or colleagues going on a business trip or just entertainment trip. The guys are very loud. Not great singers, but louder than the lonely British guy with the guitar and microphone on stage. When the singer and the Italians join forces the party really kicks off. [View Full Entry]

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A fast ferry ride away from Helsinki is Tallinn. Capital of Estonia. The city has two faces. Move away from the city center and you see concrete blocks of houses, old Soviet style. Stay in the old town, and you find yourself in a medieval city. I prefer the latter, so frolic around on the cobble stoned streets along the old city wall. On the top of a hill stands the Alexandr Nevsky cathedral. It’s magnificent. The hike up is worth it. But, after all it’s just a building, and my time is limited. So I head back down to the [View Full Entry]

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The setting is perfect for a Sunday night beer. The heart of the Södermalm island in Stockholm, Medborgarplatsen (The Citizens' Place), certainly invites to enjoying a cold one among friends on a warm summer evening. The outdoor restaurant is sparingly populated, and the atmosphere is very calm and relaxed. Yet, my buddy was brutally terrorized by security. Oh, well, maybe not molested in the most violent sense, but yet a reminder of the pathetic attitude of the bouncing profession in Sweden. From hearsay, the conversation went something like this: BUDDY to bartender: "A beer please". E [View Full Entry]

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At first sight the guy seems rather normal. After having released a few incomprehensible murmurs, this perception is radically altered. Before having even landed his butt on the seat, he has initiated the dead-end conversation. Conversations with the train/plane/bus neighbor can be quite interesting and kill some serious time. This guy is a one of those one-way streeters. To his defense could be mentioned a slight mental sub-normality. He mumbles a big deal in super-standard Swedish. Not at all easy to grasp. He's going home to Stockholm. The cats in Malmö were apparently quite messy. He's ret [View Full Entry]

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Watch a pride parade just for fun? I'm not homophobic, but a bunch of fairies in extravagant costumes strutting around in the middle of Stockholm trying to make a politically correct point, but probably just adding to the stereotypes of homosexuals...? Well, as my buddy and also host thinks this is a good idea, I won't argue. Turns out my prejudiced ideas were a bit skewed. It's not like any other parade, that it ain't. The gay movement is strongly associated with the rainbow flag, and the colorfulness is reflected in the floats and costumes. Magnificently ornamented floats are mixed with [View Full Entry]

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Lisa Nilsson is one of the most well established, recognized, not to mention popular Swedish artists. The Swedish queen of soul. Not necessarily my kind of music. But she can - unarguably - sing. And since the concert is in my city...and for free...what the hell...? She does her thing: the hit songs mixed with some rather uninteresting, deep monologue. A solid performance. It is towards the end of the concert she drops the bomb; she describes one of her greatest hits something like "you know when you go to a party, and the only reason you go is because the [View Full Entry]

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Helsinki is nice. No more, no less. A city on the water in the land of the thousand lakes. No spectacular sites, but clean, safe, and organized. The senator's square I find the most impressing, with the very tall stairs leading up to the big white building with the green roof. The university library is also cool. My buddy and local guide refers to it as an "Indiana Jones" library. This is a very illustrative description. The setting would be ideal for a shot of any Indy-movie, at least the research part. The problem starts when I get thirsty. Happens every [View Full Entry]

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Warsaw is really not a ghetto. They used to have one, maybe was it here the expression was introduced during WWII. In fact, Warsaw fulfils most of the requirements for a modern European city. A well-functioning, punctual public transportation system. A clean, safe city center, where McDonalds’s and KFC's are mixed with the more traditional stores. A nice old town, castles, parks, etc. Friendly people everywhere, willing to help the lost foreigner. A huge building in the middle of the center with a scenic view over the city, a gift from uncle Stalin. The city has however missed out on [View Full Entry]

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