http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Sweden en-us Wed, 14 May 2008 01:24:21 BST Wed, 14 May 2008 01:24:21 BST Today we had our first vocational day I biked into the office with my host Bjorn where we toured his office and then went on to the local District Court a few blocks away. The experience was quite enlightening and the comparison between our two systems yielded few if any similarities I could go on but suffice it to say their judges don't wear robes I am eager to hear about the other http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Vaxjo/blog-275806.html 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 deadend conversation. Conversations with the trainplanebus neighbor can be quite interesting and kill some serious time. This guy is a one of those oneway streeters. To his defense could be m http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-275475.html The night ferry between Rostock Germany and Trelleborg Sweden is by no possible means designed to carry regular passengers. A crappy cafeteria a small shop a reception that does not strike me as being the most informative ever and two very small couches outside the shop. Since I have no cabin I have to settle for the couches. The only other passenger stupid enough not to take a cabin is the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Skane/blog-275473.html The team had a wonderful first full day in Sweden We started with a tour of a papermill then went on to lunch and Kosta Boda to the glass factory I never realized how fascinating glass blowing is After some wise purchases we went on to the moose park where we saw four moose lazing about. Shana and I capped it off with a thrilling run around a local lake Vaxjosjn...We're on to our vocati http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Vaxjo/blog-275466.html It's not really clear why he decided to go to Stockholm. Just a short vacation I guess. Staying at a youth hostel makes it impossible not to talk to strangers. He's from England somewhere. Name is Gregory or maybe Jeff. Or something. He suggests going to a pub for a beer. Since the alternative is turning in a 9pm I'm in. We have a couple of beers nothing extravagant over some casual conversat http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-275463.html Christmas time is not only a time for spending time with your family spending money eating good food exchanging gifts watch classic movies on television. It is also a time for travel. For most people this means traveling ldquohomerdquo. Also for myself this was the reason for making a short stop at Malm central station in transit between Amsterdam and my hometown in Sweden. Screening th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Malmo/blog-275449.html Adam and I officially became 'Aunt Miranda and Uncle Ham' when Maria and Luke proudly announced the birth of their first son little Liam at the end of January this year. I was at work in Belfast when the call came through to me that the little one had at last arrived and I spent a good while jumping up and down in the paediatric treatment room whooping with joy whilst coworkers looked on with http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Uppsala/blog-275158.html Ok so very behind....Sweden for nearly 2 weeks... so well make it dot points and I cant find the apostrophe on this keyboard so apologies for bad punctuation. 1 Fredrik Lottas partner submitted his PhD and had his public thesis defence a couple of days after we arrived and it was unbelievable 4 professors from different countries grilled him on his work to do with maths and physics and o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-275124.html We made it A bit drowsy but smiley and appreciative all the same The gracious welcome was beyond words by the GSE committee complete with large Rotary flag and a cavalcade of vehicles It's gorgeous here in Vxj with sunburns to prove it...even though we still can't quite figure how to pronounce it Our flights went smoothly and were on time. We all look forward to a good night's rest http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Vaxjo/blog-275116.html So. Not many big super duper exciting things to report but many little nice things have been happening. I'm still going to school it's going very very well I even went to the shop the other day to exchange something and I wasn't lost for words at all Yeah Marcus was there too but only as moral support. Spring is most definately in full bloom and Summer is already poking it's head in to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/blog-274244.html Just a quick entry. Hope everyone is well. After a fun ferry journey from Denmark complete with man and guitar and dancing drunk swedish pensioners we docked in Gteborg port. We're having a great time here in Sweden with our friends Camilla Rick and their 3 energetic children. Having continuously glorious weather and enjoying Swedish hospitality. Gtenburg is a lovely city and Camilla has an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Gothenburg/blog-273503.html So... sorry about the last few countires and sorry also that this one might be a bit longer than I usually aim for. From Amsterdam we flew to Finland where we promptly got on a boat to Tallinn in Estonia. It was really excellent it has a mindboggling old town and slightly better prices than Finland and Scandinavia I'll try to attach a few photos of it. We had wine in an underground tunnel so http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-270579.html So I manage to get more time in the Old town before heading down to the oil pumper basically the ferry is a floating disco and all of the single people in stockholm and all of the single people in stockholm get on hoping to strike oil somewhere on the overnight journey. The last time I took this you could see the disaster potential and this time would be no different. I made my way down to the b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-269947.html After a rushed goodbye as I slept in I depart from Kamila and Barthos's place and trying to get them to come to Hong Kong I rush over town to catch the train over to Malmo before switching to catch the train to Stockholm. The train passes over the long bridge between Copenhagen and Malmo and Calatrava's large tower dominates the skyline. Almost make the same error of getting off at Malmo an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-269941.html So Sweden eh Havign never been there I had alot of preconceptions about Swedes and their homeland all of which turned out to be based on pure fact. Thanks to the beautiful resund bridge I was able to hop on a train and arrive in Lund no more than an hour later. I was to meet up with Lina whom along with a friend surfed my couch back in 2006. I messaged her to say what time I would arrive b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Lund/blog-268028.html As I write this our Swedish visit is all but over and I am really quite disappointed. Sweden is a wonderful country one that I would have liked to spend more time in. The contrast with the States could not be stronger although the weather has been much the same as New York grey nothing above 10C. We have been treated particularly well by the Fredriksson's in a manner in which our own mother http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-266840.html Stockholm was a lot of fun It is such a beautiful city there aren't many monuments so we had a really fun time just wandering around all the islands. We found some free museums to go to so we even learned a little bit about the history it's a really interesting and rich history We also went to the National Museum and Modern Museum which we had to pay to go into but I'm glad we didI w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-266094.html April 9Today starting from our 3pm arrival at JFK was a bit of a shocker. Nothing particularly bad happened but we did nothing but travel for almost 30 hours I think too many time zones. We started with a 4hour wait at JFK airport before a 6hour flight to Heathrow. The flight itself was no problem although neither of us got any sleep. Arrival at Heathrow was a bit more of a problem as http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-265471.html Its been goodbye to New York and on to the quiter pastures of Stockholm. This is what we have been up to for the past few daysApril 8Today was a more 'cultural' day in New York starting in Central Park. Central Park really is a beautiful place quite divorced from the rush and stress of New York city. I can see why New Yorkers hold it in such affection it seems to stand for everything that the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-265467.html Our first wouldbe 'White Christmas' was magic albeit decidely devoid of the white fluffy stuff to which the title owes. We braved the craze of Dublin airport two days before Santas arrival and managed to smile at the mayhem that reigned despite the lengthy queues in every direction. It was a huge relief to touchdown at Skarvsta airport where we were happily greeted by a very heavily pregnant http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Uppsala/blog-265425.html Just 2 days ago I went to Stolkholm Sweden. It was my first and I knew it's gonna be fun and interesting. I'm aware that it's summer already but still it was snowing at 0 degrees. 30 minutes later when i arrived in the hotel i was pigging out at kungshallen famous food court in stolkholm very tasty foods they got and amazingly i finished 1 whole big plate of pork and chips. The following da http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-265100.html Well I made it my big jump from Madrid to Stockholm and though it was only a three hour flight they are worlds apart as you would expect I guess. I spent a few nights in Stockholm doing all the tourist things you have to then I moved on to Goteberg. Stockholm is a very clean city in fact too clean the buildings are beautiful and everything is on islands and so green and grey I guess you http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Gothenburg/blog-264792.html Its a tradition for the vanhojen tanssi students in the southern finnish schools to go on a cruise to stockholm sweden after their dance Ours was this weekend We all met up at the Turku harbor in the Viking line building at 730 pm ish. Tom iska drove me and we picked up Aikka and his dad Jari our chaparone on the way. We boarded the boat at 8 and left soon after. It was a HUGE boat w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-263981.html My last full day in rebro today horay and nads comes back later tonight and i think she's bringing wine thank god i have had nothing to drink for a week well i lie i did buy a bottle of wine only one though cost me 10bucks aussie for an aussie wine lol. Anyhow Yesterday i had a great day I havent been for a swim since i've been over here and i thought well its bloody we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/blog-263980.html ... och p den sjunde dagen la Gud ner sina lersaker fr att resa ivg med sin backpack Och fr de som undrar vad man kan ha i en backpack s kan fljande avsljas Den r en stor vska som innehller tv medelstora vskor en stor vattenttt kompressionsvska tv sm vattenttta psor in case of Tsunami en kameravska fem olikfrgade sm bags en vattenflaska en knivfodral en liten vska http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Malmo/blog-263660.html Yay so on thursday i jumped on the trainline and made a weird and in places wonderful trip to a place called Linkping which is pronounced LinShoreping which i found out when asked by the train conductor and confusing her by saying lincoping or whatever i said hehehe. It was a bit of a trek almost three hours on the train and i still cant find where i was on any maps though i h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Link-ping/blog-263231.html March 8th 2008Austin and I began our 25th Anniversary Italy trip which we combined visiting Evan in Austria and Hannah in Sweden It was fun just flying togetherat first we were in different rows but a nice gentleman switched seats We hardly ever go to the movies and Austin watched 4 movies on the plane I slept through 2 movies after my tylenol PM and wine and so I was able to go to the pia http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-262491.html Yay thats right the last couple of days have been in the positive figures and infact reached 15 degrees yesterday and today in rebo it was 11 degrees when i got back from stockholm. I like stockholm quite a pretty city all the buldings seem to be painted in nice yellow and beige colours with a flash of a burgundy red thrown around the place and there are rivers or canals absolutl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Sweden/Stockholm/blog-262089.html