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Published: February 19th 2007
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Day 13: Arriving in Stockholm.
Took the early flight out of Merida at 6 am to catch the flight to New York form Caracas in time. Made the big mistake of going out with 3 local Meridans late into the night, which allowed only 2 hours of sleep. Upon arrival in JFK took the train into town and walked around with my back pack in the 20 degree weather and wind. Had lunch in the little India region at Lexington and 28th street and headed to catch the overnight plane from Newark to Stockholm.
Arrived the following day to the spotless airport of Stockholm, on a rare sunny day temp of -5 c. A timely and quiet train awaited us at the main terminal to the center of the Stockholm for 28 dollars. As can be imagined the changes in landscape people and culture are striking. Was greatly impressed by the orderliness and functionality of the city life in Stockholm. The city houses one million people and is relatively diverse, but not so much so as new York or Chicago. The city is designed to enhance the quality of life the the inhabitants. The sound of traffic is quite
Gamla Stan
A central square in the old town. tolerable and there seems to be a limit to the degree of development, at least in the city. The city is compact and is physically is beautiful, , and is set in a stunning geographic back-drop or a chain of small islands. The subways almost go everywhere and easy to figure out. There is an efficient tourist infra-structure and the city houses a total of 71 museums. The people very friendly and helpful when approached, unlike Venezuela in which people were more likely to approach and initiate an interaction. Very convenient for us, the majority speak very good English.
Chose the affordable Rica Hotel in Gamla Stan (old town), but must reserve in advance. The neighborhood is filled with shops, restaurants, churches and very very old buildings separated by windy cobble stone streets. It also houses the parliament and main old castle dating back at least 300 years. The experience is limited by the cold weather, but the city is still alive and bustling without being overwhelming. The restaurants are invariably good, and for food lovers, it is hard to find a restaurant the disappoints you.
At first you may surprised by how expensive things are. Are but
Melting Ice
Birds in the canals walking on the melting ice; stockhoms is reported the have had the mildest winter in years. there are a hosts of taxes that are added to every goods and services, so add 25 % to every think you would ordinarily pay for in the US. Alcohol, cigarettes and gasoline are heavily taxed to restrict their use and pay the damages they call. I felt less bad later when it became clear that the tax helps maintain the infrastructure and enhance the quality of life, given the highly efficiently public transportation in cities and in between cities, and free health care for all.
In the first day roamed the streets in the beautiful and inviting afternoon sunlight. Eventually made my way on a ferry going over the canal to a northwestern neighborhood, the Sösddermalm. Ventured briefly into an evening church program, sparsely attended, for a beautiful short organ concert with amazing acoustics. The folks here are not overtly religious in the classic sense, buy a few like to attend churches weekly to enjoy great and uplifting music with great accoustics. Next ran into a nice bar near by with the front inscription *The Best English Draft in Sweden*, which I could not resist. English pubs are popular among the locals, and people there appear to behave
more boisterously and are very interactive. A pint of the best British draft in Sweden cost a healthy 8 dollars with tip. Fell into conversation with a friendly local resident named Lars, while watching an English soccer game on TV. ‘the Swedes are more friendly to foreigners than they are to themselves,’ he related as talked about the country and its people. When I left the bar had the very uncomfortable inclination that I was once again catching a cold, my third since Jan of this year.
Stockholm and scadenavia in general has a vibrant jazz scene. The jazz club Fasching is definitely noteworthy. It hosts well known local artists that show case avanguard jazz music with Scandinavian influences. The audience is primarily interested in the music, so there is pin drop silence during the performance. The setting he casual and relaxing and the round balcony provides excellent views of the stage. The two bands that I watched played passionately and with a lot of energy. The last night the club Stempen show-cased a local and racially mixed band playing Scave, the pre-reggae Jamaican music which appears to be very popular I Sweden.
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Jason Smart
I enjoyed reaing this. Nice Photos too. It made especially interesting reading since as I'm going to Stockholm for the first time in April.