A continued travel blog

I want to write more about a little travel we have done.

Two of the excursions were ferry trips. On the first, John and I took a ferry from Copenhagen (30 minutes away) up to Oslo, Norway and back.  The ferry left at ~ 4 PM Friday, and arrived in Oslo at ~ 10 AM the next morning.  We spent around 6 hours in Oslo and then returned to the ship for the overnight voyage back.

When I say ferry, do not picture a barge.  Rather, picture a cruise ship that will also transport cars.

While in Oslo, we had enough time to visit a Viking ship museum, and the WW II Resistance museum. 

Then last week, I was hardly home.
Some friends and I took a similar trip, but this time, we took the 4 hour train trip to Stockholm, and boarded a ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.

Admittedly, Estonia is not a huge tourist attraction.  It has suffered years of oppression, and it shows.  That said, Estonians' struggle for freedom (much of their eventual success was won via a song festival) is interesting and has a happy ending.  Additionally, the old city is lovely.  (An added bonus is that I bought John a beautiful wool sweater which he loves.)   Best of all was spending several days with dear friends.  : )

Prague - beautiful Prague.

As I have been on vacation from school, John and I took advantage of the days off and spent a long weekend in Prague.  Lest you think we are being very extravagant, flights are very inexpensive and Prague - at least compared to Scandinavia - is inexpensive.  For a tourist, the prices are probably around 1/3 of what one would pay in Sweden, and, by various percentages, less expensive than visiting the U.S..

What can I tell you...
First of all, Prague is beautiful.

Beer - The Czech Republic is known for its beer.  I am at a disadvantage here because, although I keep trying it, I just don't like beer.  But my husband loves it, so I will give you his appraisal.  In his opinion, Czech beer, which is typically lager,  is much better than any and all mass produced beer found in the U.S. or Sweden.  It is very good and the type of beer one could drink with (or without) any meal, year round.  That said, John feels the best beers are microbrews from the U.S..

Food and (other) drink - As much as I do not care for beer, I love (love) a great cup of coffee, and I had my share in Prague. I also I had a great cup of Czech onion soup, and every dessert,  although not unusual, was very nice. Frustratingly,  most of the time if I wanted water with my meal, I had to pay for it.  The alcohol was cheap, (for ex. 1-2 Euros for a beer) but I do not typically drink, so I would be taking in calories and alcohol that I really don't want or need. Two nice drinks I had, which were somewhat unique: svart vin - hot spiced, but not overly sweet, red wine.  This was very nice, and readily available from street vendors.  It is similar to Swedish glögg, but not nearly as sweet, and we enjoyed several cups over the (February) weekend. Another drink was a mixture of hot water and a sweet cherry (other fruit flavors were available) alcohol, with a lemon wedge.  It was lovely.  Entrees - sadly, I was disappointed.  Potato and bread dumplings were very very heavy , though they must be popular as they were rather ubiquitous.  The sausage was OK: In our limited experience: German sausages are to die for, US (from all the various immigrants' recipes!) are terrific, and Czech are okay.

Transportation: Terrific. We got two 72 hour passes (@ ~ $12 each) which comfortably and efficiently got us everywhere we needed to go.  I wish the U.S. had better mass transit....

Tourist destinations:
We visited two places (we were going to go to a few others but they were either closed for renovation, or we "ran out of steam"):

I will not go into the Czech's history and struggles in the blog.  It is sad and significant and was well explained and documented in the above advertised museum.  

I did take pictures of two of the museum's displays that I thought would interest Americans. (Please remember that these speak of decades ago !): 

See translation at left.

And again, below is something interesting speaking of circa 1950.

Well - 

Although interesting, I cannot possibly end on that note!  

Many sidewalks are nicely paved (although a flat surface would be easier to walk on). 

The Czech Republic is known for its crystal and garnets, and both are popular souvenirs.

He who I have always known as "Good King Wenceslas", a Bohemian Duke and Saint. 

From the lovely St. Charles bridge.

St. Vitus Cathedral within Prague Castle

Well, all vacations come to an end, and so did these.  I am privileged and grateful to have traveled and also for the life to which to we return.

When without Animal crackers...

In the US there is a simple butter / sugar cookie shaped like animals, sometimes sold in a box that resembles a circus car.  They are a favorite of children, and I, like many adults, enjoy them.

(image borrowed from wishingforhorses.com)

There is no such cookie here.  However, IKEA has come to the rescue with a similar tasting kex (cookie/ biscuit).  They are, obviously, in the shape of letters, and I am happy to report that the letters include the three "extra" letters which the English language does not include.  : )

Sometimes people ask me which country, the U.S. or Sweden, is better.  There is no way to properly answer that question.  Each has good and bad and we can learn from each other.  There are times when I see something here and I think, "Really?  This has already been figured out / improved upon.  Why do you Swedes do it this way?"  Then there are the other times when I think, "This is so logical.  It's such a good idea.  Why don't we (Americans) do it this way?"

The following are two items which, for me, fall into the second category.

Grocery bags

In the States, I oft times had dozens of plastic grocery bags which I had every intention of bringing back to the store to recycle.  Sometimes they never got there. Here, if you want to have a bag from the grocery (or most stores actually) you have to buy them.  They cost 1-2 SEK, which equates to around 15-35 cents. Because of that, I always keep two nylon bags in my purse, John always has one in his briefcase, and the world is, I think, a better place.  Would the cost kill us?  Of course not.  That said, it is enough to get our attention and motivate us to use reusable bags.  I think its a win-win.

Herbs

Although one can buy just the leaves of fresh herbs boxed in a plastic container, typically, one sees them like this: 

Roots, soil, and all.  I think its a great idea.  The herbs stay fresh longer, and I have had mild success potting them.  One can, by the way, buy larger herb plants in the grocery store, but I did not think to snap a picture of them. Besides, you get the idea. 

Additionally, in one shop I saw a few commonly used herbs (dill and ...one other that I cannot remember) standing in a small bucket, like flowers in a vase.  One took as much or little as one wanted and paid by the gram.  Good idea right?