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?  

A windy evening.

A few weeks ago it was pretty windy (blåsigt) here.  I know the gusts were up to 49 MPH.  The next evening we went for a walk: 

I don't think any real harm was done.  This spot, by the way, is lilla torg (little square) and yes it really is lovely.  Some of the buildings in the area date back to the 1500's, but I do not know what portions of them are original.  The square is filled with shops and restaurants and in reasonably good weather the restaurants offer outdoor seating and the square is crowded with people. The small structure near the bicycles is an old telephone booth.  The white lamp is simply a fun piece that gets intermittently placed around the city.

Food in a tube....

OK - So I fully admit that there is nothing inherently wrong with food being stored in tubes.  But...it just seems weird and silly.  

So this is the aisle that made me stop in my tracks.

Also notice the huge  blocks of cheese in the foreground.  I think the largest ones are a kilo (2.2 pounds).

Blood pudding.  Tubes of various cabbage.

Tubes of rice pudding, soups, beans, and spaghetti in sauce. 

We tried the rice pudding and enjoyed it. 

Yup.  : D

God jul / Merry Christmas

What a glorious time of year.  I am blessed to be one of those who have mostly fond memories of this wonderful celebration and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Christmas, or Jul, is celebrated differently in the U.S. and Sweden in so many ways.

For those of you who are not Swedish, let me share a few insights.

The day Swedes celebrate is not actually Christmas day, but julafton, or Christmas eve.  Although only 3% of Swedes attend church, the first Sunday in Advent is the most likely day they will attend.

It occurs to me that the personality of a people group is expressed in so many ways.  I see Swedes as quieter than Americans.  There is very definitely positives and negatives to the differences, but I will not go into that here.  My point in bringing this up is that I see this difference demonstrated in the way that Christmas is celebrated.

Decor.  Sweden's Christmas colors are red and white.  Decorations that are seen from the street are typically limited to lit stars or candles in the windows, Christmas trees which are typically real as opposed to artificial, curtain panels are sometimes changed to reflect the holiday, jul bucks are seen.

Jul bucks are not reindeer but goats.  Notice that the Swedish flag is part of the decoration.  

Tomte are just crazy cute.  I mean seriously, how could anyone not squeal in glee when one sees them?  Of course, I am an American, so I would (at least quietly) squeal.  A Swede may be quieter and just smile. Traditionally, tomte were mischievous little beings, dressed in grey, not red, and who dwelt at farms.  Although they could be helpful and do chores, if the farmers did not treat their tomte nicely, then the tomte would cause problems for the farmers.  But I think that has been softened now.   The tomtar (plural form of the word tomte) are seen in both red and in grey, and I don't think people worry anymore about appeasing them . For more reading on this subject, here is a link:   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomte

These are very familiar Christmas decor and versions of these are in most windows, traditionally appearing the first Sunday of advent.




Food: The Jul bord,literally, "the Christmas table",
borrowed from http://www.scandinaviafood.com/

Gravad lax, cured salmon
Julskinka, christmas ham
Inlagd sill, pickled herring
Rodbetssallad, beetroot-salad
Janssons frestelse, janssons temptation  (think scalloped potatoes with a few anchovies included)
Rodkal (rödkål), red cabbage
Gronkal, (grönkål), green cabbage
Kottbullar (köttbullar), meatballs
Prinskorv, prince sausage
Potatissallad, potato-salad
Graddsas (gräddsås), cream-sauce
Serve together with boiled green peas, edam-cheese, dark bread, butter, sweet grainy mustard and for drink christmas beer, snaps and julmust (Swedish cola of which I have previously spoken    : P ).

For more on the Julbord:
http://www.thelocal.se/20111222/38096


Christmas carols.

I find that the lyrics of Swedish Christmas carols to be pleasant but with little theological significance.  Now I only know a few songs, so I readily admit that there may be others that have deeper meaning.  That said, below are the translated lyrics of one song which we sang in church on the first Sunday of Advent.  Here is link to a home movie to the song being sung.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwfrdy30XBw   The tune is lovely, and although the recording is amateurish, it is otherwise so Swedish I want to include it.

We light a candle in the Advent,
it warms those who are frozen.
We light a candle in the Advent,
it spreads light in our darkness here.
And all who are afraid and freeze on earth,
they should be allowed to sit at our table
when we light a candle of Advent,
when we light a candle of Advent.


In contrast, for my non-American readers, a few insights into how Christmas is celebrated in the U.S..

Christmas is typically celebrated on Christmas day, although Christmas Eve is not neglected and sometimes extended families split up their time between the two in order to visit everyone.

Although the percentage of Americans who have religious faith is far greater than the percentage of Swedes, I think as Americans become more secularized, less go to church on Christmas day, and more go on Christmas Eve, leaving Christmas day for the secular aspects of the celebration.  If an American rarely goes to church, the two days they are most likely to attend are Christmas Eve/ Christmas day, and Easter.

The Christmas colors are red and green.

Decor:  Well, although some is quiet and classic, it has more color and more bling. And yes, there is definitely a portion of the population that invest a lot of time and effort in "louder" decorations.

While visiting my sister and her family over the Christmas holidays, we parked in front of a house that was covered in lights.  The lights were set to music supplied by a local  radio station.  One tuned into the station and watched the light show.  The owners had a special North Pole mailbox in their yard wherein one could take a candy cane and leave a donation for a children's charity.

Food - Honestly, this really depends on what your ethnic background is and what part of the country you live in.  There is absolutely no one American Christmas food tradition.

Christmas carols.

The Christmas carols, as opposed to the silly, but fun, Christmas songs like Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, are rich in theology and meaning.  I do not pretend that these carols where written in the United States by Americans.  We are an immigrant country and our traditions are a compilation of many places and people groups.  The carols we listen to at Christmas time tell the story of Jesus Christ the Savior and why and how He cam into the world.  If one knew nothing of Christianity, one could read the lyrics to one or two Christmas carols and understand the core of the Christan faith.

I offer two examples of traditional Christmas carols enjoyed in the United States:

Hark the herald angels sing

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus, our Immanuel
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus, our Immanuel

Hail the Heaven born Prince of Peace
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n* healing in His wings  [*Risen]

Christ the highest Heaven adored
Christ the everlasting Lord
Come desire of nations come
Fix in us Thy humble home
Come desire of nations come
Fix in us Thy humble home


God rest ye merry gentlemen

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone Astray

O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Tidings of joy

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name

O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy

"Fear not," said the Angel
"Let nothing you afright
This day is born a Savior
Of pure a Virgin bright
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's power and might"

O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Comfort and joy, joy, joy, joy

Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other, now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface

O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Tidings of comfort and joy

And so, as I write this blog on Christmas morning, in the United States, sipping my Starbucks coffee, with the multicolored lights shining on the tree, I wish you all the many blessings that Christmas brings:
Joy, peace, and a relationship with our loving Savior who came to earth to live and die in our place so that we could be united with Him here and for eternity.  He is Emmanuel, "God with us".  That is something to sing about.

Merry Christmas!!

Pippi Longstocking


I think a lot of Americans are familiar with the character "Pippi Longstocking", or in Swedish, "Pippi Långstrump".  Pippi is the product of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.  She is not just well known in Sweden, but her image is often seen here.  As an example, this is an advertisement promoting some Christmas gifts.   (BTW: Before you get too excited about the cost, remember that the typical conversion is
1 USD to 6.5 SEK.)