Freedom to roam around in the world

I have gone to a lot of traveling sites and all I read is 'what is the reason for...' what did you learn...? I travel because I love it. I go somewhere because I saw some compelling pictures. Do I have to learn anything? I don't know. I've never been to any of the Nordic countries. All I hear is they are too expensive and that prohibited me from even attempting to go there. I just retired and since I had time, I decided to travel to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway all at once instead visiting them one by one. What do I hope to learn? I don't know, besides do I have to learn anything? Can't I just go and see what is there? Yes, of course! Even as I write about my experiences, I'm not going to tell my readers why they should go and what they can learn there. Just read as a friend telling stories of her trip. We are free to choose where we roam in this world and why. I can only say that my experiences were so varied and amazing. I came to learn about their artists, their musicians, their culture, their food and their state of mind. Above all I saw a natural wonder so incredible that few words can describe them. I met peoples so magnificent that would make the Vikings proud.
Picture is of Christiania in Copenhagen.

Foraging

When we were small and growing up in the jungles of Borneo we had a few opportunities to forage. We hunt for wood ears, they're a kind of mushroom that grow on old tree trunks and mushrooms too. I remember the fern heads which we take home to sauté. Fern heads are so rare these days even in the forests of Europe. Foraging is a big thing in the Nordic countries because they have huge swath of uninhabited land and berries grow in such reckless abundance. They even import foreign labor every year just to help bring in the berries every year. There was not much in terms of foraging when I was there in summer, it wasn't the season. The only thing to look for were the wild strawberries. Once in a while I'd stumble on a few plants and a few fruits just to satisfy my need to forage. I'm always happy when I'm able to pick some wild thing to eat. The locals usually string these up with a straw. I forgot to do that. Maybe I'll go back next year to do it and that will complete the cycle for me.

Turku, Finland

Here I was in downtown Turku, a very pretty town and very laid back. In fact, Finland, even in Helsinki, is very laid back. It was summer and most people are away in some remote area in their little red wooden cottage by the water. What a life, an enviable one. Here are some old wooden houses that is home to a craft store. I'm now writing the ebook about my experiences in Finland. I worked on the cover and its half done. Everything is homemade. The experiences are not anything you can find out there.

Traveling alone

I spent three months traveling alone this last summer. While it was a lot of fun, it was very trying and exhausting. I was in a new place every few days. Just as I learned to know a place, I had to up and leave for another. Sometimes it involved a new country which meant a new language, a new system and a new currency. I have enough different currencies in my house to start a money changing business. Every few days I had to make new travel arrangements, buy bus or train tickets, find a hotel or hostel to stay in. Booking.com and Hostelbooking.com were my constant companions. I get and still am getting emails from them regarding discounts. Sometimes during the trip I was able to take advantage of the discounts. I've been back a month now but I can take off at the drop of a hat if the opportunity presents itself. But I'm looking for new itineraries all the time.

Digital nomad

Just read some really good news. Norwegian air is going to offer $69 fares to Norway in 2017. I don't why 2017, can't wait that long. I've met people who flew Norwegian and they have no complaints. Just bring your food and snacks and pack lightly. I might fly them next summer. Anyway this last summer was the first time I brought my computer with me. It was heavy together with my camera and all its accoutrements. But it was fun. At the end of each day I was able to upload my pictures, post to this blog and my Facebook page and friends and family could follow me and know that I'm ok. Here am I in my hotel room in Oslo, Norway, eating stuff (dinner) I bought from the 7-eleven store downstairs. For some reason there are a lot of 7-eleven stores in Norway and Sweden. It was great because I could get some cheap food from there anytime.

Visit Norway

Norway is huge but most of its wonderful sights are in the South. It is possible to cobble together a wonderful trip to Norway for just a week. Fly into and out of Oslo, spend 2 days. Take the Oslo/Bergen train to Bergen, spend 2 days in Bergen. Take the ferry up the Sognefjord to Flam. From Flam take the Flamsbana train to Myrdal and connect with the Bergen/Oslo train back to Oslo. The Sognefjord ferry takes 5 hours to complete its trip to the end at Flam. One can stay at the little villages on the way like Balestrand and continue on the next day's ferry. A stay at Flam is also possible. If you know you are going to do this trip and you know your dates, it is important to book early your Oslo/Bergen train ticket. They sell out fast. One can buy the ticket online from home. There are options to pick up the ticket from the ticket machines. You'll be given a code which after you enter it, the machine will spit out your ticket. The other great thing is if you book early you'll get one of the discounted fares. For every trip the railway sets aside a few tickets at half price which sells out fast. I was able to take advantage of this one time. But the early train from Oslo to Bergen was sold out, I had to travel by a later train and on first class because the economy tickets were sold out. The best time is June and July and you will be fighting for seats with the huge groups of Chinese tourists. They take all the train tickets and the hotels. From Bergen, if you have time, you can always take a trip on the Hurtigruten ferry or go to the Faro islands or Lofoten and even further North in Norway. The options are there for an enjoyable long or short trip!

Sunday in another country

How can I ever forget the Sunday in Bergen, Norway. I went to this old church just to see it but there was a service going on. It happened to be an Anglican service in English. Wow! I asked to join it and went in to worship with them. The usher standing next to me said that I should join their choir after he heard me sing. I'd love that, to join the choir of this English speaking Anglican community in Bergen, Norway. I can so live in Bergen, Norway! For a while I was wondering why there was a substantial English speaking community in Bergen, Norway until in Bath, England, one of the pastors told me they are probably oil rig workers. There is offshore drilling in Norway and this is quite close to the British North sea rigs also.

Memories of summer

Having lunch on the island of Sandhamn off Stockholm, fresh peeled shrimp salad. What a gorgeous day it was, one I'll never forget.

Mourning the end of Summer

Not me. I live in Southern California. We don't have seasons here. But I'm sure in Norway and the other nordic nations. I'm sure here in Gamle Stavanger, they are. Gardening activity intensifies in Summer and in a brief moment the little dance in the sun is over. But in the meantime, lets dance in the sun.

Last summer in Sweden

In the lake district, in Rattvik, Sweden, where I chased lupins. The lupins grow wild here and they are everywhere. I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Its a summer I'll always remember.

Flam, end of Sognefjord

What's the end of a fjord called? Here, the end of Sognefjord is a little village called Flam. Sognefjord is long and deep but Flam is very small comparatively. I was amazed at how busy Flam was, the waterway is packed full of ferries of different sizes and huge cruise ships. It was like a festival when I arrived because of the massive number of tourists, mostly Chinese Nationals. Its become one of the busiest places in Norway because of the incredible Flamsbana railway, a train that climbs out of this valley way up to join the Oslo/Bergen railway, an incredible engineering feat; one that took 20 years. Flam in the summer is so delightful in spite of the numerous tourists. It is Norway at its best even when it rains. Most people go there as part of a cruise or a group tour which I think is regrettable. There are of course the handful of independent travelers. I went as an independent traveler. It wasn't easy because everything was new and I didn't know what to expect but managed to travel smoothly and wouldn't travel any other way. One can always find someone with the right information even though you might get a lot of rebuffs, more because they don't speak English than intrinsic rudeness. I love Norway. You will too!

I traveled alone for 3 months this last Summer

I flew into London and toured England for a bit because I know when I return a few months later, the season would have changed. I saw England at its most glorious time. Then I flew to Copenhagen for a few days and took the train to Stockholm to spend 'mid sommar' in Skansen, outside of Stockholm. Unfortunately it was rained out. I toured Sweden for a few weeks, took the ferry to Aland, an island chain between Sweden and Finland. After that, another ferry to Turku, Finland before taking the train to Helsinki. I was in Finland for a few weeks before I flew from Helsinki to Oslo. I spent another few weeks in Norway. Norway has become my most favorite country. After that I went to the southern most town of Norway to take the ferry back to Denmark. After a week in Jutland I took the train to Berlin for a few days. I wanted to see how hip Berlin really is. I was in Berlin last year and this made it my second in Berlin. From Berlin I left for Vienna. The main reason for Vienna was to see all of Gustav KLimt's paintings. From there I took the train and spent a night in Frankfurt before heading into Paris for a few days. It was at Paris Gare du Nord station that my luggage was stolen. I went back to England with just the clothes on my back and had to hurriedly put together another wardrobe. I still had my wallet and camera and computer. Thank God. I spent the remaining 9 days in England before finally returning home, tired and broken. I'm still recovering from tendonitis in my right leg after a month of being home.
Picture is of Norway in Summer at Finse, the town at the top of the Bergen/Oslo railway.

Naantali, Finland

Its a little resort town not too far from Turku. I took the bus there. It is very pretty, lots of wooden buildings, pretty gardens and the coast with lots of boats. A lot of the boats were for sale, each one with a price tag of over 100,000 euros and used boats too. There weren't too many tourists about but a lot of Finnish children because there is a Moomin island nearby and they are all going there. We knew nothing of Finland growing up so we weren't brought up with Moomins. I'm only just now finding out about them and am reading up about them and their creator, Tove Jansson.

Helsinki cathedral

Happy Sunday. Picture is of Helsinki cathedral, grand and shining sitting high on a hill, it was tough climbing up its steps but the view was incredible. It was the same inside as the outside, white and plain. 85% of Finns are Lutheran.

A Finnish summer

The days were so long. Early in the morning at 4am the bright sunlight is so glaring that without thick drapes one has a very rude awakening. At 10pm there is still light and again without those thick drapes to block out the light it was impossible to fall asleep.But I got increasingly used to it that it didn't bother me anymore. It allowed for a lot more activity to compensate for the long winters. Here in the Lake district of Finland, in Savonlinna, it was glorious. The tall ships is passing by taking many happy tourists, mostly from Finland. One is hard pressed to find any foreign tourists here. This is one of the most beautiful areas of Finland.

Tove Jansson and the Moomins

The guy in the green is Snufkin. If he was a woman, I'll be her. He is a lone traveler and only returns to Moomin valley in Spring and summer and hates a cultivated garden. But prefers the wild meadows. I do too. So my research goes on as I prepare to write about Finland.

Finland

I didn't enter Finland through Helsinki. I entered through Aland, an archipelago with Mariehamn as its capital. I took the ferry from Stockholm to Mariehamn, stayed a few days then another ferry to Turku, Finland. I'm writing about Finland right now and doing some reading up about it. It has a very bloody past. Finland fought hard for its independence, both from the Kingdom of Sweden and from Russia. They went through a civil war with what we would call 'pro Russian separatists.' They weren't called that then, they were simply referred to as the 'reds.' Even as I'm finishing writing about England, work is being done on 'Finland.'

Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adhu

In Israel a few years ago, will be fasting tomorrow.

A lazy Sunday outside of Helsinki, Finland

This was the train stop for 'Ainola' the former home of Finland's beloved composer, Jean Sibelius. This was as 'far from the beaten path' as one can get but it was about half an hour by commuter train from Helsinki. The walk to the house passed fields like this, woods and fields of wild flowers. Even today with increased building and development, it is easy to see why artist like Sibelius and many others chose this area for their home. I followed the signs that said 'Ainola.' and came to a paradise, the compound that is 'Ainola.'

Suomi, Finland

Now working on the ebook about Finland. I got to play some Jean Sebelius, 'Finlandia' to get me in the mood!