Days 11, 12, 13... - We live like Umeåns (August 14-23)

Looking at downtown Umeå

Hooray, we're back blogging. We are leaving Umeå tomorrow afternoon, so I wanted to catch you up on what we have been doing with our time here in northern Sweden.

To begin, why there have been no regular updates for the past 10 days is because living in another city while Karen is doing sabbatical work is a lot like our day to day lives back home. We buy groceries, cook meals, do laundry, etc. Other than not speaking the language or understanding the road signs, our regular life has not been a whole lot different. It was the same when we lived in Hamilton, New Zealand for 4 months.

Our nearly two weeks in Umeå have gone by quickly. It is a very nice city with a population of around 120,000 (80,000 plus 37,000 university students, the largest city in northern Sweden). I really like the vibe of Umeå and could imagine myself living here, after learning Swedish (although most people speak English very well). It is a very liveable city made for walking and bike-riding. Within the city there are over 180 kms of biking trails. In fact, the first thing required to live like an Umeån is a bike. The first few days here I felt like a loser walking around everywhere. However, last Monday that all changed as each of us rented bikes for a week. Having bikes really opened up lots of places and activities for us, particularly Marshall who doesn't always have the patience to walk. (Bikes, not cars, rule the roads and sidewalks/bike paths in Umeå.) (One day I rode to an arboretum 10 km north of Umeå on one continuous bike path along the Umeӓlven River.)

Bridge on Nydalasjӧn

So what did we do with our time here? We took advantage of nearby Lake Nydalasjӧn (lake = sjӧ ) several days. The lake is now really a suburb of the city, about a 3 km ride from our apartment and very popular. (Umeåns really like to spend time outdoors.) Nydalasjӧn is very much like a NW Ontario lake, clear and cool and good for swimming, which Marshall and I did a couple of times. There is also a 10 km bike/walking trail around the lake which Karen and I rode around a few evenings. Having Nydalasjӧn nearby provided us with a

More of Nydalasjӧn

good outlet.

As an aside, the weather has been fantastic our whole time in Umeå. Every day has been sunny and in the low 20s. Of course this means we all overpacked; too many pants and not enough shorts.

On our first Saturday in Umeå we spent the day downtown, which while not large, was very busy with people shopping, eating in restaurants, walking along the riverfront, and taking in the finals of the Swedish Beach Volleyball tour. They had set up a sand court right in/on one of the city's main squares. We took in a couple of matches, including both the men's and women's finals. It was fun to spend the day in a vibrant downtown.

Karen and I did a couple of cultural things. One night we biked to an art and design museum, while another night we walked through Umeå's sculpture park. Unfortunately, our art appreciation apparently needs some work as there was no art at either place that spoke to us (or frankly we understood very well). Just not our kind of art, I guess.

Karen gave an afternoon seminar at the Umeå University Biology Department on Wednesday. It set an attendance record. (Room for 40 became squishy with 60 people.) To thank Karen, Karen's host at the University, Jonatan, took the three of us for dinner to an upperscale restaurant. Both Karen and I had Arctic char, which was really tasty.

On Thursday, Jonatan and several of his colleagues took Karen out to visit some of the lakes they work on. Marshall and I tagged along and got dropped off at Jonatan's cottage, which is about an 1.5 hours from Umeå. We spent the afternoon perch fishing (caught 4 big perch) and swimming. A nice break for us from the confines of our apartment and Umeå. Karen had a fun day, but not as much fun as Marshall and me. (P.S. People in Umeå like cottages as much as Winnipeggers do.)

Finally, this past Saturday we rented a car, drove about 40 km and then walked onto the ferry for Holmӧn Island. Holmӧn Island has a nature preserve on it and the island itself is a bit of a throwback. (Among other things, it only has one road. Most people bike to the ferry and around the island. Our bikes wouldn't fit in our rental car.) There are small farms on it, lots of cottages, and it is still a vibrant fishing port in the fall. We walked about 12 km in total on Saturday. We had a nice day together, but collectively we rated our experience about a 6/10. While picturesque, the landscape and scenery were not unique, at least to us (again, much like NW Ontario). We probably would have been better off exploring trails along the wild (undammed) Vindelӓlven River.

Holmӧn Island, northern Sweden

That in a nutshell has been our time in Umeå. While we never intended it to be a touristy stop for us, Umeå has treated us well. Tomorrow we fly back to Stockholm (at the sanity-saving time of 4:30 p.m.) for a couple of days, then it is onto Bergen and Oslo, Norway.

Vi ses, for now.

On the Vindelӓlven River

An Umeå park and some older homes close to the riverfront

Holmӧn Island, northern Sweden

Days 8, 9, 10 - We Arrive in Umeå (August 12-14)

On Wednesday, August 12, we took a seven hour train ride north from Stockholm to Umeå (Oom-ee-o), Sweden, where we will be staying until August 24. At this point you are probably wondering why Umea and why for 11 days? First, the University of Umeå is here and it is one of the eleven partner institutes of SweTox (Swedish Toxicology consortium). Second, Karen met a number of the researchers from the University at a conference last September in northern Sweden and they invited her to come to Umeå. Finally, Karen is on sabbatical until December 31, so she wanted to spend some time here, and in Stockholm and Norway, doing some work in new locales and collaborating with old and new colleagues. After Umeå it's back to Stockholm for a couple of days then onto Norway until early September, when Marshall and I head home for the start of high school.

Umeå University campus

The University has kindly put us up in a nice apartment about a 10 minute walk from Karen's temporary office on campus. So far Marshall and I haven't done too much. I have been doing some work on a contract, emailing, catching up on the blog, and running. Marshall has been catching up on his needed teenager sleep and working on some Youtube videos. We have also been out exploring the neighbourhood and playing frisbee. The small apartment complex we are in also has a sauna that Karen and I have partaken in a couple of times. (Compared to Swedes, Finns, and Icelanders, we are sauna wimps).

We plan on getting out and exploring some of Umeå on Saturday, so I will have more to say

Umeå city centre square

about the city in my next blog entry.

THOUGHTS ON THE TRAIN - One thing that struck me on our train ride is that Sweden, particularly the northern half, is very much like northern Ontario (except with a better highway and a few more larger urban areas). We whisked past lots of lakes and birch and coniferous forest interspersed with small farm clearings. One difference though, at least in Umeå, no mosquitoes or black flies. I am not sure where they are, but if we were at the cottage in Canada, there would be lots of them.

My second thought was that train travel is a much more relaxing way to go vs. the plane. No security, no showing up an hour-plus before your flight, no long lines, no having to drive to the out-of-the way airport, etc. Plus there was way more leg room and you could easily get up and walk around. At the same time, seven hours might be my limit and after that it becomes time-wise more efficient to fly. Still, I think you can gather that I would like to travel more by train in Canada if the opportunity existed.

Umeå apartment

Umeå apartment

Umeå waterfront - Umeålven River

Day 7 - Touring Stockholm (August 11)

In the Stockholm City Hall courtyard

Today was our one full day in Stockholm before heading up to Umeå, so we made the most of it and saw a few of the city’s famous sites.

We weren’t catching our bus until 10 a.m., so I had time to go for a run before Marshall was out of bed. Running is one of my favourite ways to explore new places. I can cover a fair amount of ground and in a short amount of time get a good feel for the place around me. The only trick is not to get lost, which has happened to me, but not today. 

This morning my run took me down to the Riddarfjärden river/canal, over the bridge past the Parliament House, then over another bridge to Gamla Stan (Old Town) and the Royal Palace, and along some piers where ferries and tour boats are docked. Then it was over another bridge, through the King’s Garden, up busy Stureplan (major collection of roads), down a few side streets, and back to our hostel. My only real difficulty was paying attention for cyclists. Almost every major street and pedestrian path in downtown Stockholm has a dedicated bike lane. I stepped into several of them forgetting they were not extensions of the sidewalk. Bad idea as most of them are busier than the actual street. (I didn’t do any better the next day—someone actually had to brrrng their bike bell at me.)

Overlooking Stockholm City Hall "Blue" Room

We started our day by getting on a Hop-On Hop-Off bus. For those of you like me who have never used one, these buses travel around cities with lots of tourist sites. You buy a one-day ticket and can get on and off the bus as many times as you want. While you ride along you can listen to a recorded guide telling you about different places in and facts about the city. Karen and her mom Diane really like and now having used one, I agree they are a good way to see a and get around a new city.

Our first stop was a tour of Stockholm City Hall which is located on the northish bank of the Riddarfjärden. This is architecturally a very interesting building. Construction was finished in 1923, but design-wise it feels much older (lots of Italian Renaissance inspiration). For people outside of Stockholm it is probably most well-known for housing the Nobel Prize banquet, which takes place in the Blue Room. (The architect originally wanted the brick walls of the Blue Room to be painted blue to make it feel like an open air Italian courtyard. He later changed his mind but by this time the description and name “Blue Room” had stuck).

Probably the most famous room in Stockholm City Hall is the Golden Hall. The walls are covered with close to 20 million tiles that make up a series of pictures/motifs describing the history of Sweden up to the 1920’s. Not knowing anything about Swedish history, the room was still fascinating. Marshall and I were boggled by the amount of work it would have taken to design and make all the motifs. Most interesting is a motif that takes up the entire end wall of the Hall. It shows a Swedish lake goddess (I forget her name) bringing the West and East together. Sweden was neutral in the First World War and the motif is supposed to depict the country as a bridge of peace.

Once we got back on the bus we learned a new truism, being that weather forecasts are wrong the world over (except for perhaps deserts). Sadly the warm sunny day had turned cool and windy with spits of rain. Perhaps I jinxed us by wearing shorts.

Some of the carvings on the Vasa (stern of the ship)

We then rode around Stockholm to the Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet). The Vasa is a ship that was built in 1628 by King Gustav II Adolf for his war with Poland (and his cousin the Polish king) over control of the Baltic. It was supposed to be a state of the art warship with two decks of cannons, speed and maneuverability. However, as these things often seem to go, the Vasa had design flaws and was too top heavy. 1300 metres into its maiden voyage away from then downtown Stockholm (Gamla Stan, population 10,000) it rocked back and forth, took on water through all its open gun ports and sank in about 15 minutes in 30 metres (100 feet) of water. Attempts were made to raise it but all that could be salvaged were the cannons (which were the most valuable part of the ship). (On a side note, the Vasa’s sister ship was built 1 metre wider and ballasted with iron versus stones. It sailed and fought for 30+ years.) 

Ahoy, two doofuses straight-ahead

The Vasa was rediscovered in 1956 and raised in 1961. It was then moved to a dry dock where all the mud/silt was cleaned off. After that they sprayed it with poly-ethaline glycol for 17 years to replace all the water in the wood with a preservative. The ship was then moved to the Vasa Museum, which opened in 1990.

Between 95 and 98% of the original wood remains, so it gives us and historians a really good idea of what ships during this time period were like. Also, the ship has about 500 carvings and statues on it. King Gustav II Adolf apparently had a bit of an ego and wanted history to compare him to the Caesars of Rome, so the ship was also a propaganda piece about the might of Sweden and himself and the puniness of Poland and its king. A lot of the statues are well preserved and reading about their symbolism was interesting. Other parts of the museum talked about living conditions in Stockholm in the 1620’s, life and conditions on the ship, how the ship was raised and preserved, etc.

The Vasa Museum is described as one of the world’s most popular museums and although Marshall may disagree, Karen and I thought it was really well done and very interesting. (Thanks for the recommendation Kelly.) 

After the Vasa Museum it was back on the bus and a return to our hostel for dinner and quiet time, followed by a short walk for some yummy gelato (a popular Swedish dish). Karen and I then walked back to the Gamla Stan area and took in a free 1 hour concert that was part of the Stockholm Culture Festival while Marshall stayed at the hostel and worked on a Youtube video. (Why are good family times with teens enhanced by a little time apart?)

One last thought on the day. The band was Swedish and called the Refreshments. They played rock-a-billy music of original songs and covers (they have been nominated for Grammy Awards). They sang in English but talked to the crowd in Swedish. They were fun to watch and listen to and there was a good crowd. What I have always found interesting about some European “rock” bands (and pop too) is their fascination with and reference to American culture. I just don’t know how their audiences understand what they are referring to. 

I just like this picture of me

Day 6 - Reykjavik to Stockholm (August 10)

Ugh, why does having fun have to seem so difficult sometimes. We were up at 4:30 to catch our 7:30 flight from Reykjavik (Kaflavik Airport) to Stockholm (Arlanda Airport). Fortunately, being Iceland in the summer, the sun was up already so it didn’t feel too early. Other than driving through some cool lava fields, which in my bleary state I didn’t pick-up on when we drove into Reykjavik, the rest of our morning and flight were uneventful.

A COUPLE OF FINAL THOUGHTS ON TRAVELING TO ICELAND – If you have time to get out of Reykjavik, then I would recommend a stopover in Iceland. The landscape is unique and unlike anything you will find in Canada. Driving on the main routes is very straightforward, except for recognizing the names of places, and as our drive to Dyrhólaey showed, you can see some neat stuff in one day. Karen has been to Iceland before and she says to stay away from the very touristy places like the Blue Lagoon (too commercial) and Thingviller National Park (not as picturesque as other parts of Iceland). If we had more time, there is a lot more of the country that I would like to hike through.

At the same time, I don’t recommend Reykjavik itself as a travel destination. Like all cities it has its interesting sites, history, and institutions (e.g., museums and pools), but it is not cosmopolitan or “European”. Also, the weather is not great for summertime travel. Perhaps most important to me is that the city centre was not designed to accommodate all the tourists the city now receives. The sidewalks are narrow and walking around felt cramped. Plus I didn’t find the people in the touristy part of Reykjavik all that friendly, or perhaps it was just the pushy German tourists I was having trouble with (take that Brad).

Karen points out that I am not a city person, so have a bias against Reykjavik from the get go. Maybe, I say. Karen has now been to Reykjavik three times and she likes it. She thinks it has a fun vibe, good walking and restaurants, and interesting shopping. There you go, one city, two views.

STOCKHOLM – We landed at Arlanda airport around noon. After kicking around a bit getting our bags, hitting the tourist information centre, and getting some lunch, we caught the express train from Arlanda into central Stockholm (20 minute trip).

Once we left the train station, I immediately felt like I was in Europe. Other than the giveaway of people speaking Swedish, there were lots of older buildings with fancy stone facades, lots of people walking, people on bikes, people in cafés, etc. Having not spent any time in Europe, other than a short time in Amsterdam in 1996, this is what I envisioned an older European city to look like. One thing I liked right away was how easy it was to walk around in central Stockholm. The sidewalks are very wide and there are some streets that are closed to vehicle traffic. This, plus the beautiful sunny day, was good as we needed to walk about 20 minutes to our hostel, each of us pulling our overstuffed suitcase behind us.

For those of you who know Stockholm, our hostel was north of the central station across the street (Sveavägan) from the park that is bounded by the Stockholm City Library, the old Observatory, and the Stockholm School of Economics. A bit of a walk from the main sites and Gamla Stan (Old Town) of Stockholm, but a good location for us.

After settling into our room and resting for a bit, we went out and found some groceries at the local Coop store. Then it was onto an exciting evening of eating, planning the next day’s itinerary, emailing, blogging, playing Minecraft, reading, and getting a good night’s sleep.

WHY A HOSTEL? – First off, hotels and restaurants are pretty pricy in Stockholm. Staying in the hostel was much less expensive and it gave us a place to cook our meals while still keeping us within walking distance of downtown Stockholm. Also, this hostel had a lot of private rooms, including a room with three beds for us, although the room was very squishy. Also, I was hoping that staying in the hostel would provide a lesson for Marshall for his future travels, i.e., there is more to travel than hotels. I am not sure if it did. The people staying at this hostel were not as chatty as I expected—groups stuck to themselves more or less. Perhaps access to internet makes hostellers less chatty. More likely it was because this hostel was not a true youth hostel, i.e., scruffy teens backpacking across Europe, but with its separate rooms it catered to small groups (there were other families staying, older couples, etc.).

Day 5 - Iceland in one day and puffins too (August 9)

Behold the noble Puffin

Sorry for the delay in publishing this page of the blog. A few technical difficulties have slowed me up.

On Day 5 of our Scandinavia trip we did the Iceland tourist thing and visited a number of scenic sites along the southern coast of Iceland.

To begin, not to knock Snӕfellsnes, but if you only have one day to spend driving and touring Iceland, I would head south. On a per kilometre basis, the landscape and scenery is more varied and spectacular (and greener). On one side of the road, you have sheer cliffs interspersed with large and small waterfalls. On the other you have flat farm fields, random igneous summits, and views of the ocean. However, the nice thing about Snӕfellsjӧkull National Park is that it offers easy access to a lot of hiking trails that you don’t need a 4x4 or the voiding of your rental car insurance to get to.  

We left Reykjavik around 9 a.m. and drove a couple of hours to Dyrhólaey, which is the southernmost tip on the mainland. To put it simply, I loved Dyrhólaey. As you can see from the pictures, it is where old fire (lava) meets the sea in dramatic fashion. You can stand on this point of land and see and feel the surf pounding into the cliff below you. Away from shore the ocean was relatively calm and still swells would hit the cliff and the spray would splash metres above your head. I can only imagine it on a rough day. Karen and Marshall were very patient with me at Dyrhólaey and let me spend a long time taking in the vista.

A view of Dyrholaey

Another view of Dyrholaey

The other fun thing about Dyrhólaey were the PUFFINS! (Sorry, my writing can’t capture the enthusiastic way Karen says it.) When we got out of the car we saw a crowd of people taking pictures of something. I thought it might be seals, but it turned out to be a PUFFIN colony. The cliffs are fenced off, but we were able to get a very good look at some of them. Seeing them closer, I agree with Karen that they are cute.

After Dyrhólaey we drove inland a bit, sat on some lava outcroppings, and ate our picnic lunch; Kraft peanut butter all the way from Quispamsis. Karen always like to bring a small jar when we travel for a long time. Even though it is heavy, it travels well and goes good on lots of things.

We now started heading back to Reykjavik, stopping along the way at a number of sites we passed by on the way to Dyrhólaey. First off was the Mýrdalsjӧkull glacier. (Again, jӧkull means glacier.) Like Snӕfellsjӧkull, Mýrdalsjӧkull has a volcano under the ice waiting to erupt again. The part or shoulder of the glacier that we visited after a short walk is called Sólheimajӧkull. Because of a warming climate, Sólheimajӧkull has retreated by over a kilometre up the valley and lost over 100 metres of its thickness in the last 15-20 years. Although unplanned, this was a fun stop and got Karen and I talking about other glaciers we have seen, such as in Glaciers Park in B.C. (2013) and the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, that we saw on our honeymoon (1992).

A happy family at Sólheimajӧkull

Sketchy Seljavallaug

From Mýrdalsjӧkull we drove and walked into the Seljavallaug pool (laug = pool). This 25 metre pool captures water from a hot spring. It was built in 1923 by a Seljaland local along the banks of a river that runs off Eyjafjalljӧkull (the same volcano/glacier that erupted in 2010 (see Day 1 blog for more info)). Apparently despite Iceland being a nation of fishermen, most people did not know how to swim in 1923 and this guy wanted to change that fact. Until the 1930’s it was Iceland’s largest pool and lessons at it were mandatory for some school children.

Marshall was not too impressed by the pool. “Sketchy” and “nasty” were several words he used. (Because the water is warm, the water doesn’t look great. He’s been spoiled by the clear waters of Pickerel Lake.) I’ll admit the pool and change rooms do have a Bohemian-ness about them which is typically far from my style. However, there was something about the location and view, which was fabulous, and the reasons behind the pool that captured me. Also, I felt like we were doing something a little unique. Even though other tourists go there, it is not a tour bus stop.

Another hour of driving and a few more photo stops later and we were back in Reykjavik for dinner and packing. Although we spent a lot of time in the car on Saturday, we ended our last full day in Iceland with great memories and as you can see, many pictures.
 

View inland from our car on the way to Dyrholaey

View towards the ocean from our car on the way to Dyrholaey

Another shot of Solheimjӧkull

The view from Seljavallaug pool

Eyjafjalljӧkull today

Eyjafjalljӧkull April 2010 (Tough place to farm)

Day 4 - Not too exciting (August 8)

On the road from Reykjavik to Snӕfellsnes 

Today I was awake at 4 a.m. Unless you have very good blinds, Iceland is not great for sleeping in the summer because the sun sets really late and rises very early. Fortunately, a pillow over the eyes is a universally effective blind. 

Saturday was one of the kind of days I hate when travelling. We had to pack up and drive back to Reykjavik, get some gas and groceries, move into a new AirBnB apartment, etc. By the time we got settled in it was 1:30. It just felt like we were doing routine stuff that we could do at home, only it took longer because we don’t know where anything is, like the grocery store. We’re in this cool country with lots to see and do and it feels like we’re wasting time not doing anything fun. This doesn’t make me the happiest traveller. On top of this, it was raining and cool, so there was little interest in exploring Reykjavik on foot. Instead, Karen and I went to the National Museum and left Marshall at the apartment to enjoy some quiet, on-line alone time.

The museum was small but informative. After that we did some laundry at the LaundryMat café (more café than laundrymat) and then we went swimming at the biggest pool in Reykjavik, which has a cool waterslide. Even at 8:30 it was still very busy. As I said, not a very exciting day in an exotic locale. Oh well, tomorrow was excellent.

Our second apartment in Reykjavik--living the highlife!

A LITTLE ICELANDIC HISTORY – Reykjavik and Iceland was settled in 870 after being discovered earlier by some Vikings who got lost on their way to the Faroe Islands. Vikings were known for three things; raiding, trading, and farming (settling). As there was no one to raid or trade with on Iceland, their purpose for coming in 870 was settlement. Why they chose Iceland over Newfoundland and Labrador, which they also travelled to, is perplexing to me. The only trees on Iceland at that time were a species of stunted birch tree. (Only a few stands remain today.) Compared to the building and fire resources to be found in Newfoundland, Iceland seems like a rough choice. My thinking is that either the Beothuk Indians of Newfoundland were not friendly to the Vikings and/or the distance was too far from Europe to transport livestock and other goods. (Being Vikings, they returned to raiding in the 1100 and 1200’s. However, most of it seemed to be restricted to one Iceland clan harassing another Iceland clan.)

What I found interesting was how skilled the first settlers were. The crafts and other metal and wood items they made 1100 years ago were very detailed and functional. They also have a rich and accurate oral and written history of the settlement of the island. (The Book of Settlements is believed to have been first written in the early 1100’s.)

Next to Vikings, the other valuable exports to Iceland during the Settlement period were sheep and horses. Over the years these have both become unique breeds and can still be found all over the island—especially sheep which graze right along the highway. Sheep were particularly important as a source of wool, milk, and food. Apparently they were hardier than cows, which were also important livestock but not as ubiquitous.

Reading about the country's history got me thinking that I would not have wanted to be a woman settler on Iceland. They would have had a very tough life with little outlets (e.g., unlike the men who could look forward to fishing, raiding, and other manly social activities). The women had to spend a lot of time weaving ells of wool. One ell of wool measured 1 metre by 50 centimetres, which would take a skilled weaver about a day to produce. 90 ells, or 90 days of weaving, would buy/trade you a cow. Add to this the time to clean the wool, card it, and spin it into yarn, and one cow would be at least a half-year’s work (I estimate). Add to this the responsibility of raising kids and looking after Viking husbands, tending gardens and crops, etc. and they would have had very long days.