Stockholm, SWEDEN

Stockholm....what a smooth city!! Built across tens of islands with thousands of small islands scattered around the Swedish archipelago towards the east, its indeed a nice city to explore by foot or bicycle. The magnificent buildings of the neighbourhoods (islands) of Söder and Gamla Stan, dating from the Middle Ages, are very different from the nearby island of Djurgården's fantastic woods and open concept wild Scandinavian animal farms and gardens.

Went out with my Netratings colleague in Stockholm and had a nice dinner and drinks. Too bad I could not join them for the weekend at the cabin in the woods up north!!

I truly enjoyed the few days I spent in Stockholm!! I sure would love to return some time in the future. Hopefully next time I will meet up with Agnetha Fältskog.

Lofoten Islands, NORWAY

I am on top of the world and basking in the midnite sun...or midnite drizzle... most of the time.

Greetings from the fishing village of Å (pronounced O), at the southern end of Moskenes island of the Lofoten Islands, about 500km north of the Arctic Circle, Norway.....4 hours by ferry from Bodø, northern Norway. While still a longish hike to the North Pole, there is not too much land between me and the North Pole and certainly the furthest north I have even been! It is summer, which means 24 hours of daylight and 25 hours of SUNlight....WHEN there are no clouds and rain and fog and drizzle. While this is their driest season, I am "blessed" with drizzle almost 20 hours per day with a temperature of about 8-15 Celsius. I am well prepared with this weather so I am staying warm and dry and having the time of my life!

Several small fishing villages are scattered around these islands (some abandoned since the 50's) living mainly on dried cod fish exports to Italy and Portugal. However, most land area are uninhabited due to the very high snow covered mountains, with literally thousands of waterfalls across the magnificent fjords cascading into the turquoise streams and rivers. Indeed a good time of the year to visit as the snow is melting in the warming sun (lots of snow on the mountains never melt). Most people on these islands are fishermen and live in small red painted Rorbu (Fisherman's Cabins) at the foot of the mountains. No less than 2.5 million nesting birds make Lofoten Islands a bird watcher's and photographer's paradise (ganettes, cormorants, puffins, sea eagles, etc).

I have done a lot of hiking and cycling around the lakes and mountains and truly enjoyed this PURE experience. Also took a boat trip around the Kjerk fjords north of the villages of Reine...absolutely breath taking!

I must return one day soon!

Bergen, Western NORWAY

Greetings from this picturesque coastal town of Bergen, Norway, nestled among the fjords with snowy mountains to the east and the coast to the west. Spectacular flight from Oslo as we crossed the snowy mountains. Despite the constant fine drizzle and cloudy weather (with some sunny breaks and lifting of the fog), I have done a lot of hiking in the area. I conquered both the high mountains in the area and did three spectacular train journeys and a boat cruise through the high and narrow fjords. This time of the year (summer) is an excellent time to travel the fjords as the melting snow creates thousands of waterfalls cascading down the steep rocks into the blue water. I am truly impressed with Norway. Had lots and lots (maybe too much) salmon. On Thursday morning (June 23) up to the far north -- Lofoten Islands, north of the Arctic Circle to see the midnight sun. Will stay in a small fishing village and explore nearby islands and more fjords for the next 5 days before flying to Sweden.

Will write more when I have time.

Oslo, NORWAY

Oslo must be one of the most beautiful and liveable cities I have ever been to! Lots of parks, beaches, islands, old and new streets and buildings...lots of history, culture, music....just an all-round NICE city. Spent some time exploring the islands scattered across the Oslo Fjord which was a real pleasure. Some sun and some drizzle days, but generally nice weather.

Partied 2 nights in a row at the B&B where I stayed with a few Norwegians and Swedes. Super nice people. When you party this far north....you say "we party until it gets dark...because it does not get dark at all." You cant really see any gap between sunset and sunrise. The skies remain bright all through the night. Up in Lofoten Islands (north of the Arctic Circle), I will see the sun all night long! I look forward to seeing the midnight sun!

Sunday I am flying west to Bergen to see the fjords and then after 4 days I'm flying to north of the Arctic Circle to the Lofoten Islands (the wild north!).

Reflecting on Eastern/Central Europe

As I am leaving for Scandinavia tomorrow (from Berlin), here are my thoughts of Eastern/Central Europe which I have visited (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech, Eastern Germany)

1. People behind service desks (older people generally) are really grumpy and it takes a few smiles from me to warm them up. Certainly a communist era left over.

2. Smoking is everywhere. From young kids to the very old -- seems like everybody smokes, in particular Bulgaria and Romania.

3. Men (almost all men) wear earrings...more so in the south - Greece and Bulgaria. Even primary school kids wear earrings across most of the countries I visited so far.

4. Best countries: Bulgaria and Romania (few tourists, great architecture, nicer people, beautiful country side even if quite backwards in time)

5. Most beautiful towns: Sozopol (Bulgaria), Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria), Brasov (Romania), Sinaia (Romania), Eger (Hungary), Kutna Hora (Czech)

6. Best foods: Bulgarian salads, Slovak soups, yogurts, wine and beer, sausages in Hungary.

7. Most beautiful people: Thessaloniki, Greece.

8. Biggest disappointments: Prague -- over run by tourists (Budapest too, but to a lesser extent), Berlin Zoo (no signage in English -- seems like it is only for German people)

9. Biggest mistakes: Should have spent more time in Bulgaria along the Black Sea, and also more time in Romania.

10. Best experiences: Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra at the Budapest Opera House, dinner at a stately 1888-building restaurant in Bucharest, cellar hopping in Eger, Hungary.

11. Next places I should visit -- maybe next year: Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Croatia, Bosnia, Latvia, Lithuania.

12. Bad experiences: Getting fined US$10 in Budapest Subway because I did not validate my US$0.10 ticket (preyed on me as I was carrying my backpack), Stopped in west Berlin by real nasty German police and demanded to see my passport (several others around me were rounded up). They let me go 10 min later after checking my name in their data base.

 

That's it!! Tomorrow off to Norway heading towards the far north - north of the arctic circle where the midnight sun shines this time of the year.

 

Berlin, GERMANY

I didn't really care about visiting Berlin but I must say that I am very pleasantly surpized. Quite a nice city, with lots to see and do. Berlin zoo was quite disappointing as no signage is in English and I can't really see why this is called a world class zoo. I enjoyed the Columbo (Sri Lanka) zoo more than the Berlin zoo. Seeing the Brandenberg Gate and reading the stories about the history was very interesting and its hard not to shed a tear. At Check Point Charlie a lonely American soldier is collecting 1 Euro to take a picture by his side. I guess Bush long ago cut off his funding. The few left overs of the Berlin wall are surely interesting and I managed to get a little piece in my pocket. As a reminder of the brutal days of the German Police, they did manage to stop me at the cafe near where I'm staying and very rudely demanding my passport -- which I dont carry with me. After checking my details on their computer they let me go. Daytrip Potsdam is a real nice town with lots of history showing life of the noble men.

Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC

What a zoo Prague has become since I last visited 10 years ago. While this is still early travel season, this place is already over-run by tourists. This city has lost its charm to me as it has been developed now as the Disneyland of Eastern Europe! The city has been remodelled with the tourist money in mind. Budapest is fast on the way to become like Prague, while Bucharest in Romania is a way off but I bet within the next 10 years, it will be where Prague is right now. So, if you still want to see real life in a big Eastern Euro city, then visit Bucharest NOW. Same applies to Bulgaria -- what a gem!

While Prague has lost its magic to me, the areas away from the tourist flooded old town area is still very charming. In fact, I just decided to  spen 10 days in Prague, but will mostly be doing the smaller towns and villages away from the capital city. I have decided to skip going to Krakow, Poland, as it would add 18 additional train hours to my schedule -- and both will be night trains -- and I'm no fan of night trains!  I'll do Poland from Berlin.

Food is good! Prices not as good as south from here such as Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, and Bulgaria. Beer in a night club is still only US$1,20  which is not bad at all -- so there are still many cheapies in Prague.

Weather wise -- yesterday some rain but sunny in the afternoon and perfect today.
Am I still enjoying my travels: I sure do! As long as the sun shines, and the food is good -- I'll be very happy.
Till later

Bratislava - SLOVAKIA - Final Day

I almost skipped Bratislava but what a huge mistake that would have been!! As the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava is home to a mere 500,000 people and it has a true small town feeling. Nice old town centre, castles and fortresses in the area, and real cheap and good food, beer and wine! I fell in love with Mr. Vsozlom's soup at the cafe near the old town. He (or his wife actually) makes the best tripe soup (and lentil soup) I have ever tasted. I ended up eating there 3 times!

Spent a few hours at the castle in the small town 30 minutes away from Bratislava, right at the Slovak / Austria border where the Danube river flows real fast!

Nikolai -- the Paris born guy (staying at the same home as me) and is working in Bratislava, took me around town to a nice suburban restaurant where we drank some of that strong eastern euro stuff which are apparently banned in most of the west. Not surprisingly that I can't remember the name of the drink.

I ended off my Bratislava stay with a free concert in the park -- Elton John's "Peach Tree Road" concert which was kindly sponsored by T-Mobile. Nikolai and I had prime spots -- right in front of Sir. Elton, who did many of his big hits including quite a few songs from the new Peach Tree Road album (this was the fifth time I see Mr. Showbiz so he may start to recognize me in the audience). Last time I saw him was just a few months ago in Hong Kong. A very pleasant evening under the stars right on the banks of the Danube river -- thanks to Elton!

...and off to Prague...where I arrived yesterday afternoon. Nice to be back in Prague which I last visited about 11 years ago. Another nice sunny day and I'll report later on whats happening in Prague. On Monday I'm off to Krakow in southern Poland before going to Berlin, Germany and then up to Oslo, Norway a few days later.

Bratislava, SLOVAKIA

Arrived safely in Bratislava and found a nice suburban home to stay. Nice yard with birds, and having my own apartment. Food is great, beer is good too, and the wine is so-so. Prices are really low compared with Budapest. People are more friendly compared to most other eastern Euro places I have visited so far. Nice little old town and lots of outdoors activities to explore. Mountain hiking is very promising so I need to get away from this computer and get into the forests!  Another sunny warm day!  Life is wonderful.

Will update later.......