:: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 ::

Stockholm on Sunday (Part 1)

After my busy first day in Stockholm, I woke up bright and early the next morning (after being woken up only a few times during the night by my 7 various roommates coming home, turning on the lights, etc.), and headed to the kitchen in the hostel building on shore for breakfast. Being Sunday, I didn't have much time to see everything, as opening hours were shorter. But I knew where I wanted to go: the Kungliga Slottet, or Royal Palace! I headed across the Skeppsholmsbron to Blasieholmen, turned left and headed for Gamla Stan.

At Gustav Adolfs Torg I crossed the Norrström on the Norrbro bridge to the island of Helgeandsholmen, home to the Riksdaghuset, Sweden's parliament building. Crossing the Stallkanalen brought me to Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town, and the Kungliga Slottet itself. Though the royal family hasn't actually lived there since 1982, the palace is considered the official residence of the king, and many official functions and ceremonies take place there. Being Sunday, the Palace wasn't open yet, so I wandered around the Yttre Borggården or Outer Courtyard. I didn't have to wait long, however, and was soon exploring all the Royal Palace had to offer. (Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures inside the palace, so you'll just have to trust me when I say that what I saw was really cool!)

I started with the Ordenssalarna, the Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry, which are located in the offices inhabited by the High Court (established in 1789) until 1949. The Hall of the Order of Vasa, the Hall of the Order of the Northern Star, the Hall of the Order of the Sword, and the Hall of the Order of the Seraphim hold exhibitions relating to the Royal Orders, both those granted by Sweden and by other countries to Sweden's nobility. There are also a number of coats of arms of various nobilities around the world.

The Ordenssalarna lead directly into the Rikssalen, the Hall of State. Until 1975, the Hall of State hosted the ceremonial opening of the Swedish Parliament, complete with a march of the royal bodyguard in full regalia. Now it is used for official state functions (such as Crown Princess Victoria's coming of age ceremony), and is also home to one of the palace's greatest treasures, Queen Kristina's huge silver throne, a gift commemorating her coronation in 1650.

After the Hall of State, I visited the Bernadottevåningen, the Bernadotte Apartments, so named because of the gallery displaying portraits of the Bernadotte dynasty (Sweden's current royal family are Bernadottes). I saw various guardrooms, the Pillared Hall, the Victoria Drawing Room, the East (and West) Octagonal Cabinets (where the king still receives foreign ambassadors), Oskar II's Writing Room, Carl XVI Gustaf's Jubilee Room, as well as Lovisa Ulrika's Audience Chamber, Antechamber, and Dining Room. Basically lots of ceiling paintings, lavish decor, and wealthy knick-knacks.

From there I headed to the second floor, to the Representationsvåningen, or Royal Apartments. First was the Festvåningen, the State Apartments, consisting of such royal rooms as the Council Chamber, the Audience Chamber, and the HUGE Karl XI's Gallery, modeled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where state banquets are held. There is also Gustav III's State Bedchamber, where the king died in 1792 after being shot at the Opera House, Sofia Magdalena's State Bedchamber, the Don Quixote Room, and "The White Sea" drawing room.

Next was the Stora Gästvåningen, the Guest Apartments, where visiting heads of state stay, consisting of the Empire Salon, the Meleager Salon, and the Great Bedchamber. Those heads of state who find the opulence of the Great Bedchamber too overwhelming may instead stay in either the Small or Inner Bedchambers. Finally, there is the Margareta Room, named for the king's grandmother, an amateur painter, where some of her works are displayed.

Thus finished with the main apartments of the palace, I headed back outside. The palace contains more museums, but it was almost time for the Changing of the Guard, so I wandered a little around Gamla Stan, stopping at a kiosk for a korv (basically a big Swedish hot dog) for lunch. As it turned out, the square was Stortorget, Gamla Stan's main square, and site of the infamous Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520, where the Danish king Kristian II beheaded more than 80 of Sweden's nobles, before burning them as heretics outside the city walls.

Next: The Changing of the Guard, Storkyrka, and the Vasa

Swedish word of the day: kronprincessa, which means "crown princess"

:: posted by Rob 1:12 AM [+] :: 0 comments
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The Great Copper Mountain

On Saturday, I went to Falun's number one tourist attraction, Stora Kopparberget, the Great Copper Mountain. It's a copper mine that is over 1000 years old, and in the 17th and 18th centuries produced 3/4 of the world's copper (thereby making Falun the biggest town in Sweden at the time). It's pretty impressive, and a lot of fun, too. There's the Great Open Pit, a giant hole 95 meters deep and 350 meters across created when three mines collapsed in 1687; the story of Fat Mats, a miner who died in the mine in 1677, who was found perfectly preserved in 1719, looking exactly as he did forty years before; and of course, the guided tour through the mine itself, 55 meters down, through a host of drifts, pits, shafts, and stopes.

I'll be posting the pictures on Buzznet soon, but until then, you can feast your eyes on this picture:

Rob at the Copper Mine

photo by: ceruleaneyes

Here's me all geared up after my trip through Kopparberget, the famous Falu copper mine.

Swedish word of the day: gruva, which means "mine" (koppargruva means "copper mine")

:: posted by Rob 8:47 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Of lakes and cycles

With today being another dark and rainy day in Sweden, I'm glad yesterday was beautiful and sunny. I'm even more glad I took advantage of it by going cycling around the good sized lake north of town.

Falun is situated right between 2 lakes, with some small lakes and a river/stream running through the middle connecting the two. To the south is the quite large Lake Runn, while to the north is Lake Varpan. (If you click on the map of Falun link, you will be able to see the two lakes.)

So yeterday, with clouds only partially obscuring the sky, and the weather relatively warm, I set off for a circuit around Lake Varpan. Unlike the tiny lake Östanforsån near where I live, which is surrounded by biking and walking trails, I discovered that such was not the case around Lake Varpan, and ended up riding along roads for the most part. But they were quite clear on a Sunday afternoon, and I really only feared for my life once or twice! ;)

Overall, the ride was about 18 km, or 11 miles, and was quite nice, although a little tiring (but in a good way). I passed through a handful of little villages, such as Stennäset, Bergsgården, and Österå. On the northern side of the lake, I passed by several farms, with Swedish horses and sheep grazing and sleeping. I also passed through the typical Swedish forest, and there were several people out and about collecting berries.

On the trip back down the eastern side, I realized why there were no bike trails - everyone has houses along the lakeshore. I was riding along on the road, forest on either side of me, and looking through the trees, I could just make out these little cottages on the shore. I kept thinking of the old fairy tales, like the Grimm brothers stories, of Goldilocks stumbling across the cottage of the 3 bears in the woods, or Hansel & Gretel finding the witch's cottage. Sweden's big, dark, thick forests really bring those old European stories to mind. In any case it was really cool.

So an afternoon well spent - hopefully the exercise did my lingering sickness some good, too. And hopefully the weather will stay good on the next few weekends for me to go out and do more things.

And I'll be posting up some pics soon, too!

Swedish word of the day: sjö, which means "lake"

:: posted by Rob 6:53 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Slippery goodness

After searching long and hard, I have finally gotten a pair of slippers! I never would have thought something so simple could be so difficult. At home, I always wore slippers (or went barefoot, when warm). The first thing I would do when I got home was kick off my shoes and put on my slippers. It always just seemed the most comfortable thing to do.

Yet for some reason, when moving to Sweden, I apparently decided that I could suddenly break a lifetime of habit and I threw away my (admittedly old) slippers, leaving me here in Sweden with no slippers. Which meant I've had to sit around in my room, relaxing, wearing my hiking boots, or deal with freezing feet. And what with cutting through the wilderness on the way to school, it's also meant tracking the wilderness indoors with me as well.

But apparently slippers are hard to find in Sweden - it took some searching, but today I was able to finally get ahold of a pair. (I actually could have gotten them yesterday, but yesterday I didn't know what my European shoe size was.) So now I have slippers, so I can walk down to the kitchen for a drink without having to put my shoes on, which is quite nice.

Still trying to get over my pneumonia - I've got 3 days left on the antibiotics, but I still have this annoying lingering cough. Hopefully that will be gone in a couple of days.

My first class, The Role of Intellectuals, is now over. I turned in my paper last week and we discussed them in seminars on Friday. Mine went over well. We won't actually get our grades until probably Tuesday, but I'm not really worried.

Our next class, Why Revolt?, starts Monday. I'm excited about this one (I'm all about the revolution, you know), but this is supposedly the hardest class in the program. Already our compendium of readings for the course is like a phone book (and that's just a collection of some articles; that doesnt include actual books we have to read as well). Well, I'll just have to do the best I can. And hopefully I'll have some time on the weekends to do some fun stuff!

Swedish word of the day: toffel, which means "slipper"

:: posted by Rob 1:12 AM [+] :: 0 comments
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Pictures in an Exhibition

Buzznet finally restored my photoblog, so you can once more go see the pics posted there, including the ones that link with my blog entry on Stockholm. I'll try to get the rest of the Stockholm pics up this weekend, along with the final blog entry about Stockholm, Day 2.

Then I get to regale you with tales and pics of Falun and beyond! Oh boy!

:: posted by Rob 11:05 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Sick of Sweden...?

Or is Sweden sick of me? For the past 2 weeks, I have been afflicted by some sort of cold/flu. Some days were worse than others, some better, though it seemed the symptoms changed daily. I kept hoping to ride it out, thinking that it would pass, as colds and flus eventually do. A shipment of Vitamin C and DayQuil from home seemed to be the answer.

Sadly, it was not the case. Yesterday I went to the emergency room of the local hospital (because on weekends, the local clinic right next door is closed) because I was having difficulty breathing. After tests and x-rays, I got the news: I have pneumonia. Pneumonia! I thought that was something only really sick people got, or people already in the hospital. Well apparently pneumonia can strike right along with a cold, and can be caused by a bacteria or a virus.

So after getting my diagnosis, I was given a prescription for antibiotics (basically just penicillin) and 2 pills to keep me inoculated until today when I could get the prescription filled. Which was another adventure in itself. But suffice to say, I am now feeling better, it's not quite as hard to breathe, I don't think my fever's quite as high as it was (it was around 104 when they checked it at the hospital last night), and things seem to be progressing smoothly. Of course, it still hurts like the dickens when I cough. But hopefully within another day or two all the major symptoms will be taken care of.

Now if I can only muster the will and energy to write my term paper that is due on Wednesday!

And no, I'm not really sick of Sweden (and I don't think she's sick of me). I'm just sick in Sweden. And thanks to the gods that everyone speaks English here, which makes being sick in a foreign country a little less daunting.

:: posted by Rob 6:56 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Thoughts on Sweden

A couple of Polish girls in my Master's program were asked by the university newspaper to interview some of the foreign exchange students and get their views on Sweden for an article. As one of the students chosen for this (and as one of the very few students representing America), I thought I'd share the questionnaire and my answers here.

1. What did you know about Sweden before you came here?
Quite a bit. I did a lot of research into Sweden, its government, people, and culture, so I feel I've been pretty prepared.

2. What was your main reason for coming to Sweden?
(Rather than simply put "the Crown Princess," I said something else): My main reason was to get out of the US and experience life in Sweden and all Sweden has to offer.

3. One word you associate with Sweden. Nature

4. Is there a thing that you forgot to take from home and you would like to have with you now?
my slippers

5. How do you find Britsen?
I like Britsen - it's a lot of fun and very international. I think the rooms are nice, and it's very nice having a private bathroom!

6. What do you think about Swedish people?
They are very nice and friendly, but a little standoffish. Sometimes it seems that it's hard to get to know them.

7. Are you looking forward to the Swedish winter? Why?
No - because of the cold! But I am curious as to just how cold it will get...

8. What's your opinion on Falun's nightlife?
Haven't seen much of it so far - does Falun have a nightlife?

9. What surprised you most in Sweden?
How everyone speaks English. It's amazing to me to be in a foreign country and have no trouble at all communicating.

10. Which supermarket is the best one for you - Lidl, ICA, or Hemköp?
Lidl is cheapest, but doesn't have much of a selection. Hemköp has everything you need, but is expensive. So I guess ICA is a good choice between the others.

:: posted by Rob 12:17 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Stockholm, Venice of the North

Update: Buzznet finally fixed their servers, so the links to the pictures finaly work. Definitely click away if you think you missed any of them!

After the difficulties with the weight of my luggage in Amsterdam, I finally arrived in Stockholm on Saturday, August 14 after a brief layover in the Prague airport (I wish I could have seen the city itself - perhaps some time in the next year). Most of the day was taken up by travel, between cities and between the cities and their respective airports, but I arrived at Stockholm's Central Station somewhere around 4:00 pm. Once again leaving my suitcase in a locker at the train station (and after buying my train ticket from Stockholm to Falun on Monday), I found bus 65 to Skeppsholmen and was on my way to the Youth Hostel af Chapman & Skeppsholmen.

The hostel is actually two hostels in one - the 19th-century rigged sailing ship af Chapman and an adjacent building on the island of Skeppsholmen itself. The af Chapman was originally built in England in 1888. Named Dunboyne, she sailed as a trader for 25 years under British and Norwegian flags. She was moved to Gothenburg in 1915 and renamed G.D. Kennedy, serving as a private training ship. The Swedish Navy took ownership of her in 1923, renaming her af Chapman, and trained ship's boys upon her until her final voyage in 1934. Towed to Stockholm in 1937, she was permanently moored to Skeppsholmen to serve as navy accommodation. After WWII, the navy sold her to the city of Stockholm for 5000 Swedish crowns, and the Swedish Touring Club restored and renovated the ship, opening her as a youth hostel in 1949. The adjacent building of the hostel was originally built in 1785 to store firewood for the Royal Palace. In the 19th century, it was completely rebuilt as quarters for navy craftsmen. After subsequently serving as a post office and grocery store, it was opened as a youth hostel in 1983.

I had reserved space in the hostel ahead of time, but did not know where my room would be. Checking into reception in the main building, I discovered I had been given a bunk on the ship! I joined the International Youth Hostel Federation, and boarded the ship, where I discovered I was sharing a room with 7 other guys, mostly Italians. I chatted with them for a few minutes, "stowed my gear," and went topside to look around.

The af Chapman is moored on the island of Skeppsholmen, and lies just across the body of water called the Strömmen from Gamla Stan (Stockholm's Old Town), the Riksdagshuset (Parliament House), and the Royal Palace. It's also very close to the Skeppsholmsbron, the bridge linking Skeppsholmen to Blasieholmen on the mainland and the city center. Since it was so late in the day, I decided to just explore Skeppsholmen itself, and its connecting island Kastellholmen.

Skeppsholmen once served as a naval base, and many of the buildings on the island are restored naval buildings, most dating from the 19th century. The island is also home to three museums: the Östasiatiska Museet (Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities), the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art), and the Arkitekturmuseet (Museum of Architecture). Unfortunately, they were all closed so late in the day and I never had time to visit them. Near the af Chapman, however, is the Admiralty House, as well as Skeppsholmen's salute battery, four 57-mm cannons fired to mark national and royal special occasions such as the birthdays of the King, Queen, and Crown Princess. Also on Skeppsholmen is the Skeppsholmskyrken, the island's Empire-style church, built between 1824 and 1842. My exploration of Skeppsholmen mostly completed, I passed through Långa Raden, a "Long Row" of buildings now used by the State Board of Culture, but originally a barracks built around 1700 to house Karl XII's royal bodyguard. On the other side was Kastellholmsbron, a bridge built in 1880 to the island of Kastellholmen.

Just across the bridge on Kastellholmen is the pavilion of the Royal Skating Club (built in 1882), which used the water between the two islands when it was frozen. Kastellholmen's real draw, however, is the Kastellet, a medieval-style castle built from 1846 to 1848. Every morning since 1640, a sailor has hoisted the three-tailed Swedish war flag at the castle. Kastellet also has a battery of four cannons that fires a salute from the terrace whenever a visiting naval arrives. From Kastellholmen, one can also look across the Nybroviken to Djurgården, the large island that was formerly a royal animal reserve and hunting ground and now forms part of the Stockholm National City Park, the only one of its kind in the world. One can also look across the Saltsjön to Södermalm, an area of cliffs and steep hills south of the city center, added to the city in 1436.

After only a few hours in Stockholm (even with intermittent rain), seeing the vista from the deck of the af Chapman and wandering through the parks of Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen, I was already in love with the city. I had so little time in the city, and saw so very little (although I did manage to see a lot), that I have to go back. It's only three hours from Falun by train, so I'm definitely planning to spend a few more weekends there. And if I end up being able to stay in Sweden, I may very well try to make Stockholm my new home. It is such a beautiful city, with its collection of islands and waterways (not to mention the wider Stockholm Archipelago and its 24,000 additional islands and skerries), that I fell in love almost immediately. Words and pictures really don't do it justice.

With night fast approaching, I decided to go looking for dinner, crossing the Skeppsholmsbron into Blasieholmen on the mainland. Another major museum is located here, the Nationalmuseum, built in 1866 and housing Sweden's largest art collection. It was, of course, closed by this time, and I had no time to visit it later. A little ways further up Södra Blasieholmshamnen is the Grand Hotel, Sweden's only five-star hotel, built in 1874. Every year since 1901, the Grand Hotel has provided accommodation for the Nobel Prize winners, and until 1929 hosted the Nobel Prize banquet, at which point the event outgrew the location and was moved to the city hall, the Stadshuset.

In Blasieholmen, I took a short tour of Kungsträdgården, formerly the royal kitchen garden in the 15th century. It is home to statues of two of Sweden's kings: J.P. Molin's statue of the warrior king Karl XII, unveiled in 1868 to mark the 150th anniversary of his death, and Erik Göthe's statue of Karl XIII, who reigned from 1809 to 1818. Bordering Kungsträdgården are the Kungliga Operan (Royal Opera House), the 17th-century Jacobs Kyrka dedicated to St. Jacob, the patron saint of wayfarers, and Sverigehuset (Sweden House), home to the Swedish Institute and the Stockholm Visitors Board. All of course, were closed by this time, and though there were a few cafes open, I decided to head back to the af Chapman. The hostel has an attached restaurant/cafe, where I ate a simple but good dinner accompanied by pear cider. I then spent some more time on deck, enjoying the Stockholm evening, before heading to my bunk so I could make the most of my one full day to come in Stockholm.

Next: The Royal Palace

:: posted by Rob 5:32 PM [+] :: 1 comments
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Lord, I was born a ramblin' man

Here's a neat litle thing showing where I've been - my goal is to cover all the world in red! Hahahahahaha!!!

The states I've visited:


create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide

The Europe I've visited (2 of them in the past month!):


create your personalized map of europe
or write about it on the open travel guide

The countries I've visited:


create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

:: posted by Rob 1:50 AM [+] :: 0 comments
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Amsterdam, Day 2

After collapsing from exhaustion Thursday night, I woke up refreshed and completely un-jet-lagged Friday morning. After joining my fellow guests in the Hotel Prinsenhof's breakfast room for breakfast, I was ready to hit the city.

My first planned stop was the Anne Frank house, coincidentally located on the same canal as the hotel (the Prinsengracht), but on the other side of the city. I decided to follow the canal rather than try to decipher the tram system at this point, but after a bit of walking and quite a bit of rain, I bit the bullet and used the trams.

Unfortunately, where I was at the time didn't have a direct tram to the Anne Frank house, so I had to go into the center and change trams there. This, coupled with my walking, and somewhat of a late start, got me there later than I had planned, which meant waiting in line. Luckily, the rain held off the entire time I was in line outside, and the wait was definitely worth it.

I am so glad I read Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl before coming, and since I just read it a month or so ago, it was still fresh in my memory. I wasn't originally going to go there, with only one day in Amsterdam, but now I'm so glad I did. They say it's Amsterdam's most popular tourist attraction, and I can definitely recommend that anyone who goes to Amsterdam should visit here. Though all of the furnishings have been removed from the "Secret Annex," there is still a very palpable sense of what went on there, knowing that 8 people lived in hiding here for years until they were betrayed. You can't help but feel something when you pass through the hidden door behind the bookcase, or when you see Anne's room, with her pictures of movie stars taken from magazines still pasted on the walls. At the end, of course, you are confronted with the facts about what happened to everyone there. Only Anne's father, Otto Frank, survived the concentration camps, and it is because of him that we have her diary. Tragically, Anne herself died of typhus and deprivation in the Bergen-Belsen camp, only two weeks before it was liberated by the British Army.

After I left the Anne Frank house, I headed to the nearby Westerkerk ("West Church"), the bells of which Anne mentioned in her diary. A small statue of Anne sits outside. The Westerkerk is one of only two churches built in Amsterdam specifically for Protestants, and was completed in 1631. I wanted to go up the church's tower, but their tours were already booked for the next hour or so, and it was already afternoon, so I decided to miss it this time around.

Instead, I headed to Dam Square, the center of the Old City, home to both the Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church") and Koninklijk Paleis ("Royal Palace"). Dam Square is also home to the city's war memorial, as well as Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, and when I was there at least, a carnival of some sort.

Whereas the Westerkerk was built specifically for Protestants, the Nieuwe Kerk was Amsterdam's second parish church, built some time in the 14th century. Later, the Calvinists stripped it of all its adornments, but all Dutch monarchs since 1814 have been crowned here. For some reason I didn't go in - maybe there wasn't enough time, or admission was too high or something. I don't remember.

I do remember stopping for lunch nearby at a little Indonesian place called Sie Joe, where I had some delicious satay. Then I wasted more time as I went to change some traveler's checks. I had already signed them before I realized that I had left my passport at the hotel, and the exchange place wouldn't accept my Virginia driver's license as valid ID. And since I had already signed the checks, I couldn't cash them anywhere else. So I used up an hour or so taking the tram back to the hotel, getting my passport, and then back to the exchange place. As it turned out, it was a good thing I returned early to the hotel, however, for reasons I'll explain later.

Finally back at Dam Square, I went to the Koninklijk Paleis, the other big thing I wanted to see in Amsterdam. Originally built as the city's Stadhuis (town hall) in the 17th century, it was appropriated as the Royal Palace of Louis Napoleon in 1808, after he was appointed King of Holland by his brother Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and recent occupier of the Netherlands. Though Louis abdicated and fled in 1810, the building remained a royal palace, though not really used by the monarchs of Holland. More information can be found in the pictures I posted, but suffice to say that the interior of the Koninklijk Paleis is quite ornate and beautiful, and was well worth the time spent there.

By the time I finished in the Royal Palace, closing times were fast approaching for a lot of the museums. I wanted to stop by the Oude Kerk ("Old Church"), Amsterdam's oldest church, built in the 14th century (although an earlier wooden church was built on the site in the early 13th century), but I also wanted to see the Amstelkring. Both closed at 5, so I headed for the Amstelkring, rationalizing that I've seen churches before and will again.

Of course, the Amstelkring itself is a church, though not the type of church you would expect. In 1578, Amsterdam rejected Catholicism and the Protestant rebels proclaimed the Alteration. Basically, all Catholic churches were recycled for Protestant use and Catholics were prohibited from openly worshipping. The solution: clandestine churches hidden inside normal buildings, of which the Amstelkring is the only surviving example.

Located in the attic of an unassuming merchant's house on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, the Amstelkring, properly known as Ons Lieve Heer Op Solder ("Our Dear Lord in the Attic"), is now a museum. The current exhibition was on the Seven Sacraments, but the church itself was pretty impressive, stuffed into a narrow Amsterdam canal house, but with an organ and mock-marble altar, even carved balconies over the nave. Tiny confessionals hidden under stairways and secret rooms for the priests completed the museum. No pictures were allowed unfortunately, and I was a bit rushed to get through it before closing time, but it was still pretty cool, and definitely recommended.

Of course, no visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a visit to the famed Red Light District. And since the Oude Kerk and Amstelkring are right on the edge of the RLD, I took this opportunity to wander through. Nothing really exciting - I've seen worse (or better?) in other big cities of the world, but it was still something to experience. Sorry, no pictures allowed there, either, fellas. Maybe the rain was keeping people away, or maybe I was just there too early. No great loss, it seems. I did go into a store/museum of prostitution looking for souvenirs, however. Rather than pay to see the museum I bought a souvenir shot glass (as I try to do for all the places I visit). I decided to forego the tacky RED LIGHT DISTRICT shot glasses complete with bare-breasted ladies in favor of a much more classy and simple "Amsterdam" shot glass. I also stopped for a glass of Heineken in Teasers, basically Amsterdam's answer to Hooters, but bar-dancing waitresses excluded, I think Hooters has it better. At least they have wings.

On the other side of the Red Light District, I came upon Nieuwmarkt and the Waag, a former fortified city gate built in the 1480s. Once the city expanded past its walls, the Waag became a municipal weighing-house, quarters for the surgeons' guild, as well as serving as a furniture store and firehouse. Today, however, it is home to In de Waag, a Belgian restaurant-cafe where I had quite a nice dinner of some kind of soup, Oriental-style mussels, and ice cream and chocolate cake for dessert.

As I mentioned earlier, I had to go back to the hotel earlier in the day, which turned out to be a good thing. When I went into my safety deposit box in the hotel for my passport, I enquired about check-out the next day. Good thing I did, as I had to leave early, and I was told that after 5 pm Friday there wouldn't be anyone there, nor would there be anyone there that early in the morning when I had to leave. So Friday afternoon I ended up emptying my safety deposit box and paying for my room. Since I would be leaving before breakfast was served, they offered to prepare a breakfast tray for me the night before. Check-out would consist of leaving my key on the tray.

So when I got home Friday night after a long day in the 'Dam, I had a tray already prepared for the next morning, complete with a one cup coffee maker. After packing up and taking a shower, I hit the bed, waking up bright and early Saturday morning at about 6 am. I got to enjoy my breakfast in my room, looking out on a sunny day of all things, and was out waiting for the tram on Utrechtsestraat by about 7:30. The tram took me to Centraal Station, where I already had my ticket for the train to the airport, and my day and a half in Amsterdam was over.

Almost over, actually. As I went to do the self check-in for my flight to Stockholm via Prague on Czech Airlines, I was informed that my bags were too heavy, and I had to go through regular check-in, which meant waiting in line. Though I had had no troubles with my bags on SAS from Dulles to Amsterdam, apparently my Czech Air ticket gave me a weight limit of only 23 kg, and together my bags weighed 47 kg. I was helpfully informed that I could remove items to make my bags lighter (because after all, I was only moving to Sweden for a year and I could surely afford to leave 24 kilos of my life in Amsterdam). What could I do? I had to take my bags with me, so after waiting in line to check in, I had to go wait in another line to pay for the extra weight. How much was it, you may ask? At 11.04 Euros per kilo, my charge was 265 Euros. More than the cost of my entire flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm. Grrrrrrrrr. But like I said, what could I do? Well, waiting in line to get through security is what. Fortunately, even with all the extra time it took, I still made my plane in plenty of time, and I was finally on my way to Sweden! Stockholm, here I come!

You may have noticed some links to photos in my photoblog in the above report. If you haven't already checked them out, please do so! The captions on the photos contain a lot more info about some of the places I mentioned, if you're interested.

Coming Soon: Stockholm, Venice of the North

:: posted by Rob 5:45 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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