:: Monday, February 28, 2005 ::

Nor any drop to drink

Seasonal Njupeskär

A comparison of the Njupeskär waterfall in winter and summer - quite different!

Posted by: Rob in Sweden.

Yesterday I went to the Fulufjället national park here in Dalarna with some friends. We rented a car, and after a 3-hour, 235 km drive, we arrived at the park. It was a beautiful, sunny day the entire way there, but as soon as we got to the park, it started snowing heavily. We are a little concerned, but it turned out to be incredibly beautiful. We hiked 2 km to the park's most famous attraction, the Njupeskär waterfall, which at 93 meters, is Sweden's highest waterfall.

I'm sure it's very nice in the summer, but in the winter, when the entire waterfall is frozen, you can walk right up to the waterfall's base, which of course wouldn't be possible if the falls were in full flow. So it was quite cool, trudging through the snow, seeing the beautiful colors in the ice, and walking behind huge columns of ice.

More pictures can be seen at my photoblog.

After the waterfall, we planned to hike up to the ridges above the falls to see some lakes that are apparently quite beautiful. Unfortunately, my advanced age decided to change those plans, as my left leg developed simultaneous problems with both my groin muscle and a tendon on the outside of my knee, to the extent that every step was an adventure in pain. And not only that, but my right leg soon started to hurt, as I was favoring it instead of my left leg!

So my friends headed up the 3.5-km trail to the top while I stayed with the car. I got the last laugh, however, when they were unable to find the lakes after having hiked 2 or 3 km through thigh-high snow. They came back wet and snowy and tired, while I took advantage of the solitude for a nice nap in the car.

All in all, though, it was quite a fun trip, and I am glad that I did get to see and play around the waterfall before my leg gave out. Now I just have to figure out what the hell is wrong with it - it's not like I exercise too much, or anything!

Swedish word of the day: vattenfall, which means "waterfall"

:: posted by Rob 2:31 PM [+] :: 3 comments
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A lot better than I think I am

I am currently in the middle of scurrying to finish a paper (so out of character, I know), so apologies for a lack of posts recently. I hope to have some new things to say by the end of the week. Who knows, there may even be pictures of me with a bald head, after I've ripped out all my hair while writing this thing. In any case, for a sneak preview of the topic of my current paper (and possibly even a hint at what my Master's thesis might be about), take a gander at this or read about it in much greater detail. Enjoy.

And finally, What Age Do You Act?

You Are 16 Years Old

16 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Swedish words of the day: skotsk ingenjör, which mean "Scottish engineer"

:: posted by Rob 4:58 PM [+] :: 3 comments
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Where I've Been

Now that I've traveled a bit more, here are a few maps of where I've been, first in Europe:

These would be: Italy (including Vatican City), the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.

and then the whole world:


These would be: the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, the Bahamas, the Netherland Antilles (Sint Maarten), Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin), the Virgin Islands, Italy (including Vatican City), the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

And finally, because I'm such an international "citizen of the world," here's a map showing the all the home countries of friends and people I've met:

Which means I know people from the U.S., Cuba, Ethiopia, Ghana, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, China, India, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan.

create your own visited country map

The world's a big place, sure enough, but getting smaller day by day. And that's a good thing, I think.

:: posted by Rob 1:23 PM [+] :: 1 comments
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I'm not Finnished yet...

I'm finally back. It's been a long time since my last post, but things have been very crazy. Most of you (my few readers, that is) know what's been going on, but I'll give a quick recap, and hopefully go into more detail later, as well as post some pictures of my recent travels.

My last post was right before the holidays, only a day before I left Sweden to go home for a week or two. While I was happy to go home and see my family and friends, the trip also further cemented in my soul the fact that I want to stay here in Europe and not return to the U.S. any time soon. Still, it was great seeing my family again and spending Christmas with them, which was something I had not planned on being able to do. I got to spend time up in NoVa to see my friends as well: Mike and Kerrie, who were gracious enough to put me up for a few days, and I was very happy to see their beautiful new baby Andie. It was good seeing my friends Tom & Kris as well, and their kids Konrad and my goddaughter Sofia, before they move on to new things in New Jersey. Beer Night with the guys, and all of my other friends, it was truly a really fun time.

Right after Christmas, I headed back to Europe. More specifically, I met my new girlfriend(!) Marta in Prague, Czech Republic, where we spent a few days with our Czech friend Lida. We spent New Years in a cottage in a little village called Zdechovice, which was really fun. And Prague, like everyone said, was quite beautiful, though not quite as beautiful as all the hype had made it sound.

After New Years, Marta and I headed to Poland, first to Krakow, where she goes to school, and which is really a beautiful, fun city. I loved it there. We stayed with our friend Staszek right in the center of the city, and I got to meet a number of Marta's friends, as well as try out a wide selection of Krakow's pubs, many of which are located in these old medieval cellars and are quite cool.

After Krakow, we went to Marta's hometown of Lublin, where I got to meet her family, who were very nice and welcoming and really made me feel at home. Lublin is a nice city as well, though not as old and historic and beautiful as Krakow, but I did get the chance to go to the Majdanek concentration camp outside the city, which was definitely an experience to think about. We were also able to take a few day trips, including one to Kazimierz Dolny, a beautiful old town on the Vistula River, and the weather was perfect!

Finally, a couple of weeks into January, we headed back to Sweden and more classes, which are still going well, although now it's time to start thinking about our Masters' theses (shudder).

So things have been busy. I just got back yesterday from Finland, where we took a short trip from Stockholm to Helsinki. The ferry is like a small cruise ship, with restaurants, bars, discos, a casino, and most importantly, a tax-free shop to buy cigarettes and alcohol at much cheaper prices than you can get them in Sweden. So it was one big party on the way over, then we had a day in Helsinki. We saw the biggest Russian Orthodox church in Europe, the Uspenski Cathedral, the Suomelinna fortress (formerly the Swedish fortress of Sveaborg), Senate Square and the Cathedral, as well as Kauppatori, the main market square. Interestingly, Helsinki looked the way I imagined Sweden would look in the winter: cold, snow on the ground, and ice choking the harbor. However, Sweden's winter has thus far been relatively mild, with very little snow on the ground and certainly no ice in Stockholm's canals, so it was interesting seeing a true Scandinavian winter in Helsinki. And though Helsinki was nice, it can't compare to Stockholm, which I think is still my most favorite city in the world.

We got back to Falun from Helsinki yesterday, after another fun party night on the ferry, and now it's back to the grind. I have a pre-Masters' thesis paper due next week that I technically should have been working on for the past few weeks, but I've been a bit busy traveling, resting, and doing some transcription work for my professor, as well. I can't believe I've already been here over 5 months!! It seems like I just got here, and right now at least, the future is still hazy. Where will I go, what will I do? I don't know yet, but I'm excited about all the opportunities, adventures, discoveries, and challenges that await me. More soon, and hopefully some pictures as well!

Finnish word of the day: Suomi, which means "Finland"

:: posted by Rob 11:14 AM [+] :: 0 comments
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