:: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 ::

Tour de Sweden

Yesterday I finally got my bike. And what a process and a half it was! Apparently there's some strange law in Falun that says all secondhand stores must be located as far as physically possible from the people that actually want to patronize said stores.

After numerous inquiries, contradictory testimonies from various informants, and information that certain closer secondhand stores had NO used bikes left, I finally got a line on one that supposedly did (thanks to the Polish Underground - there's so many of them here, it's like a bush telegraph or something - suffice to say, nearly all the Poles have bikes, but how?). In any case, I had a big stretch of time between my morning and afternoon classes, had reasonably good directions, and I was already in the center of town (after issues with paying my September rent - don't ask), so I figured, what the heck?

Now a smart man would say the place is several kilometers away, you have to take the bus there, and you have the entire day Wednesday free - why not wait until then and take someone with you, maybe make a fun excursion out of it? But no, Rob wants his bike today, so off I go. A smart man would also have said I'm going to a secondhand store to buy a bike, I'm just now leaving my bank, and maybe getting some money first would be a good idea. As it would become clear in hindsight, I was not that smart man.

I was reasonably certain I was on the right bus, though somewhat concerned with what stop to get off, so I spent the entire trip looking at my Swedish bus schedule and map and comparing them to the bus stop and street signs I saw through the window. But before you know it, I was in Korsnäs and ready to find my bike, assuming I could find the actual shop. My directions were to cross over the bridge between two lakes and it was somewhere around there, so off I went.

I was a bit concerned about time - I still had a few hours until my next class, but I had to make sure that if I didn't buy a bike that I would be back in time to catch the bus back to Centrum, which would still leave me about a 20 minute walk away from the university. So I was under a bit of pressure to find a bike, just so I wouldn't have to worry about making the bus.

A few minutes' walk indeed took me to the bridge, and lo and behold on the other side stood a big building marked Falun Fynd, with a bunch of bikes out front. I had found it! Success! I took a little while perusing the bikes, weighing the balance between budget and coolness, when a thought suddenly occurred to me: how would I pay for it? As suspected, the place only took cash, and there were apparently no cash machines around. Now I could have turned around and gone back to town, to return another day with less of a time crunch and more money in my pocket, but I was already there, I had found a pretty nice bike that very well might not be there when I returned, not to mention I had already spent 17 crowns on the bus trip out here and would have to pay 17 more to get back.

But there was a solution - just a few hundred meters up the road, I was told, was a grocery store where I could buy something and then get cash back to pay for a bike. Ah, but wait - the bike I had chosen was 1000 crowns, and I could only get 500 in cash back. No problem - just a little further up the road was another store, where I could once again buy something and once again get more cash back.

I'm tempted to postulate what a smart man would do in this situation, but instead I'll tell you what I did - I spent another half hour or so walking up the road to a grocery store, where I got a drink and 500 crowns, then further up the road to a convenience store where I got a candy bar and 500 more crowns, and then walked all the way back.

Of course, the fact is, the 1000 crown bike was one of the more expensive bikes there. I could have gotten one for considerably less money (anywhere from maybe 250-500 crowns), but this one had several features that not only recommended it above other ones there but that I was also looking for.

So I finally made it back to the store, money in hand, legs tired from walking, with an hour to go until class. I paid the man, got the bike, but decided I should raise the seat. No such luck - they didn't have an Allen wrench of the right size. No problem, it wasn't that bad, I could always adjust it later. I was finally on my way, back to town and university!

Now came a slight dilemma or two. I didn't know the exact way back, as I had come here by bus, but I wasn't too worried, as I had a map, and knew which direction to head at least. But should I head for school or home? I had brought a bike lock with me from the States, but as the smart man in me had decided to vacation for the day, I had left it in my room, because that's clearly the best thing to do with your bike lock when you're going to buy a bike! I was once more concerned with time - it was an hour until class, I was untold kilometers away from the university and home (which is actually past the university), and I kept having visions of my new (used) 1000-crown bike being stolen while I was in class on the very day I bought it.

So off I went, heading (I think) towards town, pedaling like mad, hoping I'd have enough time to go home before university. Seriously, I was like Lance Armstrong, or at least that's how I felt, riding so hard on my first time on a bike in at least five years. Fortunately, there were clear signs pointing the way to Centrum on the bike trails, so I had no problem with directions, although the town center was still a 20-25 minute walk from university and/or home. But I made it to the center of town with half an hour to spare, and decided that I did indeed have time to stop home first to get my lock. On my way, I passed several of my classmates heading to class in the opposite direction.

Now came the (almost) fatal flaw in my plan. I had made very good time in getting back to Britsen from the secondhand shop, and still had plenty of time to get to class, as the bike trip there would be faster than walking. But the way to school from Britsen is uphill most of the way, and my legs were already jelly from my hard first-time-on-a-bike-in-way-too-many-years ride.

I ended up having to walk the bike up one of the hills, and paused at least once to gasp like a fish flopping around on dry land. But I did make it there on time (with time to spare even), and the ride back after class was all downhill, and it was fun zipping right by my classmates and arriving home 15 minutes before them.

So now I'm in possession of a blue 4-speed mountain bike (technically a woman's bike, but it's not that noticeable and it is secondhand), complete with headlight, a rack on the back, and a bell to warn oncoming pedestrians. Now I just need to find an Allen wrench of the right size to adjust the seat a little higher.

Of course, fate continued to smile on me by raining this morning, prompting me to walk, and then suddenly turning sunny and warm before I had even made it to school. Perfect weather for a bike ride. Tomorrow I don't have class, so no riding then, either, and Thursday it'll probably snow, so my bike will get one day of use. Sorry, that's just the pessimist in me talking - I'm sure I'll be able to ride Thursday - but I do want to raise that damn seat.

Allen wrench donations freely and gladly accepted.

:: posted by Rob 10:45 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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"Sold my plasma in Amsterdam / Spent it all in a night" *

or, Amsterdam, Day 1

So here it is, the long-awaited and much-promised Amsterdam trip report.

After a long, relatively uneventful, and mostly sleepless overnight flight from Dulles (Note to self: wear more than a short-sleeved shirt on international flights - it's damn cold on those planes!), and after a brief layover in the scenic Copenhagen airport, I arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport at 10:30 in the morning on Thursday, August 12. After leaving one of my bags in a locker, I hopped on the express train to Amsterdam Centraal Station. After a quick look around and a stop in the Tourist Office for some maps and info, I hopped onto Tram #4 and headed for the Hotel Prinsenhof, located in the Grachtengordel, the "girdle of canals" that encircles the Old Centre of Amsterdam.

The Hotel Prinsenhof is located in a historic Amsterdam canal house on the Prinsengracht Canal, outside of the city center (and therefore a little quieter), but still close to a lot of the city's attractions. When I knocked on the door, the top half opened, and I was confronted with some very steep stairs. Looking up the stairs, I saw the manager on duty on the floor above, who opened the door for me with ropes and pulleys when I told him my name. After checking in, I was taken up the steep, winding (and very typical) Amsterdam stairs to my room on the top floor, or more accurately, the attic. Even though it was bit of a climb, I really enjoyed my room. It had a lot of charm, with the peaked ceiling and exposed beams, and felt very European to me. Typically for small European hotels, I had to share a bathroom, but since this was the attic, I only had to share it with the other room up there, and never had any problems. I really wanted to just go to sleep, since I had been up for almost 24 hours, but I knew I would never get my internal clock set straight that way, so I resolved to stay up as long as I could. So after a short rest, a shower, and a change of clothes, I headed off into Amsterdam.

My first stop was a little tearoom (basically a cafe) close to the hotel called Cafe Panini, where I ate lunch (a prosciutto panini, of all things) and tried to recharge my batteries a little. It was cloudy and rainy in Amsterdam, and I had left my umbrella in my suitcase at the airport, so all I had was a light rain poncho. But the rain was mostly intermittent, so I headed south, crossing the Singelgracht, the last of Old Amsterdam's big encircling canals, on my way to the old Heineken Brouwerij and the Heineken Experience.

Heineken was brewed here between 1864 and 1988, when the company moved its brewery outside the city. Now it's a sort of beer museum, though probably its greatest attraction is the three free beers you get as part of the ticket price at small pubs scattered throughout the building. The old brewing facilities were pretty interesting, but I was so tired that a lot of it was a blur. In fact, I only drank two of my three free beers, though I did get a souvenir Heineken glass as part of the package too.

After the Heineken Brewery, in an attempt to stay awake through constant movement, I headed into De Pijp ("the Pipe"), Amsterdam's first suburb, so called because the apartments in the brick tenements on the narrow streets were said to resemble pipe-drawers, since each had small street frontage but extended deep into the buildings. I headed down Albert Cuypstraat, which hosts a daily market that stretches for more than a kilometer, selling all manner of everything - basically a combination flea market-produce stand-discount street mall. Not seeing much of interest there (and getting rained on), I wandered through the Sarphatipark, a big park with paths and a lake, built before De Pijp itself as a picnicking area for the bourgeoisie.

Now late afternoon and very tired, I headed over to the Amstel River to take me back towards central Amsterdam. I walked up the river, saw the Amstel locks, and looked for the Magere Brug ("Skinny Bridge"), supposedly Amsterdam's most famous bridge. But I was such a zombie by this time that I somehow missed it, even though it is apparently very close to the locks, which I did find.

Heading back to the hotel, I stopped off at a little Italian place for dinner. I don't remember the name, unfortunately, and it wasn't the best meal in the world. Not that the food itself was bad - I think a combination of jet lag, exhaustion, a lot of walking, and maybe the beer at Heineken had made me feel sick and dizzy, so I left having hardly touched my dinner. I stumbled back to the Hotel Prinsenhof, and struggled to stay up a little longer before finally going to sleep.

I had left my window open, and was woken in the very early morning by the loudest thunderstorm I think I've ever heard. Even as exhausted as I was, the thunder woke me up - it felt like it was crashing right above the roof above my head. So I closed the window, dried off the windowsill and table under the window, closed the curtains to try to block out the lightning, and fell back asleep again after a little while.

Next: Amsterdam, Day 2

*Note: I didn't really sell my plasma in Amsterdam. The title of this entry is a reference to a verse in my new theme song, Euro-Trash Girl, by Cracker. (Thanks, Tom!)

:: posted by Rob 5:08 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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The Annotated Thermometer

Living in Sweden, I'm having to get used to Celsius temperatures (a scale invented by a Swede, btw). Luckily, I've found this handy little device to help me keep things straight.

°C   °F

15   60 Californians put on sweaters (if they can find one in their wardrobe)

10   50 Miami residents turn on the heat

 5   40 You can see your breath

        Californians shiver uncontrollably

        Canadians go swimming

 2   35 Italian cars don't start

 0   32 Water freezes

-1   30 You plan your vacation to Australia

        Canadians put on T-shirts

        Politicians begin to worry about the homeless

        British cars don't start

-4   25 Boston water freezes

        Californians weep pitiably

        Minnesotans eat ice cream

        Swedes go swimming

-7   20 You can hear your breath

        Politicians begin to talk about the homeless

        New York City water freezes

        Miami residents plan vacation further South

-10  15 French cars don't start

        You plan a vacation in Mexico

        Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you

-12  10 Too cold to ski

        You need jumper cables to get the car going

-15   5 You plan your vacation in Houston

        American cars don't start

-18   0 Swedes put on T-shirts

        Too cold to skate

-23 -10 German cars don't start

        Eyes freeze shut when you blink

-26 -15 You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo

        Arkansans stick tongue on metal objects

        Miami residents cease to exist

-30 -20 Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you

        Politicians actually do something about the homeless

        Swedes shovel snow off roof

        Japanese cars don't start

-32 -25 Too cold to think

        You need jumper cables to get the driver going

-35 -30 You plan a two week hot bath

        The Mighty Monongahela freezes

        Swedish cars don't start

-40 -40 Californians disappear

        Swedes button top button

        Canadians put on sweaters

        Your car helps you plan your trip South

-45 -50 Congressional hot air freezes

        Swedes close the bathroom window

-60 -80 Hell freezes over

        Polar bears move south

-65 -90 Lawyers put their hands in their own pockets

:: posted by Rob 9:51 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Geek This!

Just a quick post, to let everyone know how much of a geek I am:

You are 29% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines! Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals! You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

I go both ways, baby! See how much of a geek you are...

And I promise I'll get some more posts up soon. All about Amsterdam is coming up, I swear.

:: posted by Rob 11:02 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Sweden's Greetings

So here it is, my first post from Sweden. Currently in Falun, it's in the 60s, and raining, though the sun is shining as well. And about an hour ago, it was hailing. This place has the weirdest weather I have ever experienced.

Sorry I've been out of touch for so long, but I've been very busy traveling, settling in, and waiting for my internet connection to get hooked up. I'll try to post more details soon, but basically I'm having a great time here. Sweden is very beautiful, and Falun, the town where I am, is a cute quaint small time. Everyone is very friendly, and I have yet to encounter anyone who doesn't speak English. The only problems I've really had have involved reading street signs and food labels in the grocery store, and those really aren't problems at all.

I've started posting pictures on my photoblog, so check them out. Unfortunately, I just discovered that I can only upload 10 images a day, but I'm going to try to do it every day to get all of my pictures up there. Right now, there are 3 galleries there: Rob in Sweden, which will have all of my pictures about Falun and my surroundings; Amsterdam, which has pictures from my short stint in Amsterdam; and Stockholm, with pics of my even shorter stint in Stockholm. So check out all the galleries on a daily basis to see what I saw.

I'll soon be posting details of my trip, too, about what I did and saw in Amsterdam and Stockholm. At least, that's the plan, but classes start tomorrow, so who knows what will happen? But I'll do my best.

Feel free to email me with any questions you have about things. Basically, things are pretty much the same here as anywhere, though a bit cooler (and definitely rainier, lately) than Virginia. Some things definitely have more of a European feel, particularly in the center of town, with cobblestone streets and old churches, and of course I'm surrounded by a huge contingent of people from all over Europe. But it is really cool meeting different people from all the world, and a lot of them are very surprised to see an American here. But it's all good.

One side note, that I just noticed this morning: it's very quiet here, and I finally realized why. There's no birdsongs. It's actually quite strange. I'm used to birds being everywhere, singing and flying around, but here I've only seen like 3 types of birds, and they don't sing. There's a big blue and white and black bird here that a Swede told me is called skata, which my dictionary translates as "magpie." They're really cool-looking, although the Swede told me that they're annoying (kind of like crows in America, I guess), but I haven't heard them make any noise yet. It's very strange and very quiet, without even the sounds of insects, like I'm used to hearing out in the country in the U.S. Not that I'm in the country here, although there is a lot more nature and green in the towns than you would find in the States.

So for now, check out the pics, and I'll try to update more with my experiences of the last 2 weeks, while simultaneously learning about the Role of Intellectuals in Society.

Adjö for now!

:: posted by Rob 9:16 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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