Stockholm: Experiencing Global Warming, Meatballs, Pippi Longstockings and More

On Friday evening, my friend Lena and I left for the Weeze airport so that we could catch our flight to Stockholm. The Weeze airport is situated near the Holland border in the middle of farmland. It takes 45 minutes to get to the airport and due to its inconvenient nature it is also the airport where one can expect to find all Ryanair flights - a very inexpensive airline. Since the airport is small and relatively far away from everything, one would not expect to encounter any problems when departing or arriving to the airport, however, Lena and I arrived to find all the check-in counters barricaded off with police tape and were told that there was a "Security Problem" so we had to check in for our flight at a car rental counter. We also heard an airport employee nonchalantly say "Oh, the bomb squad is here now". It was a strange experience to encounter at such a small unpopulated airport but as the employees and police officers that were there seemed un-alarmed so were we.
We obtained our boarding passes, went through security, and took our 1.5 hour flight to Stockholm. Interestingly enough the airport that Ryanair uses in Stockholm is about 1.5 hours away from the city. When all was said and done we spent more time getting too and from the airport than we did on our flight - the price you pay for cheap airline tickets. Luckily both of our flights were in the evening/night so we did not miss out on precious day time hours.
When we arrived in Stockholm we headed immediately for our "boutique" hotel where we were meeting Lena's friend Masha. Masha is an HR Consultant who is currently working in Europe on a project for Shell Oil. As Shell is required to pay for a hotel for her 7 days a week (the working days of which are spent in London) it makes no difference if she travels elsewhere on the weekends - Shell still foots the bill. This worked wonderfully to our advantage as we were able to stay for free at the Hotel Rival which was founded by one of the band members from ABBA. The hotel featured a pillow menu (so that you could choose what type of pillow you would like to sleep on), a dvd/cd player and cds (of course many of which were ABBA) and dvds that you could use free of charge, a flat screen tv, Egyptian cotton sheets, and a general comfortable atmosphere (pictured above right). The hotel also houses a cafe, restaurant, bar, and movie theater. Lena and I spent our last night in a hostel, as Masha had to return to work, and although we were afraid that it would be horribly disappointing after such posh accommodations we actually ended up enjoying it tremendously - more on that below.
On Saturday morning we awoke to sunlight streaming in through the windows. The weather the whole weekend was absolutely wonderful - at times a bit cold (when the sun went down) but overall fairly warm, sunny, and pleasant. Stockholm apparently used to ice over (the ocean and lakes) and get quite a bit of snow, but due to Global Warming that seems to be a phenomenon that no longer occurs. Alas the only image of Stockholm iced over and needing ice breaking boats comes from postcards that were created at an earlier date. Who knows perhaps someday those postcards will be collectors items.
Saturday we spent the day walking around, enjoying the general atmosphere and aesthetics of the city (in addition to beautiful architecture Stockholm also hosts many gorgeous people in the downtown/ posh districts - an observation that was also confirmed later by our hostel tour guide), taking advantage of the sales, and trying typical Swedish fare like meatballs made from Reindeer (pictured at right), Semlas (wheat buns with whipped cream and marmalade type filling - pictured in pastry case at right), and of course herring. During our walking we saw the castle (which the King and Queen do not really occupy and they use mostly for state affairs - the castle they live in is actually on an island outside of Stockholm), the Stockholm city hall and Grand Hotel where Nobel prizes are handed out (although we did not pay a visit to the museum), the Opera, and of course churches. Saturday night we checked out the night life in Stockholm and noticed that people mostly stuck with their groups of friends and didn't really mingle (this fact was also confirmed by our Swedish tour guide who told us that a lot of Swedish people are shy but after you make the initial move they are incredibly friendly).
Sunday we again had a leisurely morning and then wandered around looking for a place to eat some brunch. On our way wandering towards brunch we happened upon the Changing of the Guard at the castle (pictured at left). We then ate an enjoyable traditional Swedish lunch - I had the herring platter which consisted of herring marinated in different ways, salad, and bread.
After our delightful brunch we headed towards the ferries in order to take a ferry tour of Stockholm and get a small taste of the Archipelago (24,000 islands that lay just outside of Stockholm - at least 50 square meters - 30,000 islands if you count the smaller ones). On our ferry tour we sat on Reindeer pelts and covered ourselves with polar fleece blankets while viewing Stockholm by boat. The tour guide shared with us many interesting facts about Stockholm and the sights that we were seeing. For example she explained that the reason the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out in Oslo and all the others in Stockholm is that Alfred Nobel thought the Norwegians to be more peaceful than Swedes.
After our boat tour, Masha had to head to the airport to catch her plane and Lena and I headed to check in at the City Backpackers hostel. The City Backpackers hostel was incredibly cozy, friendly, and full of activity. We immediately signed up for a Monday tour that would take us through the less touristy parts of Stockholm and show us the home of Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Lonstockings) as well as some of the locations that inspired her stories. The hostel had free pasta (you just needed your own sauce), coffee, and tea. It also had free ice skating rentals, movie nights, and activities going virtually every day. Unfortunately we were not able to partake in the Swedish Sauna tour, Meatball making class, Semla making class, or other events as they were held on the days after our departure. Those activities will best be saved for another adventure. Although it had been nice to stay in our posh hotel, staying at the hostel reaffirmed for me the fact that having a lot of fun and experiencing really neat things does not have to cost a lot of money - and in fact it is a lot of the less expensive, non-trendy areas in a city that give you the best feel for how people actually live and the most authentic experience.
Monday Lena and I walked around a bit more, stopped off at a grocery store to buy some food for that day (and wound up with a delicious meatball sandwich, ostkaka, pepparkakor, and drinks - coincidentally items that I know from my family's Swedish heritage that were tasty and also the least expensive of all our meals), and then headed on our guided tour. The tour was hosted by one of the hostel employees and she shared with us a lot of the locations of cool, typical Swedish restaraunts and cafes. If only we had been able to attend the tour at the beginning of the trip - but it was only offered on Monday's and we hadn't stayed at the hostel first. She also pointed out the home of Astrid Lindgren and explained how the idea for Pippi Longstockings came from her ill daughter Karin who was begging her mom to tell her stories and came up with the name Pippi Longstockings. Apparently Astrid Lindgren was also responsible for changing the way Swedes view childhood and child rearing.
After the tour we raced off to the Ice Bar - the first year round bar that is made entirely out of ice - very touristy but an overall cool experience being able to drink out of glasses made from ice, wear large parkas, and sit on Reindeer pelt covered ice stools. Finally it was time for us to say goodbye to Stockholm - a city that ranks among my favorites and a location that I will definitely be returning to one day.

Interview with a German Newspaper

Most people might be surprised to learn how important U.S. politics are to people in Germany. It is a common experience for me to be questioned about politics here and I'm always shocked to realize that many German's know more than the typical American citizen. As part of this fascination with American politics, my friend Lena and I were interviewed by a German newspaper about what it is like to experience the election from abroad. The article can be found at this link (although it is in German): http://www.derwesten.de/nachrichten//staedte/essen/2008/2/4/news-21090089/detail.html

Interestingly enough, the journalist asked us to meet him at a Starbucks and then the photographer bought an "American Newspaper" - that was in German for us to hold in order to take the photo you see. So despite our best efforts I guess some stereotypical views of Americans still hold true. Clearly it wouldn't have been fitting for us to be in a typical German coffee shop or holding a German newspaper. :)

Karneval - A Tale of Celebrations in Two Cities

Karneval is a yearly celebration that begins on November 11 and lasts until the beginning of lent on Ash Wednesday. It is celebrated around the world (in Venice, Brazil, Louisiana - as Mardi Gras, etc.), but the primary celebration in Germany takes place right here in the Northrhein Westfalia area - the two primary cities of celebration being Cologne and Duesseldorf. Although Karneval lasts for a few months, the biggest celebration days are the Thursday before Ash Wednesday which is known as "Weibefastnacht" or "Women's Karneval" and "Rosenmontag" or "Rose Monday" .

On Weibefastnacht women (and men) don their costumes and go out for a night (and day) on the town filled with drinking, dancing, eating, and merriment. Wearing costumes and being merry tends to be the general theme of Karneval celebrations, but the difference is that traditionally this day also involves the take-over of town hall by all the women. Women also traditionally cut off the ties and shoelaces of men as a sign of usurping power. Typically when a woman cuts off a mans tie or shoelaces she is then supposed to give the man a kiss on the cheek. I decided that I would prefer to watch people cut off ties rather than attempt to do so myself - being as this was my first Karneval I thought it best not to anger someone. Sadly, the only tie cutting I witnessed, however, was later in the evening when my friend Karin cut off the tie of Tim another Fulbright TA who had joined us for the evening - it was a tame reenactment (pictured above).
For Weibefastnacht, my friends and I headed to Duesseldorf (which is only about 20 minutes away). The sight was one of complete and utter chaos - broken glass and garbage all over the ground and thousands of people dressed up and roaming around the old downtown. We spent some time outside enjoying some beers (no open container laws in Germany) and some french fries, but due to the cold decided we should attempt to make it in to a bar. We made it in to one bar and spent some time dancing there before we decided to try to find something new. Finally, we had a stroke of luck and ended up at a typical German brewery where the Karneval royalty/jury was celebrating. Every year a Karneval prince and princess are elected and we were fortunate enough to meet a nice old German man (pictured in the first picture on the right) who was the brother of the prince and who also owned a bakery. This nice man allowed us to share the table with the rest of the jury/royalty and he explained the traditions to us, gave us delicious baked goods, and overall made the night quite enjoyable and filled with more typical German culture. We were also invited to stop by the bakery in Duesseldorf whenever we want to and I'm sure we will be venturing there at some point or another. Overall this Weibefastnacht experience in Duesseldorf was an excellent beginning for Karneval celebrating.
Not wanting to overdo it, we decided to lay low the rest of the weekend and save up energy for the Rosenmontag celebration in Cologne on Monday. On Monday we left bright and early to take the train to Cologne. The trains were packed with people in costumes (despite the addition of other trains to the schedule) and beers in hands (yes even before 10 a.m.). I had been warned by family friends that live in Cologne that I would need to arrive early if I wanted to have any chance of seeing the Zug (parade). So my friend Lena and I (dressed as bees - same as we were on Thursday) and Karin (dressed as Bob Marley) headed to the parade route to find a place to see. It was pouring rain, but with all the excitement in the air that didn't bother us. We were incredibly lucky to find spots near the Dom (cathedral) where we could see and enjoy the parade. Although it was a few hours before the parade was to start, we decided it would be best to hold onto our spots. While we were waiting for the parade, we were able to admire the costumes of people - both those in large groups and individuals. There was also Karneval music playing that we were able to sing along with as we drank our beers. Virtually everybody dresses up for Karneval and they get into the spirit with incredibly elaborate costumes. Most people we saw were wearing face paint as well as full body costumes - it made our yellow and black layered shirts, yellow shoes, and bee antennae seem pathetic (probably not aided by the fact that as the antennae got wetter and wetter from the rain they began to droop).
Finally the parade began, and it was an amazing spectacle. Much different than most parades you see in the U.S. First of all, the Karneval parade lasted over 4 hours and involved continuous streams of elaborately dressed up people as well as very entertaining floats. Every group that came buy - whether walking or on floats or trucks had flowers and candy in hand. And by candy in hand I must clarify that I don't mean just little tootsie rolls or lollipops but rather full boxes of truffles, toblerone bars, gummi bears, etc. These goodies are chucked into the crowd without any restraint - which could be incredibly dangerous if you weren't paying attention. Despite the thousands of people that were present we still all managed to take home lots of candy and some flowers. Its interesting to think that a lot of the people will give up things like sweets for lent which means they probably either had to scarf down tons of candy in two days (by Wednesday) or save it for Easter. The flowers are not simply thrown, but often men in the parade will walk up to ladies in the crowd hand them a flower and then turn their head to receive a kiss on the cheek.
We had originally planned on celebrating into the night, however, after standing out in the rainy cold we decided that the parade alone was enough celebrating. Overall it was an amazing adventure and I think I will miss Karneval tremendously when I am back in the states. Enjoy the photos!