Tues. July 6, Reykjavik-Seattle-Portland

Tuesday morning we slept in, in preparation for our long flight home, and then packed up. We took a stroll down the hotel's street, looking for a place to have lunch, and found an espresso place that also had soup and sandwiches and lasagna. The soup and lasagna were pretty plain, but the coffee was good. The girls started getting fidgety before Michelle and I were done, so I went over to the cafe's reading material corner, and found a familiar children's book and a movie magazine, both in Icelandic. Those kept them each engaged for a long time.

The flight was all daylight, leaving Reykjavik at 5pm, and arriving in Seattle, seven time zones away, 7.5 hours later at 5:30pm. The weather was mostly clear after we left cool, cloudy, rainy Iceland, and we had spectacular views of the mountains and glaciers of Greenland, as well as the Canadian Rockies and the North Cascades.

Shara met us at the airport, and drove us back to Portland, where we saw real darkness, and stars for the first time in 3.5 weeks.

As the Swedes say, "Att resa ar bra, men hemma ar besta" (my spelling isn't quite right, but I know the meaning: "To travel is good, but home is the best.")

We've got some good pictures I haven't posted yet, but that will probably have to wait until tomorrow.

Mon. July 5 in Reykjavik

Smally but tasty bufet at the hotel. Good muesli. Good melon. Two kinds of picked herring.
Had the hotel book us our spots on the Puffin Express, and took a taxi to the harbor, because we had run out of walking time.

The Puffin Express turned out to be pretty low key, two young guys running a 50-year old wooden boat that had once been a small inter-island passenger ferry. It was just us and three other families, one of which was from Ashland. We saw lots of puffins. The captain had Lulu steer the boat most of the way back to the harbor; she enjoyed that.

In the afternoon we went to the Saga Museum, on a hill top a ways from the center, and looked at very realistic wax figures of ancient Vikings, many doing horrible things to each other, such as chopping off heads because of religious disagreements.

It sprinkled a little, but all in all, it was a fine day.

Our after-dinner walk back to the hotel took us through the new modern cathedral at the top of the hill, where a young pregnant woman was playing ferocious music on the giant organ.

Now we must sleep, to rest up for the very long day we will have tomorrow, traveling home.

Sunday July 4 reunion with Lulu and flight to Iceland

Sunday morning we slept in again, but made sure we got up in time for the hotel buffet breakfast. Marjukka brought Lulu about 11am. Lulu had a fine time in Finland, swimming in a lake, going for a long bike ride, roasting veggie dogs over a fire, and just generally hanging out with Lumi´s family.
We caught a van to the airport, spent 3.5 hours on the plane, then landed at Keflavik. Took a bus into Reykjavik, and saw the steam coming from the Blue Lagoon, where we had soaked three weeks earlier.
Settled into our hotel, had dinner at a simple, friendly restaurant next door called Harry´s, closed up the heavy curtains against the light, and crashed.

Sat. July 3 train back to Finland

Saturday morning we slept in. Frances is good at entertaining herself. Later we walked a few blocks to a basement gallery full of handmade dolls.
In the afternoon Bella drove us to the Finland station, and we got on the train. The dining car served us wine in real glasses, and hot food on real plates.
We got to Helsinki about 10pm, where the town was full of young people dressed up for a night out, many looking like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine ad, and others in black tee-shirts (or no shirts); a big heavy metal concert had just let out.

Friday July 2, jazz on the river

Friday Mary gave us a set of three keys, and explained how to use them: a little disk that opens the gate between the sidewalk and the tunnel that leads into the courtyard; a little metal rectangle with two holes that opens the door between the courtyard and their stairwell; and a big skeleton-style key that opens their apartment.

Then we went off for a walk on our own. Unlike the Thursday humidity and thunderstorms, the air was fresh and pleasant. We returned to the Georgian restaurant for lunch. The woman who waited on us was really nice, but spoke virtually zero Englsih, and couldn't find an English menu. But she understood "kebab," and with pantomime we were also able to communicate "bread" and "beer," and we had another delicious meal.

Later we found a canal-side cafe with shaded outdoor seating nad had a leisurely coffee and strawberry pie (with chocolate ice cream for Frances).

Bella had made us reservations on an evening cruise on the Neva with live jazz. We tore ourselves away from the Brazil-Holland World Cup game (it was 1-1 when we left) and set out walking to the river.

The band on the boat was a real treat. Six pieces, mostly old guys, talented and enthusiastic, doing a mix of Dixieland, Triplets of Bellville-style Paris hot jazz, and a few sentimental Russian songs. We ordered some beers, and the staff didn't mind that we had also brought snacks from home and from McDonalds. The evening light on the Hermitage and other ornate buildings along the Neva was beautiful.

Afterwards we walked across the huge square in front of the Hermitage palace. It was mostly empty. A dozen people were playing aroumd on Segways. A man approached us, trying to sell old army medals. We declined. Then he offered a jar of black caviar for 20 Euros. He even offered to let us take a taste to make sure it was real. We declined, so he hurried off across the square towards another knot of people that looked like tourists.

Back at the apartment it was after 11, but Uruguay-Ghana was on, and Frances wanted to watch, since she had gained some familiarity with Ghana when they eliminated the US. But fianally at the half she agreed to turning off the tv and going to sleep.

Today (Saturday) we will take the Metro to the Finland station, and catch the 4:30pm train back to Helsinki. To make it easier, Bella will take our luggage in her car.

We have had a very nice time in St. Petersburg!

Thurs., July 1, the Hermitage and a ballet

There is so much in this city. Thursday we went with Mary to the Hermitage. It is only about a 20 minute walk from their apartment. We met up with her father, Alex. It was great to see him after all of these years. He is still a wonderful lively guy. He now works for Sweco, a Swedish software company with a big office in Russia.

There was a long line to enter the museum (first Thrusday is free here), but it moved swiftly. Besides all of the incredible regular stuff, they have a big visiting exhibit from Korea, and a huge number of pieces by Picasso, on loan from a museum in Paris. We decided to devote most of our time to Picasso, but took in some Goya and Rembrandt, too.

In the afternoon there were two severe thunder storms, but we were able to take shelter on a porch of the Hermitage for the first one, and in the apartment for the second.

In the evening we went with Bella to opening night of a revival of the 1950s Russian ballet Spartacus at the Mariinsky. We were in the top (fourth) balcony, but in the Mariinsky, every seat is a good seat.

The production was incredible. Often more than 100 dancers on stage. Two exquisite willowy prima ballerinas. A big orchestra with lots of dynamics. The show started a little after 7pm, and didn't end until almost 10:30pm. Frances was entrhalled the whole time. I bought a glass of champagne during the first intermission, and shared it with Michelle and Bella and a friend of hers she met up with. Her friend had brought a small picnic from home to eat during the intermission. That's OK here.

Afterwards we walked outside into the bright 10:30pm light, dodging the puddles from the thunderstorms.

Later I found some video of the ballet's rehearsals at

http://www.youtube.com/user/MariinskyEn#p/u/5/QDFHsgHV7R4

that gives you a taste of it.

Seeing such a huge number of super-talented dancers all on the stage at once was just beyond words.

Tues. June 29: Helsinki to St. Petersburg

We got up early to catch a train that left about 7:30am. Our train car included a lot of friendly Germans, and their Estonian guide.

Mary and Bella met us at the station in the afternoon with fresh daisies for Frances. We piled our stuff into their little car and they drove us to their apartment near the center of town, where we met their dog and cat.

Later we went f0r a nice long walk in the city, through parks and over canals, and then to a Georgian restaurant where we ate eggplant and pomegranate and lamb kebabs, with sweet grapey wine. Yum! (I think I have a picture of the dinner, but I haven't added it yet.)

The pictures so far are Frances on the train, and the view out the window of their living room, where the three of us are sleeping.

Monday June 28 in Helsinki

The ferry pulled into Helsinki about 10am. We took a cab to the hotel, but they didn't have a room ready for us yet. We called Lumi's mother Marjukka on my European cell phone, and arranged to meet them at 5pm. Then we went off on a Helsinki walk that included a lot of shopping time for the kids at an outdoor flea market, a Thai lunch, and coffee and cake at a famous old cafe near the harbor and the city's central park.

A 3pm, when the room was ready, we had a big session of sorting our stuff into three categories, one for Lulu to take, one to leave in storage at the hotel, and one to take to Russia.

Marjukka and Lumi picked us up from the hotel at about 530pm, and took us for a walk along the waterfront, and ice cream. Marjukka showed us a little more of the city by car, and then drove us to a restaurant that she and her husband really like. Then we said goodbye to Lulu and the people who will host her for six nights.

Sun. Jun. 27 in Stockholm, and catching the overnight boat to Helsinki

Sunday we relaxed in downtown Stockholm. The big cathedral has a nice children's play area in one corner of its yard, and Lulu and Frances did laps on the balance beam. Then we took a cab to the ferry, and set out on a beautiful sail through the many, many islands outside of Stockholm, ate the famously huge smorgasbord dinner, and watched some clowns and acrobats peform. They invited Frances and other children to join them.

We sat on deck for a long time watching the islands go by. Finally, when it was really late (but the sun was still up) we went to our tiny cabin and pulled down the four fold-up beds. Our cabin was on a very low level, where you could hear some engine noise, and from time to time you could feel the ship rolling from side to side, so it wasn't quite as restful as a hotel, but it was good enough.

Oh -- I think the the tabloid newspaper cover is about how Sweden is the best country in the western world when measured by unemployment, GDP growth, etc.

Wed. June 30, St. Petersburg, and a trip to Peterhof

This morning we took care of some business in the city (securing train seat reservations for our Saturday return to Helsinki, finding an ATM, and getting our passports registered with the authorities, since we are staying more than three days). Then a friend of Bella's drove us to Peterhof, a huge place of palaces, fountains, and gardens, where we strolled the hundreds of acres with thousands of other people. We found a bench in the shade and had a picnic. Frances found lots of things to play with, including an orange squirrel that came right up to her hand, but refused to take any food.

We came back to the city via a hydrofoil that docked near the Hermitage. From there it was a 15 minute walk past a gold-domed cathedral to the apartment, where we had a tasty home-cooked fish dinner.

Sat. June 26, Driving to Stockholm

Saturday we loaded up the car and set off on the freeway from Linkoping to Stockholm. It was a national holiday (Midsommar) so Stockholm was pretty quiet, and it was pretty easy to find the hotel, and park right in front of it, even though it is only a few blocks from the main shopping/walking street of the city center (Drottningatan).

Then I set out alone to return the rental car to the Avis office in the city center. That was a bit of a problem. Central Stockholm is full of dead-ends and one-ways and unexpected overpasses and underpasses that mean you can see where you want to go, but you can't figure out how to "get there from here" in a car. Eventually I succeeded. But if I ever need to drop a rental car here again, I'll do it at the airport, and then spend the time and money to ride the bus or train back into town. (Later I read in a Rick Steves guidebook, "only a Swedish meatball would try to drive in Stockholm.)

In the evening the walking streets were thronged with tourists, and the girls got into the spirit, buying little moose things and Swedish flag things.

Today (Sunday) we catch the overnight Silja line boat to Helsinki.

Fri. June 25, Midsommar

I think the summer solstice was on Monday June 21 this year, but the Swedes celebrate it on a Friday, so they can have a three day weekend. A lot of people, including our hosts, Ed and Eva, go out of town for the weekend, so we're here in their house without them tonight.

Lars Alm invited us to the big public Midsommar celebration in the small town of Berg, near his home in Ljunsbro. We watched the raising of the pole, and then joined the crowd in dancing around it to funny folk songs where you imitate various animals.

Later in the afternoon we spent some quiet time at a nearby church that was first built in the 1100s. It's a place we remember fondly from when we lived here 18 years ago. Finally we drove out to another place with good memories, the castle at Vadstena on the shore of lake Vättern.

Tomorrow we drive to Stockholm, and turn in the rental car.

Thursday in Linköping

Another busy day, into Linköping to meet up with our friend Joanne Hoffsten at the "Golden Pavilion of Love" she designed for the city park. Michelle and I sat with her and talked for a long time and drank the delicious coffee she brought (and the homemade chocolate chip cookies) while the kids played in the park. Lunch at Gamla Linköping, then out to Ljungsbro to visit Lars Alm and his family, eat more delicious food, and go for a walk by the Göta Canal. Finally back to Sturefors to join Ed and Eva, watching Holland in the world cup (Ed is Dutch, so we all wore orange and rooted for Holland too).

Wednesday in Linköping

Wednesday morning we drove into Linköping to show the kids our old haunts. Alas, Michelle's favorite thrift store, UFF, was gone. Lulu wanted to buy souvenirs. Linköping does not have a highly developed infrastructure for foreign tourists. But we found a paperdoll cutout book featuring the Swedish crown princess and her new husband.

In the main square I found a woman selling both German and Swedish strawberries. We bought the Swedish ones, even though they were more expensive, and took them when we went to visit our old friend Åsa, and her children, Adsam and Sofia. We spent a really pleasant afternoon and evening with them, before finally driving back to Sturefors, where Lulu and Ed and I played volleyball in their yard.

From Storfors to Sturefors

Besides the reindeer, the hotel owners also have miniature horses. Tuesday morning, after we checked out, we drove with them a few minutes out to their place to see the horses. More fun for the girls; pictures to come.

Then off across the Swedish country side, stopping at a lake for a picnic and wading (along with hundreds of Swedish sunbathers), and finally to the little town of Sturefors (not to be confused with Storfors), just outside of Linköping, where we were greeted by Ed and Eva, and five of their combined six children (one teenage daughter had just left for a summer vacation on Malta, in the Mediterranean -- that's the kind of thing you can do easily when you live in Europe). They have a nice big old house on a dead-end street, remodeled with many small bedrooms for their many children. The girls are enjoying having playmates their own age, and a chance to just lay around and play board games and watch tv.

Mon. June 21, from Oslo to a little hotel in Värmland, Sweden

Monday morning we said goodbye to cosmopolitan Oslo, and took a train into Sweden, where we picked up a rental car. Lulu was excited to have access to a car radio, because her iPod had conked out. It was interesting to me for awhile. Swedish pop radio plays about six songs over and over, just like the American pop radio I remember from the 1960s. Lulu knew most of the songs already, but for me it was new to finally find out what Lady Gaga sounds like. And there was one somewhat interesting song that they played over and over that Lulu had never heard before: a woman with an unidentifiable accent, and the refrain

Love, my aim is straight and true
Cupid's arrow is just for you
I even painted my toe nails for you
I did it just the other day

(Later back in Portland I searched the internet and found out that it was Lena Meyer Landrut, with the winning song from Eurovision 2010.)

When we were back in Portland I had used the internet to search for a hotel for Monday night in the Värmland region, and there had been very few places that had room for us. I ended up reserving a place in the small town of Storfors, and it turned out to be just right.

The hotel is run by two Dutch couples (twin sisters and their husbands), and sits amid lawn and woods down by a small stream and an old mill. But best of all, they have pet reindeer, including a baby, only about two weeks old. They provided hours of entertainment for the girls, especially Frances.

Sunday in Oslo

Most stores in Oslo are closed on Sunday, but the window shopping was great. There are lots of dress stores near our pension.
We walked about 30 minutes to Frogner park, full of sculptures by Vigeland. It is an incredible place.
We also went to the National Gallery and saw a bunch of Munch pictures, strolled down the main street and ran into a Salvation Army band, and then walked on to the Gronland immigrant neighborhood to have a tasty dinner at an Indian restaurant recommended in the Rick Steves guidebook.
After all of that walking, some of us were pretty tired, so we took a taxi back to the hotel.