Singing Mao and other history lessons

So I’m currently in Berlin, wrestling with yet another frustrating hostel computer.  Berlin has been wicked interesting, and way more engaging and unique than I expected.  I had heard rumors of it being a ‘party capital’ and the ‘next Amsterdam,’ and while I’m sure the club scene is awesome, I’ve found it to be much more than that.

Yesterday I went on a fantastic walking tour seeing all of Berlin’s major sites…90% of which are in the old East Side.  In fact, I think I’ve been to West Berlin only once or twice, briefly.  The East is where it’s at, a weird mix of old (restored) buildings, Communist apartment blocks, and brand new construction.  It’s a city rebuilding itself and dealing with it’s past, and never have a been somewhere where you can feel the city practically moving forward underneath you like you can here. However, you can still see the scars of WWII and the Cold War all over the city.  This juxtaposition, and the knowledge that something like the Berlin Wall existed here  only 19 years ago, makes this a very vibrant city.

Also, Berliners have been the most helpful people I’ve met so far.  The moment I begin to look a bit lost on the street, I know that within moments someone will come up and ask me if they can help me find my way.  One girl even walked me to my busstop, then rode the bus with me to make sure I got off in the right place (I think it was on her way somehow, but still).  Very kind, and very heartening.  Especially after a month of navigating train stations and public transport on my own, it’s nice to have a guide for one ride.

And last night!  I went to an opera in at the Komiche Opera house.  It was ‘Land des Lachens’ or something like that -  a strange Austrian opera (sung in German) about a woman who falls in love with a Chinese man, follows him to China, suffers severe culture shock, and then is killed by her lover (or by his soldiers) when she tries to go home.  The first half was done in traditional Viennese style, with frilly dresses and all, and the half in China was much more modern, with a Mao look-alike playing the Emperor, and other undertones and costumes of the Chinese cultural revolution.  There was even a dance sequence where all the dictators of the world honor him, and demonstrate their weaponry through time (Hitler, Stalin, Genghis Khan, and an American in a cowboy hat are among them).

I’m almost out of computer time, so Amsterdam will have to wait.

Fjords and night trains

I just got off the night train from Bergen to Oslo, and I’m feeling good, if a little disoriented.  The train stopped multipile times on the way, and I kept waking up and checking the window, thinking we must be in Oslo.  I also woke at one point with a killer pressure headache, from going through so many tunnels.  Luckily a few quick yawns and ear-pops cleared that up, but it was definitely a weird feeling. 

The day before I took the Norway in a Nutshell journey – From Oslo, a train to Myrdal, another train to Flam, a boat from Flam through the fjords to Gudvagen, then a bus from there to Voss.  Some continued on another train to Bergen, but I stayed overnight in Voss before heading to Bergen the next day, then taking the night train back.  It’s an all day journey, and because of the kitchy name, I worried it would be more about the packaging than the actual landscape, but to my surprise it was excellent.

On the way from Oslo to Myrdal, I got to see craggy rocks and snow with cold waterfalls running among them.  Barren and beautiful.  You can see, in this kid of landscape, how one could easily imagine trolls running around and popping their heads up. (I also almost missed the train when I misjudged the time we had at one stop…I had to leap aboard just as the doors were closing!)  From Myrdal to Flam it was all greenery, huge waterfalls, and adorable villages nestled into valleys surrounded by unbelievable mountains.  From Flam to Gudvagen, it was breathtaking fjords and more tiny houses mysteriously perched on cliffs and in nooks.  From Gudvagen to Voss was a steep and windy road with hairpin turns and more waterfalls, and a kind woman named Bonnie I kept running into in my time in Norway (she was on her way to the North Pole!).

The one ridiculous touristy moment in the Nutshell trip was at a large waterfall.  We stopped to go outside the train and take pictures, and suddenly we hear music from somewhere, and before you know it, this woman in a long purple dress pops up on a cliff near the waterfall and starts dancing.  Then she goes into a tunnel and another woman, dressed the same, pops up somewhere else (I think we were supposed to believe they were one person).  It was a little silly, and I kind of just wanted to enjoy the waterfall without the fake-o fairy ladies.  Ah well.

Voss itself was absolutely gorgeous, and the hostel served a free breakfast made from organic fruits and vegetables from the farm across the street!  I couldn’t help staying longer than I intended.  At first, I wanted to get up early, get some breakfast, and catch the 8:35 train to Bergen, but the view out my window of the lake and the mountains had me asking instead for good hikes in the area. 

The receptionist at the hostel told me that the nearby mountain was a great walk, but that I should take the cable car up and then walk down, as the mountain was very steep.  But then he revealed even more important information: the cable car was 20 dollars to go up, but free to take down.  So, I was walking up and riding down.  This turned out to be a great idea, as I needed the exercise, it was a beautiful day, and it made the view at the top that much more spectacular.  I even got to watch a paraglider take off on my way up.

So, I took the 1:43 train to Bergen instead, which was smart because Bergen was beautiful but easy to cover in a few hours.  I even saw a free one-woman show in English (about the Bergen fire), and then I even caught a Norwegian folk-dance concert in an old medieval meeting hall.  I especially loved the folkdancing and singing, I have to admit – the music was beautiful and the older woman who presented each dance and song had a great dry wit to her that left me giggling.

Sorry for the incredibly long post…getting access to a computer in Norway has been hard!  Now I’m out to explore Oslo (as it’s just waking up), and then I head to the airport for a sleepover (my flight leaves at 7:30 in the morning, so no way am I paying for a hostel when I would need to get up at 3am to get to the airport).  I’ll be in Amsterdam tomorrow!  Yikes!

Islands and waterways

I’m officially in love with Stockholm.  I’ve yet to find one part of it I don’t like, in fact.  Even wandering to the farthest reaches today to see a clown perform in a bordering park (I know, I’m desperate to see free theatre), I encountered charming buildings, interesting looking restaurants, and fun shops.  It seems like a very healthy, exciting city, enhanced by the amazing park Djurgarden (there are sheep!  And owls!  And it is huge!), and the fact that it is marvelously walkable.

Today I walked down to Junibaken (after the clown), to see the world of Astrid Lindgren (the creator of Pippi Longstocking).  It was really fantastic learning about her other stories on this surprisingly engaging “story train”, and watching the kids go nuts in the play areas was great.  Then I went to the Vasa museum and explored Djurgarden some more (this is my second day there now…yesterday was Skansen and the “aquarium”), before I rented a kayak for a spin around in the canals.

Then tonight I took a walk with a couple other girls from the hostel (the boys just wanted to watch the Euro cup) and we got hot chocolate in the Gamla Stan square.  Yum.

Also, in the “aquarium” I mentioned? (they call it that, but it contains some fish, lots of reptiles, and a bunch of monkeys and things that are almost monkeys).  There is a room there full of lemurs – and people can just walk right in! You get to hang out with the lemurs!  You’re not supposed to touch them yourself, but they will walk right up and check you out and nibble on your shirt.  I was not expecting anything like this – it would never happen in the US!  I’m just glad I had my Stockholm card, so the aquarium was free…otherwise I would have just skipped it entirely, missing my chance to hang with lemurs!

Tomorrow I will (try) to tackle the weaving museum, the famous chocolate store, the dance/theatre museum, and a visit to Vaxholm or Grinda on the archipeligo.  Now with my cold (almost) gone though, I feel much more energetic and ready for action!  We’ll see how it goes…  Hej da for now.

Stockholm wanderings

This morning (early this morning) I flew into Stockholm from Reykjavik.  I was sad to leave it behind, and even after a short time there I find myself having to adjust to the setting sun (albeit still late – at 10pm or so) and not having to boil cold water for food (because the hot water had too much sulfur in it to drink/eat).  Stockholm is beautiful and expansive and very much a city!

I got lost in the Gamla Stan (Old Town) today, stopping to chat with a traveling gallery owner who told me stories of her backpacking days and an ice cream seller previously from Texas (she married a Swede and never wants to leave).  I stopped to listen to a Swedish storyteller in a large square, who made me laugh even though I couldn’t understand the story at all.  There was a bench there with a little cushion for you bum…which was helpful for my sore legs left over from horse-riding yesterday.

I was sad too to say goodbye to Anna, a woman I met at the hostel who was a Swede herself.  She was about to begin her summer job at a Viking exhibit close to Reykjavik, dressing like a Viking and teaching people about their life.  She speaks excellent English, and we sat up late last night joking and laughing and comparing our lives and countries.  I loved how she would translate directly from Swedish when she didn’t know an English word.  “Pick-Pocket” became “Pocket Thief” and “sore” became “training-hurt.”  It was very cute.  She also tried to teach me words in Swedish, but I was pretty hopeless and all it did was provide both of us with a good laugh.

Tomorrow I think I’ll tackle the park island (Stockholm is essentially a bunch of connected islands) and the modern art museum…maybe even try to take a boat out to one of the islands in the archipeligo, if I’m really feeling ambitious. 

Takk Iceland, and Tack, Sweden!

Puffins!! and surprises and Iceland families and PUFFINS!

Puffins! Puffins!  Have you ever seen a puffin fly?  I have!  I´ve seen hundreds of puffins fly!  (and nest and fish and swim…)  If you haven´t guessed, I went out on a cruise to see the island where all the puffins nest today, and never have I seen so many puffins in my life.  When they fly, it´s rather frantic – they never glide, and are always quickly flapping – and often they would take off in groups and circle the island.  This blew my mind, because even though of course I knew puffins could fly, who has ever seen a puffin flock outside of the zoo? 

I also got to chat with Magnus, the grandson of the man who captained the boat.  He was helping out that day, and very excited about it (he was about 9 years old, I think).  His English was very good, and he had a great since of humor.  I think he was happy to practice his English on me too.  I love learned about Iceland from the people here – they´re all very proud of their country, and know alot about it.  Iceland is only about the size of Kentucky, and only 300,000 people live here, and most of the population is somehow related (even if you have to trace them back to the Vikings), so it´s more like a gigantic family community than a country like the US.

Also, I like Reykjavik very much.  It seems a new surprise awaits me every time I head over there to wander.  New hidden allies and churches and outdoor concerts and spontaneous art happenings…it´s a very vibrant city.  I will be sad to leave it, although Stockholm is next!

Tomorrow I ride an Icelandic horse and try out the Blue Lagoon (outdoor thermal lagoon!), then the next morning it´s time to catch the 5am bus for the airport! See you soon, Stockholm.

PS – Did you know Viggo Mortenson (or whatever…of Lord of the Rings fame) is also a ´photographer´?  And a mediochre poet? He is!  In Reykjavik there´s a whole photography display of his:  it´s all pictures of trees.  Apparently, it´s his ´gift to Iceland´, as Iceland has almost no trees (there´s not enough light during the year for them to grow well, and Iceland is very volcanic).  Thank you, Viggo.  There´s also plenty of his bad poetry all over the walls of the exhibit.  Apparently, he´s a really deep thinker.

The best thing about Iceland…

Is a sunny day seeing the sights followed by a sunny night at the oudoor public pool/jacuzzi.  Ahhhhhh.  A hot chocolate to finish out the day?  I think so.

sicky sick sick

So I entirely underestimated my response to the cold, and managed to saddle myself with a massive head cold.  I was planning on really attacking Reyjkavik today, taking the walking tour and all, but instead I took the bus to Hlemmur, walked up the main shopping street, and began comparing prices of warm clothing in the various secondhand shops (located right next to the high-end boutiques, oddly enough).  I managed to find a hand-knit Iceland sweater for 2500 ISK (2000 ISK = about $25), which is not bad considering that new, they run up to 15000 ISK and the other secondhand shop had them for 5000 ISK.  It kept me cosy as I walked to Bonus (so much cheaper than the other grocery store!) and then caught the number 5 bus at Hlemmur for Viðey island. The bus driver was the first Icelander I encountered who didn´t speak English, so I had to guess at the stop, but I made it off alright.

I caught the ferry to Viðey then, which was GORGEOUS but WINDY.  Seriously, between yesterday and today, Iceland is the windiest place I´ve ever been.  I only stayed on the island for an hour, as the ferry back only left once an hour, and with my cold, I didn´t want to get trapped up there for another hour.  The birds were the best part though – apparently, one breed, with this little red head and long bill, was in mating season, and the calls they made sounded like dog´s squeaky toys!  They were everywhere, and kept flying all around me, and doing that odd flying-in-one-place thing I´ve seen birds do here, using the wind. 

Tomorrow, the Golden Circle!  I have a feeling I´m in for more wind, and my sweater will definitely come in handy.

Landmannalaugar

My belly filled with sub-par food (because everything else is so expensive it would break the bank), I´m cold and weary but in love with what I saw of this country today.  I piled in a jeep this morning with two Russians, a German, a frenchwoman, a danish woman, and our Icelandic tour guide for a trip to Landmannalaugar (which I can now pronouce at least half the time).  Here is where the mountains are all different colors due to volcanic activity, and theres a spring that a hotspring runs into, making it a natural bathing place.

I watched as enthusiasitic Swedes and Icelanders stripped down to their bathingsuits in the cold wind and waded in to the point where the hotsprings made the water warmest.  I joined them, and found that natural hotsprings are a tricky business.  The water is often scalding hot on the top, quite chilly on the bottom, and if you sit wrong on the pebbles on the bottom, you´ll burn yourself on an unexpected hot rock.  I slowly got the hang of it, finding the warm spots and then shifting to a new place as people came and went, shifting the currents.  I then changed back into my warm clothes at the dock, using a towel to sheild myself as the other bathers were doing.  It felt delicious to be fully warm again.

I also saw an Icelandic geothermal power plant, where steam rolled like a bullet train out of its spout, and i was blown away by the sheer power this sulfur-filled water possessed.

Hello, Iceland!

I just arrived in Iceland this morning, to begin the first leg of my trip.  The plane ride over was really rough and turbulent, but I was immediately comforted by all the kind, friendly faces I’ve encountered here.  All the people I’ve met seem endlessly cheerful, and it’s sunny and relatively warm outside.  The scenery is very alien, and small complexes and towns seem to pop out of nowhere in this beautiful barreness.  The youth hostel here is clean and equally sunny, and I had no problem at all crashing on a couch in the common room before the official check-in time of 2pm.  Now I’m rested, refreshed, and excited to start exploring Reykjavik. 

drip drop hello.

Good evening!

It is raining, and I am feeling very good.  The past couple of days have been strangely wonderful, and I am celebrating that every minute.  I got cast in Indians, which goes up as a mainstage this fall, and yesterday felt like a Saturday which made today feel like Sunday which makes this an amazing weekend.  I feel good about the trajectory I’ve taken in the last 3 years, and that happy perspective is bearing me up even as mounds of work is dragging me down.  

I went to the farmers market earlyearly this morning only to find that pies are seasonal, and their season is autumn.  Nevertheless, it was a beautiful morning with a beautiful friend (Kelby!), and I walked away with some amazing Wisconsin raw milk cheddar.  And then I slept until 11:30, which felt very decadent but fun and I still made it to rehearsal.

And! I bought a plunger today and just used it successfully on our hopelessly clogged toilet.  The apartment is literally falling down around our ears, but I only have to live here three more weeks, and then I am gone from this dump forever.  In the meantime, if I can keep the toilets flushing and the water running, I will feel like a superhero.   

I made this journal primarily as a place to plan and describe my journey this summer, and journeys to come, but lately the mundane is also seeming exciting.  So we shall see.  I think it will be a nice mixing pot.  And now I want some stew.  Looks like I’ll have to settle for cheese instead.

Arrivaderci.