For some reason today I went looking for an old friend on facebook. In the past few months I’ve reconnected with several people from past, some I have spoken to in as much as 27 years so I thought I’d try to find this girl I used to know. We exchanged an email or two about 6 years ago and then nothing. So I do my search and naturally, I don’t find her in the list… but then I see her name in the supplemental links at the bottom – in a link to her obituary. Continue reading “Obituaries”
Category: Friends
Heidelberg
Here in Europe, at least in some parts of it including Hungary, this week was fall break. This meant I had a whole week off from work and I was going to take advantage of it. My first stop was Germany.
It’d been a while since I’d been to Heidelberg – almost a year in fact. So I was a bit nervous. I was nervous flying in and nervous on the Lufthansa Bus for the 50 minute ride from Frankfurt…I needn’t have been. Continue reading “Heidelberg”
Iceland – End of the Road…
Waking up on my last day of the trip was hard. I stayed in bed longer than I had to. I really wanted to rush out and say good-bye to Claudia and David, but they had to get up and go horseback riding. So instead, I stayed in bed, then went down for breakfast and finally went down to the souvenir shop to pick up some last minute gifts. Then I went back to Guest House Pavi, packed up my bag and headed to a different hotel where I would get picked up for the Blue Lagoon. It was a mini-van that came to get me, but that was only a short ride to get to the main bus terminal. Continue reading “Iceland – End of the Road…”
Iceland – Dangerous Beauty…
Landing in Keflavik I was two hours earlier than when I left Copenhagen at 10:30pm so after a 3 hour flight, it was still only 11:30pm and going outside to catch a bus to my hostel I realized, for the first time on my trip, that Iceland was cold, even in the heart of summer, and I may not have packed enough warm clothes. Continue reading “Iceland – Dangerous Beauty…”
Copenhagen – a very fine last meal on the mainland…
I got back to Malmö in the morning, made my way to Malin’s place and promptly collapsed on the bed – but not for long. We had a lunch date with Marie at the special, top secret sushi place where I got the best present of my trip – a jar of salt licorice candy (no, that’s not the special part) with a custom label, words by Malin, art by Marie. It’s awesome! Continue reading “Copenhagen – a very fine last meal on the mainland…”
Amsterdam – City of contradictions…
Overnight trains leave a lot to be desired. In this instance, I got on board at 7pm and wasn’t going to get off again until 10 the next morning. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing except when you’re in a train compartment with five other people and your legs are intertwined it gets hard to sleep. Add in the fact that people are constantly leaving the train and the sun is coming up and someone forgot to draw the blinds and really, not the best night’s sleep. Continue reading “Amsterdam – City of contradictions…”
Animals – to be seen and eaten…
Well… I did it again. I honestly don’t know why I keep doing the same thing expecting different results – except this time I got them! I went to the zoo in Copenhagen and, unlike my previous zoo outings (Berlin, Zagreb, Helsinki, Stockholm) this time, not only were the animals out, but there were more of them! I think the reason earlier jaunts had proved so unsatisfying was that the
animals were gestating! Continue reading “Animals – to be seen and eaten…”
To be or not to be… In Helsingor
Why go to Helsingor? Well, for one, everyone’s doing it and we all know how I am about peer pressure! But really, the more important reason, is that even the castle in Helsingor, which is actually called Kronborg, is real, but it’s much more well know for a fictional tale set there, that of Hamlet, by one W. Shakespeare. Continue reading “To be or not to be… In Helsingor”
I like Malmo in the summertime…
So my first day back in glorious Skåne (which is the cool, Swedish name for the southern area of Sweden where Malmo is located) was spent doing precisely… nothing. Okay, not true. I slept and graded papers. And that felt like a vacation in and of itself. It was nice not to have pressure on myself to make the most of everyday and see all the sights and such. I could sleep and work and then take a nap. I needed it, honestly. Continue reading “I like Malmo in the summertime…”
Stockholm – My Time in the Monarchy…
When I had gotten in the night before, there was someone new in my room. Now, when staying at a hostel, this isn’t an unusual thing. In fact, it’s part of the fun of hostelling, meeting the new people. There was a couple in the room as well, they had been there the day before as well and I had spent a few minutes chatting with them, Very nice, from Australia, having trouble reconciling that each of them wanted to do different things with their days on holiday. I mention this only because it might come up later. Continue reading “Stockholm – My Time in the Monarchy…”
Powerland and Finnish sports…
I’m SO embarrassed. How could I have forgotten, in the excitement that was Berny’s, the clock on the wall, the piece de résistance, which ran backwards? Ah well… I’ll fix it in post. Maybe. Anyway… after the exciting events that were The Bridge, what else was there to do but eat dinner? We went to a little Italian place called Rosso. It was a fun place and while the service
wasn’t great, there was some nice eye candy for Jussi and I (we think one of the girls may have been Berny’s other daughter, who escaped to the mainland and was starting her own business). Continue reading “Powerland and Finnish sports…”
Evening at Berny’s…
I wasn’t sure what could top our evening spent watching the Finnish Navy so it was with great trepidation I awoke the next day. I wondered: What more could Vaasa have in store? Continue reading “Evening at Berny’s…”
Vaasa – Finnish Navy
The way my time in Europe has been going, I just roll with the adventures. If someone or something comes along and suggests something, unless there’s a reason, I go with it. With Tiina and Antti, they had several things they wanted to show and do so I put myself in their hands and let myself see a Vaasa I’m sure very few others get to see. Continue reading “Vaasa – Finnish Navy”
Vaasa – There’s hot and then there’s HOT
My time in Vaasa started in Tampere, Finland’s 3rd or 4th largest (and fastest growing) city. It is a two hour train ride from Helsinki and I stepped onto the platform and immediately spotted Tiina. I was worried about that. I mean, I had spent just a couple of hours with Tiina and Antti and that was several days before, so I was nervous about recognition. I shouldn’t have been. I saw her, called her name (which I almost never pronounced exactly right) and then we met up with Antti, who was at the other end of the platform. Continue reading “Vaasa – There’s hot and then there’s HOT”
Helsinki Day 1&2 – Attack of the lokki
The ferry to Helsinki was uneventful, save for a very expensive buffet. At one point I tried to find a comfortable place to sit and maybe sleep for a few minutes, but discovered all the good spots were already taken by folks who were already sleeping! That appears to be the thing to do on the early morning crossing. Pulling into the Helsinki harbor, though, I saw the most brilliant
thing – a tiny island with a tiny house on it! Continue reading “Helsinki Day 1&2 – Attack of the lokki”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 