Cool People

Part two in a very sporadic series...

The guy in Estonia who pointed out to me that I left my Visa card in the ATM(/Bankomat/Cashpoint). Not one of my most lucid moments, but it was six o'clock in the morning and I'd spent a sleepless night on the bus. Unfortunately I was still in St Petersburg mode, so I thanked him profusely in Russian.

The Guard at the President's Palace in Helsinki who waved back to us when we went to visit. You won't find any of those Bearskins at Buckingham being so friendly. As mentioned in earlier posts, when it comes to Finland, everything is nice, even their gun wielding army personnel.

My Aunt Sophie, who is just like my grandmother, except more stubborn, more Swedish and, although it was thought to not be possible, more prone to constant chatter and constantly feeding people.If it were possible to kill with kindness then she would be a ruthless assassin indeed. She also lives in a very cool part of town.

Her apartment, where she has lived for 45 years, is in Sodermalm in Stockholm, an old working class area that has been invaded by students and hipsters (Melbournians, think of Brunswick but actually cool) so her neighbourhood is littered with excellent retro shopping, cool cafes and funky bars.

Today's Menu

Breakfast

Fruit (grapes and kiwifruit)
Porridge with jam and milk
6 different types of bread and biscuits (knakebrod, toast bread, Finnish bread, wafers, graham crackers, flat bread)
butter
6 different types of cheese (Gouda, Brie, Blue Castillo, White spreading cheese, yellow cheese, Gorgonzola)
tomato, cucumber, avocado and capsicum
marmalade
tea
juice

Lunch

Sauerkraut with beans
Cheesy tomato mushroom egg pie
Green Salad
Honey wine
Rum Cake with Cream
Apple Pie with Vanilla Custard
Tea
Chocolates (4 different types)
Licorice, cashew nuts, jelly lollies
Biscuits (choc wafers and almond biscuits)

Supper

Selection of breads, cheeses, salad.
Tea and juice
biscuits, chocolates and lollies

And I Woke Again Last Night, In A Strange Room

Today's blog title has been taken from a song by my friend Ben. I've always liked this song very much, but as it's a song about yearning and travelling, I've been thinking a lot about it lately.

When I am travelling, I always forget how much you take things for granted every morning when you wake up. At home, when I wake up I know what I'll have for breakfast, I know what I'm doing that day, and I know that I'll be back in the same bed at then end of it all, I know that it's likely Jen will still be asleep, and I know where the nearest post office is, and how much it will cost to send a letter. None of these things can be taken for granted while travelling; that's what makes it so much fun - but it can also make even the most mundane tasks exhausting and stressful.

Anyway I've been pondering these things because after a month, and about 16 different sleeping places by my rough count, this morning I didn't wake up in a strange room, but one that I am familiar with. Last time I was in Europe, about 5 years ago, I stayed in Stockholm, in this house and room and bed, for about 3 weeks. Stockholm is the first place in over a month where I don't actually have any strong inclination to play the tourist. I'm just going to let Sophie feed me, practice my Polish on her and walk around Stockholm pretending that I belong to this city. Because while Helsinki is nice, Stockholm is definitely cool.

(P.S. - Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was exciting to be able to celebrate it in Viking territory, because we all know that they were the original and the best pirates.)