Did the ground just leave my feet?

Some thoughts on last week.
Day 1 & 2

Stockholm

I wish I had made it to Stockholm prior to last week (this visit did not count because I was only there long enough to eat a crappy burrito and catch my connecting train).  But it took longer than expected to get my feet wet in Malmö and by the time I was ready for some real traveling, the weather in Stockholm was already shit.  Also, I consider Copenhagen my capital city.
Just being on the street for a few minutes made me realize spring was in the air.  People were smiling.  I have hope for this new season.

Dudes and butts 

 The sleeper car is wonderful for long hauls.  It would have been great sans smelly swiss dudes and Ondrej's cement mixer snoring.
After getting settled, it was nice to enjoy some conversation while watching the dudes get drunk. One particular statement sticks out in my mind from that evening.  Even though it was not directed at me, it rings true:
"Dude, you need to simplify your life"
It sounds like some hippie bullshit, but I find a lot of meaning in it.
Side note:  ipods are amazing for long periods of travel.  Being alone with your thoughts can drive a man crazy.

Downtown ice sculptures 

Kiruna is pretty much what I expected.  Empty, cold, lots of snow.  Initially it was difficult to imagine where we were on a map.  The town seemed entirely ordinary.  I am not sure what I expected.  Everything operated in a similar fashion to the rest of the country, although several cars had after-market halogen lights installed.  I assume it is to get through the dark winters.  Also, if I were to venture a guess, I would say the city has a substantial snow removal department.

Voted most beautiful building in Sweden

The city survives off iron mining and tourism.  The locals were typically stoic and there were signs of immigrants from several places throughout the world.  Thai for lunch in the Arctic circle = globalisation.
We also ran into an Lebanese dude that gave us his 2¢ on Swedish culture.  Needless to say, it wasn't very positive.  But his bitterness might be justified given his current latitude.

The hall

 The only reason we stopped in Kiruna was for the Ice Hotel.  It was well worth the trip.  Honestly, I feel like our generation has become numb to intriguing, interesting, and important things.  Media has provided such vast amounts of information that we generally see/experience things from behind our computer rather than going out into the world.  Lesson: the ice hotel is amazing, very labor intensive and incredibly impressive.  Pictures and words do not do it justice in the slightest.  It should be experienced in person.

Although I am not sure I would want to actually sleep in one of the artistic suites (tourists fuck around in the rooms and on the beds until 6pm when it is closed to the public) it was a fun way to kill and evening.
All the ice is harvested from the Torne River the year before and is stored in a huge refrigerated production area.  I thought this was strange, but the tour guide kept referring to how the ice has to be "grown" all season.  They have to plan a year in advance.

Also, the water in the Torne is so clean you can drink it straight.  It tasted great.     

My favorite room

Sun and Ice

I was surprised how late the sun set in the arctic.  My misguided assumptions gave me the impression that the Arctic is incredibly dark for half the year - then it reaches a tipping point where the sun suddenly shines night and day.    Not true.  Rather, it is dark for a month, and then gains daylight exponentially until the sun never sets.  In March the days are about as long as they are in Malmö.  The Arctic is not just juxtaposed extremes.  There is a middle ground.

 To be continued.....