**File Name:** copenhagen-canals-kayak-2004.jpg
**ALT Tag:** A view of the colorful buildings and canals in Copenhagen, Denmark from the water.
**Caption:**

Taking a free kayaking tour around the canals of Copenhagen at sunset.

Copenhagen, Denmark & Stockholm, Sweden

Rob and I got a flight from Berlin to Copenhagen for around 70 Euro on Easy Jet. We arrived at night to our hostel called the Dan Hostel which was about 5 km outside of town. Getting off the tram was a little surreal because the hostel is in the middle of nowhere and we didn’t see a soul. The hostel turned out to be like a camp for family and kids. Way different than any hostel we’ve stayed in so far. It seems like in Scandinavia a lot of families take advantage of hostels because things are so expensive.

For the most part our two days in Copenhagen was all about walking around the city and looking at the sights. Friday July 2nd we were lucky with our timing because there was a city wide jazz festival going on. We spent the day going around to the different stages listening to live music. Also, there was a lot of street performers as in most big european cities. Break dancing seems to still be quite a popular thing to do for money.

The best thing that happened in CPN was we met Pia while we were watching a Jamaican street band. She was from CPN and she invited us to go on a free Kayaking tour around the canals. Kayaking was a perfect way to see the city. Pia even gave us some history and told us about the different buildings we saw. Better yet, we paddled up to a little bar restaurant on the canal and she hooked us up with some free beers. After getting our fill we finished out a quick loop of the city as the sun was setting. Nice way to spend any evening.

Saturday the 3rd we took the early bus to Stockholm. The bus left at 7 a.m. and arrived in Stockholm at 3:30 p.m. We stayed in a boat hostel that was permanently anchored in the harbor. Saturday night we went out with two Swedish girls and two guys from Boston. They took us to a club that had a killer outside area with stadium seating that looked down onto the main outdoor bar. The floor was full of dancing people and yes, Stockholm has a lot of tall blond, blue-eyed girls. A trendy outfit was white transparent pants with white g-strings. One thing that was different in the bar was that people have no problem with pushing and basically shoving their way around the bar. This would cause all kinds of problems in America. It took a little getting used to.

Stockholm was a very picturesque city with a bundle of islands with old houses and boats that dock themselves all over the city. The old town called Gamla Stan is full of 17th and 18th century renaissance buildings. The alleys are tiny and the buildings are very tall, letting in very little light. A lot of the houses were built by wealthy sea merchants. We spent a total of three nights in Stockholm and I would definitely recommend a visit if you get a chance. Bring your wallet because food and drinks are sky high. A cocktail at a bar could cost you $12 dollars and a burger and fries could cost $20 dollars. Rob and I split on the 5th of July to spend some time traveling alone.

**File Name:** lofoten-islands-stamsund-2004.jpg
**ALT Tag:** A small wooden fishing boat docked at the rugged Lofoten Islands in Norway.
**Caption:**

Jigging for cod right off the hostel docks in the quiet fishing village of Stamsund.

Corey’s Travels: Northern Sweden & Norway

I took an overnight train to a small town just north of the Arctic Circle called Jokkmokk. Jokkmokk was once the winter time Sami headquarters. They are much like the Alaskan Eskimos. They are nomadic people that follow their reindeer herds around as they migrate to greener pastures. Today in the summer I find Jokkmokk to be very deserted. I checked into a big hotel resort on a lake and there were only like 4 people staying at the hotel. I was in a dorm room with 8 beds and the only one in the room. I had read that there weren’t many people in northern Sweden and they were right. The resort felt a little like the Shining. That night I went to a local restaurant and I was the only one eating there.

The next day I took a bus and then a train to a port town in Norway called Narvik. The train ride was the most scenic train ride I’ve ever been on. I was treated with views of glacier blue lakes, Fjords, waterfalls and snow capped peaks. After arriving in Narvik I was right back on a bus to the Lofoten Islands. I spent a good 15 hours of traveling that day until I finally settled into a small fishing village called Kabelvag. I spent the night in a little pub on the harbor listening to some folk music.

I stayed at a guest house for one night and took a bus to another smaller fishing village called Stamsund. There I stayed in a hostel that was on a fishing dock on the harbor. I was told it was the best hostel in Norway. The hostel had a very cozy feeling, a lot like being at your own cabin. Hiking, fishing and chilling was about the only thing to do. It was the perfect change of pace I was looking for after stomping around Europe for three months.

The hostel lets you take out row boats for free to try and catch your dinner. You would use a hand line with a silver spoon, fake worm and hook. All you did was jig the line from the bottom and you could catch fish including some small cod fish. The hostel had a wood burning stove to cook your fresh catch. They also had an old stone knife sharpening wheel for keeping the filet knives sharp. For entertainment they had two guitars and a mandolin hanging on the wall for anybody to use.

The craziest part of being this north was the sun wasn’t setting so it was totally light out 24/7. You could go on midnight hikes. I wanted to tee it up because I always thought it would be cool to play golf at midnight, but I couldn’t make myself ruin a completely relaxing experience. Good thing I bought that Eagle Creek eye patch. I put it to good use.

**File Name:** geiranger-fjord-norway-2004.jpg
**ALT Tag:** A massive waterfall cascading down the steep green cliffs of Geiranger Fjord.
**Caption:**

Hiking behind the powerful waterfalls in the breathtaking Geiranger Fjord.

Rob’s Travels: Scandinavia

Took a bus from Stockholm north. Ended up stopping in a small town on a lake called Mora. It is very much like Mora, Minnesota, wooded with lakes all around. Got a hostel room right near the train station. It was an odd place, very sterile like a student dormitory. I had my own 8 bed dorm room, which was strange but nice for relaxing.

Made it to nature finally. Have been looking forward to that for a while. Peaceful little place, if a little boring. Spent a couple days just walking the trails around the woods and lakes. Very nice trail system with not a lot of traffic. Don’t know if I saw more than a dozen other hikers in 2 days. Headed off to Ostersund, Sweden a bit further north. Sweden is so like Northern MN, just looking around at the locals and the homes makes me feel very much at home. Very relaxing and peaceful.

Caught the morning bus to Geiranger. Very scenic bus ride down the troll road and on a ferry and into Geiranger. Geiranger is a Fjord haven with mountains jutting up from the water on all sides. Checked into a nice log home that she calls a hostel and set out to hike all of the trails. Managed to spend about 8 hours on the trails, each better than the last. The best was a trail that went to the waterfall and passed right behind it. The power of the water is amazing. You can totally feel the power as it is carving it’s way through the rocks around you.

Off to Bergen which was again a great drive through the fjords. Stopped for lunch about 2 hours outside of Bergen and had my first and probably last swim in the crystal clear, ice cold fjord water. Found a place to stay in Bergen called Marken Gjesthaus. Very nice place in a great location. Had one of the best hot dogs of all time at a stand just off the market and did a walk about the city. Played some cribbage and sipped a bit of Jameson in preparation for my Irish adventure with my sister. Raining quite heavy for my full day in Bergen, so limited hiking in the hills around the town.

**File Name:** cliffs-of-moher-ireland-2004.jpg
**ALT Tag:** The dramatic drop of the Cliffs of Moher against the ocean in Ireland.
**Caption:**

Running along the top of the massive Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland.

Rob’s Travels (With Kate): England, Ireland & Scotland

Made a flight from Oslo Torp Airport, which is actually about 120 KM south of Oslo, to London Stansted. Arrived at the airport around 11pm and found a bus to the city. My sister Kate had arranged for our accommodation the following night but the first night I was on my own and not totally organized. By the time I reached the city it was after 1am and the ‘tube’ had stopped running for the night. I decided to make the trek across town to the hostel that Kate and I were booked in for the following night. An hour and a half later I arrived at the Smart Hyde Park Inn, shortly after 2:30am to find that it was fully booked for the night.

Kate arrived around 11am and we got settled in and set out for some food and to see the city. There was a cool market fairly close to the hostel so we toured through the Notting Hill area on foot for miles. Next morning was an early bus ride to Stansted for a flight to Dublin. Ireland. 2 words, ‘FIT BIRDS’. That is thrown in there for the many Irish folks we’ve been hanging with in Africa. We checked in to Barnacles Temple Bar Hostel, which as the name implies, is in the heart of Temple Bar. Very cool area with great pubs and restaurants which seems to be what Dublin is all about. Set off immediately for the Guinness Brewery, as any good tourist should do. Had maybe the best pint of beer ever at the top of the Brewery with a great view of the city.

Took the bus to Galway and set about there for the day. Many interesting street performers highlighted this great city. The bars and hostels all through town were jam packed. Rented a car in the morning and began our exploration of the beautiful west coast of Ireland. Had mentally prepared for driving on the wrong side of the street, but hadn’t given any thought to the driving stick with the left hand. Luckily I like to think of myself as ambidextrous so after a couple of downshifts using the door handle we were on our way.

Flew from Dublin to Glasgow Prestwick Airport and rented another car for way too much money. Decided our goals were Loch Ness Monster hunting, Edinburgh and shopping for Kate and golfing St. Andrews for me. Drove north through the scenic Loch Lomond and past Glen Nevis. Stopped here for a bit of a look at the site of Braveheart and then headed on in search of Nessie. Found a hostel on the banks of the Loch Ness with great view but terrible flies. We donned our headlamps and cameras and began our search in earnest. Found and photo’d an egg on the banks of the lake. Next morning early for golf at St. Andrews and Kate a day of shopping in Edinburgh.

Drove back to Edinburgh via the scenic coastal route seeing many of the famous courses. Great coastline in Scotland. Kate and I headed out for the last night and went back to Grassmarket for dinner. Early bed and early rise for my plane to Amsterdam and Kate to home and Charlie. Think she was beginning to miss him terribly. It was great having her with me.

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