Les Hannah, day 24, part 1

This morning I got up rather early to catch a dawn train to Oslo, Norway. Yep, Oslo.  I had wanted to go to Helsinki, Finland too while on this trip, but one of the stops I made yesterday was at a ship lines ticket agency and it turns out that by ship Helsinki was sixteen hours. So a sixteen hour trip there helped me to realize that my original Scandinavian travel plans were a bit too ambitious, the distances were greater than I had figured. I did not have enough time to take the trip I wanted. I had originally hoped to travel over to Helsinki and reboard the trains, making a trip up through Finland, back into Sweden and then over to Norway and approach Oslo from the northern interior of the country. Ambitious yes – well thought out, no. But that’s OK, because this plan was flexible to begin with. So I simply dropped the Finland portion of the trip and headed on into Norway.

The morning train was an early one, about 6:40 with travel time of a total of five hours. I had to change trains in Hallsberg to continue on to Oslo. Somehow this train became late; there was one stop we made where the train had to back up and switch tracks. Not sure what happened there, but we were on the wrong track for a while, and when that happened I guess it threw the schedule off some and the train was then late getting into Hallsberg. So I missed the originally scheduled connecting train. But that’s the good thing about the rail service in this part of the world; another train will always be along shortly. I had about a two hour wait for the next train to Oslo – time to explore this small city.

Of course it was raining, as it had been on me during most of this trip, and I was in Hallsberg earlier than most of the shops opened. I walked around nonetheless. I did find a few places open: a book store, a small curio shop, a coffee shop – YEAH! Cappuccino please. By the time I finished my hot, refreshing pick-me-up the local mall had opened. I walked around in there for a while, checking out the wares of the merchants.

After a short while of seeing much of what Hallsberg had to offer I made my way back to the train station. Still with about thirty minutes to wait I just sat there, watching people make their way in and out of the station. I mentioned in a previous posting that I like to watch people, notice their characteristics. Often I get ideas for characters I may use in stories this way. So utilizing my natural curiosity about people I spent the remaining time watching my fellow travelers.

Pamela Louderback, Day 11

A busy day so far of making contacts and applying for other opportunities while abroad.  My calendar is filling up fast!  I have a full day planned for Friday - up early to the St. George's Market where I hear it's smart to get there soon after 7:00 a.m. for the best selection of fish.  Any later in the day, and most of the best selection has been purchased by the restaurants.  I hear there's squid - calamari here I come!  I also have an evening of Gael music planned; I'll be attending a concert to benefit the School of Music student's trip to the U.S.  - and some dancing is proported to also be a part of the evening - can't wait!

Next week, I'll be traveling to Balymena for an afternoon of sightseeing.  It's about a 30 minute ride from Belfast.  I'll be judging a 'Debating Matters' competition on December 2nd - more details as I discover them/as they become available.  I've also applied for a coveted spot with the 'Common Purpose' leadership course (normally several thousands of pounds to enroll).  Seems there's one of four free spaces still available.  The application process is tough...fingers crossed!   Three months is not nearly enough time for all I want to accomplish.  

I have not, as yet, met my academic contact - Sally Wheeler - she's been quite busy preparing for an upcoming tenure as head of the law school come January.  Seems nobody has sighted her all last week and there's the possibility she's on holiday or out for some other reason.  My QUB email hasn't been assigned yet, but IT is working on it.  It's been a bit of a challenge to get my audix set up in my office, as well.  My phone rings every 30-45 minutes with an automated message requesting my ID and hash key code to access whatever messages reside on the phone.  Repeated calls to the operator have not, as yet, made any clearway to my being assigned an ID.  Seems they still have the last Fulbright scholar's code attached to the phone.   Patience is a virtue...

My feeble attempt at Skype last night left me disappointed but I've not given up!  I skulked around the Student Union finding the perfect (read -- out of the way and quiet) spot to set up and proceeded to make repeated (unsuccessful) attempts at calling the family.  Amid incessant tracks of Beyonce (some of her old stuff) booming from the eatery, and repeated 'visits' from "Security" giving me curious (and some, suspicious) glances - I gave it my all - but it was not to be.  I'll try it again this evening.

I'm off for a bit of fish and chips - it's turned into a full blown addition -- and to post some postcards.  I promised photos - I'll attempt to post them this evening.     

Les Hannah, day 23, part final

Stockholm, Sweden – what a city. I was up early, had breakfast in the hotel café. The breakfast was included with the room, what we would call a continental breakfast in the US, but this was no US continental breakfast. This was something like what a chef might prepare. Eggs, bacon, ham, fruit, fruit, fruit. Lots of fruit. This was a spread now. One of the finest breakfast spreads I have seen. The bacon was not the fatty American style bacon either; it was very lean – and crispy, but not crunchy.

Following a lingering breakfast it was time to go walkabout in the city. And some serious walking was done. I have no idea how far, but a sizable portion of the centre of Stockholm was covered, let me tell you. The museums were phenomenal; the shops equally phenomenal. Stockholm is a city I recommend to those seeking an educational adventure.

An accidental discovery was the Chinese Terracotta Army; it was on display in some old World War 2 air raid bunkers near the harbor. The goal was the National Museum, but since today was Monday, and most museums are closed on Monday, well the museum was closed. However, just a few dozen meters from the museum was the Terracotta Army display. And what a brilliant choice of location for the display of this wonder of China. The arrangement was astounding; I know very little about the artistry behind exhibitions in museums and galleries, but I was walking with a woman who knew a thing or two about museums and she was explaining to me the care and artistry required to undertake such an endeavor. I have a deeper appreciation for and greater insight into museums now thanks to her detailed explanations.

More walking eventually took me back to the hotel where I spent another night, but there was one more order of business before settling in for the evening. Dinner. During one of the walking stretches I passed a Mongolian BBQ restaurant that seemed quite good. Headed back there for dinner. I was not wrong; this place was extraordinary. I ate my fill of sushi and Mongolian cooking. Outstanding. I swear I have not had a bad meal on this trip yet. I now must add food to the list of reason to take a trip to Scandinavia. I imagine a top ten list from Letterman, well Hannah, on reasons to visit Scandinavia might go something like this: 10 – scenery, 9 – culture, 8 – history, 7 – just because, - 6 – education, 5 – art, 4 – languages, 3 – food, 2 – food, 1 – food.

I finally made my way back to the hotel for the evening, settled in and tried to watch a little TV, but was simply overcome by all the walking I had done, so to bed it was.

See this blog's photo supplement page for photos of my walking excursions throughout Stockholm.

Les Hannah, day 22, part final

I awoke early in Copenhagen and made my way to the station to board the morning train to Stockholm. However, I received a bit of a surprise as I was trying to get the seat assignment; turns out that the ticket office in Esbjerg sold me the wrong type of flexi pass. They sold me one good for Denmark only; I wanted one for Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Problem! But the problem was solved. I did not make the train I intended, but the ticket agent who was working with me took the time and made extra effort to ensure I had the correct flexi-pass. He cancelled the incorrect pass, in essence giving me free travel from Esbjerg to Copenhagen the day before, refunded every kroner and then issued the proper pass, for which I promptly paid with the money he just refunded. This man was extremely friendly, and he did everything he could to make things right with me, even gave me coupons for free coffee.

I have to pause here for a moment and acknowledge the friendliness of these people. As a nation I do not believe I have ever encountered such friendly people. This statement would hold true for the remainder of my trips throughout Denmark during this week. When I asked a question, they graciously answered, and they did not at all mind that I spoke no Danish. When I showed my American ignorance, they politely informed me, and/or guided me through whatever the process of the moment happened to be. These are some genuinely friendly people.

Once the matter of the proper ticket was settled I was finally able to board a train to Stockholm. The trip was approximately five hours on a high-speed train. There were a few stops, but for the most part that train was an express. I have no idea how fast it was going, but the trees were nothing but green blurs whizzing by the windows. This train was the kind that “leaned” into the turns as it rounded a bend. The tilt of the cars felt a bit funny at first; I had not been on such a train since my trip to Switzerland about four years ago.

The scenery, that at a distance, was beautiful. The scenery close to the train was but a blur, but I am certain it too was beautiful. I tried to take a few photos of the distant landscapes but the movement of the train made it all but impossible. What few shots I did succeed in getting are not that good.

No matter; I was in Stockholm , Sweden by the mid-afternoon. And the first thing I did – why looked for the Swedish Bikini Team of course. Nah! – went walking around. I walked about the area near the train station to find a hotel to use as a base of operations for my Stockholm adventure. Once I located a place and settled in I relaxed for a while before resuming my vagabond explorations. Walking sure can make a person hungry, so I wandered into a kabob restaurant and tried one of the house specialties. My fellow Riverhawks, I am here to tell you it was fantastic. The food in this part of the world is simply amazing. I do not believe I have had a bad meal yet. Even the plain meals are good, but the special meals are phenomenal. And this was, as restaurants go, a fast food joint – a fast food kabob joint that served one of the finest kabob meals I believe I have ever tasted.

Following that fast food feast, I finally found (like my alliteration?) my way back to the hotel where I settled in for the evening. I was exhausted, but also excited. Here I was in Stockholm, Sweden, full of kabob and ready to explore the city the next morning. I would get little sleep this night, but I am somewhat accustomed to that. This, however, was excited insomnia.



Stockholm Central Station




Stockholm Central Station





Les Hannah, day 21, part final

This morning was the first day of Potato Week break. I wrestled with what to do; I had entertained the thought of taking a trainventure throughout Scandinavia. The original-original plan was to go to Germany, but then the US State Department travel warning was issued and I reconsidered. What truly swayed me was the personalized travel warning I received from the Danish Fulbright Commission. So the next original “plan” was to purchase a Scandinavian flexi-pass and ride the rails as long and as far as the pass would take me. Well, in a complete circle that is because the goal was to end up back where I started. I wrestled with the idea for a while; took my time getting out of bed, and then pondered even more what to do. I started loading my backpack and then quit, talking myself into an “I’ll leave tomorrow” state of mind. But then I re-evaluated the situation and finally determined, “No – I’ll leave today.” So I finished loading my backpack with several days’ worth of clothing and my toothbrush.

By this time it was around 9am Esbjerg time and beginning to warm some outside. The cold was part of my initial hesitance to begin the adventure today, but now determined to explore Scandinavia I set off walking toward the city centre and the train station. I made my way over to the beach and down the slight incline to the walkway. I strolled this the entire way into town. The view was beautiful, watching the birds hunting for their morning meals, seeing the ships exiting the harbor and heading out to sea. The breeze was still a bit cold, but the walking in my long coat easily combated that. In fact, I found myself getting hot after only a short ways; I had to stop and take my large coat off and carry it.

It took me about ninety minutes to walk the entire way from the house to the train station, but once there I set about initiating the adventure. I purchased my flexi-pass (that I would later discover was the wrong type, but it was fixed in Copenhagen – more on that to follow) and began the first leg of the adventure: Esbjerg to Copenhagen.

Several trains make this run daily, and the fastest of these take only about three hours to go from the farthest point west to the farthest point east. The slower of the trains take about five hours, more stops is why. This was the sort of train I was on, the more stops variety. I was really in no particular hurry, just wanted to get to Copenhagen to switch trains. The goal today was to make it to Stockholm, Sweden. I had planned to stay the night there, explore that city the next day and then head to Helsinki, Finland.

With all the stops between point A and point B my train rolled into Copenhagen around 3pm local time. I quickly made my way to the departures board, chose a Stockholm-bound train, went to the ticket window to get a seat assignment, and then grabbed a quick bite to eat and something to drink as I awaited the passing of just under two hours before my Stockholm train’s departure. There I sat, eating, drinking, and writing in this journal. Occasionally I would look up to see the people going by. Just watching them out of curiosity. I like to watch people; students who have taken creative writing classes with me know this is how I create some of my characters – people watching.

Well, I did that for the nearly two hours wait time, fascinating way to kill 120 minutes. However, as I was making ready, actually as I was walking to the platform where my Stockholm train was to depart I heard an announcement over the PA, first it was in Danish of course so it meant little to me in that moment, but then the English version of the announcement came and announced that the train to Stockholm I was to be on was inexplicably cancelled. What the …? Now what?! So I checked the departures board again, found another Stockholm train and went back to the ticket window for a seat assignment there. No luck – no seats available on this train. So I ended up staying in Copenhagen for the evening. I found a hotel near the station, checked in and settled down for a bit of a rest.

After a little while I went out walking around the immediate area of the station, just a few blocks to see what there was to see. I stopped in at a coffee shop for a quick pick-me-up, then walked around a bit more before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

Les Hannah, day 20, part final

Well, today was the day to see if all of that hard student work paid off with good presentations. All day today were presentations of one form or another; I served as the “outside” evaluator for one class. In this class there were eight groups with PowerPoints on various topics from the 80s. Remember, that was the common thread holding all this past week together. One group did a presentation on a Danish furniture company, a company that has a similar history to Wal-Mart – well, in its humble beginnings and owner’s philosophy at least. Another group discussed the creation and rise of a Danish chocolate milk drink called Cocio that is manufactured right here in Esbjerg. This group had free samples – I liked their presentation; it was tasty. All the groups in this class did very well. Their research was good, not to the level I am accustomed to with university students at the graduate level, but these are not university grad students. For their level they did alright. These in-class presentations were from the first year students, and they lasted until around noon.

Around noon was the lunch break, which is a little later than usual, but this is an unusual week. But following lunch was a different type of presentations by the second year students. For this round these students set up booths in the gymnasium, where the assembly was held. They created representations of their chosen topics. And this was for prizes. One group set up a disco and the members were wearing disco-style clothing – things I had not seen in thirty years. These kids were really into the spirit of the afternoon. (By the way they won the competition.) Another group, all girls, set up a faux-sex shop, apparently something that immerged in Denmark in the 80’s. They were all dressed up as “window” girls, women who would stand in the windows and lure men in. This group also handed out free condoms. I have noticed that the Danes are very open, relaxed, and at peace with their sexuality.

Another group had set up a faux-Blockbuster video store and had movie posters from many of the box office hits of the 80s. They had free popcorn.  All of the presentations were great; again, not to the level of what I expect from my students, but we are talking a different level of students here, a different goal with the research, and a different approach to the assignments. I was impressed, especially with the recreations of the second year students. They really got into the spirit of the projects. I think all of the teachers were impressed. I know I sure was.

Following the demonstrations and the clean-up of the gym, the students quickly departed for their Potato Week break. Potato Week in Denmark goes back to the time before mechanized farming when potatoes (all crops for that matter) were harvested by hand. Of course all hands available were needed to harvest – including children. So about potato harvest time schools would take a week long break so the children could aid in the harvest. Well, when the harvesting became mechanized and the children were no longer needed for picking spuds, the Danes decided to keep the week as an Autumn Break. Schools still get out for a week, but now students run around, relax, play video games, or do whatever this age of Danish students on Potato Week break normally do.

The teachers, well they did what I think more of us at NSU should do – they socialized. They sat around in the teachers’ lounge area and talked; someone brought in some beers, and they – we – sat around, drank a few beers and just talked to one another. They talked about school and their students, of course, and not in a nasty way but a bragging way. They talked about sports. The weather. Politics. They asked me what I thought of Denmark so far. We discussed tribal politics, but someone quickly changed the topic back to the weather. Wait – that was me. They asked what I was going to do for Potato Week, and I told them of my loosely formulated plan to travel around Scandinavia. We had a good time just sitting and talking. Following about an hour of this I left to head to my house. Nothing spectacular once there, just sat and watched some German language TV and thought about what I would do during the coming week.

Pamela Louderback, Day 10

Not too much going on today, so will keep the update short.  Did more research in the library, reading quite a bit.  Will attempt to post some pictures tomorrow.  The noise outside my apartment has lessened somewhat with the passing of Halloween.  Maybe I'll get a little more sleep tonight....