James Shearer

After a few days in Sweden’s city on the water, I have had a chance to recover from the minimal amount of sleep the night which left me no where to sleep apart from a very short bunk on board a 100 year old ship. Last night I managed to book myself the last room at Oden Pensionat on one of the larger islands which make up Stockholm.

It was tempting to stay in bed all morning but I had to get up early despite a late night spent at Kungstradgarden where a festival of food has been going on all week. I’ve never been to as many concerts in all my life. Yesterday as I wandered the streets, I experienced many different types of music from 28 musicians playing on various outdoor venues across the city. By musicians, I don’t mean the ones seen in doorways playing for money, but Swedish pop, rock and dance stars which attracted the crowds by the tens of thousands. All of which was completely free apart from the cost of the enormous amount of food I tried.

I’m sitting at an Internet cafe in Centralstatioen enjoying the cool air and the fresh breeze coming in from the street. It must be the copious amounts of trees and water throughout the city which keeps the air fresh. For a capital city the air is remarkably clean and the water unpolluted to the point where restaurants fish for their own produce right in front of their establishments in the heart of this truly beautiful city.

Despite my rushing around this morning to fit in visits to 3 of Stockholm’s most popular tourist destinations I was only able to make one and now have 90 minutes. The train I intended on taking was full and I didn’t feel like standing for 4 hours as I head from the east coast to the west and the city of Goteborg (Gothenburg).

I know there is a lot of Stockholm still left untouched and even an extra day would allow me the freedom to see a little more but the city is incredibly busy with visitors from across Scandanavia, Russia, Poland, and many other countries. I learned today is race day for the most popular horserace in Europe. It is also the long weekend for many European countries and with weather like this (25 degrees and sunny) I’m not surprised people are flocking to such a great destination. This has left me with very little option of places to stay so I am hoping Gothenburg will be a little easier to find accommodation and perhaps a little cheaper. The rumours of Sweden being an expensive country have prooved to be not unfounded.

I think I am going to go outside for a bit to find some icecream and a park to relax in until my train. Stockholm has made it onto my list of some of my favourite cities in the world which also includes Vancouver, Zurich and Saskatoon (don’t ask about the last one)

Adjo,
James

PS. I had to edit this blog because Blogger doesn’t recognise Swedish characters! Ooops.

Waking up on a ship in Stockholm has never been a dream, plan or desire. But it happened. Peering out the porthole across the harbour to Gamla Stan with its beautiful, historic buildings reminded me how I came to be in such a place.

It may have only been 5.45am but the early morning, summer sun had also woken the other 3 travellers sharing the same bunkroom below deck. It didn’t take long before a Polish guy was asking me (in Polish) how to add credit to his mobile phone. Fortunately this was in English and following instructions in English is one of my hidden skills.

With one mission complete my next was to find some breakfast. Sidetracked into an Internet cafe I must go to find something to eat and explore “the European capital of cool”.

A great post about what is Canadian food:

http://www.trailcanada.com/rambler/message.asp?fid=1&tid=8

Feel free to contribute your thoughts on the Trail Canada discussion forum to that topic or any others.

Happy travels!

James

I grew up in my family run hotel in Kingussie, Scotland. A few days ago my mother had a rather interesting tale to tell. Running a hotel you have more than a fair share of interesting tales… it makes Faulty Towers look tame.

Here is the events as told by my mum when she and her husband Bill entered the twilightzone…

–

At 3am I woke up. I am such a light sleeper but did not realise then that
something must have disturbed my sleep.

I could not go back to sleep again but at 4am a bang woke Bill up. I was
just drifting off then and wanted to think it was Guests at their car, as I
had already been awake for an hour. Bill (who does not move quickly when he
first wakes up) jumped out of bed and into his dressing gown.

Bill came downstairs to the office for his torch and I put the CCTV on. I
looked out of my window, at the front, over the car park which had 4 very
expensive beautiful MGs as well as our car. I could see the beam from Bill’s
very powerful torch but all seemed fine. No one was at the cars.

Then Bill went round the office and shone his torch down the steps to the
drive and out into the garden. All seemed fine there too.

So Bill went out of the office down the toilet passageway through the ‘open’
Restaurant door and had a good look into the garden. Then through the bar
and kitchens to the back door. Then he retraced his steps, still searching
for what caused the bang.

When he came upstairs he told me that everything was fine. Nothing strange.
And then he told me!!

He said that I must have forgotten to lock the Restaurant glass-door to the
toilet passageway. As soon as he said that I knew, without any doubt at all,
that someone was inside. This door is locked from the Restaurant side with a
bolt and I always keep it locked, day and night.

So Brave Bill went back downstairs and I did my bit by plugging my phone in!
He came back to the office and shouted up to me that one window in the
Restaurant was wide open and someone had climbed in as there was soil on my
nice clean white cloth. Several other windows were also open a little as
well and chairs had been positioned in front of these windows probably for
the burgler(s) to jump onto and out of the window if need be. The burgler
(s) obviously went out the same window they came in, which they had forced
from the outside and damaged the frame very slightly.
and sheered off the security brackets. The glass was not broken.

The Builder who came to put it right said the burgler knew exactly how the
windows are made and what to do to get in.

Strangely enough there was no damage to the things on the window sill, or
the table they clambered onto in the Restaurant, which was in the Sun Lounge
end of the Restaurant with my big elephants on and a really old typewriter
and the old phone from Miskin Road.

The Police came and as soon as they saw the evidence they called the sniffer
dog which was actually busy just then. They phoned Forensic in Inverness.

Just after they had finished searching the Hotel they received a phone call
that someone had reported a man trying car doors in the Close just in front
of the Hotel. So two of our three policemen went after the man trying to
steal a car. When they returned they told us that no one was in sight.

We were very lucky Brave Bill disturbed them as they took off with
absolutely nothing. When the burgler(s) were in the Restaurant they slid
the bolt across the glass-door to the toilet passageway, which leads to the
front door, the Hotel. and the office. The bang which woke Bill at 4am was
the door banging shut - it takes at least one minute to shut loudly so the
bang must have surprised them but they went back and wedged it wide open
with the plant, which I have in front of it to prevent Guests from using the
door.

They did not use the front door or the patio doors, in the Restaurant, and
we are assuming they must have thought the doors were alarmed.

Forensic arrived about 6am and after a thorough search for evidence, all
around, dusted and lifted a foot print on the inside window sill.

–

More information on my mum’s hotel can be found at:
Columba House Hotel . com

Any information relating to this event should be reported to: Northern Constabulary