Text and photos as usually by Davor Konjikusic

I came back to Zagreb last Thursday, after almost 18 days of trip in Nordic Europe. Now it is a wright time to type something about this trip, since I had a time to settle down a bit and to organize all the impressions crowding in my head.

In my research I traveled to Scandinavia to see what are the similarities and differences between Balkans or if you prefer to call it South – East Europe, and Nordic countries, Sweden Norway, Finland and Denmark. It is obvious that there is the big difference between ex-Yugoslavian and one of the most developed countries in Europe, but also there are some similarities. In history Finland was part of Sweden, in seventeen century Denmark and Sweden had a Thirty Years War, after which Denmark lost large part of its territory. Norway is a country which citizens for the two times on referendum refused entering EU and there is some kind of easy antagonism between Norway and Sweden. Some people would disagree with me, but that is mine impression. Also people from Sweden, Norway and Island mostly can understand each other.

After the very turbulent history these countries now cooperate in almost every field and there is a big story of mobility in economy and culture.

I just put on paper all the distances I traveled around and realized that I made more then 5430 kilometers on this trip (see the map), without counting flight up and back, and some other small trips. I was using all types of transport except submarine and balloon. I came by plane, then I used trains and ferry, even small boats, then buses, wens and cars.

Also it won’t be far away from the truth if I say that this was one of the best trips in my life. I just feel like that in the moment. After a long time, this was a trip really far away from home and places that I know very good. The tastes, people, smells, landscapes, customs and everything else on this tour were completely new. And the travelling alone is a very good way to meet other people and to be in a real researching – observing mode.

I came back with around 25 GB of photos and it will take some time to work on them. But, since I do know that you are curious, I will put some of them on-line. But, the main collections you can expect after the work on research.

SWEDEN

I landed on Stockholm airport Arlanda on 15^th of July. It was beautiful to watch the sunset from the plane, which gave a gold color to Baltic sea with a thousands of small islands on the surface. Stockholm archipelago is made of 24,000 islands.

After a first step out of the plane the strong wind welcomed me on airport and the next period in Scandinavia I spent dressed in a t-shirt, jumper and light jacket. I wasn’t exactly prepared for the lower temperatures and rain almost every day.

STOCKHOLM: The capital of Sweden has a epithet of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city if positioned across a series of islands where Lake Malaren meets Baltic Sea. City is built on 14 islands and it is a mecca for people who enjoy the beautiful styles of architecture, cultural life and design. One of my first impressions was that people in Stockholm are among of the top dressed people in Europe, very casual, but also very trendy. I really enjoyed staying there, walking around islands, meeting new faces. Somehow the city is very compact and you do not feel large number of tourists, excpept if you go in the old city Gamla Stan.

Around T-Centralen

People are really hospitable, but not more then that. After a while I had an impression that trendy people are a little bit arrogant in the way that they are not too much interested in meeting new people and learning more about some other places in the world. Swedens are very well educated, they travel a lot and maybe there is a root of something what I saw as ignoring behaviour.

One of our prejudices that Sweden is a sterile state is not true. I mean, it is a clean place, people are very well educated, there is not too much of poor people, but it is not sterile for sure.

Stockholm is definitely not a city of a continental Europe. You feel like you came somewhere else, like ona big, well developed, island. I really like Swedish way of living and their connections with nature. In Stockholm most of the people do have some kind of wooden house somewhere on the lake, island or in the wood. It’s a must.

The smallest Stockholm street - Marten Trotzigs Grand

The prices are high for our standards, specially if you go out for a dinner or buy some alcohol. Half liter of beer is around 7 euros and you can have an ordinary dinner for around 20 euros. Special daily lunch offers between 12 and 2 pm, named dugens lunch, are between 8 to 15 euros. They mostly include drink and coffee with main meal. Without too much luxury and without accommodation expenses I succeeded without any problems to stay under 20 euros per day.

Every second of sun light is used as much as possible

I started the research with artists from Balkan who are living in Sweden and organized one official and two unofficial interviews. It was really hard to get in touch with people in high holiday season. But I do not panic at all, because I think that I will have a time to get official quotes by e-mail or phone.

FINLAND

The second day of my staying in Stockholm I received really high temperature. I spent the night in fever and I planed the next day to leave to Helsinki by ferry. All the cabins were totally booked, so I was prepared for sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag. As I mentioned before those buzz trips that some of the Swedish people do are really interesting to watch. Karaoke parties, poker machines, clubs and a lot of alcohol. And if you can get laid in between that is a full success.

What do you think about this guy?

HELSINKI: After a 18 hours in that freaky boat it was a nice feeling to find a salvation in the quiet streets of Helsinki. At that moment I just realized that I feel so weak, so I started to take all the medicines I had with me. And finally it worked. Otherwise I would finish at a local doctor and probably next five days in a hostel bead. I needed to have three meetings in Helsinki, but I succeeded to have only one. So I had a day free to go to Tallinn, which is by ferry three hours far away from Helsinki.

Beautiful cathedral Tuomiokirkko

ESTONIA

TALLINN: For the most of the people which are coming to the Tallinn it is all about the old city. I had a meeting with one journalist that I met before few years in Bukurest on some workshop, so we spoke about not so bright situation in post EU entering processes in his state. And Estonia is somehow in the middle, between Scandinavia (or part of it), Baltic states (sure the part of) and Russia (was part of Federation).

Old town in Tallinn

So Aleksei and I had a nice talk about region and on-going problems. And on the road back to Helsinki, the same king of ferry. Again Viking Line, drunk people, karaoke, hoolahop competitions and boxes of alcohol which Fins are taking back home. I was really fed up of that kind of ferries.

Ferry fun…

HELSINKI: The last day in Helsinki I had a meeting with Mrs. Sahu as I mentioned before. The Finland is for me the most different from other Nordic countries. I see two reasons for that, language and geographical location between East and West.

Beach at one of hundreds islands near Helsinki

It is really good to see that cooperation between Scandinavian countries exist on almost any field, from business to culture. Somehow it is obvious that this countries are keeping together and it is visible on symbolic level. On the main squares and some buildings it is common to see the flags of all Nordic countries. I just thought how it would be if our ex-Yugoslavian states would put flags of all ex-republics and today states.

LULEA: As a real researcher and let’s say avanturist J after Helsinki I decided to go up north, all the way to Narvik in Norway. I planed to do a 24 hours trip, but it was impossible, cause as far as you go north the traffic connections are worst, so I was stucked in most north Swedish city Lulea. And that was not so bad cause I had a day rest, train the next day early in the morning and I met a Swedish photographer Carolina Romare.

Diferences between Norwegian and Swedish girls

NORWAY

NARVIK: The travel to Narvik was one of the most scenic train traveling. You are climbing around lakes and mountains, move through tundra and then you go fall down to Narvik by the edges of fjord. It was a July and I was watching the snow at mountain peaks. Nature is really wonderful and it is really different when you cross Arctic Circle, imaginary line at 66 degrees and 33 minutes N latitude.

Does this husky have anything common with our huskies?

This small town very far north was heavily destroyed in Second World War. Still it seems to be a big issue. In the center I found a monument devoted, among all, to Yugoslav comrades (partisans). The people are very hospitable and the city reminds me at Twin Peaks. I can not imagine how this town looks like during the winter, when the night lasts for almost three months. It was fabulous feeling to walk around midnight and have enough light to make pictures.

Midnight in Narvik

Unfortunately, on the last day of the midnight sun this year I had a luck – it was very cloudy and there was no sight of sun. I went next day to a tourist office to complain, but they told me that I can buy a DVD with pictures of midnight sun. Just kidding.

SVOLVEAR: Again I was stuck with my ScanRail train pass, so I needed to catch a ferry next day to Lofoten Islands, more precisely to Svolvear. I came there around 7 pm (only one ferry by day), so I needed to wait another one next day to Bodo. If we are talking about nature this was one of the most fabulous things I saw on my trip.

Lines and colors…

These islands look like Alp peaks surrounded by water. And of course snow on the mountains again. Beautiful place…. In November they have orca whales around. And during winter beautiful Aurora Borealis. I would like to come there once on my own. I have never been on New Zealand, but i do imagine it in this way.

Lofoten Islands from far away

It was a time to move south quickly, since the prices in Norway are horror. I paid the pizza at fast food restaurant (Pepes Pizzas) 25 euros. After I finally got in Bodo I cached a train to Trondheim. It was impossible to take a sleeping cabin (if you are alone you must take two beads and Norway Railways charge for that almost 100 euros), so I slept on a chair. At one moment a dog licking my leg waked me and I had a company of a Norway guy who spoke hole night about drugs, while his boxer was trying to steal a food from my bag. I do not need to say that sleeping didn’t occur.

Beautiful and quite village Kabelvag.

I didn’t made a stop in Trondheim, big university center cause I didn’t managed to find any contacts there, so I cached another train directly to Oslo. I had plans to visit Bergen, but I was out of time already, so I deicided to catch a night train to Stockholm, have a big nap there, and then after three days planned to go directly to Malmo. After a short walk around Oslo and meeting with people from Student Union I entered train and slept all the way to Stockholm. So after almost 48 hours I came back in Swedish capital.

Dreaming about Lofoten…

It was good to be again in Stockholm.

Short break in Oslo.

UPPSALA: The big university center north of Stockholm is Uppsala. I already had some contacts there, but I met only people from Student Union, since the professors were on holiday. But I arranged some potential meetings soon in Zagreb, since some of people plan to go to Balkans soon. And the school already starts to work in Scandinavia in August. Upsala is nice and quiet city, one of the oldest and fourth-largest in the state. During the year city is very live cause more then 40,000 students attend university here.

Slow waters in Uppsala

MALMO: With a help of Jasmina and her friend Christina I managed to have a free place to stay in Malmo, one of the most multi – cultural and continental cities in Sweden.

Viking something near city of Ystad

Nowdays Malmo is almost a part of Copenhagen. Two cities are connected by remarkable Oresund bridge and tunnel link. It is a longest Europe’s bridge.

Breathtaking Turning Torso in Malmo

DENMARK

COPENHAGEN: There were two main goals in Copenhagen. Visit of Nordic Council and Christiania. The first visit was very good so I learned more about political connections between Nordic states.

Cosmopolitan city for sure… Copenhagen

The Christiania was a disappointing experience. People from Christiania were not so helpful (maybe there is too much people every day) and atmosphere is hostile mostly cause of hashish dealers and men groups around.

My postcard from Christiania

So that’s it. Short report from this trip. Today I’m leaving for a real vacation in Tunisia.

But I have one question for you all. The firs prize will be for one who answer correctly at question Why Swedish people have lamps on their windows? Aaaand the first prize is a drink from me in Berlin