I am not foolish enough to think that all of my experiences are rock solid on the way life is around the world. There are always good and bad with everything...I just know God ( and my three heavenly traveling mates: David, Danny and Tyler) blessed me on my adventures and placed great people in my path. I did not meet an uninviting Scandinavian on my travels through that region. It all started in Mexico nine months prior but I'll get to that later. More resently it continued on my ferry ride over to Stockholm from Tallin. To call this boat a ferry is like calling a Rolls Royce "Transportation"! This ferry was the cruise ship of ferrys...live entertainment on every deck with a casino, disco and a plethera of bars. I was watching the "show tune special" when I became parched and wondered up to the bar. A guy returning to Denmark ( via Sweden) was at the bar and said he had seen me in a Midevil resturant in Tallin the day before. I had recognized him as well but could'nt place the face, and after he mentioned it I recalled it as well. He proceeded to invite me to join his business associate and him for a drink. Well three hours later we were toasting all of our families and his wife who was expecting thier first child fairly soon. It's the small gestures that make the differences. I only had a day to see as much of Stockholm as possible because I was raceing to see friends I had met in Mexico who had opened their home to me. Anyway, Stockholm is beautiful and I need far more time there to truely experience it, but it also has winding canals and lays out on waterways that give it splendor. After touring the town but day, I had to give a go at meeting the famous Bikini team, so I ventured off to a nightclub that came highly recomended. Once again I had the fortune of running into a group of five local guys in their thirties that were out on a "boys night out" and happened to know a few of the doormen at the hotter clubs in town. Eventually it became these guys goal to show their new American friend all that Stockholm has to offer...and it was great. If you open yourself to chance, you'll wont be surprized to see how far it will take you. As sad as it sounds or as much as I would wish that it would happen...I truely cant see myself or my friends doing a similar thing with a total stranger...I pray that I am wrong.
The apex of my Scandinavian hospitality came while hanging out in Playa del Carmen in Mexico, I asked a couple sitting next to me to watch my things as I took a stroll down the beach. On my return, I thanked them and started a conversation. They were from Copenhagen ( Charlotte and Jacob) and were on Holiday for a couple of weeks. They also were engaged to be married. Charlotte is a air hostest for Scandinavian Air and Jacob is a helicoper pilot in the Danish Air force...they are truely a sound couple. Well we hit it off and spent the next six or so hours laughing and hanging out, and like most travelers exchanged e-mail and said lets hook up in your town....I'll be there in about 9 or 10 months...yadda yadda yadda. Well messages were exchanged and I was really excited to catch up with my new friends again. Well instead of "Lets catch up for a drink" they had both invited me to stay with them for the 4/5 days. REMINDER>>>> these were people I had met for only six hours nine months prior and they are offering to put me up ( a total stranger) for free for potentially five days. Absolutely Amazing!!! Not only did they put me up and show me uncomparable hospitality...they orginized a dinner of a bunch of their closest friends to welcome me. They retrieved me from the train station and in the end droped me off at the bus stop. They displayed thier city to me with enthusiam ( we actually got to see the Queen of Denmark drive slowly by) and invited friends along to meet me.....Copenhagen is a fantastic city and if Charlotte, Jacob and their friends are an indication of the type of people that live there....I beleive you all reading this need to go see what Copenhagen has to offer!!! On a site seeing note, they took me down to this part of town called Christiania. It was an old military barracks area that hippy squatters infiltrated and have built a artist comune of sorts where free love is despenced as quickly as drugs are displayed on an infamous road called "Pusher Street". An interesting place to people watch. We also took a canal tour though the cities many waterways. WOW, what a great time, and what great new friends!!!
Well, it seems that this portion of the trip was the catch up with fellow travelers part. My good friend Merel, who I celebrate the holidays with in Antigua, Guatamala is in University about a half hour away from Amsterdam and my "Dutch Sons" from Costa Rica are in University in Amsterdam. I saw William first and he brought me to a Museum that spoke to the history of the city. William was a bit of a historian of his city as well and shared his knowledge of Amsterrdam. He proceded also to introduce me to some of his local friends and we made a night of it reveling in the local bars of Amsterdam. If you have never been to Amsterdam, you should go. There is alot more to the city other then their notorious Red light distric and the infamous coffee shops...all of which are worth the stroll around for the experience. Amsterdam also has a beautiful network of canals that weave though the city. The people are great fun and free spirited as you would imagine. Their museums are great!! Merel and I took in the Vincent Van Gogh museum and a canal tour, both of which were exquisite. On my own I toured the Anne Frank house...what a brilliant and sad waste of a talented, spirted young lady. I couldn't help but think of my own talented niece Annie and pray to God that she nor any of us had to face such dier circumstances. The museum was simplistic and poingent, I myself was extreamly moved but was transfixed on a girl of about 15 despertly trying to descise her tears of empathy and sorrow. It made for a tradgically moving experience.
The city in the fall has a mellow ambiance to it. William, his friend and I enjoyed cocktails canal sideon a quaint street with the autum leaves changing. Merel abliged my curiosity to take in the coffee house experience...its interesting to see the legality of it all. There is no beter way to experience a culture then to have local friends show show their cities off. Many thanks to both of them!!!
