Gym Cracks By Jim September 2, 2004 SCANDANAVIAN ADVENTURE Scenery, seafood smorgasbord highlights of trip to Scandanavia By Jim (Babe) Berryman MissingNebraska.com Gym Cracks has returned from a two-week trip to the Scandinavian countries. My stepson, Randy, and his mother accompanied me on this trip. Randy is scheduled for duty in Baghdad later this fall. We visited four countries--Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Norway--on this trip. All four of these countries use a different currency. When in Norway on the last part of the trip, on at least two occasions, when I presented some coins for a payment the clerk would smile and say "that is Swedish money." Our group spent two nights on ferries crossing the Baltic Sea--one from Stockholm to Helsinki and the second from Tallinn to Stockholm. An afternoon hydrofoil transported us across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn. Travel magazines recommend splurging on the Stockholm to Helsinki smorgasbord. This meal was great, especially if you like fresh seafood. The major cities--Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Oslo--were all great, but expensive. The countryside was beautiful. In addition to the many water areas and fjords, we saw agricultural areas, the forests and mountains. We traveled by RailEurope on this trip. Every time I have been on the European continent I have purchased either the Eurailpass or the BritPass. One night our party traveled from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (Arctic Circle) on a train using our pass. We purchased a $11.00 ($33.00 total) supplement and slept on bunks for the 10-11 hour trip. We arrived at the Arctic Circle location at 7:00 a.m. rested. No, it wasn't the Ritz, but our compartment had running water and a place to sit in addition to the three bunks. We spent the day touring sites above the Arctic Circle and departed Rovaniemi at 21:00. We arrived back in Helsinki the next morning and left later that day for Tallinn. I'm still amazed at how prompt European trains are. It's almost a given, European trains will leave and arrive at their destinations at the stated times. It did take me a couple days to correct my internal clock after arriving home. There is a seven-hour time difference between Norway-Sweden and the Central Time Zone and an eight-hour difference between Finland-Estonia and Grand Island. I'm planning a trip to Ireland. My father's parents were married in Ringsend, Ireland. I've been in contact with a person in Coleraine, Ireland, via the Internet. She has written a few houses/old buildings remain in Ringsend, with one possibly being a church. Hopefully, I will be able to determine if this structure is the building where my grandparents were married. Traveling is my hobby, but being back in the good old USA feels great! Post/Read Feedback PREVIOUS GYM CRACKS: Click Here