Here I am at the tail end of my trip.
The good:
Visiting new cities: Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen.
Meeting friends. Seeing family who live on this side of the world. Meeting people I’d previously only chatted with on Twitter. Meeting new people. Funny how you sometimes have to go halfway around the world to meet people from your home country.
Successfully finding my way around new cities. Navigating confusing public transport systems.
Listening to the sounds of languages.
Experiencing the midnight sun.
Finnish sauna.
Learning lots. Especially that 1) all our libraries are experiencing similar problems, and 2) despite the financial and human resource constraints, we can still do a lot, especially if we work together. There is a lot of goodwill out there.
The bad:
Getting a cold on my last day in Helsinki. This meant I didn’t enjoy Stockholm to its fullest, as I was somewhat lacking in energy to do long walking tours as I’d planned. I also had little appetite and did not even manage to eat Swedish meatballs! I know, right?! I’m still coughing now.
Missing M and the chihuahuas.
The hotel in Copenhagen not having my booking and my ending up staying in a fleabag behind Copenhagen Central Station. The hotel which didn’t have my booking organised this, which was good of them, as it did save me the horror of trying to find accommodation in the high season with no proper phone facilities and no idea of the hotels in the city. It was only for one night, or I would have made more of an effort to find somewhere better. Let’s see, where do I begin.
I nearly turned and walked away when I saw the groups of junkies sitting around outside the hotel. (I am not exaggerating.)
The room reeked of cigarette smoke.
There were only shared bathroom facilities – and they were.. um… not very clean…
On the plus side, it only cost 350 Danish krona (around AUD$70). This was really another sign of what was on offer, I’m sure.
The window opened.
There was free wi-fi. (Hear that Australian hotels? A dingy fleabag hotel and they provide complimentary wifi!)
Still, I survived, and I suppose this is another experience I can look back on.
I am looking forward to getting home, but before the long haul will be spending some time with a couple of aunts in Amsterdam. This should be fun!