The phones in Sweden were the most annoying to date. They didn't let me call a toll-free number without paying first and they didn't accept coins or my VISA. I was lucky enough to find one coin operated phone to send a couple of updates. I had to spend 35Kr ($4) for a phone card just to access a phone. Then, I could use my MCI WorldCom card to call the U.S. and Pocketmail.
I took a restful eleven-hour ferry from Sweden to Finland after spending a relaxing layover day in Stockholm. Stockholm starts on the mainland and extends onto a series of islands. The 12-deck ship (it's no Washington State "ferry") to Finland spent most of the voyage slowly cruising past thousands of San Juan like islands.
There is a HUGE park in Stockholm with some car-free roads and trails wandering over a peninsula that used to be the royal hunting grounds. After doing a circuit of the park, I did a quick tour of the downtown "must see" pedestrian mall, and went back to the park. The park was more relaxing. It helped that, for the first time in several months, the temperature hit 75F and the sky was a tranquil blue.
The last day of cycling on this stage was 178km with a manageable 2800 feet of elevation gain. Once I realized how easy the rolling hills were going to be, I let my legs go as fast as they wanted rather than saving then for the next day. I was able to average a much higher speed (a whopping 13mph) than my normal 11mph. I got in with plenty of time to shower, change and repack my stuff. Our bikes and everything in the gear lockers were being shipped to Berlin, so I had to pack stuff to get me through the next week. In the meantime, half the riders spent a few days in St Petersburg, RUSSIA!!!
I was thankful I didn't have to pedal in Russia. The border crossing would have been horrendous as an individual cyclist and the gear trucks could have been prevented from crossing. The streets, at least in St. Petersburg, are in horrible shape if they have trolley tracks. Street signs aren't very legible because of the funny letters in the Russian alphabet. There will be enough confusion following instructions in the Far East.
St. Petersburg is a city of contrast. Peter the Great built this former capitol on flat former swampland (sort of like Washington D.C.) as a seaport with Venice like canals, yet the bay at the end of the Baltic isn't deep enough for decent swimming (walkout 200 meters and you're only knee deep) let alone a navy. There are a surprising number of new Mercedes (even one Rolls Royce), yet most cars are crummy Russian built Fiat wannabes. The tour buses are new and plush, yet the city buses can be rusting hulks crammed to the glass during rush hour. Most people don't own a car, yet I saw very few bicycles. There are some incredible churches, yet many buildings are in poor repair as the stucco breaks off due to the moisture and freezing of the hard Russian winter. The Hermitage is the second largest art museum in the world (some dump in Paris with the Mona Lisa is larger), yet too many paintings are hard to see because of the reflected glare from windows on the glass protecting the paintings. Some rooms (like one holding Spanish paintings) are colorful and ornate, yet some of the best paintings in the world are hanging on wires from a ceiling pipe in rooms with cream colored walls, or like the Hall of 1812 are so dark that it's hard to see anything. The city would like more money from tourism, yet the high charge for visas, the dual pricing for Russians and tourists (St. Isaac's Church charges 15 rubles vs. 250; vendors charge locals 10 rubles for a coke and demand 15 from visitors), and the pickpockets (more Odyssey people had stuff stolen there than any other place) unfortunately makes visitors feel unwelcome.
Happy Trails,
Bruce