- Travel on the Rail -

Part 8

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I woke up. It is seven o'clock. The ship is still sailing, maybe. It, after all, does not roll at all. I noticed the company also wake up. We went to the deck together. It is quite light. The ship is threading its way through the islands. At any rate, the guy looks really grumpy. He is sour, and does not reply to my talking to him. However, he cannot stop himself after starting talking. He seems to have manic-depressive psychosis.

I set my watch to Sweden time, an hour earlier. At 8 o'clock, "Silvia Regina" arrived at Stockholm port on time after sailing for 15 hours. We can see the surface of the gray sea here though the sea in Helsinki was covered with the ice.

Stockholm Central Station

We are going to Stockholm Central Station by subway, called "Tunnelbana" and managed by Stockholm local transportation bureau "SL". It costs 4 Kronor (SEK, about 80 yen), and we can get on and off as we want within an hour. Every seat is a box type. Are there no rash hours in this country?

We got to Central Station in 20 minutes. It is so crowded. We found seats at a coffee stand, and,
"Well, what shall we do?"
But when I found he had ever been here once, I decided to follow him. After he who would take the night train tonight left his baggage a locker here and I went to Youth Hostel (YH) to leave mine where I would stay, we met in National Museum again. There seemed to be works by Picasso, Renoir, Rodin, and so on, but I preferred just the building of the museum to such (sorry!) goods.

Gamla Stan

After that, we went to Gamla Stan through the side of the palace "Kungliga Slottet". I want to see the inside of the palace, but he does not care about it at all. "Gamla Stan" means an old city area. There are a lot of buildings built in the Middle Ages closely along the stone-paved streets. The main street is crowded, but we can sometimes find nobody on the other streets. I want to take my more time here! However, he kept walking fast and straight, bought a coke at the supermarket at the edge of the street, and said,
"OK, let's go to the next!"

After seeing the City Hall, we were back to the Central Station. He proposed to go to see the subway. Of course I agreed. 11th line of this subway is called the art line, which each station was made by the artist left the decoration as they liked. We went to Kungstradgarden Station, the next to the Central. Getting off the train, it looks like a castle in the Middle Ages, displayed an armor, a bridge on a moat, and so on. The dimmed lights make it completely.

Well, he is going to the other stations. We parted here because I wanted to see the inside of the palace, where is close from here.
"I'm waiting for your picture postcard. I'll send you, too."
"OK."
It was a too quick good-bye after traveling together for a week. Let me add that, after all, I have not received his postcard yet.

　We should be surprised the palace is opened to the public though it is a part of them. There is a treasure room "Skattkammaren", where we can find a crown with hundreds of jewels, and so on.

Out of the palace, I walked around Gamla Stan again. It is a relaxing, exciting, and so wonderful place. There is a second-hand shop of Japanese curios named "KOKORO", that means Heart. I hope they would buy my TV set used for more than 10 years.

I went to the city market "Saluhall" to buy a meal for tonight. This is interesting! It seems that there is everything Swedish eat, such as meats, fishes, vegetables, and also cooked meals. I chose unknown fishes cooked in white stew of those.
"Can I eat it as it is?"
I tried to ask so, but saying it several times, the store clerk did not get it so I received it as it was.

Walking around Stockholm in the dim evening, I went back to the YH. It was so beautiful to see the evening view of the opposite side of the river from the bridge on the way to the YH. At the YH, I ate the stewed fish I just got. Very good! But I wanted to eat the hot one.

I left the YH at around 9 o'clock. A sailboat "Af Chapman" is moored just in front of the YH I stayed. As a matter of fact, it is a YH and I wanted to stay there. But I found the sign on the door yesterday that it was opening on April 1st although my guidebook said it would be open on March 1st. I was going to the station seeing reproachfully the white sailboat with three masts.

I feel that Stockholm Central Station is the most open and lightest of the four stations in the capitals of 4 countries in the Northern Europe.After my breakfast at the cafe in the station, a Japanese talked to me. He was going to Narvik where I had been just several days ago, he said.

Stockholm to Kalmar

Then, I am getting on the 10:06 Intercity train for Kalmar. Kalmar is to the 450km south of Stockholm. "Intercity" is like "L- Express" (a frequently departing limited express) in Japan. The train I am taking has also the cars for Malmo (on the contrary, the main cars are for Malmo and with the others for Kalmar). The train for Malmo starts about every an hour.

We left Stockholm on time. The views out of the window looks the suburb for a while from Stockholm, but later, the Scandinavian scenery such as snow lands and forests and lakes follows us. The country views keep there out of the window though a big town should appear after running 400km. I do not think such a thing would be in Japan. At 14:55, we finally arrived in Alvesta where is exactly a town. The cars for Malmo were parted from us, and now our train became with only three cars.

Kalmar Station

Getting dark, at 16:45, we arrived at Kalmar station of the terminal. There is only one platform. A diesel car matches more, right? I can find buildings in front of the station, but very few people are around there. Oh, it is Saturday today. Only a hamburger house is open.

Well, I have not found a hotel for tonight yet. I started walking for the cheapest hotel on the hotel list. There are well laid-out buildings built in 17-18th century along the roads, but I cannot find the hotel I am looking for. Finally, I found it at the edge of the town, however, no response to my knocking the door. Hey, is even the hotel closed? I had no way but to go back to the station. Asking a hotel the price around here, I got quite a cheap price. My walking around for more than an hour made no sense!! Getting angry, getting hungry, getting the hamburger, I went to bed early.

To be continued

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