Backpackers’ Handbook

Read some paragraphs from my traveller's advice collection which will be, if all goes well, published some day in English as well. Write some remarks and comments and send them to me!

1.    From the Introduction:

    …In general, the word "traveller" denotes every travelling person, or at least a person travelling out of genuine pleasure, with a wish for exploring. More specifically, the real traveller is one who travels either alone, with a partner, or in an unorganized group. Such a person wants to travel as far as possible, spending as little as possible. That means that he will hitchhike, travel with a bike, a motorcycle or a van. He will sleep in a sleeping bag under the sky, in a vehicle, or in the cheapest hotel; he will get around by lowest-class train or bus and carry all his posessions around in a backpack.

Orthodox backpackers strictly distinct themselves from turists.

to be continued

text & photo: Janin Klemenčič

Eremitaž, Petrograd

 

 

Hermitage, Saint Petersburg 

Foto: Janin

Scandinavia 20 Rosenborg Castle

   In the afternoon it began to rain lightly. We stopped for a beer and a rest, and then continued through the King’s Gardens to the Rosenborg Castle. This was built in the early 1600s, and so it is much newer than the castles we saw in Norway and Sweden, which were started around 1100 or so. It used to be a residence, but now is just a repository for royal heirlooms. It was impressive, though, with different rooms decorated in various styles—Renaissance, Empire, rococo, etc. Most all had paintings on the ceilings as well as the walls, and period furniture, too. Some contained objects from the period of a specific king.
By the time we left Rosenberg, we were tired, and it was raining somewhat harder. Fortunately, a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus was approaching the pickup point at the same time we were. On these buses we were given a set of earbuds to plug in and we could select the language we wanted and hear a recorded message about the area we were driving through or past. Not very personal but we could hear it and understand it.
(to be continued)

Scandinavia 19 Changing of the guard

At noon we witnessed the changing of the guard, a process which takes quite a while. Sometimes it wasn’t possible for us to tell if anything was happening. The formal guards wear the big black hats and look a lot like Buckingham Palace guards. There were one or two outside each of the 4 palace buildings, but a much larger contingent (about 40) were involved in the guard changing.
 There seems to be a lot of construction in Copenhagen involved with improving/expanding the metro. Near the Amalienborg Palaces is a construction fence around the side of the nearby church. Perhaps it has been adopted by an art school?
There were a series of foam panels covering the fence with a depiction of a colonnade or aqueduct with pictures in each of the arches. All were in a classical style, but some had modern anachronisms, such as the flying saucer in this idyllic scene. Another had a harbor scene with sailing ships and a helicopter and submarine added.
(to be continued)

Scandinavia 18 Danish royal family

 There seem to be some interesting museums to visit, and Tivoli Gardens is practically next door. Lots of bikes on the streets, including many with a compartment on the front for children, packages, etc. Bike lanes on almost all streets, and I have to remember to stay on the sidewalks and not in the bike lanes. The bike lanes tend to be asphalt, and the sidewalks are often cobblestones, and we are VERY tired of walking on cobblestones.
There are enough bikes in Copenhagen that bike congestion and tie-ups seem more common than automobile tie-ups.

 Today we took a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus to Amalienborg Palace. Actually, it is a complex of 4 palaces in a diamond shape. One is occupied by the queen when she is in town, one by the Crown Prince, one is for guests, and the 4th is part museum and part a residence for another member of the royal family.
   The museum was interesting. Many of the rooms are as they were when a particular person occupied them. Mostly very cluttered with art, photos, etc. The Danish royal family seem to be related to all the other royal families of Europe. And I think most of the kings have been named either Frederick or Christian. Nowadays the monarch (currently a queen) does not get involved in politics. It is mostly a ceremonial position, and the royal family also tries to be accessible to the people. There is evidently a debate among the Danes about the cost/sense of maintaining a monarchy, but that seemed to be an internal
Danish debate not to be discussed with outsiders — particularly not in the royal residences.
(to be continued)

Cranky Old Hag in Scandinavia Copenhagen

Tuesday, June 16
Finally got to Copenhagen about 2:30 or so, found an ATM, and found our hotel. It is an older hotel, very near the train station. Room seems fine. Front desk said there was a laundromat down the street, so we went to check. Further than I want to take laundry, so I’ll wash out some more stuff in the sink. Saturday we head back to the US. We did discover that the area down the street is, to use the word of the desk clerk, a bit “colorful.” We had sort of come to that conclusion by the time we strolled past the third adult “toy” store with multiple interesting window displays.
    In the opposite direction from the “colorful” section we found the Visitor Center, and booked a canal tour for the afternoon, while the weather is still good. We saw some interesting parts of the city, but it was very difficult to understand the guide’s English. Again, there are some very low bridges in Copenhagen. We also saw one very interesting moveable bridge. Maybe we can get another look at it later
.(to be continued)

Cranky Old Hag in Scandinavia Feskekörka

    When we left Maritiman, we headed for a museum on the Swedish emigration to America. Unfortunately, they were just closing. We also went to the Feskekörka, a fish market built like a church. That was closed on Sunday and Monday, our two days here.
We were getting pretty tired—too much standing, as usual. Finally found a place to eat—Bee Kök och Bar, with sidewalk seating. We shared a pulled turkey sandwich, with a couple of beers, and chocolate truffles for dessert—yummy!
Then back to the room for another early night. Guess we just aren’t party animals. But we had a good day.
Tuesday, June 16
 Another travel day. No problem getting to the station, but it took a while to find the right train. We had to switch trains in Lund, which should have been a 2 hour wait, but the second train was delayed almost an hour. So much for uneventful travel. We used up the rest of our Swedish kronor buying lunch to carry with us.
(to be continued)