Woke up again rather late. I don’t remember what we had for breakfast–I think I only had a few peanuts. So I was really excited to hit this extremely highly praised fish stand when I headed into Stockholm.
The train to Stockholm was really nice. I got in and I was sure that I couldn’t be in a second class car. The windows were paneled with wood and there was a beautiful wood table to work on. But I was! (The train was also quite expensive, nearly $10) I sat there in rapture writing my log and looking out the window as the beautiful sun streamed in.
After a 10 minute walk I arrived at Kajsas Fisk. It was downstairs in a food court in a mall. I waited 10 minutes in line–everyone was ordering the fish soup–and got mine. A big, steaming hot bowl of red, tomatoey fish soup–and then ladles of different mussels which apparently had to be kept separate from the broth until the end–and then, a great scoop of garlic aioli. I took my tray and sat down.
The soup was absolutely incredible. Pretty much the best soup of any kind I’ve ever had. The mussels were terrific, and the garlic aioli sublime. Halfway I realized I could get free bread and salad to accompany the soup. I had read online that I got one free refill, and I pondered somewhat neurotically whether to ask when I still had my full bowl of soup, so I knew how to pace myself. I decided for the more natural alternative of asking when I’d finished my bowl of soup, and with effort, tore my attention away from pacing myself to the actual soup.
I did get the refill :D
After I’d finished, I took a picturesque walk along the river to the Vasa Museum–also absurdly highly reviewed. It was a museum surrounding the restored wreck of a ship that had lain preserved on the sea bottom for three centuries. It was neat, but not as great as the reviews. I also didn’t have enough time to explore the whole thing.
When I walked out the sun was about an hour above the horizon and everything was beautiful. I walked back along the river and checked out the old town. Super beautiful colorful buildings on the hills.
Got a train back to Uppsala; got some food at a grocery on the way. On the train, I started reading Papillon, a real-life prison/escape story. Very compelling. I really like these kind of stories for some reason. Shawshank Redemption, Count of Monte Cristo, Shantaram, sort of… good stuff! When I got back I picked up my stuff at Martin’s–he had another guest for the evening, a gal named Hanna, which is another whole story. I walked the short trek to Erik’s apartment. Erik’s place was really nice–a little apartment with a private bathroom adjoining a public kitchen, like the West Campus dorms at UW, but nicer. We had a pasta dinner and some really good conversation. Erik and Martin each remind me of different sides of myself. Martin is the boisterous, underprepared and uberexcited, unruly explorer, Leroy Jenkins side. Erik is my soft-spoken, logical, focused, naively goodhearted side. Both were really great buddies this whole trip. We talked about all sorts of things, from the Swedish language to our research projects to Erik’s really nice things that maybe I’ll have when I have time to indulge that side of myself. And, of course, romantic endeavors.
We washed up and turned in at the quite reasonable time of 12:30.