Stockholm 1.0 and 2.0

Yes, I'm doing yet another merged post.  "Why is this," you may ask?  "It couldn't possibly be because you're doing less and less each day, is it?"  Well yes - actually it is.  Let's take a look at why.

1. I made an unexpected purchase.  This isn't nearly the most debilitating change, but it's the most obvious and has an effect on the others, so I'll start with it.  While I still expect fully to remain within budget, the 2400 kr purchase I made in Copenhagen cut into my remaining funds fairly significantly, to the tune of about 100 kr per day.  This limiting of my discretionary spending means that I am limited to cheap or free attractions.
2. Norway and Sweden don't offer free bicycles.  This one was a doozy.  In Denmark, using a bicycle required a 20kr deposit that was returned at the end of the trip.  In Norway and Sweden, the city bike systems require the purchase of a day or multi-day pass, usually to the tune of a 100+ kr.  If I were to purchase one, it would reduce my ability to experience activities and dining options even further.  Getting around on foot actually limits my ability to see sights in two ways, not one:
1. My movement speed is lower, so it takes me more time to see fewer things.
2. My efficiency is reduced, so I get worn out more quickly in the day.
3. Hostels are starting to fill up.  The impromptu trip idea was very enjoyable - it was nice having the freedom to stay as long as I liked somewhere, and leave boring places sooner.  The trouble is it only really worked in June (and presumably earlier).  Come July, which is when I have been in Norway and Sweden, the hostels started filling up.  This had two effects of its own:
1. If the cheap accommodations are taken, I have to spend more on my room, which leaves me less for experiencing wherever I am.
2. Many hostels aren't able to offer multi-night stays.  This means that I have to shuffle between hostels, even if I'm staying multiple nights in the same city.  Not only do I waste time packing up and moving, but I also have to occasionally waste time waiting to be able to drop my stuff off in the new hostel.  When I had the same room for three days, I could just get dressed and head out to see the town.
4. Cities are further apart. This one is just plain old geography conspiring against me.  I don't think any trips in Denmark were longer than 4 hours - and most were under 3.  Train trips around Norway and Sweden have been routinely 6, 7, or 8 hours long, leaving me less time on my first day in a city to explore.

So, there you have it - for the last half of my trip, I've been able to get less done each day, due to a combination of less time, less money, and less efficient means of transit.  That said, what I've been doing for the last two days...

I got up yesterday, packed my things, and headed out to another hostel.  After waiting to drop my stuff off, I headed out on the town and stopped by the island housing the palace.  I didn't stay too long, though, as it was a bit crowded for my tastes.  Instead, I spent most of the day on Djurgården, a large island consisting mostly of park area.  As I was wandering through, I found a large rocky area and sunned mysef for a while.  Sweden seems to be a great place to get sun - I'm finding I constantly need sunglasses.

After working my way back to the mainland, I stopped by a supermarket and picked up some juice, then headed back to the hostel to settle in.

This morning started out the same, except reversed.  I packed and left that hostel, to travel back to the first hostel I stayed at.  This one had a secured luggage room, so I was able to drop off my pack and make my way to the National Museum.  Along with their standard collections, I saw the "Shimmering Silver" and "Lust and Vice" exhibits - the former exploring the effects of lighting on the perception of silver craft-work, and the latter exploring the changing public perceptions of decency and sexuality over the past 5 centuries.  Both were very interesting exhibits. 

I was tired from having to get up fairly early, so I decided to nap for a bit.  On my way back to the hostel, I noticed a large street fair going on in one of the main plazas - apparently it's an annual tradition in Sweden to have street performers come in and perform, so I watched a few small shows and headed on.

The next scene I came to was a bit unexpected.  At first, I thought it was just another street show, but as I drew nearer chanting became more noticeable.  What I came upon was a rally in which people were waving Iranian flags - except not the Iranian flag I was familiar with.  This one had the same striped pattern, but contained in the white field a golden lion with a scimitar.  I couldn't understand most of what was being said, but I did hear the name "Khomeini" a few times - so I assumed that the protest had something to do with the Iranian Revolution, and was probably a protest against the current regime.

Sure enough, when I got back to the hostel, I did some research and identified the flag as the personal emblem of The Shah, the secular ruler of Iran through the seventies.  He was overthrown in the late seventies, and Khomeini, a religious figure, was returned from exile to oversee the new government.  Sharia law was implemented in Iran on July 9th, 1980, which is almost certainly the particular event that was being protested.  The protesters were likely secular or liberal Iranians who opposed the religious takeover of the government.  So...good for them!

A third strange sight greeted me on the way back to the hostel!  I was walking through an open farmer's market area, when I saw a guy running around with a box of wine and pouring it directly into the mouths of anyone he could cajole into drinking it.  When I came upon him, he was pouring it into the mouth of a guy trying to eat his lunch while wearing an inflatable penis costume.  So...that's fun.  To my knowledge, drinking in public isn't legal in Sweden, so not only was a man in an inflatable penis costume being force-fed boxed wine, but he was being force-fed boxed wine illegally.  Gasp.  Shock.  Horror.

I stopped by the hostel and napped for a bit, before heading back out to find a bite to eat.  I didn't end up getting anything special, just stopped by a kebab café after watching a sword swallower.

A good couple of days, all in all.  Tomorrow I head to Göteborg.

5 days left!