24th June, 11pm
I've realised that regarding Stockholm, I don't have all that much to write. Probably 'cos the stuff we do is less here, less sightseeing and stuff, more sleeping and cooking in Greg's hostel. We don't go out at night like we did in London and Paris, and besides, it's cheaper and more comfortable to stay indoors. Moreover, the weather is freezing cold here, so it's also warmer inside.
Today, though, Greg took us to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a tremendous shipwreck from the 1600s. It was originally built as a show of Swedish military strength, but it sank 20 mins after launch on its maiden voyage. Kinda like the Titanic's descendant, if you like. It's amazing, though, how they managed to lift the entire ship out of the mud and silt, and patched up all the badly rotted pieces of timber.
Then we had lunch by the road ( Under an old, rusty crane ) and took a ferry to the train station. The interesting thing about Stockholm is that ferries are part of their public transport system! Probably 'cos they have so many lakes anyway, but it was really cool to sit the ferry across.
Today for dinner, Greg's friend Sammo ( is that how you spell his name? ) came along with a friend, and asked something like did I prefer Stockholm or Singapore? It really made me think for a while. The strange thing is that I could possibly live in either city for an extended period of time. Stockholm has a much more relaxed pace of life, and there's something in the atmosphere that makes you want to stop, slow down your pace, and breathe in the fresh sea breeze.
The things that I don't like is that they have an incredibly high income tax, and their govt provides way too much benefits for the people. ( I'm sceptical about the actual benefits of state-provided benefits ) It tends to make one way too reliant on the govt, is what I feel. Also, it's not as convenient as S'pore, where I can simply walk a few steps just to get to the supermarket, and I think I'll just die here during winter. But I think I could definitely get used to the pace of life. Suits my slacker lifestyle.
I guess when comparing cities, it's hard to decide on the superior one, 'cos after offsetting the costs and benefits, they really are the same after all. After accounting for their differences, their residual value will be about the same, meaning that living in Singapore will be just as good as living in Stockholm. So I guess it's all a matter of personal preference after all.
Or am I a true wanderer? With no solid ground to call my own? Able to adapt to the many places I'd have to live in? I know in terms of cultural identity, I'm probably a lost cause. ( Chinese girl, with Western ways of thinking, grew up in a Taoist environment, but baptised from birth ) In terms of living, not so sure. We'll see how it goes. After all, I've only lived in Europe 1 and a half weeks. :p
Gods I miss it already.
Vasa Museum
Today, though, Greg took us to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a tremendous shipwreck from the 1600s. It was originally built as a show of Swedish military strength, but it sank 20 mins after launch on its maiden voyage. Kinda like the Titanic's descendant, if you like. It's amazing, though, how they managed to lift the entire ship out of the mud and silt, and patched up all the badly rotted pieces of timber.
Check out the amazing carvings on the ship
A model replica of the ship
Then we had lunch by the road ( Under an old, rusty crane ) and took a ferry to the train station. The interesting thing about Stockholm is that ferries are part of their public transport system! Probably 'cos they have so many lakes anyway, but it was really cool to sit the ferry across.
Today for dinner, Greg's friend Sammo ( is that how you spell his name? ) came along with a friend, and asked something like did I prefer Stockholm or Singapore? It really made me think for a while. The strange thing is that I could possibly live in either city for an extended period of time. Stockholm has a much more relaxed pace of life, and there's something in the atmosphere that makes you want to stop, slow down your pace, and breathe in the fresh sea breeze.
The things that I don't like is that they have an incredibly high income tax, and their govt provides way too much benefits for the people. ( I'm sceptical about the actual benefits of state-provided benefits ) It tends to make one way too reliant on the govt, is what I feel. Also, it's not as convenient as S'pore, where I can simply walk a few steps just to get to the supermarket, and I think I'll just die here during winter. But I think I could definitely get used to the pace of life. Suits my slacker lifestyle.
I guess when comparing cities, it's hard to decide on the superior one, 'cos after offsetting the costs and benefits, they really are the same after all. After accounting for their differences, their residual value will be about the same, meaning that living in Singapore will be just as good as living in Stockholm. So I guess it's all a matter of personal preference after all.
Or am I a true wanderer? With no solid ground to call my own? Able to adapt to the many places I'd have to live in? I know in terms of cultural identity, I'm probably a lost cause. ( Chinese girl, with Western ways of thinking, grew up in a Taoist environment, but baptised from birth ) In terms of living, not so sure. We'll see how it goes. After all, I've only lived in Europe 1 and a half weeks. :p
Gods I miss it already.
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