Made it to Interlaken a few days after Mt. Blanc to attempt the Eiger by way of the Mittellegi Ridge ( not the North Face! ). From my hostel in Interlaken, you can see the Jungfrau. Interlaken sits between two lakes, Brienz and Thun, and is very pretty. They have left a big field undeveloped in the middle of the city so that you can walk around it at night and just enjoy it. We need more of that kind of thinking in the States! Went up to the Berner Oberland region one day and hiked around Murren and saw the beautiful mountains around. They are truly beautiful. There is a lot of mountaineering history in this one range. So many tough climbs in one spot! Spend another day at Eigergletscher just below the base of the Eiger. Look at the North Face.

I meet Freddy on Sunday at the Eigergletscher train station and we head up to Icemere which is inside the Eiger. We walk down a tunnel, open a door, and we are on the glacier. We have to cross the snowfield and glacier on the backside of the Eiger to get to the rock, where we will climb to the Mittellegi Hut. You never know when the glacier will fall so we go pretty fast to the rock and then we start climbing. There is maybe a steep 5.6 or lower climb for the first few 100 feet, and then you walk to the hut. It is weird walking though because it is fairly steep and there is loose gravel all over. Freddy helps me get a feel for it, walk like an Indian softly, but each step is 100%, makes sense.

In about 2 hours we are to the hut. It is only 2 years old and very relaxing. Unlike the Gouter Hut, this is relaxing. There are only 20 people here compared with about 90 on Mt. Blanc. The hut was relaxing, but the view was freaking me out. I knew there was exposure on the Mittellegi Ridge, but I had hoped that seeing it up close would make me feel better. No Such Luck! It starts right at the hut and rises to the summit. I started to get a little psyched out, but figured Freddy would kill if I said I wanted to turn around! I did not want to turn around either.

We started out at 4 the next morning. I handled the exposure fine. You really focus on where you step and realize that thinking about it does not do you any good. It is really amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. We summited in about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Again, it was georgeous. We saw a full moon in the dark ( noticed it for about a split second and did not think about it until Freddy's wife, Lisa, brought it up when we saw her later in the day ). The summit was smaller and more peaceful than Mt. Blanc. We sat up there for about 40 minutes, no wind and warm, a perfect day. The view of the mountains was even better than from Mt. Blanc, so many high, majestic peaks in one place!

The down was not bad. We, or I, went slow because there is loose rock and I was not so good at walking on that, plus we were in crampons for a while. Freddy had to work hard watching me and also belaying me from steel rod to steel rod. That was fun for me. Towards the bottom, Freddy found some long snow and we glissaded. Freddy calmly stood on two feet and basically skied it - while I tried to do the same, rocking back and forth to stay on my feet, falling, using my ice axe to self arrest, and then having to get back on my feet because we were roped together and Freddy does not fall!!!! It was pretty funny. Made it back to Eigergletscher in about 4 1/2 hours and then we went to Kleine Schedigg for a beer! Got to love the Alps! Again Freddy took great care of me.

This was really some experience!

Chamonix was great. Talk about an extreme sports town. People come from all over to paraglide, climb, mountain bike, hike, you name it. Especially a lot of English.

I took a few days to buy my gear and find the right boots. Long story and a few blisters later, I found the right pair. Spent 3 days getting ready for Mt. Blanc by hiking the mountains outside Chamonix. Went up to a Refuge on the way to the Brevant Cable car, and up to the top of the cable car. Beautiful views and forests. It is hard to describe the way the mountains rise out of Chamonix, you really have to see it to belive it, but I would describe it as Vail with Mt. Rainier at one end of the street and the Grand Tetons running perpendicular right behind the main street. It is really incredible.

I met a lot of people while here before and after my Mt. Blanc climb. I stayed at a hostel called La Vagabond and there were a lot of really nice people. They also had a fantastic view of Mt. Blanc from there patio. We played cards one night and watched the mountain turn to pink with the setting sun.

I came to Chamonix to climb Mt. Blanc. Mt. Blanc is 15,770 ft and the highest mountain in Western Europe. It is heavily glaciated and as fore mentioned, rises right out of Chamonix. I met my guide, Freddy Grossniklaus, and we took a cable car and a train to the start of the climb. It takes about 4 hours to get to the Gouter Hut by way of the Gouter Ridge. From far away, the ridge looks pretty steep, but it is some nice scrambling. After sleeping about 2 hours ( and lying awake for about 2 ) we woke up at 2 am, got dressed, and started out. The views were amazing. It was pitch black so you could see the stars and you could see the city lights below. As we went up, you could see the sky start to get light, it must have just gotten dark in CA ( weird to think about ), and about 1/2 hour before we summited we saw the sun rise.

We made it up very quickly, I think in about 3 1/2 hours. The view was spectacular. The sun was pouring through hundreds of peaks in the main East-West Ridge of the Alps. You could see the Matterhorn and the Bernese Alps in the North.

Now for the hard part, the descent. Of course, you always forgot about this, but this was the hard part of the climb. We did what is called The Traverse. Rather than going back the same way, we continued over 3 other ridges to the Valley Blanche and the Aiguille du Midi. I got a little wiped out, but it was worth it. We saw some great views and had some interesting trekking through some ice fall fields and some crevasses. Walking up the ridge to the ice cave in the Aiguille du Midi was cool and I was sure happy to get into that cave. The downclimb took about 5 hours. A Japanese tourist asked us a bunch of questions. We are in someone's home movie!

Then we took the cable car back to Chamonix ( it was only 11:30 ) and had a beer! You have got to love the Alps. Freddy took very good care of me. It was a long day.

Loved Sweden. I spent 1 week with my cousins in Gavle ( pronounced Yavle ), 40 km north of Stockholm, and then 1 week in Stockholm.

Larry Teeland is my Dad's cousin from Alaska. Larry's wife is Jan and his son is Sam. I really enjoyed getting to know them better. It was a crazy time because Sam had graduated from high school two days earlier and high school graduation is a big deal in Sweden. We spent a lot of time visiting and I enjoyed staying in one spot and resting. I am too old for this travel, youth hostel, stuff!

Sweden's Mid Summer is only second to Christmas as holidays go. It is a big deal. Everyone leaves the city and heads for their summer homes in the country. Mid Summer has it's roots as a pagen holiday, I am told, and was to celebrate fertility - growth of the crops, etc. Larry let me know if I am way off base here. It is now very similar to our Thanksgiving, a time for family, and they have a special emphasis on the kids. On Mid Summer Day ( or Eve ), every town gathers in a park and they raise the May Pole. It is a 40 foot pole covered in vines. The women also go into the forest to gather flowers for their crowns ( wreaths ) which they wear on this day. There is a band which plays folk songs ( We knew the band members, by the way. ) and everyone dances around the May Pole. This part is really for the young kids, but the adults really get into it to make sure it is special for the kids, and I am sure they remember the good times they had doing this while kids. They act out the words to the songs, for example, they act like frogs, play the violin, and iron, just to name a few, depends on the words in the song. It was very cool, and the location was right on the water.

Then . . . the night is for the adults. I went with Larry and Jan to their friends' house on the water. It was absolutely georgeous and the dinner was great. You start with about 5 kinds of herring and you make toasts with Schnapps. They sing a song before the toast, then you drink, and immediately after you sing another quick little diddy. Basically saying "Smooth", but more creative. Then you have salmon as the main course. It was great to be part of the tradition.

After Gavle, Per Wiklund from Synplicity, picked me up and drove me to his place in Stockholm. He was very nice to let me stay at his place for the week. I got a much better feel for Stockholm that way and took more time off from the youth hostels. Thank you Per. We went out 3 nights. Also saw the Fast and the Furious 2. Don't know why I had to put that in here, but it was really cool. I had to see the Stockholm nightlife and I even bought some "going out" shirts and shoes. The last night was the best. There is this boat in the harbor called Patricia's which has 3 dance floors. We partied on that boat from 6:30 pm until 6:00 am. You start out by sitting on the deck and you have a great view of the harbor. Also hung out with a bunch of Per's friends and they were very cool.

Stockholm is georgeous because it is surrounded by water. It sits on 14 islands. It also has many beautiful buildings, lots of spires. I mostly walked around the city in the day and spent some time at a few of the great city parks. Saw the neighborhood where one of ABBA lives. Looked like Portola Valley believe it or not. Stockholm also has a great Old Town which sits on the harbor. I saw a ton of the city by walking and riding the subway. Riding the subway is a great way to see the locals.

Scandinavia was fantastic. I am very sorry to leave it behind. The women are soooo pretty. The guys are good looking too, so now you can not say I am sexist. The people were all extremely nice. I enjoyed learning about Scandinavia and I am getting a good perspective on how the U.S. is viewed from abroad. Scandinavia is as close to an ideal place to live as I have seen. They are big believers in the social safety nets such as healthcare and other welfare benefits, things the U.S. tries to privatize, however they have managed to pay for it collectively. Therefore, you know they have been quite industrious since WWII. However, they do seem to be a sort of cross roads. The EU is a big topic of discussion, and whether they should move closer to it. Closer integration will mean less of a welfare state. I am getting too serious. It was a blast! I think I will go back and find myself a Scandinavian wife, if one will have me!!!

Writing this from Chamonix and my memory is a little fuzzy. I have done a lot since Helsinki.

I took the Viking Line from Stockholm to Helsinki, it is the party boat, looks like the Love Boat. Had some fun dancing the night away. It is an overnight boat and as you leave Stockholm, you view the archapelago for a few good hours. Very pretty, a lot of summer homes. Arrived in Helsinki at 9:30 am and ready for some coffee. A fellow traveller joined me for coffee and a sugar doughnut at the harbor market. The harbor market is beautiful. It is right on the water and is also in the center of the city. A beautiful orthodox style church ( the big white one in my pics ) is nearby. This market caters to tourists, but also locals, and many locals were having their coffee and enjoying the sun. They have all these different stands where you can get coffee and doughnuts, fresh fish, cooked fish, fruit, and tourist stuff. I loved sitting there, taking in the view of the water. I also had some of the local fish, herring I think, it was fried and very good.

While walking to the youth hostel, which was downtown - perfectly located - my new friend and I were waiting at a traffic light. He was standing in the bike lane. A girl went whizzing by and in a split second, this guy was airborn and out of my sight. Her bike hooked his backpack and launched him off his feet. No one was hurt. It was pretty hilarious. Do not stand in the bike lanes in Helsinki. You are warned!

Went to Tallinn, Estonia the next day and then back to Helsinki for 7 days. Rained a lot, but I did the sightseeing. Saw a very cool church which was underground and had granite walls. Noticed that the architecture is really unique, don't know what you call it, but very utilitarian and pays homage to the workers. Did the museum. Finland has a very interesting history because it has been influenced by Russia and Sweden over the years. You get the feeling they are damn happy to be their own country now and they are really going for it, working hard and embracing new things such as the EU. I also went out a few nights and met some of the locals. Basically sat around, worked on the internet, and drank a lot of coffee. The people are very nice in Helsinki. I was able to talk with everyone. Went to a pub to see Italy vs. Finland in football. Italy won. Also took a boat ride around the islands. Very livable place.

The most memorable thing I did was go to the last wood fired public sauna. Everyone said I must do Sauna, so I did. It was essentially a man's club. We need this type of thing in the U.S.. You go in this big room with about 6 levels. When you go in, you are supposed to offer to pull some lever which releases heat ( but I did not know at the time ), and there is always the joker who tries to prod you to the highest level. I could not get past the 3rd level. It was so hot. You last about 10 minutes, then go outside, and do this about 10 times. I could only handle about 3. When you go outside, you just have your towel, and you hang out, bullshitting with all the guys. I could not really bullshit with them since I don't know Finnish, but I was there, hanging. It is on a regular street, so people are walking by, but everyone knows these guys will be there, no big deal.

Also noticed the girls wear these pretty scarfs with patterns. They must have winter ones and sping ones, since these were pretty light. Oh, I missed Ricky Martin. They had their city celebration and Ricky Martin was the surprise guest. Last year it was Shikira, they like the Latin music I guess. I also did some jogging around a really cool park by the water. Lot's of little granite islands in the harbor. Well, I should write these sooner because I don't think I am being too exciting here.

Then it was back on the party boat to Stockholm. Met some crazy Aussies. This is definitely a theme.