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Bennett & Tom's Excellent Adventure
Northeast Passage
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by Elizabeth Hane & Stina Bridgeman
For our honeymoon after our civil union in June, we wanted to go abroad. We both prefer scenery (especially mountain landscapes) to big cities, traffic, and endless museums; both of our families have origins in Sweden; and we wanted to go somewhere we could feel comfortable being “out” as a lesbian couple. Scandinavia seemed like the logical choice.
PDAs, “Family,” and Double Beds
Scandinavia – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland – as a whole is quite gay-friendly – in fact, when we left for our trip, the only two things denied to gay couples in Sweden were adoption and the right to a church ceremony. By the time we returned nine days later, the ban on gay adoption had been lifted, making Sweden one of the most progressive countries in the world on gay rights.
That’s not to say that the whole place is like Provincetown, though. One of our guidebooks mentioned that public displays of affection (PDAs) would get strange looks – not because you were gay but because Scandinavians tend to regard such displays as distasteful regardless of the genders involved.
Our first indication of how different things are in Scandinavia came when making our flight reservations. We flew SAS, a Scandinavian-based airline, and were delighted to discover that we qualified for a family discount on flights within Scandinavia. We were also able to check in together, with both bags registered under Stina’s name, for the flights to Scandinavia.
In general, the whole time we were there, we were not treated any differently than a straight couple would be. We were prepared for some bed-related issues. We could have played the games needed elsewhere – make reservations in advance via the Internet or by phone, have one partner wait in the lobby while the other makes the arrangements, and so forth – but we didn’t have any problems with the direct approach. An employee at the tourist information desk just gave us a knowing grin and made our reservations with no problem once we explained what we wanted. (Well, it wasn’t exactly no problem – there was a doctor’s convention in Stockholm that made our reservations there problematic.)
At any rate, we usually got what we wanted, and when we didn’t, we shoved the beds together. Elizabeth’s parents (decidedly heterosexual) had the same problem in Germany, and found that the twin beds were nailed to the floor!
The “Honeysun”
One of the best pieces of advice anyone gave us about traveling is to “do what you like to do at home, not what you think you should do.” Thus freed from any obligation of what we ‘ought’ to see on a first trip to Sweden and Norway, we promptly headed for the far north – well north of the Arctic Circle. While some thought our choice of destination odd (after all, summer had finally arrived in Vermont – why were we going even farther north?!), our friends were less surprised. Of course we were going to the middle of nowhere! It promised to be very scenic, and we were intrigued by the chance to see the midnight sun. In all we spent five days north of the Arctic Circle – we joked that since the sun never set, the trip would be better called a “honeysun.”
Our base of operations for the first three days was Kiruna, Sweden, a mining town and the largest settlement for miles. We went pony trekking on Icelandic horses one afternoon, hiking in Abisko National Park another day, and we ate a lot of pizza and ice cream in the evenings.
The landscape was very different – the area around Kiruna is relatively flat and covered with scrub forest with an underlayer of lingonberries. It was easy to see how this berry had become synonymous with Swedish cuisine – the berries were everywhere. To the west, the snow-covered, glacier-carved mountains around Abisko frame valleys with rushing rivers, permafrost heath, and few trees.
Anybody Want a Car?
Kiruna was also our introduction to the open, trusting nature of the Swedes who live in this remote area. When making reservations and checking into our hotel, no one took a credit card number or anything other than a name.
When we got back to Kiruna after our day in Abisko, we caught a taxi to the airport four miles outside of town to pick up our rental car. We got out, the taxi left – and then we discovered that the airport closes at 3pm on Saturdays.
We started walking back toward town – no danger of it getting dark! We called the rental agency whose agent explained that since they don’t have office hours on the weekend, the car was in the parking lot at the train station with the keys on the front left tire and we could just pick it up. Amazed, we asked about payment since all they had about us was a name – no credit card or anything. The guy on the phone said that was fine, we could pay for it when we returned the car.
When we returned the car they did finally take a credit card number. We never did have to show a driver’s license. We try to imagine the same thing happening in the US, and just can’t quite see it.
Glory be to Cod
Once we had our car, we set off on the E-10 for Norway and the Lofoten Islands. The scenery got progressively more dramatic as we approached Norway, and the pass at the border is a glacier-scoured, boulder-strewn area pockmarked with small lakes and surrounded by snowy mountains and dramatic waterfalls. We found the border crossing deserted and just drove straight through.
Our first fjord sighting came when the road began following a long steep-sided lake and we realized that the “lake” was actually the ocean. For the next 140 miles, the road wound through the mountains and fjords of the mainland and then the mountains, fjords, and bridges of the Vesterålen Islands. Our destination, the Lofoten Islands, is at the end of the archipelago and is accessible only by ferry or plane.
We spent the “night” (and we use that word loosely) at the Rainbow Vestfjord Hotel in Svolvær. We’d picked the hotel out of a list, and how could we pass up the rainbow reference? (It’s actually a chain, so you can stay in Rainbow Hotels all over Norway.) Little did we know the hotel was actually on the docks, and we could hear workers unloading fish on the docks 24 hours a day. We spent some time sightseeing (which you can do even at midnight) before falling into bed.
The next day we toured a Viking archaeology site and continued on the E-10. Fishing is a major industry in Lofoten, and nearly every harbor town has huge wooden racks covered in cod drying in the 24-hour sunlight. The racks were a mixture of function and art, with their odd angles straining towards the sun to soak up the warmth and store it for the cold months to come. We tried to imagine what the winter would be like, when it is dark for two months at a time, and everything is frozen.
The scenery continued to get more and more dramatic and, as if to add emphasis, the road got narrower and narrower until it finally ended in the town of Å, the last car-accessible village in the chain of islands. (Å, appropriately enough, is the last letter of the Norwegian alphabet.) Peaks on the islands rise over 3000 feet from sea level, almost straight up in many cases. Many of the fishing villages are built on a combination of piers and skerries (small rocky islets) in the harbors because there isn’t enough flat on the main islands.
Words fail us in trying to explain the sheer magnitude and ruggedness of these islands. Although the town of Å turned out to be quite nice, the crowning jewel of the islands is actually the nearby town of Reine with its steep mountains and quaint village houses with green and red roofs shining in the sun. It was jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Biking, Vikings and Big City Life
Reluctantly, we drove back to Kiruna thinking that the mainland scenery, which we had thought so dramatic just a few days before, was now merely scenic. We caught an overnight train to Uppsala, a thriving university town an hour north of Stockholm. One of our first surprises in Uppsala was the number of bicycles – there must have been hundreds parked outside the train station. A tribute to the low crime even in cities, many of them weren’t even locked!
Visiting Uppsala (because Stockholm’s hotels were booked solid) was something of a happy accident, since Uppsala is the home of Carl Linnaeus, a famous botanist who created the genus-species Latin naming system that we still use today. We toured gardens that were part of the university’s grounds, and also visited Linnaeus’ own gardens and home. The old part of Uppsala, Gamla Uppsala, has three huge Viking burial mounds and a fabulous new historical museum.
The last day of our trip found us in Stockholm. We were prepared to be disappointed after having been in the exotic northern wilderness, but Stockholm was amazingly beautiful and engaging. Built on a series of islands and connected by bridges and ferries, it feels unhurried, clean, safe and efficient. In Stockholm we found a nice balance of traditional tourist fare (the Royal Palace, the Vasa Museum, and Gamla Stan) and our own interests (an aquarium, the Postal Museum, and the Royal Coin Cabinet). Like many big cities, Stockholm seems to have something for everyone. Stockholm does have a vibrant gay population, and their pride parade is held every year in early August (see www.stockholmpride.org).
Ready to Return
Sweden and Norway are very gay friendly, and travel is easy and efficient (getting a rental car is really easy in Kiruna!). The language barrier is not great, as nearly everyone speaks excellent English – though most signs and some museum displays are only in Swedish or Norwegian. Though Scandinavia has a reputation for being expensive, the current favorable exchange rate made most prices very similar to visiting cities in the US. Exceptions include gasoline ($4-5/gallon) and alcohol, which are both heavily taxed. Restaurant meals can also be very expensive, but pizza, sandwiches, and fast food are reasonably priced.
Ultimately, we came away with an increased appreciation for the unspoiled wilderness that is available to us here in the US. We also have a renewed sense of urgency about pushing legislation forward to gain equal family rights for gay and lesbian couples. Increasing numbers of European countries are recognizing the value of all families by offering equal protection under the law, and the US continues to shuffle its feet. What is possible there must be possible here.
Elizabeth Hane lives in Underhill Center. Stina Bridgeman lives in exile in Earlville, NY where Elizabeth will be joining her next month.