"And the pressure of so many clouds on the mountaintops makes them spill over the sides in soft slow-motion, turning to waterfalls under our very eyes."
-Elizabeth Bishop, https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/questions-of-travel/
This morning, I walked through the Stockholm Archipelago. I visited two really cool islands: Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen. While walking around, I met two nice Italian university students, Filippo and Matheo (pictured above), and one of them happened to be from Florence--where I lived for two months.
Then, I went on a lunch cruise of the Archipelago where I sat with an elderly couple from Florida. The woman was very amusing. Her response to anything anyone said was always either "that's good!" or "that's not good!" There was no in between or extreme, and the way she said it was as if she was saying something very wise. I told her I was from US, and that was "good!" I told her I was studying opera and that was "good!" Her (boyfriend? or husband?) talked about how a guy he knew was very ill, and that was "ooo, not good."
On the cruise, we learned that some islands were off-limits to humans so that they could be sanctuaries for birds. That was "good." We also learned about how the water freezes really easily because of the low salt content, meaning that ice-breaking boats often have to help cruise ships get across. That was "not good."
Tonight, I'm going back to Copenhagen, and tomorrow, traveling to Rhodes with my friend Josefin! Excited for warmer weather!