Everywhere: Articles: My Northern Meeting Experience

In November 2006 I have attended a work meeting on a boat on the Baltic Sea: cold, short days, always in a hurry. But wonderful colours!

Hotell Muttern! by Alice Dalla Stella

The sign of the Hotel who seems a screw cup!
I arrived in Uppsala late in the afternoon, it was so dark I didn't realize that resemblance until the morning after.

I have been through the experience of the working meeting for some years, and I have always enjoy this part of the job! It was an opportunity to travel often in new places. Every meeting represented an adventure, a way to see the world.

The strangest experience I had was a three days meeting...on a boat! On the Baltic Sea! In November! Which meant cold and short days, very short days for a girl used to live at 45° latitude: at 3 pm sunset started and at 6 pm it was night.

I left by plane from Venice to reach Arlanda airport. Landed in Scandinavia I have seen one of the best sunset in my life. Gradation of colours from pink to dark over the sky! Unluckily I was able to get only few good shots of those days.
After 12 hours of travel from Padova (where there is the university I worked for) to Uppsala (where there is the university which organized the meeting), I just had the time to put down my luggage. And then I gone to social dinner at the university.
The first thing I have seen in Uppsala was the hotel's sign and nothing more until the sunrise. I was never been there before and wanted to use every free moments to look around and discover the place! So at about 6 am, at sunrise, I woke up and went out to see the town.
A man giving a free newspaper in a crossroads, trees without leafs, a cold cold air and no sounds: Uppsala! Then the sun started to rise and I have fallen in love with the magic light of Northern sky. Just the time to reach the Domkyrka and walk around a little more around and I had to leave to reach the boat in Stockholm. I reached the city by bus with the others partecipants and once on the boat we started to work.
The boat left the harbour late in the afternoon and moved towards Helsinki to be back the night after.

It was my first time in a boat. Our meeting-room was abova the engine and the noise was awful. I ran out as often as possible to see the sea, the water, the islands, whatever there was to see. During the meeting it was difficult, so I woke up earlier than others and waited sunrise everyday! Colours was stunning and so the light; the sun low on the horizon made long long shadows! I can hardly find words to describe my feelings. My dream to reach the North Cape and Swalbard was not so far!

Once arrived at Helsinki we had exactly two hours to sight seeing the city with a guide and on the bus. I don't really like this way of sightseeing but I had no alternative. We get down the bus three times to see the the White Cathedral, the Sibelius Monument and the Rock church. I had seen others monuments, such as he Red Church, only passing by with the bus or from the boat. What most impressed me was the stunning blue sky also in Helsinki.

On the way back to Stockholm I had an other chance to admire sunset and sunrise. Then, a last morning of work and the meeting ended. As I didn't had a flight to come back in Italy since the following noon, I spent a night in Stockholm and visited it a little.

Everything was done in a hurry and I hadn't enough time to stop and just looking around. Hurry up, hurry up! Moreover it was November and there were few hours of light. I do not suggest to take a holiday there in winter and not if you have to hurry up! Anyway, I have seen wonderful and intensive sky's colours and I want not only to return to Sweden but to go even more northern!