The Road to Diamond, Day 298: Views from A Tower, and from a Warm Kitchen

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 21, 2025 in Assistance, children, collaborating, Family, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 21, 2025, Nynashamn- It was quite windy atop the water tower that served this small city on its own, for several decades-until a larger one was built across town. The tower on which my friend, Mattias, and I stood was had burned down in 2018 and was rebuilt as an observation point, a year later. The taller and larger tower that replaced it may be seen from the top, as may a large area of the southern Stockholm Archipelago, of which Nynashamn (NEE-nahs-hahmn) is an anchor.

Here are some scenes from that vantage point.

View of Stockholm Archipelago, and south side of Nynanshamn

View of Grondalsviken, to the southwest of Nynashamn.

Afterward, we went back to find the rest of the crew, Sarah and the kids, at Nynashamn Harbour. We had begun the day with a satisfying breakfast and had gone over to Choklad Huset (Chocolate House), which serves up the finest of hot chocolate and a full variety of solid treats. This establishment provides dessert items for the Nobel Prize Dinner, among other accomplishments. We enjoyed our delights at a playground near the harbour (The “ship playground”, say the kids.

It was soon time to go back to the cozy apartment. I spent a blissful afternoon, just soaking in all that being with a little family entails. After a well-crafted dinner of “Fresh Rolls” (spring rolls, in clear rice wraps, with “Chinese Rice” (fried rice), I took in one more Nynashamn sunset.

Tomorrow, I double back to Stockholm’s Central Station, and take the train southward to Helsingborg and over the water, to Helsingor-the site of Elsinore Castle. It has been a truly lovely visit with my Swedish family. Now, to make more friends, in Denmark.

The Road to Diamond, Day 297: Clear, with Still A Chance of Meatballs*

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 21, 2025 in Assistance, children, collaborating, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 20, 2025, Nynashamn- The ferry here from Visby left bright and early. I was the first one to order breakfast on board, and chose Swedish meatballs, which were served along with a bed of beet salad on French bread. It was a cold plate, but that was okay. I am used to cold meats in warm or mild weather, and it was not cold at all on the way to the ship.

I arrived in Nynashamn at 10:30 and made my way quickly to the train, which brought me to my friends’ house. I received a hero’s welcome from the kids and warm greeting from their parents. It was easy to hang out there until mid-afternoon, watching a K-Pop video that actually had a nice life lesson for the kids-and for the rest of us: “Rather than try to hide our flaws, gear ourselves to recognize them and work to transcend them. Hiding them just opens the door for manipulation by others.”

I went back to briefly get checked into First Camp, for a short rest, then returned to my friends’ place for a delightful dinner of….Swedish meatballs. This time, though, they were hot, with flavourful gravy and boiled potatoes. I can never get too much ground meat-so this was a welcome turn of events.

*The day reminded me of a children’s story,”Cloudy, With a Chance of Meatballs”, by Judi Barrett. It, too, offers a message: “Change, even drastic change, is not the end of the world.” I have experienced both having to recognize and work on my flaws-and to embrace change and build a new way of life.” There is also a use for sameness and routine, especially for toddlers, so I bid my friends good night, after dinner, and made plans to see them tomorrow.

The Road to Diamond, Day 290: Sunbows and A Crowded House

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 14, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 13, 2025, Stockholm- The small prismatic light showed briefly, against the small cloud. I had not seen a sunbow in many years, but the fact that it was followed by a cloud image of an angel was most comforting and reassuring. Another such prismatic would follow, about twenty minutes later.

I bid farewell to Iceland, around 10:30, and headed for this old and storied colossus of the north. I had achieved a sampler of that crossroads island, finding Reykjavik as cosmopolitan as anywhere I’ve been. There were no Blue Lagoon, Northern Lights or puffin watching, but I did stand on the edge of North America-at least on the edge of its tectonic plate. I did catch a glimpse of Reykjavik’s history, and enjoyed fresh fish. I did get sprayed by the outer mists of a geyser. I did come to appreciate just how hard the people need to work at making life successful there.

Ananada Express got me to central Stockholm in short order. I then had to cast about to find an information booth-eventually meeting with success at the Metro Station, and was able to connect with the receptionist at Nomad Cave Hostel, a couple of times, getting the general location of the facility, taking the right train, getting off at the right stop and with help from a nearby restaurateur, the numerical address of the Hostel itself. The lettering is faded, so it took another phone call to verify the locus.

Once there, I entered the door code (All the lodgings I have booked in Sweden have door codes. They exist elsewhere as well. Iceland’s hostels have them, and there is such a system in San Diego.) Opening the door, and….I stood and readied myself: The stairs downward are immediate, and steep. This is good practice for any encounters I might have with medieval castles, over the next seven weeks. I made it downstairs, bags and all, with no trip-altering tumble. The receptionist processed me and went over the rules-and the two remaining door codes-for the sleeping dorm and for the baggage storage room. Shoes come off at the base of the stairs, so it’s a good thing that I brought my comfy slippers. (I customarily remove street shoes at Home Base I, and in anyone else’s home, so this is no inconvenience.)

The dorm room itself was a sight to behold! There were eleven other people,which I expected. There were eleven other sets of bags, scattered random personal clothing and other items. Every step needs to be made carefully. I placed my bags in the storage room and took out everything I would need for Sunday, putting those items in my in-dorm locker.

There are top and bottom bunks. I got a bottom bunk-“owing to your age”. That’s fair, though I can still climb up in a pinch. The young lady who had the top bunk, for some reason, latched onto me-even to the point that while I was lying in bed awake, she asked me, several times, to stop snoring! I listened for the sound of someone sawing wood and eventually convinced her that the offender was in the next bunk over. She would be leaving early Sunday morning, and so finally relaxed and went to sleep. I followed suit after that. (No, there were no breaches of manners or decorum!)

One last item of note: Meno Male, just down the street from Nomad, is a family-owned pizzeria-with reasonably-sized pies, made with the finest fresh ingredients. This is a true bit of Italy, in the heart of Scandinavia. The love shown by the gregarious owner for her adult daughter is classic Italian. Their warm greeting of “Ciao” and farewell of “Arrivaderci”, for each patron is doubly heartwarming. A cousin of mine and his wife are, as I write this, themselves in Italy, no doubt enjoying the real deal, on the ground. Meno Male would be a regular haunt for me, if I lived here.

Two days and a morning lie ahead for me in this metropolis. I look forward to yet another Old Town and to the great ship, Vaasa.

The Road to Diamond, Day 289: Bridging Divides

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 13, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 12. 2025, Keflavik, IS- It was rather fortuitous, that today should be the day that I was able to visit the European-American Continental Bridge. Here, near Iceland’s southwestern tip, two tectonic plates are separated by a now slight gap, called the Silfra Fissure, which is widening by a few centimeters each year. Eventually, there will be even more distance between the two continental shelves. https://perlan.is/articles/tectonic-plates-iceland

I engaged the services of a local gentleman, in bridging the gap between my hostel room in the Keflavik suburb of Kellir and Pingvellir National Park, where both the Bridge and active, free-flowing hot springs are located. Here are some scenes of the park:

The geological limit of North America-for now

An Indian gentleman ran here (from Bengulu).

My look at the Pingkellir Gap, between North America and Europe. — Pingvellir Canyon, with a wealth of volcanic soil.

Tapping into the Earth’s might (above and below)

Thus was my last full day in Iceland, for now, proving to be the most auspicious. Mankind has once again seen the fruits of division. Let’s take a lesson from Mother Earth, and show that there can be unity, even as we move through tension.

The Road to Diamond, Day 288: Circuitous, but Fruitful

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 12, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 11, 2025, Reykjavik- The transit policeman was not moved by the story that a ticket jumper told, of suffering cell phone glitches. After allowing him four free stops on the westbound bus, he gently but firmly sent the miscreant on his way. (On Icelandic buses, one pays by phone app or by debit card. The young scofflaw could not do so, because he had neither phone app nor card.)

I was headed to the Baha’i National Centre of Iceland, on the far eastern edge of the Capital Region. Somehow, the instructions had me heading south, a mistake that the transit officer helped me correct, with little trouble other than about an hour was spent on the bus that more accurate information in the first place would have been helpful. I got on the bus to which the officer referred me, finding that the new driver had minimal command of English. He did, however, understand the bus route to which I needed to connect, and let me off at the right place. From there, I took Bus #5, found a supermarket near my stop and got directions to the Centre.

The Baha’i National Centre of Iceland is on the second floor of a modest office building, but seeing it from across the road, it felt like I was approaching a palace. The soft-spoken office manager, Badi, was alone and had work left to do, before day’s end, but took forty minutes or so to share the community’s activities and plans, over tea and a Danish croissant. He went through the history of the Faith in Iceland (first established here in 1972) and outlined plans to one day build a House of Worship in a salubrious location that is now known as “the Temple Site”.

The temporary seat of our work in Reykjavik.

After this visit, I walked to the spot which Badi had outlined for me on a map, and found the bus driver was headed to downtown Reykjavik. He had an empty bus, so I was a “guest of honour”. This chauffeurage took me steadily westward, past the entry to the Ring Road, which posted “Vik, 177km”. (Vik is a market town in southern Iceland, well to the east of Reykjavik.) He got me as far as the main bus terminal in downtown, and I bid him the best of evenings. From there, it was a six-minute walk to Hi Loft, a short breather and on to a fine dinner of fish soup (more like a thick chowder, but still delectable), at Reykjavik Fish Company.

Despite the rather terse mood in which I found myself, given the two horrible incidents of gun violence in the U.S. yesterday and the commemoration of the tragedy that took place 24 years ago today, the day ended up being well-spent. No intense exploration of scenic wonders, but spiritual sustenance became the order of the day.

The Road to Diamond, Day 287, Part II: Interposed

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 11, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 10,2025, Reykjavik- One one side of Laugarnes Recreation Area, the last remaining natural preserve on the north side of Reykjavik’s bay, there is a large collection of items that would not look out of place in Corner Brook’s Rock Art Wall or any number of back yard “personal treasure” collections around the world, from Spain to Vancouver Island and from Nigeria to the Philippines-or so stories claim. It is the Recycled House.

A scant 100 yards away is the Museum of Soren West and Sigurjon Olafsson, featuring the works of two intrepid artists of the mid-Twentieth Century- workers in stone and metal (West); stone and wood (Olafsson). Olafsson worked for a time with the Danish Resistance to Nazi occupation. Homesick for his wife, he returned to his native south Iceland and was an invaluable source of information to the British and American forces who kept the island safe from the Axis Powers. West has been focused solely on the promulgation of sculpture, having grown up in Denmark, in a relatively more peaceful time. He has been an intensely influential figure in teaching the medium, especially on his home island of Fyn.

The two very different museums co-exist with one another and are careful not to overlap one another’s collections onto the other’s property. Here are a few scenes of each. I first went around the grounds of the Recycled House.

No one gets past him! Note that the lith, overlooking the Bay and this “watchman” are perfectly aligned, as to the western border of the property.

Continued alignments — These “backyard guardians” of the Olafsson Museum show the same sense of order.

We now come to the several decorated rocks and other collected items that dot the landscape of Recycled House. — The demarcation line.

It’s amazing what one can do with cast-off metal.

Here is the house itself:

Hrafn Gunnlaugsson lives in this house. He was the director of “The Raven Flies” and other films about Viking life in his native Iceland.

Now let us turn to the pieces in the more conventional museum.

If this figure looks like he's thinking, it's because Sigurjon Olafsson probably WAS deep in thought, while crafting it. — If this figure looks like he’s thinking, it’s because Sigurjon Olafsson probably WAS deep in thought, while crafting it.

Here’s a piece by Soren West,showing a whale spouting, or at least that’s how I interpret it. Soren West just calls it “Skulptur”.

Here are two wooden pieces, one mahogany and the other, fir. Both represent balance.

By now, I was getting exhausted. I had walked as far as the small ferry terminal, which sends boats to the islet of Videy, across the short channel, while waiting for the Olafsson Museum to open.

Here, then, are a few more scenes of the afternoon.

A view of the “Visitor Center” at Videy, (Vih-DAY), using a Zoom lens from the opposite shore. Even if I had wanted to squeeze in a short ferry ride, the captain was done for the day. This was as close as I was going to get. The mountain in the background is Esja(EsYA), also across a channel from Videy.

I did squeeze in a Volcano Express, virtual reality ride, at Harpa Performance Center. Here is a look at the Center. The ride? Trust me, there was a “whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on”, and we were all strapped in.

My overall image of Reykjavik and its residents is summed up by this master work of a graffiti artist who immigrated here about five years ago.

Icelanders, old and new, are thriving by learning to live with the volatile nature of their island home, and putting it to use. (Thermal energy heats homes and purifies water).

The Road to Diamond, Day 287: Adjustments

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 10, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 10, 2025, Reykjavik- There was no trip to Akureyri, in northern Iceland. The taxi which was to pick me up at 8:15, and bring me to the bus terminal, was stuck in a traffic jam on the east side of town. Yes, even little Reykjavik has rush hours. The road system built during World War II has yet to upgrade and adjust to the doubling of the number of drivers in the Metro Area. There are now 249,000 people, in the Capital Region of Iceland, 138,000 of whom live within “Reyk”‘s city limits.

So, the flustered taxi driver showed up at 9:06. By then, the bus had left for Akureyri. The next one would have put me there at-11:45 p.m. I called and let them know I would not be coming. The energy is more for me to stay in the Capital Area-Reykjavik and Keflavik, on this visit. If this is the only change in plans during this journey, I will be fortunate. I then asked him to go to HI Loft, a hostel near downtown.

It was a lovely morning, with a break in the rain, and fair skies, in fact. I left my bags at HI Loft and headed to the waterfront. Reykjavik’s Baywalk covers areas east and west along the sea front. I walked as far as the ferry stop that takes people to Videy, a small islet between east Reykjavik and Esja, the capital’s “Neighbourhood Mountain”. While Esja itself is enticing, it is a focus for another time. There was much to captivate me along the Baywalk.

Here are some scenes from the downtown waterfront and the Laugarnes recreation area, in northeast Reyk. I started out at a government office building, just west of the park which honours Reykjavik’s founder.

National Government Office Building, downtown Reykjavik.

Random sculptures appear around town. This one is an abstract of a milk maid, near a very old Kaffehus. I stopped in there and got a cup of green tea, to counter a heavy dose of acidic foods and drinks, these past few days.

This is Ingolfr Arnarson, who led the first settlers in Reykjavik, in 874. He named the place (Reykjavik means “smoke cove”, in Old Norse), as the smoke from distant volcanoes was visible as the party approached. A dragon and the Norse god Odinn are included in the sculpture.

Reykjavik is, understandably, a major draw for cruise ships. Here is one that is given the old name for northern Norway’s Svalbard: Spitsbergen. Longyearbyen is that territory’s capital and only port. It is a name that befits both places.

Cruise ship, “Spitsbergen”, in Reykjavik Harbour

Sculptures continued to be placed, along the Baywalk. Here is one that replicates Solfario, a model of a Viking ship.

Yes, there was a bus parked here this morning. The scene was different in mid-afternoon.

Solfario, on a cloudy mid-afternoon in Reykjavik Harbor.

In between these two visits to Solfario (Sun Voyager), I spent time at two very different neighbouring properties: Recycled House and a small sculpture museum that celebrates the work of Sigurjon (Sih-GUR-yon) Olafsson and Soren West (pronounced Vest). I will discuss these attractions, and the sliver of trail that takes one to Videy ferry terminal, in the next post.

The Road to Diamond, Day 286: Recovery

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 9, 2025 in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

September 9, 2025, Reykjavik- It turns out that my trusty laptop had had its screen light minimized. I walked about the north side of this bustling Icelandic capital and found the computer store that had been recommended to me by the manager of HI Dalur, where I am spending the night.

So, here we both are, giving you the skinny on the first night and day of Europe 2025. Let’s go back a bit:

Home Stretch- Yesterday morning, as I left HB 1, wearing my bush hat and sunscreen, the three neighbour kids lined up and greeted me from their yard. Dad was in the background, saying “Don’t bother him!” Those precious little ones will never be a bother.

After a short walk over to Yavapai College, I was picked up by the shuttle to Sky Harbor International Airport. Mentor: A gregarious gentleman from Saskatchewan was my seatmate, after joining the group at Hampton Inn. Turned out, he was also going to Calgary and had lived in Sweden, one of the cornerstones of my time on this side of the Atlantic. He corroborated my agenda in that country and in Denmark. He also saw me to the right counter for West Jet, a carrier well-known in Canada, but less so in the Southwest U.S. For good measure, he “talked me into” not using my TSA special access number; I wouldn’t have been able to use it,anyway, as we were there before the quick processing line opened-and few people were processing at that time.

Snags: The bugbear of modern travelers is the plethora of electrical outlets that don’t work. They are in airports and cheap motels, as well as ferry boats and some national parks (though not many people go to those for the WiFi). Trains tend not to have WiFi at all, at least in the United States (though that is supposed to change next year.) I will see, next week, how much progress European train stations and cars have made, in connectivity. We got that settled, as mentioned above.

Language: Everyone on the plane spoke English (They were Canadians, Captain O! ) Everyone here, so far, speaks English, also. Some of the hostel workers speak it better than I. All those who I encountered this afternoon, including a couple of very well-dressed ladies, took the time to corroborate the concierge’s route map.

Sights Seen: Here are a few small gems seen in the Dalur and Laugarnes precincts.

Airport sculpture — Keflavik International Airport (Okay, so **not** at the northern edge of Reykjavik). It was the first thing that caught my eye here.

Rainy day picnic? — Dalur’s Reykjavik Camp Ground.

Reindeer near a forest preserve, Laugardalur, Reykjavik

Seaside calm — Thermal healing venue, Nautholsvik, Reykjavik

Laughursdal Church — Laughursdal Lutheran Community

I leave you with the notion that this people, the increasingly diverse community that makes up Reykjavik is among the most dedicated to kindness and helpfulness found anywhere.

The Road to Diamond, Day 282: River of Love

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 6, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, impediments, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 6, 2025- “Get up and dance!”, said the guest of honour, at the second of today’s three important events. As I like dancing,I did so, fairly loosely and in rhythm with the music, just not to her liking, so when she turned and walked away, I sat back down. I learned, a long time ago, that life cannot be well-lived on someone else’s terms.

What, exactly, does it mean to flow on the river of love? I have been told, in recent weeks, that if I really loved someone, I’d give them the money I set aside for their well-being. Instead, I gave it to someone who will expend it on the other person’s behalf, in a judicious manner.

I have, conversely, been advised that living according to what is best for my own well-being is an act of love. Certainly, minding my health needs and keeping active is good, by extension, for my little family and for the good of those aspects of the community to which I am of the most help.

I think the the truth is more in balance. Too much emphasis on my own needs and wants can be distracting and take away from the genuine needs of the community. On the other hand, no one can meet the needs of all comers, without oneself becoming a ward of society. I do agree that love comes first, and material matter is no more than a tool, by which love for self and others can be manifested.

On Mondays, when I am here at Home Base I, I help serve a meal to destitute people. This evening, I helped tend to the needs of more well-to-do people, who are patrons of Prescott Farmers Market. My approach to both groups has been the same-just helping others enjoy a meal, in a safe and relaxed atmosphere. That, to me, is traveling on the river of love.

The Road to Diamond, Day 281: Competence

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on September 5, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 5,2025- This day was meant for everything, and nothing. There was no agenda, other than an hour or so, listening to the Friday jam group at Gypsy’s, while sipping the first hot apple cider of the season and sharing stories with Hiking Buddy and in the evening, joining Baha’i friends for a Zoom devotional.

After the session ended at Gypsy’s, I walked over to a Verizon store and inquired about new iPhones. Finding out that they could not sell phones without a plan (“Locked” phones), I decided to go later over to Best Buy and see about their offerings. Crab cakes at Uncle Bud’s Cajun & Barbecue boosted my confidence, and I headed back to HB I, to get started on the afternoon.

As it happened, I got a call from the vendor who was supplying the cloth for my soon-to-be reupholstered sofa. The cloth was in, so down to the store I went. While the material was being measured and cut, we swapped stories about previous European travels. He and his wife had made two trips to France, nearly fifty years ago, with minimal language skills, and had gotten on well with the French people, in Haute-Alpes and in the Pyrenees. Long story short, he had skills that were needed in those regions, which made all the difference; plus he and she are congenial.

On the way back, I stopped at Best Buy, settling on a reasonable iPhone 14. After some introductory instructions from the sales guy, I made the purchase, and brought phone, protector and screen cover back to HB, with a plan for getting it up and running later. First came a spaghetti feed and the devotional.

With reassurance from my son, the transfer process from old phone to new got underway, taking about twenty minutes to transfer data, then set up security and decide on a few things like passwords. When it came time to turn the new phone off for the evening, hmmm- I found a different process than just holding the power button in. Power and volume have to be pressed simultaneously, it happens. Then the “slide to turn off” shows up.

Diamond Dog can learn new tricks- and add competence. I’ve heard that each new skill keeps the brain cells from fading out. I will no doubt be picking up several, in what I have set for self, in the weeks ahead.