Higher Than Hope

"So Magnus, what do you recommend in Stockholm?", asked Matt as the teams' bus arrived in Stockholm the following afternoon.

"Ja, everything. I am just kidding, but Stockholm has a lot to do. There are the royal palaces, Skansen, museums, clubs, whatever. Since we are going to be here for two days, we can have some fun. But we ought to see at least one of the palaces and a show at Debaser, that is one of the best rock clubs in Sweden. Only Tavastia in Helsinki is better, my cousin Mikko is a huge metalhead and he won tickets to Children of Bodom's release party and I came along. It was very crazy with the big mosh pit in front of the stage and everyone was drunk, that was fun", said Magnus as everyone looked impressed.

"Nyet, that sounds too much", said Nail with a frown.

"COB are not super-heavy, there are actually heavier bands than that in Finland. And they get played on the radio, we are not wimps when it comes to music", said Magnus.

"No thanks, I'll just stick to country", said Jordan as him, Taylor and Ryan nodded in agreement.

Nail just shrugged as everyone got off the bus and followed the coaches inside the hotel, a Hilton located slightly north of Gamla Stan in Norrmalm. "We ought to rest up and then we'll go for dinner, I want to see what band is going to be at Debaser first", said Magnus.

"Okay, but I hope it's not going to be death metal. I don't like that stuff", said Nail.

Magnus pressed the Up button on the elevator as they waited. "I prefer my heavy metal to be melodic, it's a Scandinavian thing. Right now I got Dream Evil on my Ipod, I love the Dragonslayer album. The Finnish bands like Korpiklaani and Turisas are good and I love Nightwish. Too bad they don't tour Canada, all that comes through Edmonton is country music and rubbish like Nickleback", he said with a frown.

The two men got off at their floor and Magnus used the key to open the door of their room. It was a double with two large beds separated by a nightstand topped by a lamp and facing a plasma TV with a DVD player and an Ipod dock. "Too bad we may not have girls over, but I think that's more Hallsy's style", he chuckled after seeing the Jacuzzi in the bathroom.

Nail felt a surge of desire when he imagined Larissa in the Jacuzzi, up to her chest in bubbles and her coppery hair piled atop her head, a seductive smile on her face. "Nail, are you all right? I asked what you wanted for dinner", said Magnus, raising an eyebrow.

Nail blushed furiously, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "Uh, sorry about that. I feel like having something spicy, I think I am developing a taste for it", he said with a little chuckle.

"Oh, there's a lot of places like that in Stockholm. There's this place in Sodermalm called Indira that does great Indian food, mostly tandoori but also good curries. And down the street is Pelikan, it's a beer hall with pool tables and such. And there's nothing good at Debaser tonight", said Magnus, glancing down at his Iphone.

"Okay, sounds good. Let's see if anyone wants to come along", replied Nail..

"Paajarvi, you have very good taste", teased Semyon as they settled into an empty booth at Indira, the waitress handing them their menus.

Magnus just laughed, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Spasibo, I suppose I ought to brush up on my Russian now. We used to come up to Stockholm when I was in high school and then we played against them in juniors. And as a Swedish-Finn, you get sort of tired of having sour cream on everything and meatballs. I suppose it's the same with the British, that's why they all eat curry", said Magnus dryly as Semyon ordered them a round of beer.

"How many palaces do the royal family have, I have seen the ones the czars had and those are huge", said Nail.

Magnus nodded in thanks when the waitress brought over the beers. "Ja, I've seen pictures, they are impressive. Drottningholm is the big one, that's where the royal family lives. We see it on TV every New Year's when the king and queen address the country", he replied.

"Anything to see, I am just a hick from Samara so we don't have palaces", Semyon chuckled.

"There is Skansen, which is a park with a zoo and a fun fair and a replica farm, but that's for kids. They do have a big Midsummer's celebration with a Maypole and dancing, but that was a few months back. Or we could go shopping, there's a lot of good shops in Gamla Stan. Perhaps you ought to buy something for your girl", teased Magnus as Nail blushed.

"Ooh, you have yourself a lady then, Yakupov?", teased Semyon.

"Da, Syoma. Well, sort of, we aren't official and have not been on an actual date. And her father does not like me", he replied, the last part with a hint of bitterness.

"If she is your girl, you ought to fight for her. At least she doesn't have another man courting her, I know that very well", he said, a wistful look in his blue eyes.

Nail and Magnus said nothing as the waitress arrived with their food. Afterward, they split the bill and left the restaurant as Magnus led them towards the nearest T-bana station. "I thought we were going to that Pelikan place", said Semyon.

"I have a better idea, my cousin Olaf is a student at Uppsala and there are always parties there, it has one of the biggest colleges in Sweden. I think it will be more fun than just drinking beer", said Magnus as he handed them their tickets.

"How far is that?", asked Nail dubiously.

"It's about 40 minutes from here", he replied, sending texts to the coaches so they would know where they were.

The T-bana headed towards Central Station was nearly empty as most people at this hour would be going to Sodermalm to party. The subway rattled noisily along the tracks through the darkened underground tunnels, a small screen above on the other side showing commercials and a weather report. Magnus led them out of the car and purchased tickets heading north towards Uppsala, the train on the tracks with a flashing yellow sign next to it as the passengers boarded.

"What sort of party is there going to be, I went to a few fraternity parties when I played in DC and those were crazy", said Semyon as they found their seats.

"Ja, I have heard that about American fraternity parties. The university has all these houses for the students, many of them are from other countries. There's drinking but nobody gets naked or anything, us Swedes don't do Animal House", joked Magnus.

The train whistle tooted several times and the door shut, the train slowly pulling out of the station. Soon the train emerged from under Lake Malaren and onto the northern shores of the island-studded salt water lake, tiny wooden vacation homes huddled on the shores of the lake and islands. Thick dense pine forests surrounded the train once they had left behind the suburbs, their foliage so thick and dense nothing could be glimpsed through them. The sky above was a dark bluish-black with innumerable tiny stars and a full moon which resembled an enormous wheel of yellow cheese, far more visible here than in Stockholm.

The train pulled into the station less than an hour later where they were greeted by Magnus' cousin Olaf as the two men embraced. "Hej, cousin. The party is at the Baltic House, most of them are Poles but there's a few Russians there", said Olaf, clapping him on the back. Like Magnus, he was tall with wavy brown hair and brown eyes but lanky, wearing jeans and a Malmo RedHawks jacket over a Metallica Ride the Lightning shirt.

"Awesome, they always have the best parties. Olafl, these are my friends Nail Yakupov and Semyon Varlamov who is on the Avalanche. Guys, this is my cousin Olaf Svennsson", said Magnus as they all shook hands.

"Glad to meet you guys, I got tickets to the game and I am going to be cheering for my cousin, of course. No offense, Mr. Varlamov", said Olaf.

"Please call me Varly, a lot of people can't get my name right. And no worries, Magnus is your family", laughed Semyon.

The houses for the students were a brisk fifteen-minute walk from the train station, the charming old streets of central Uppsala quiet except for a few all-night cafes and and shops. The university town had an almost quaint Medieval charm with the neat little stone and brick houses and narrow lanes of the center as it straddled the Fyrisan River. Surounding the ancient cathedral and university were the various student houses, each with a flag hanging over the entrance, representing countries from all over Europe and Asia and parts of Africa.

Olaf led them to a house where a Polish flag with coat of arms, a Russian flag with the Romanov double-headed eagle, a Ukrainian flag and the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian flags all hung in a row above the door and rang the bell. Loud disco music could be heard from inside as the door slowly opened and a young blond woman in a blue sundress embraced Olaf. "Jestem szczesliwy, do widziec ty, moj milosc. And these are the guests?", she asked, switching over to English.

"Ja, Maguns and his friends. I told them there was a party here, this is Nail Yakupov and Semyon Varlamov. Guys, this is my girlfriend Elisabeth Skandowska", he said as they were led inside.

"Ocheyn prayatna, Gaspadeyn Yakupov and Gaspadeyn Varlamov", said Elisabeth slowly and carefully with a heavy Polish accent.

"Spasibo, Miss Skandowska. But we speak English and I know some Polish, I used to date a Polish girl back in DC", said Semyon, a momentary shadow coming over his face.

Nail and Magnus were silent as if waiting for an explanation but none was forthcoming as Elisabeth led them towards the parlor. There were about 20 to 30 people with someone's Ipod hooked up to the speakers as it played Lady Marmalade by Labelle, a makeshift bar consisting of a table, red plastic Solo cups, a bowl of ice and various open bottles of liquor and a beer in the corner.

Olaf reached into the cooler and handed them each a bottle of Saku beer from Estonia. "We are having the Estonian beer now, we got coolers of Polish, Russian, Finnish and Baltic beers. We have the United Nations of beer here", he laughed.

Nail just smiled at the joke as Olaf handed him a bottle opener and he took off the cap, taking a sip and nodding in approval. Someone had changed the music from disco to The Clash as Safe European Home came over the speakers, Semyon draining half his beer and smiling sadly. "She loved the Clash, but London Calling was her favorite album", he murmured.

Nail was quiet and took another swallow of beer, waiting for him to finish. "When I was playing in DC, I was dating a Polish girl named Jelena. Thing is, myself and Neuvirth were dating her, we were in a menage a trois. She ultimately chose to stay with Neuvy and when I got traded to Colorado that was the end, period. I think I still love her, I haven't found anyone else yet", Semyon said, draining the last of his beer and immediately getting another.