Sunburnt in Spain and Gibraltar

So the semester was officially over on May 20th. I had grudgingly packed up all my stuff, suffered through some finals and papers, and had tearful goodbyes with my host family and best friends. But the traveling wasn’t over.

Saying goodbye to Tricia at the airport.

Miss Liz Maidl and I were off to explore three more countries! Thank goodness she changed her plane ticket and stayed to travel or I would have had some way different plans. Well the first country on the horizon was Spain. But before we even left Copenhagen we made some memories. I think it was an indicator of how our travel break was going to be:

1. Public transportation was like the Easter holiday all over again. Instead of taking one train to the airport, we had to take 3 and a metro. But this time it was because of a Copenhagen marathon instead of construction.

2. I was covered in sweat at 8am. Dragging my luggage through the cobblestones paths to leave at DIS was very fun. That is sarcasm.

3. Brilliance aka myself doesn’t get along with revolving doors. I ran right into one at the airport. Thank goodness my glasses didn’t break.

Once leaving David and Tricia at the airport, Liz and I hopped on our easy jet plane. No problems flying with them. It was only a three hour flight to Madrid, but that was good for Liz who was sick and tired from an all nighter.

Upon arriving in Madrid, our first order of business was to find a grocery store but since it was Sunday nothing was open. We did stumble upon a little Asian shop that had bread and nutella. Perfect. After using our Spanglish to talk to a different restaurant lady we ate there before heading back to Madrid’s tropical train station (they had turtles inside of it) to catch our ~4 hour train to Jerez De La Frontera.

I miss this.

This is inside the Madrid Train Station

Now we bought these train tickets like 3 hours before the train left and the lady told us they only had first class available. Not true. We sat down and decided if we wanted to catch the next one tomorrow to avoid spending $150 versus $85 bucks. Well we decided we would talk to a different guy and we bought 2 of the 3 normal tickets left. Lesson learned. We did almost miss the train because we had no clue where the track was. Thank goodness we didn’t wonder to far from the train station as to not get lost in the city without a map and no Spanish translator.

The train to Jerez de la Frontera

On the train I sat next to a Spanish family that stared at me for a good chuck of the time. It was a young couple with two kids. I wish I could have communicated with them, we did try but it was a fail (sorry Senora Canche). It was a pretty ride though with rolling hills and the skies/clouds kept changing to weird views I've never seen before.

We didn’t get to Jerez until around 10:30pm and it was a surprise when Sean and his step dad picked us up in a car! We just avoided a half hour walk… uphill with our bags. Sean is a high school friend with dual citizenship and we stayed with him for 4 nights. Now the first lesson learned in Spain is that you give cheek kisses with your hugs/greetings. I guess I should have expected that after growing up in Hawaii.

That night we just watched TV and visited with Sean’s mom and dad in their cool apartment that used to be a winery. We called it an early night after a day of traveling and we were waking Sean up early (9am) the next day to head to the beach in Cadiz.

Where Sean lived. So awesome!

May 21st
After a slow start to our day and a leisure walk through Jerez, we made it to Cadiz. There we walked through some narrow/tourist shopping streets and past this amazing church. We struggled to find a beach because it was so windy, so we decided to grab some bread, crème cheese, and chips for our open face sandwiches while eating in a side alley. Don’t knock it till you tried it. Yumm.

Check out those blue skies... I mean the cathedral.

Seriously good.

Well we decided to give the beach another try, hoping that the other side of town would have the wind blocked. And it did, for the most part. We chilled there and Leslee and Liz fell asleep and got pretty sunburnt. Never have I ever been burnt on my armpits. Thanks Spain. I also learned that sunburn and jeans = rash.

Beach with Sean in Cadiz

After heading back to Sean’s place we took showers and headed to dinner in town. Now this was one of my favorite experiences. We went to Sean’s and his families favorite Tapas place called Meson Del Asador. Now Tapas are very small meals or appetizers. So you get a bunch of them to fill you up. So good and you get to have a variety of food. I think America should adopt this. But Tapas isn’t till like 9pm. We also had Tinto, kinda like Sangria. It was so good. It needs to be introduced here. Soon.

In Spain they have a different way they go about their days. You get up, go to work, and from 3-6pm it’s siesta (nap) time. That’s the hottest part of the day, so people need to escape the heat and rest. The stores then reopen till 11!? and dinner is around 9pm. Around midnight it’s bed time.

May 22nd
Day 2 in Spain was another slow start. But that was fine by us. Finals, packing, and goodbyes had worn us out. We decided that Liz and I would book our bus tickets to Lisbon, Portugal that morning, finally. Well it was an unfortunate morning, while Sean was surfing on the internet, brilliance that is myself showed up again. I decided that it would be a good idea to tap the back of Sean’s step dad’s laptop with my foot. Not. While it was only a light tap the screen flickered and the computer shut off. It turned on for a minute only to turn off again. Yep, I broke it (news update it is now fixed thanks to some computer store).

That event should have been an indicator for the next serious of events. So I left a note about the computer and we left to go to the internet café. There we tried booking our bus tickets but thanks to Sean translating the phone call, it was discovered that it would only take a Spanish credit card. So we had to go back to the house, transfer money, and have Sean order it for us. Uff da.

Playa de Valdelagrana

Next we headed to the train station to buy some more bus tickets to Gibraltar for the next day! That was more successful. And then we hopped on a train to Valdelagrana. More beach time even though it was still a little windy – weird for this time in Spain I guess. I covered myself up the whole time in fear of the sun but Liz and I did jump back into the Atlantic Ocean for the second time this trip and then got some ice cream! I have come to the conclusion that the Atlantic is colder than the Pacific. Another weird thing about going to the beach in Spain is that you don’t go until noon or later, which is opposite in Hawaii.

Back in Jerez we were on a mission to find a cheap duffel bag I could bring back to Denmark and bring home since my suitcase was overweight by 10 pounds (Thanks Rete for this idea). We found a perfect 7 Euro ($9) one at an Asian shop where Liz also got 1 Euro shampoo ($1.30). Thanks Spain for intruding us to these shops. We could have had a lot of fun in there. We slowly made our our way back to Sean's after wondering through the city to see some more Muslim mosques and a big Cathedral.

The cathedrals are stunning in Spain.

Back at Sean’s place it was shower time before his mom cooked fajitas for us and she bought Tinto since she found out it was our new favorite. She is so sweet! Before dinner we also decided to go check out the movie store and pick up an ingredient for Sean’s mom. Sean also got this awesome chewy candy. I don’t know how to explain it…so good. Well dinner was also so good and we got to chill and watch TV with Sean's parents. We tried to watch the Princess Bride later, but that was the worst movie/acting ever so Liz and I called it an early night before our big day tomorrow.

The awesome candy

May 23rd
Early next morning Sean’s mom so nicely drove us to the train/bus station while on her way to work. On the way there we saw some flamingo dancers, horses, and Virgin Mary. The people were taking her on a pilgrimage. They have many celebrations in Spain!

Well we only tried to get on the bus going in the wrong direction once, no big deal. Once we arrived in Algeciras, Spain we had to hop on another bus to La Linea, Spain. From there we walked across the street to Gibraltar. Now Gibraltar is in Spain (at the tip, close to Morocco, Africa). But it’s an English (UK) colony. So the people speak Spanish and English.

The runway and rock

To get into Gibraltar, you have to show your passport, walk along the airplane runways, and your there. Thank goodness no planes were landing when we went through. So Gibraltar is known for its giant rock with the monkeys. The monkeys are called Barbary Apes and they are special because they have no tails. They are only found in Gibraltar.

While in Gibraltar we found a side alley out of the sun and ate our open face marinara, chip sandwiches. We then walked through Gibraltar before deciding to go with a tour guide up the rock. They drove us around instead of us walking everywhere. Best choice ever. It was a kinda scary drive up this rock, such tiny roads. First we saw the Pillars of Hercules which is also a scenic outlook where you can see Morocco. Next was St. Michaels' cave that used to be a medical facility and concert area!? And finally it was monkey time! These monkeys will grab any loose things you have on you, but luckily I didn’t experience that. One of the tour guides put a monkey on our shoulders and then he gave us a peanut and the monkey would jump on your arm. They are baby monkeys so they are nicer then the adults. It was an awesome experience. There were a ton of monkeys and they like to just chill on the roof of the cars while we are driving. Surreal. Finally we went to our last location, The Great Siege Tunnels where Liz and I channeled our inner  6 year old and spit from the opening down the side of the rock.

That is Morocco behind us. Ahhhh so close.

Pillar of Hercules

St. Micheal's cave. The concert area. Also check out the stalagmites.

New bffs.

The Siege Tunnels.

This was only a 1.5 hour tour so we were soon back down. The tour was a little more pricey for us (30 Euros = $40) but it was so worth it. You could spend hours walking up there since it is all spread out. Everyone that we talked to that went had a car with their host family. So a tour was really the only way to do it.

Our sandcastle friends are in the back!

Back in the town we wondered around and had ice cream before hitting the beach. We were still sunburnt and didn’t want to torture ourselves on the beach for the whole afternoon so we slowly worked our way there. Well we made it to the beach without a map – we took a picture of the map  of Gibraltar to save money (aka be cheap asses). At the beach we jumped in the Mediterranean Sea after continuing our habit of lathering on the sunscreen. It was freezing, even more so than the Atlantic. It was also a lot clearer then the Atlantic, so when Liz saw a jelly fish, we bolted out.

Back on the sand, we decided to make a sand castle instead of being stung. A little 4 year old girl from Gibraltar helped us make it. It was probably one of the best sand castles I’ve been part of. And this 4 year old could speak Spanish and English, so adorable and smart. Even her younger sister started to help us. After changing in the parking lot we made our way back to catch our bus to Algeciras.

In Algeciras we tried to find a quick, cheap, and good dinner but we ended up at a kebab shop. The guy wanted to practice his English and told us about the awesome deals. Probably my cheapest meal in Europe: Pizza, fries, and a water bottle – that don’t happen in Europe. We decided to eat outside and of course a beggar saw the few Euros sitting on the table. While she was harassing us she was trying to get us to look away so she could grab it. Thank goodness Liz caught on to her plan and put it away. She bothered us for a good 3 minutes and even had the nerve to pat me on the shoulder. Lucky she walked away right after, or we would have started flipping out at her. From our seats outside I could see her bother other people walking by, and this was no tourist town.

Well we caught our bus back to Jerez through an awesome sunset and cute white housed towns (like Greece). Liz and I also successfully navigated the half hour walk back to Sean’s. Once there we watched some TV with him and his parents before again going to be early for our next big day.

Plaza de Espana. It was over 100 F here.

May 24th
The following day the three of us headed to Sevilla! There we walked around and saw the soccer stadium, the Plaza de Espana, hid from the heat in McDonalds AC, got our Spain souvenirs, saw the Sevilla Cathedral, found our bus station, and meet Sean's girlfriend at Burger King. She just got back from London and was studying abroad in Sevilla. She was so sweet and nice.

After picking up our backpacks from the train station we said goodbye and jumped on a bus to take us to the international bus station. Thank goodness the bus driver noticed our confused and lost faces and told us where to get off. It was a struggle to talk to the driver since we didn't speak the same language. But it turns out we took the wrong bus, but we weren't too far of a walk away. And we didn't miss our 11:30pm overnight bus to Lisbon, Portugal (this experience is for the next blog). Lesson learned, take a picture of the bus stop list so you know when your stop is coming up since you can't see the signs from the windows.

Anyways Sevilla was a full day of walking in over 100 F weather. It was safe to say we were super tired and sweaty. Sevilla was very pretty and big. I would have enjoyed the sights and colors more if it wasn't so hot and my feet so tired. But still an awesome experience.

Honestly, I enjoyed Spain a lot more then I thought I would. I knew I would like it, but I loved the culture. Although no one could speak English and my Spanish skills were non-extant, but the people were so nice! It was also great to not only see Sean but to also have him as a translator and guide. So a big thank you to Sean for letting us stay with him and show us around. We learned/experienced so much more then if we were by ourselves.

We call this turtling. In front of the gorgeous Jerez train station

Other things about Spain was that it was not as cheap as we thought it would be, but hey still cheaper then Denmark. Also coming from still cold Denmark, the heat was crazy. Close to or over 100 F every day. What a shock. And staying with Sean for 4 nights saved us so much, so again thanks to Sean AND his lovely family. I'm still feel bad about the computer causality, but happy that it's working now. It was also great that Sean's home town was basically wine country, Liz and I loved this fact. I guess a lot of old people come and visit there for the wine.

A funny thing about the Spanish is that they wear shirts with English words on it and listen to English music but they have no idea what it means, so if they find out you speak English they will ask you what their shirt says. Another great thing about Spain are that there are free bathrooms, finally.

Gibraltar was a great experience. It was such a culture clash with Spain and England but it was definitely interesting/awesome. My only regret about this trip is that we didn't go/plan our trip to Morocco. It was only a half hour away on a boat from Algercias. Next time it is happening.

Traveling through Europe? Better Listen Up.

Here are some helpful tips and things I noticed about traveling through Europe:

Tips:
1. Wear a watch – don’t want to miss those trains, planes, or buses.

2. Bring a backpacking backpack (and avoid luggage fees). Also bring a smaller one to wear when walking around the city. You can wear both bags, one on the front, the other in the back when traveling from place to place. We call that turtling. My DIS backpack has been around the world.

3. Get a dry towel. It’s compactable and won’t be soaking wet when you pack up your backpack and check out of the hostel. I wouldn’t recommend a ShamWow…they smell, are like a sponge, and are super tiny. I had a DryLite Sea to Summit and loved it. I got mine from amazon.

4. Bring a cocoon. It’s like a compactable sleeping bag…but it’s just sheets. It will save you from the hostel duvet covers. I got mine from amazon and loved it.

Thanks to my host mom for recommending these!

5. To avoid getting lost or missing your bus stop, take pictures of street signs (they are up high on the buildings). But most importantly take pictures of the bus stop list because often times the drivers don’t announce what stop you are at…and you often won’t be able to see from the windows because the bus is packed or the bus driver stops too quickly…if he stops at all. (This trick also works when you are too cheap to buy a real map)

This is a lifesaver. Putting your camera to good use.

6. Hotel doormen are friendly. Use them for information. They usually speak English.

7. If you are lost, stop and look behind you. It is probably right there.

8. If you’re too cheap for a hotel like me, hostels are great. Location (close to the center of the city/trains), price, and reviews are the most important factors to look at. I also checked for free Wi-Fi and breakfast. Those were big pluses.

9. If you’re not into hostels you can rent a room from people’s homes. I never did it but I heard good things. This option is great for really popular tourist cities like Paris and Rome and can be in a better location and cheaper than a hostel: www.airbnb.com

10. Bring a reusable water bottle. I had no problem with the water in Europe and often filled up from a sink…or aqueducts when I spotted them!

11. Don’t buy cheap earphones aka 2 Euro earphones ($2.50). If you do, check them right away to make sure that they work and then return those suckers.

12. Those cool beer mugs make great gifts after coming back to the states.

13. If using a Eurail pass make sure to check if you need seat reservations in addition to the pass. If so, it might be cheaper to buy individual tickets. Also check that your Eurail pass covers every country the train will go through…I had that problem in Austria.

14. Go out but don’t ruin your days. The historic sites are way cooler then the clubs.

15. To make the "@" sign on European keyboards use the "Alt Gr" key. It took me five years to figure this one out.

Intelligence Test: How long can it take you to find the key?

16. Pack travel sized shampoo/conditioner instead of buying it when traveling (also the Lisbon airport will take away your FULL jar of Nutella).

17. Hit up a grocery store in each place you visit for snacks and meals to save money. Hostels often have kitchens you can use to cook too.

18. So in America we write money like this: $3.50. Well in Europe they use a coma instead of a period: 3,50. Have fun getting used to that one.

19. Liz and I find that singing when walking makes everything more fun and that you don't think about being lost or how much your feet hurt.

The Europeans and Europe in general:
- Where are the free public bathrooms? Non-existent. This sucks when you have a bladder of a 4 year old. And WC = water closet or as we say, the bathrooms.

- Where are the recycling bins? Trash cans?

This one was only out because a street party was going on.

- Only hand dryers. Where are the paper towels?

- The lack of free public bathrooms / free drinking water at restaurants. (Hotels are great way to avoid bathroom fees)

- Oddly colored dyed hair. At literally all ages.

- Unconventional colored jeans. Maybe to match their hair?

- Plenty red heads in Northern Europe/Scandinavia.

- Southern Europe people are more friendly and loud. Maybe it has something to do with the weather?

- People in Northern Europe speak better English then in Southern Europe.

- All Europeans are like experts on their countries history. Can’t say that about Americans.

- Oh you must be American; you looked both ways to cross the street.

- European crutches have these weird hand holders…it don’t go under your armpit. Google it.

- Sure there are a lot of homeless people throughout the world. But the ones in Europe are often deformed and it’s heart breaking to see. Saw a lot of this in Italy/Germany.

- Live music in public squares and transportation areas. I’m a sucker for the native ones. London had the most street music.

- Kebab/Shawarma places everywhere. Probably the cheapest food you can get.

- Hawaiian pizza. Everywhere.

- Shopping streets instead of malls.

- Being heckled in major tourist cities. Was that a rain drop? Oh you must buy 5 umbrellas. Rome is notorious for this.  

- How awkward it is to say you only speak English (avoid this by starting with Hello).

- Increased drunk people during they day. Or maybe it's just a German thing.

- Don't go out at night til 2am. Home at 6am. I still don't understand how they can just sleep through their days.

The Copenhagen Bucket List

So while everything is still fresh, here are my recommendations for visiting Denmark:

1. Tivoli (right across from Central Station). It's an amusement park, it inspired Walt Disney to make Disneyland the happiest place on earth. Make sure to go on the Hans Christian Anderson ride (he wrote the Little Mermaid, Ugly Duckling, etc). I went on the ride twice back to back because it was so cool. Also it's 95 kroner (~$15) to enter and 200 kroner (~$35) for a ride bracelet. I would recommend that instead of paying for each ride individually- that would be very expensive. Also make sure to do Tivoli at night. Like start in the afternoon and stay until it gets dark. It is gorgeous in the sun and at night.

Tivoli = Disneyland

2. Christiania (get off at metro station Christianshavn). It is a free hippy town. I don't really know how to describe it, I've never seen anything like it. It's really colorful and there's a nice lake to walk around. They have three rules there: Have Fun, Don't Run - It Causes Panic, and No Photos. So these rules are enforced by everyone in Christiania because they sell Hash on the street (called Pusher Street) in basically tupperware. Hash is still illegal in Denmark so they can pack up everything really fast if the police come. But I don't think I even saw a police officer in Denmark. It's a surreal experience to walk around Christiania. Check out Nemoland, it's really colorful and a cool place to chill out. So Christiania is a free town because the government wanted to make it into military barracks but people squatted there and refused to move. Walking through the town is quite the experience.

They have some cool art/buildings.

3. Church of Our Savior (right next to Christiania in Christianshavn). You should be able to see it. It has a huge windy spire you can walk up if it's not to windy and if it's a clear day for a great view of Copenhagen (also the only place you can take a picture of Pusher street in Christiania). It's about 25 kroner (~$4) with a student ID. One of my favorite things I did. Great view of the city. Or you can go to the Round Tour (an old astronomy tower) for a great view of the city. Make sure to go on a clear day to either place!

Church of Our Savior

The Round Tower

4. Roskilde (a town outside of CPH). Yeah they have a huge summer music festival there every year. But they also have an AMAZING church. I thought it was pretty from the outside, and then I went inside the church and was wowed. It's about 40 kroner (~$7) with a student ID. Highly recommend it. And this town is right on some fjords and there is a viking ship museum at the bottom of the hill that you can go to. While you can pay to go into the museum, if you just walk around outside, you can see reconstructions of the viking ships for free. Kinda cool. It's about 35 minutes train each way to Roskilde.

The kings and queens are buried inside.

5. Rosenberg Castle/Kings Garden. Right by Norreport station in the center of the city. It holds the crown jewels (I never went inside). But the castle is impressive and the garden is a nice place to relax and have a picnic. Also close to it is a botanical garden which is a nice walk.

Rosenberg Castle/Kings Garden

These were some of my favorite things. Also check out Strøget, the huge and main shopping street. So expensive. And of course, I'm sure Nyhavn will be on the to do list (avoid eating there, very expensive). Nyhavn is the street with old colorful buildings, google Copenhagen and you will recognize it. And the Little Mermaid statue is overrated and boring, skip it.

As for eating out, I didn't really do that because it's so expensive and I lived in a host family. But there are a lot of kebab places and little sandwich, pizza, and bagel shops. Once you are away from Størget there will be cheaper and better places. People often recommend Rizz Razz. It's a vegetarian buffet style place I think. I heard it's super good but never ate there. Even meat lovers like it.

I stayed in Danshostel and Generator. They are both great locations, but Generator was a little nicer, bigger, and cheaper.

Public transportation is really easy to navigate and don't be afraid to ask the Danes for help, they all speak English and are willing to help. The metro (to/from the airport) and s-tog should take you every where you need to go. The hardest part is understanding the train announcements...they are usually only in Danish. http://www.rejseplanen.dk/ will be your best friend, it gives you direct routes and times. You can translate it to English.

As for the nightlight, you can't really go wrong (actually I didn't like Happy Pig). Anyways, for cheap drinks go to Billy Booze and it's a fun atmosphere. Heidi's also has a fun atmosphere. Basement Bar is more low key but great. Kulor Bar and Sukkerbageren are packed with Americans. Other people really like Australian Bar and Mini Bar. But there are so many good places, go explore. Denmark is a drinking country so there are plenty of bars, discotechs (clubs), and bodegas (local bars). Be prepared for a cover fee at some places and definitely coat check (put coats together to save money).

You will fall in love with this city and it's really easy to navigate since it is so small. Have fun exploring and email me if you need more information.

And here's a shout out to Liz Maidl for creating a google map with everything Copenhagen. She has address and descriptions, so there is no shortage of recommendations for you. From grocery stores to old historic buildings...literally everything:


https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202176473676662520123.0004c1d924619745eadef&msa=0

Sweden (X3): Searching for Gustav Adolph II

Well it wasn't hard to find Gustav Adolph II references. He is literally everywhere. Now this was my 3rd time to Sweden. The first was a ski trip with DIS to Isaberg on the second weekend I arrived in Europe. The second time was for a Wednesday field study for my crime fiction class (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). It was a half hour train ride to Malmo, and about 2 hours of walking around. So I consider the third trip to Uppsala and Stockholm my only real trip to Sweden.

As Gustav Adolph was everywhere, this was a very Gustavus orientated trip. I went with two other DIS Gusties, my Sigma sis Laura Burgstahler and Miss Kristin Moen. We had a long weekend because of a random Danish holiday on a Friday (it was like I was back in Hawaii with the random holidays). So this first weekend of May we jetted off to visit Ellen Liebe. Ellen was studying abroad in Uppsala and we got to stay with her for 3 nights!

Yes I'm actually doing work

May 3rd
We left on Thursday afternoon, with me missing my crime fiction class, ha. From the Stockholm-Arlanda airport we took a 45 minute bus to Uppsala. Well I was being super fun and did homework on the bus ride. Idk why my professors pilled the homework on for the next week.

Once in Uppsala, Ellen and another Gustie, Ellen Krueger, meet us and took us to their apartment/dorm. After cooking homemade and awesome pizza for dinner, we just chilled and made ourselves a mixed drink. Of course, we were smart enough to bring our own liquor to Sweden to avoid all their crazy rules and high alcohol taxes. Gotta love duty free airport shops.

May 4th
The next morning, after Ellen was done with her one class (why can't DIS be like that), we headed to a Nation. Okay so Nations are one of the most interesting things I learned about in Sweden, they are basically like frat or sorority houses...but not. Every student must belong to one. They have hang outs, cheaper food, fika (coffee and desserts), and at night it turns in to a bar/club. We were headed to a Nation called Värmlands, meaning meat market. There are 13 Nations.

A Nation

This turns into a dance floor at night.

Before we headed to this Nation, we meet another Sigma sis, Ida Väisänen! This was a major highlight of the trip and it was so exciting to finally see her. We went to lunch with Ida at the Nation and then we all went to the Uppsala Cathedral. The cathedral was gorgeous and go figure there was a Gustav Adolph II monument just feet away.

Sigma Sisters in Sweden

Uppsala, Cathedral

Gusties in Sweden

Reunited with Anton!

After saying goodbye to Ida, we went back to the Nation to get out guest passes and then do some grocery shopping for dinner as another Gustie was coming into town for a quick stop. It was so great to see Anton Sjudin after we hardly hung out when he surprised everyone at Gustavus in the fall. It was definitely another highlight of my trip! After they enjoyed their Swedish Meatballs for dinner, Anton and I finally got to share a beer, Carlsberg of course. And he even brought over Chardonnay. Anton was working with some Venezuelan skiiers and was headed up north to take pictures for them.

It was really great to catch up with Anton, but the time was way too short as we had to rush out and get to the nation before 9pm to avoid paying a cover fee in addition to our guest pass fees. Well I didn't quite make it in time and instead had to go to McDonalds with Ellen for awhile and eat a free ice cream and a chicken sandwich/fries. When we made it back to the Nation it was fun to dance, talk, and meet some new people.

May 5th
The next morning we all showered and got ready for our Saturday exploration in Stockholm. We took the noon train. The train was way more sketch then Danish trains, very rickety and old. I believe it took just under an hour to get there. Once in Stockholm, we spent the day walking around and playing tourist.

Sketchy right?

They have a sense of humor in Stockholm

The Vasa Ship

We headed along the river to make our way to the Vasa Ship Museum (and we saw the royal gaurds riding horses on our way). Now my host mom calls Stockholm "The Venice of the Nordic". And it really is, there are so many rivers winding around and through the city. When we arrived at the Vasa Ship Museum, I heard my name called out and turned around to see another DIS student exiting the museum. So weird and such a small world. Anna lived Up North by my host family and sometimes we caught the train together. Now watch for Anna in a later blog... she shows up in another random country.

So back to the Vasa Ship, it was originally chartered by our dear Gustav Adolph II but the ship sunk in 1628 before even leaving the harbor. It was too heavy. In 1961 it was salvaged. Now this ship is huge, very detailed, and impressive. Also with Anna's tip I got in for free by telling them I was under 18... score and I saved 80 Swedish kronor (~$10).

As we headed to our next destination, Kristin and I couldn't resist and got some ice cream that was taunting us, even though it was super windy and cold. I blame the wind on the river. We passed some historic buildings, that for the life of me I can't remember the names of, but we eventually made it to the Swedish Palace. And it was at the right time because the royal guards did the changing of the guards 10 minutes after we got there. After seeing the Copenhagen royal guards change, I thought it would be the same. Nope, this was intense and super serious. It made me chuckle.

The shouted and did some fancy boot turns.

After this we headed to find the narrowest alley in the world. We stumbled upon this alley and had some fun taking pictures. We then headed towards the water and found a bench to rest out feet. As we were cold, tired, and sore from walking we worked our way back towards the city center. We passed some more historic buildings and eventually landed at McDonalds where we had a snack and our homemade lunches.

Before arriving we found a porcupine!

Before heading back to the train station around 6pm we got to look down a shopping street that was filled with H&M stores. Literally like every other store. Now H&M is a Swedish store. It stands for Hennes & Mauritz, And the Scandinavians don't call in H&M they actually call it by it's full name.

Once back in Uppsala we cooked an awesome Greek Salad dinner. It was the first time I tried one, and I loved it and feta cheese. Well actually I'm obsessed with pesto after this trip, it's so good on everything. And when I say we cooked, I mean I washed the dishes... Anyways after dinner we pregammed a little and headed to a Nation where Kristin could meet her new friend.

Well Ellen, Laura, and I left this crowded Nation and headed for a different one, but we didn't want to pay to get in so we again headed to a different one. At this nation we were in the celler and met a very drunk Swedish guy that bought us some Sammy Adams beer. It was real gross and he didn't need any more. Well we headed back early as we were all worn out and leaving the next day.

The Celler

Ellen our lovely host and miss Laura!

May 6th
Sunday, our last day started off with fika at a Nation with both Ellens! Fika is a Swedish tradition of coffee and deserts. Even business take fika breaks. And you can't fika alone. At fika there were two ducks that must of had gum stuck in their mouths. Laura and Ellen tried to rescue the ducks with two other Swedish girls, but the ducks ran away.

Duck Rescuing.

Fika!

The desserts

The Nation where we had fika.

Next we headed to the pink Uppsala castle. Before arriving there we stopped at a gold heated bench shapped as a leg and foot. It was awesome, every cold state/country needs them. After the castle we walked through the gardens and rested there on a giant and tall bench.

It's so stylish.

We then proceeded to the free Uppsala Gustavianum. This is an anatomy museum. They used to have lectures there. Envision a Ministry of Magic court room in Harry Potter. But instead of seats they all had to to stand, but even if you feel asleep while watching the dissection you would be able to lean against the stands. My question is, what if you are overweight, how do you fit into the stands? Anyways, all of the people they dissected were criminals, apparently.

Harry Potter?

Swedish Dessert! Yumm!

After wondering around some more we went to a little cafe to enjoy a typical Swedish dessert that I can't remember the name of, but it was good. Laura, Ellen, and I went back to rest, pack, and eat before heading back to Copenhagen. We dropped Kristin off for her little date. But first we also stopped by the Linnea Arboretum...yep it's named just like the Gustavus Arb. You had to pay to get in, but most of the plants were dead because it was still cold out, so we didn't go in.

The Arb.

And that was it. We caught the bus back to airport and made it back to Copenhagen with no problemos. Sweden was a great time, it felt more relaxed then the rest of my traveling, with time to sleep in, but it was really nice. We also did a lot of walking in Sweden. I think Copenhagen and my 'all zone' transportation pass just spoiled me with the public transportation.

Gonna get back on the bus.

Some things I noticed about Sweden was that there were no birds, at least in Uppsala, and that made me happy. There also seems to be a lot of red heads in Sweden. I noticed the Swedish language is closer to Norwegian instead of Danish. Swedish was also a sing songy language and was prettier then Danish. Additionally, Uppsala did seem a lot like Bergen, Norway. Some other things I noticed was that there are no SUV's, although that seems to hold true in all of Europe.

It was great to catch up with former Gusties and spend time with current Gusties! So again, a big thank you to Ellen for hosting us. It was a great time! We will always remember Laura saying"I couldn't used to do that."

Yes, 3 crowns everywhere.

Uppsala, Sweden