a farewell to Lund

I am down to the last days in Lund, and it’s starting to hit me that I will not be returning to this fantastic little city any time too soon. I have had the most incredible time exploring Lund, Sweden, and parts of Northern Europe these past five months. I am having trouble imagining how I am going to feel settling back into my life in Santa Cruz. Spending a semester away has given me a different perspective of the world, and I look forward to seeing how I react when I get back out to California. I am not quite sure what I will miss most about Lund.
















I will definitely miss the most intricate bike paths that have made my exploration of the city so easy, and the tons of little cafés; I will miss hearing the church bells ring so loud that you can hear them anywhere in the city, the old buildings that line the tiny cobblestone streets, that are really not suited for cars; I will miss hearing Swedish, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Danish, and Japanese on a regular basis, and I will miss the friends that I have made from all of those places; I will miss Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam even though I don’t eat them, and Kanelbulle med kaffe; I will miss hearing my neighbor’s techno music through my wall and knowing that I am not alone in the corridor, and I will miss the amazing people that I have lived with, even though our corridor was dirty most of the time;













I will miss laughing with friends and not giving all that much care to coursework; I will miss seeing hairdressers on every street corner, and the Espresso House that is as frequent as Starbucks is in the US; I will miss yoghurt in a milk carton, and caviar in a tube, even though I don’t eat that either; I will miss trying to understand what people are talking about in Swedish at the table next to me, and seeing tons of cute little blonde kids or “barns,” one of my favorite Swedish words; I will miss being a foreigner and having to defend my country by saying that, no, we don’t all love Bush and don’t all agree with the war; I will miss having to talk slower so that everyone can be included in a conversation, and I will miss responding to “what’s this called” with words like ‘spatula’ and ‘ladle’;












I will miss riding my bike by the horse stables every day; but most of all, I will miss the most incredible friends that I have made this fall, and who I will try my hardest to stay in touch with. I am thankful that some of them live in California and I will be able to see them more frequently. I love it here in Sweden and I am sure that I will miss it in even more ways that I could even imagine, but I am so excited about returning to people whom I love and who love me back. See you all soon! much love

Sankta Lucias Dagen

December 13th is the day of Santa Lucia. I am not sure of the history behind this tradition, but it involves lots of candles and light, and girls in white dressing with red ribbons. My dad and I went to a church to see the celebration, and it was incredible. It was a concert by the local high school and they were all dressed up like Lucia. The actual Lucia girl, who has to try out for this position, stood in front of everyone else and had a wreath around her head with candles in it.
























Another tradition having to do with Santa Lucia is baking saffronsbrod, which Susan showed Sarah and me how to make one evening. It is an amazing cake-like bread made with saffron and garnished with raisins. It was a pleasure to experience a real Swedish tradition. We are so many of them that we felt a little sick, but it was a lovely evening.

Bergen: the Gateway to the Fjords

In Bergen, where I only spent one night, I decided that I wanted to use my time to go for a long hike, instead of walking around the city. I got directions at the tourist center and woke up early (but late enough that it was a little light) the next morning and made my way to the closest mountain where a tram takes you to a lookout where most of the trails begin. I found myself alone with the snow, hiking on a newly white trial with only the sounds of nature around me. I had forgotten how much I miss the mountains and hiking in nature, since I have been living in the flat farmland of Southern Sweden for five months now. I felt at home in the mountains even though it was cold and my foot broke through some ice a few times.












I took a wrong trial for a while; I think that I was actually following a streambed for a while instead of the trail, but by the time I figured it out and got back on the main trail a couple had passed me and I was relieved to have footprints to follow from there on. The visibility was fantastic when I started off, and I could look out at all of Bergen and could understand how this place has come to be known as “the gateway to the fjords.” By the time I got to the top of the mountain though, the heavy clouds and snow had engulfed the whole area and I just had to work to keep the tracks in front of me in view. The white serenity was beautiful and I would have stopped to enjoy it if the temperature was a little warmer.
























I made it back to a more popular trial and tried to find a cabin to eat my lunch in where I didn’t have to worry about freezing, but instead met a group of old Norwegian men who hike together every Tuesday all year long. They were so impressed that I was hiking alone and told me all about the area as I hiked with them to a cabin of their suggestion. I left them at a fork in the trail with directions to a heated cabin, and was glad to have had some company along the way. The heated cabin was amazing, but there was an even bigger group of older people who also hike together on Tuesdays. It must be a common activity among the retired population, and I’m sure it keeps them all in good health.



















My whole hike took about four hours, and I felt so refreshed after spending the morning and early afternoon outside. After walking around the city a little bit when I got back, the chilly winds off of the water started to get to me, so I picked up a ridiculously expensive hot chocolate and headed back to the hostel where I stayed the night before and left my bag. I spend the evening in the hostel’s living room before the night train left back to Oslo on my way back to Lund. The train rides home were so long and I just tried to sleep, so I’m sure I missed out on some fantastic views, but I was so tired from my week-long exploration.















Conclusion: traveling alone is an experience that I would highly recommend, but I cannot say that I will have a strong desire to do it again any time soon.

The Train Ride of a Lifetime: Oslo to Bergen

The train from Oslo to Bergen is known as being one of the most beautiful rides in the world, and it was nothing less than incredible. We left while it was still dark in Oslo, but the light slowly rose and over the trees and snow that lined the rails as we climbed into the mountains. The whole ride took the majority of the light part of the day, and I was thankful that the sun actually came out as we passed through the winter wonderland that I longed to play in.





The train passed through snow-covered mountains, frozen lakes and snowed-in villages. The light looked so beautiful since it never rose that high above the horizon and it lit the mountains from the side. I wished at every train station that I could just get out there and hang out in the white mountains, but I would just take a breath of icy fresh air, snap a photo or two, and then get back on in hopes that the next stop would make staying on the train worth it (and it usually was).















I understand why people from all over the world take this train just for the fantastic views.

Trip to Norway: Part 2, Oslo

It was quarter to ten in the morning on the train from Göteborg to Oslo, and the cloud cover outside made it look like it was more like five in the evening. I am not sure how much the darkness has to do with being far north, or just the weather. We passed through forests and farmland. Winding dirt roads popped in and out of the wooded hills, with houses scattered among the trees. The trees were tall, skinny pines which showed signs of standing up to strong winds over the years with their twisted tops. A lake stretched along side the tracks, lining the landscape of fields are forests. Patches of birch trees added a lightness to the dark forests, and the red barns and yellow houses stood out in the brown, green scene. Everything was wet and reflected the dark sky. The trees were so dark with rain that the almost look burnt and black as they stood up against the grey sky.












I reached Oslo around one in the afternoon and was picked up at the train station by a friend of a friend, Petter, who I met in the states, and lives in Oslo. It was fantastic to be shown around by a local and have a place to stay in the city. Petter and his girlfriend Kristine showed me all around their fantastic city and took me to more than just the usual tourist attractions, although we did have to see those as well.


We visited the sculpture park in the rain after I arrived, and I experienced the weather of Oslo at it’s best. Petter and Kristine fixed an amazing Norwegian dinner for me. We had salmon, potatoes, a buttery sauce, and a cucumber salad. After dinner they took me to a brewery in the city that had fantastic beer, and showed me a fantastic night on the town.












The next day, Sunday, was a whirlwind of sight seeing. We started down by the water, visiting the fortress, seeing where the Nobel Peace Prize is given out, and touring around the waterfront.












We then made our way up the mountain and into the snow, and ate lunch at a fabulous café that looked out over the whole of the city.












Although it didn’t take long for the fog to set in, we had amazing weather and it didn’t rain at all. We visited the famous ski jump and biathlon course, saw the ski resort at the top of the mountain, and then stopped for tea at Petter’s parent’s house that looks out over the city. We ended our exhausting day of sightseeing with a walk in the woods with Petter’s dog. We were too tired to cook that night, so we went out for sushi and saw American Gangster in a fancy theater.











My visit in Oslo was so amazing, and I never would have been able to see as much without such fantastic hosts. I really feel like I have a good sense of the city of Oslo and the mountain above it. It’s not a huge city, even though it’s the biggest in all of Norway, and I would go back there in a second if I had a chance. The most incredible part of the city is that it is on the water and in the summer everyone sails and is outside in the sun, but it takes only a few minutes to drive or take the train up into the mountain and hike or ski in the winter. Such a healthy place to live with so many reasons and opportunities to be outside!

Göteborg, Sweden: first leg of my trip to Norway

I have traveled alone many times, flying back and forth between school and home, visiting grandparents, driving to see friends, but I have never undertaken an entire trip by myself. Although I stayed with a friend in Oslo, I really made this trip happen myself. There was no conferring with the group as to where to eat or what sights to see, I was completely independent. The first leg of my journey was from Lund to Göteborg in Sweden, but my final destination was Bergen, on the western coast off Norway. The Swedish countryside flew by as the train sped along the well-used tracks. Long stretches of farmland suddenly became seaside towns with brightly colored Swedish style houses, as the train rout went up the western coast of Sweden toward Göteborg. Even with the cold weather, the fields still appeared to be alive, and the stonewalls had a hearty green tint. The longer grasses were yellow and had clearly been shaped by the harsh winds that fly through the meadows. The ocean looked rough and the whitecaps looked like snow upon the dark and menacing sea. The icon of Göteborg is Neptune the god of the sea, and it seemed to fit quite well.












I spent two nights in Göteborg at a hostel, which was located right next to Liseberg, the biggest amusement park in Sweden. The hostel was nothing exciting, but the city was beautiful. I found the most darling little chocolate shop that had just about every kind of chocolate you could imagine.


I went to the opera and saw My Fair Lady, which was fantastic, even in Swedish! It's a good thing that I know the story and the songs in English, otherwise I would have been lost. The show was beautifully done, and it was the perfect activity to do alone.









The next night I went to Liseberg, the amusement park, when it was all lit up. It was really quite beautiful even though it was still just an amusement park. I drank warm glögg and had a Swedish waffle as I sat and watched a fantastic figure skating show. The crowd at the park was the same as at any amusement park, so I did some thorough people watching, and the fact that it was night with and all lit up for the holidays, gave everyone a warm and friendly façade.


After the figure skating, I was walking around and a man offered me a ticket to see a concert playing in the concert hall in the park. I was a bit skeptical, especially when he told me that it was a hard rock concert, but I decided to go out on a limb and take him up on the offer since he was just giving it to me. It turned out to be quite an experience, but it was definitely a haaarrrdd rock concert, and everything that I would expect a hard rock concert to be, fully done-up with explosions, fire and light of all sorts. The opening band and the feature band were both from Finland, but luckily they sang in English, and mostly spoke in English in between the songs.












During the two days that I was in Göteborg, I mostly just walked around and saw the usual tourist attractions and looked in shops. Even though the sights were beautiful, I got kind of bored just walking by myself and listening to my ipod on occasion.



I am going to write about the other two legs of my weeklong journey soon, but I still have to write my final paper for a class, and my dad just arrived and is visiting me for a week.

November in Lund

I am coming to the end of my time here in Lund, with less than four weeks left. The time seems to have slipped by, as have the hours of sunlight and the warmer winds of summer and early fall.
















The leaves on the trees have lost their bright fall colors, and have begun their process of turning rejoining soil. The bare trees are beautiful silhouetted against the grey sky that looks like it is about to dump snow on us, but has yet to do so.












There is still some green that has managed to stick around despite the cold weather and it sticks out among the browns and grays that seem to have taken over the town.













I now understand why there are so many colorful houses and bright lights around. The sun is definitely showing itself less these days, starting to set at around 3:30, and I know it is only going to get darker in this last month that I am here.

This past weekend the city of Lund was lit up to bring in the holiday season. There are candles in practically every window downtown, and decorative lights are strung across all of the shopping streets. Somehow, even though the cold winds are sweeping across the streets and freezing my nose off, the lights everywhere make me feel warmer and even happy to be outside in the cold.







Sitting in a café and letting a latte warm me from the inside while surrounded by fantastic friends seems like the perfect activity in these cold and dark late-November days.












Sarah, Maria and I spent hours in Café Ariman the other day reading, knitting, writing and discussing our futures, while slowly sipping our over-priced drinks. It is going to be hard to leave this amazing place!