nicballarin

So it finally arrived, and I am still alive and well. Yesterday was my last full day on my adventure and there are definitely some bitter sweet feelings. But I still have a full day ahead of exploring, so I don't dwell on the future too long. Thursday I decide to take a short train trip out of the capital, and visit a place on the northern tip of Denmark, called Helsingør, to escape the city atmosphere and see some more of rural Denmark. This trip has solidified the fact that I really really don't want to live in a big city, and that the outskirts of town are definitely where I belong. So I took the train, only about 45 minutes north (isn't it great how everything is so close over here?!) and got off ... read more

Shit, so I already wrote like 3/4 of this and then accidentally pressed the back button and lost it all, so don't expect the same enthusiasm as usual. Uuuughgfndnsnbsjsj. Jk, I'll do my best. Yay, I get to select a new country today for this entry! Yesterday marked both my last half-day in Sweden, and my first half-day in Denmark. I woke up, packed the rest of my stuff in my backpacks (and trust me, it was a struggle to get all that leftover food in there... I'm lucky I didn't pull out a loaf of bread on the train instead of my Eurail pass ?) and had my breakfast before going to check out. I dumped my sheets and towel and handed over my key card, to which I got in return, a letter... From ... read more

I slept in again yesterday... As a result of the aforementioned snorefest that was going on in my room. But I got up, had breakfast on the patio because it was another gorgeous day, and then got ready to head out and explore Day 2 of Malmö. With a few things on my list to check out, I first headed to the Malmö Konsthall, a pretty big exhibition hall for contemporary art. It was free, yay, so I wondered inside, a little reluctant because I was going inside and it was such a beautiful day, but I did. And it was, well, contemporary art to say the least. I've never really had an appreciation for random stuff thrown together and sold for millions of dollars to posh buyers, but I gained a little more respect for ... read more

I am becoming very good at coming up with stuff on the fly, and finding interesting things to do with my time. Like yesterday for example... I was going off the suggestion from a German in Norway about what to do in Sweden! Mirjam stressed that I HAD to check out the southern archipelago off the coast of Gothenburg; so I did. I took a tram to the ferry terminal on the edge of town, and spoke with a very helpful lady at the ticket office who set me up with the perfect pass for me and pointed me in the right direction to the island that I should visit, if not any others; and she was absolutely right! I found myself aboard a ferry making all island stops to the most southern island of the ... read more

It's my last day in Helsinki, and in Finland, and I've got a lot to see still. I spend the day wandering with a purpose around the city, ticking off attractions as I hit them. First is the 'red cathedral,' really an old Russian Orthodox Church perched properly atop a hill near my hostel. I had passed it several times already, but hadn't yet taken time to appreciate the incredible architecture, or to actually go inside and check it out; both of which I proceed to do. Like any old church, it was littered with paintings, spectacular chandeliers (yes Sia, I know you want to swing from them), and silencio signs. I had never seen a church of this religion before, and it was pretty intense... Definitely glad I checked it out. The next stop on ... read more