Advertisement
Hi Everyone!
How are you all? I hope all is well. Things here are fine! I'm so sorry I haven't written a blog in a while! My last week in Europe was pretty crazy, to say the least. I took my exams last Tuesday and Wednesday and then flew to Oslo on Thursday of last week (June 28)! After an exciting time in Europe, I'm back in the States, and am physically and mentally adjusting again. Little things here or there I am starting to find odd, like plastic bags in grocery stores and the incessant demand for ice in all drinks. On the other hand, some things are very nice about being back in the States! I demanded yesterday that my sister take me to Chipotle for a burrito. For some reason, Mexican food was the only food I really missed while I was in Germany. I tried "nachos" once at a kneippe (German for "pub") in Germany once, and was horrified by the food presented to me. Nachos, my eye....
Of course, as most of you know, I was also VERY excited about seeing my dog again. Sure enough, when I came home, Zoe wriggled with joy
for hours! It's nice seeing pets again...
Anyway. I'm sure you want to know about the trip, so I'll fill you in on some details, and then I should get going! The first part of the trip was spent in Oslo, Norway, which is BEAUTIFUL! I highly recommend it to all travelers! The only downside (which turned out to be a major downside)? Norway is the most expensive country I have ever visited. It beats out London, everyone. HANDS DOWN! Isn't that terrifying? I find that terrifying. At first, I was slightly bummed that I was only going to be in Norway for 3 days or so, but at the end, I wanted out so bad....
Examples of how it's so expensive there:
1. don't smoke, but I was talking to a Norwegian lady that did. She told me that in Europe, a pack of cigarettes costs about $5.50 or something like that (4 euros). In Norway? 15 DOLLARS! Crazy, no?
2. A glass of wine at a cheap restaurant? Only about 30 DOLLARS!
3. TJ and I split a pizza our last night there. It was a large, cheese pizza. The cheapest on the menu. We didn't even
order drinks! The final bill? Around 40 dollars! AAAAAAAH!
So yes. Norway is ridiculously expensive. But beautiful... Oh, so beautiful... The rocky hills, the harbour, the greenery... It was so green when we were there! Also, the sun practically didn't set in Scandinavia, the entire time we were there! Which was nice until you wanted to go to bed. It was 2am and the sun was still out! That also added to the otherworldly feel of Norway... It feels slightly isolated and different somehow; it certainly wasn't like Europe.
Highlights of Oslo?
The Harbour
The fantastic architecture
Visiting the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, where my dad also visited when he was in high school!
Checking out the parliament building and the royal palace
The Akershus- a fortress that has never been conquered! Although... I imagine it would be pretty difficult to conquer Oslo, considering its location. Hm.
Trying to speak Norwegian (Jag vil gjerne ha Oslo Ticket!)
The Sculpture Garden in Oslo
Also, this trip to Scandinavia was the first time I'd ever stayed in a hostel (gasp!). I'm still not quite sure how I feel about them. On the one hand, there's definitely this feeling of an international
community, and everyone's really friendly! I met so many cool people that I really want to keep in touch with! On the other hand... private bathrooms? No. Privacy in general? Practically unheard of. In the hostel in Stockholm, there was only one shower in the girls shower room that had a curtain. The other 6 (yes, 6!) were open showers. Ummm....? Enough said.
After spending three beautiful yet expensive days in Norway, TJ and I headed over to Stockholm on an 8-hour bus ride, which actually didn't turn out too terrible. I think I've taken some of my best photos on that bus ride, actually. Now Stockholm... Stockholm is fantastic! I really, really like Stockholm! Stockholm is what European cities should be like! So grand and regal! I guess it was how I was imagining Berlin or something, but that fell kinda short. Stockholm, however, is an 18th-19th century European historian's dream city. The architecture? Wondrous. The atmosphere? Fantastic. The relationship between the various canals and bodies of water and the city is just so beautifully intertwined!
Highlights of this 3-day trip?
Visiting Gamla Stan, the old city of Stockholm. The Royal Palace is here (the largest inhabited
one in the world, from what I was told), as well as many other buildings of importance (or at least they give off that aura, anyway).
Eating Kottbullar (Swedish Meatballs) and too much swedish candy!
Meeting up with friends from Vienna!!!
Shopping at H and M (I had to, ok? H and M is from Sweden!)
Shopping at other Scandinavian stores like Bik Bok and Joy (Okay, this time I didn't have to, but I was curious. That's different.)
Accidentally catching the Changing of the Guards ceremony at the royal palace
Going to the Vasamuseet, which has this MASSIVE 17th-century ship in it. It looked very much like a pirate ship and was quite awesome. Also, the story of how they discovered this ship in the bottom of the sea is remarkable...
Walking along the harbour
Visiting the various cool churches in Sweden (but no organ concerts, though! Sorry organ friends! I missed a Bach concert at this fantastic 18th-century church in sweden by a half-hour! I was devastated!)
Stockholm really is a fantastic city. I approve! And I would definitely like to go back there again! Now that I know I have friends who live there, too, it
makes things easier... hm....
So, the long journey home... I suppose you could say it started when I left Stockholm. Our flight left at 7 am, which meant we had to be up by 3am and catch a bus from the Stockholm train station to the airport by 4am. Yes, that's right. 4am. After catching the plane at 7 and landing in to frankfurt hahn airport at 9, we had to take another bus at 9:30 to the trainstation in Frankfurt. Got in there at 11, then caught a train to Marburg at 11:45 or so. We finally got back home to Marburg at around 1:30/2:00. We'd been traveling for nearly 12 hours. Oh, but it gets much better! I then turned around and packed up my stuff and got on another train at 5 to stay with Michaela and Ellen in Cologne! I got to Ellen's flat around 10 that night. I'd been traveling for 20 hours or so. *Sigh*....
But I spent my last full day in Germany with excellent friends. My friend Janine even came from Essen to hang out with me for the day, which made me so incredibly happy (and thankful that I
have such wonderful friends!)! My last day in Germany was spent going shopping for last minute items (candy and food for the fam), hanging out with Michi and Ellen, and eating my last German meal of Auflauf that evening. 😞 I then hopped on the plane the next morning to come back to Atlanta, which is where I am now.
As I said before, it's really strange being back. I miss friends I've made, the lifestyle I had... public transportation. I just hope I can readjust quicker this time... And of course, I have a lot to look forward to now that I'm here! My phone's been ringing pretty much nonstop since I landed in Atlanta and activated my phone (an award should be given to Stephanie for calling my cell literally two minutes after I had re-activated it). It's nice to talk to friends and family again. And of course, there's my dog, Zoe, who is wonderful beyond reason.
Thanks, everyone, for reading this journal and taking part in my adventures with me! It's been really fun! I'll let you know if I have any more adventures coming up this summer! I have a feeling this travelblog
isn't going to disappear... 😉
So thanks, once again, for the support. And have a fantastic summer, too!
With much love,
~Kira
Advertisement
Tot: 0.07s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 50; dbt: 0.041s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb