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Published: October 24th 2008
Old Town Square!
I love this place!! Please go here!I am sitting in the library of Lulea Tekniska Universitet, where Kai takes engineering classes. The town of Lulea is in Northern Sweden, only a two hour drive from the Arctic Circle. It looks just like Northern Minnesota with an array of coniferous trees, birch, and lakes. I had a week off from classes so I came up here to spend time with Kai. On Sunday, I reserved three trains from Vaxjo to Lulea (totaling 20 hours of travel). On the second train bound for Stockholm, there was some delay and we waited at a stop outside the city for an extra hour. I asked around to figure out what was going on since the speaker on the intercom was addressing the passengers in Swedish. One guy was trying to catch the same train out of Stockholm, so when we got off the train we looked around for the platform our new train would leave from. Well unfortunately, the train left on its scheduled time 30 minutes before we got there. The guy (never got his name) told me I had two options...take a 5 hour train to Sundsvall and switch to a bus at 3am and not get to Lulea
until 4pm (!!!!) or take a 20 minute train to the airport and fly to Lulea that night. I called Kai to find me a flight online and he found one for 10:40pm on Sunday. It was 8:40 so I booked it to the airport and just barely made the flight. It was a hectic evening. I arrived in Lulea at 12am exhausted, frustrated and disappointed I needed to call for a $35 cab to Kai's apartment when I came down the escalator and Kai was waiting for me!! I was so happy to see him I almost cried! He found a friend in his building with a car and they came to pick me up; oh boy was I grateful for that! So since then Kai and I have been just relaxing and making really good meals (he's a good cook, I'm a good taste tester and dish-washer). We have gone to the library each day to work on a little school work and tonight we are going out for a pizza dinner with a bunch of his friends. He has really nice roommates, two French and one German. He has his own room and shares a bathroom and
kitchen. I leave on Sunday, taking the train again and hopefully that all goes as planned!
Two weekend ago, I traveled to Prague and Copenhagen with two friends, Cheryl from Connecticut and Amy from Duluth (and originally from Grand Forks). We left on Friday, October 10th early in the morning. We took a train to the Copenhagen airport which I've gotten to know pretty well now, and caught our flight to Prague. Cheryl and I had colds so we couldn't get our ears to pop for 4 hours after the flight was over which I've never had happen to me before. Otherwise the flight went well and we were there in just over an hour. We arrived in Prague's airport at 2pm. We needed Czech cash so we got some from the ATM. We each got very large bills that no one in the airport or bus could give us change for. So instead of taking a $1 bus ride, we took a $9 (each) shuttle ride to our hostel. The people working in the airport and on the public transit system were very rude to us, but I imagine it was because we made no effort to
speak Czech. It was hard to remain upbeat when we asked for change at the desk that said "CHANGE" and he said "that's not my problem!" Our shuttle ride into the city felt like a rollercoaster!! He took corners so fast I thought we would flip over and he hit the brakes really hard. The Czech-speaking women in the back seat didn't seem to notice so I tried to remain calm. Cheryl, Amy, and I all buckled our seatbelts and laughed. The driver came within inches of hitting other cars several times but we finally made it to our hostel. Prague is the most beautiful city I've ever seen; there is nothing like it in the world! I was amazed as we entered the city, it was breathtaking. We were very tired once we got to our hostel, so we took a nap. When we woke up, we asked the front desk clerk for a good dinner recommendation. He sent us to a great place called Kolkovna. I had a light dinner and a few drinks before we met up with Cheryl's old Czech friend Nicole. She brought some friends with her and we went to a dance club nearby
called M1 Aqua Lounge. The DJ played all American dance and rap music and we ordered drinks for half the price they cost in Sweden! The highlight was the B52 shot of Absinthe, Bailey's, and Kahlua. The waitress brought matches for traditional absinthe drinking. Each shot had a straw in it so we sucked down the alcohol while it was on fire!! Don't ask me how we didn't get burned but it just worked haha. I also had a cosmopolitan in honor of my gals from Sex and the City. Don't worry, I didn't get that wasted we were just having a good time. On Saturday, we went sight-seeing all day and there's a lot to see. Every building is a work of art. We walked across the famous Charles Bridge where many vendors and musicians were set up for the day. It reminded me a lot o New York to see all the vendors selling paintings of the city, jewelry, and other goods. We stopped for fika (Swedish mid-afternoon coffee break) and I got an Irish coffee and tiramisu! It was so delicious. I bought a t-shirt that says "Czech Me Out" haha. That night we went to a
Gotta Love It
old town square with Tyn Church in the background Pizzeria for dinner and to a club called Misch Masch with another American friend we met at our hostel common room. On Sunday, we went to a new hostel in a different part of town. We went shopping that day since Czech prices are so low and saw a few more sights along the way. We ate a fantastic dinner at a little medieval-themed restaurant near the river. I had pork loin with asparagus and other vegetables. We took it easy on Sunday night and left Monday morning for Copenhagen. While in Copenhagen, we walked around all of the historic buildings and shops. We also went to the infamous free town of Christiania. This partially self-governing commune has been in Copenhagen since 1971 when squatters moved into this deserted military barracks. It is a haven for alternative lifestyles and all people are welcome at all times. However, one must be invited to live there by the current residents. The people there are devoted to non-violence, ethical tolerance, and spirituality. Until 2004, marijuana was sold openly in Christiania, and it still is today but it is quieter and more private. No hard drugs are allowed because it causes people to become
I Love Prague!!
Me and the Castle violent and make other poor choices. There are no cars and no photos allowed in this area and there are plenty of signs telling you so. The girls and I felt a bit of culture shock as we entered this commune because we felt we looked like oustdiers. After a few minutes I felt fine because I realized no one really cared about me and I wasn't being judged because the people there just want to be free to be whoever they want to be. I was so pleased to see this community and I am sad to hear some people in the Danish government want it shut down. I would like to spend more time talking to the locals next time I visit. If you have any curiosities or questions about this place I would love to talk with you more about it. On Tuesday, we also visited the National Museum, which as free and we could take pictures (a rarity in museums). They had artifacts from all over the world beginning with the Egyptians. I had an awesome time visiting this city! There were bikers EVERYWHERE, like in Amsterdam. In Denmark, the tax on a car is 180%!!!
That means for one car, you pay for almost three. I'm assuming that's why everyone has a bike instead. We went home on Tuesday evening and we had a wonderful vacation! I really want to visit both cities again, so I know it won't be my last time. I think Kai and I will be stopping in Prague for a day on our winter break trip since he hasn't seen it and everyone needs to. So if you ever go to Europe, please put Prague in your itinerary, you will never regret it!! I want to take this opportunity to thank anyone who reads this and to my parents and family for helping me get here. I feel so lucky to be able to see the world at such a young age and I know not everyone gets this kind of chance! Peace and Love, Emily
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