A group of ten other students and myself made the journey from Aalborg to Frederikshavn, via train; from Frederikshavn to Goteborg, via ferry; from Goteborg to Stockholm, via bus; from Stockholm to Goteborg, via train; and back, the same.
Originally planning to spend five days split among three cities, we ended up spending six days in only two: Goteborg and Stockholm.
A few random facts about Sweden:
- Joined the European Union in Jan. 1995
- Still uses the Swedish krona for currency
- Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986 - prior to this point, prominent politicians had little to no personal protection (he was shot returning home unguarded from the movie theatre with his wife)
A few facts about my trip to Sweden:
- I stayed in two youth hostels. One had a free sauna and free pasta. The other gave me nothing for free, but was still very cosy : ) I met travelers from Japan, Australia, Germany, Spain, England and Denmark.
- In Goteborg (Gothenburg in English) I saw: many parks, some sculptures, a breakdancing/hip-hip contest in the street (with American music), beautiful architecture (per usual for Europe I'm starting to think) including impressive cathedrals
- In Stockholm I saw: a debate in the Swedish parliment (Riksdag) (coming from someone who could watch c-span for hours, this was, not surprisingly, my favorite part of the trip), an impressive photo exhibit in a city square about the environment, shipyards, and countless picturesque views, especially in the alleyways of Gamla Stan (the old town square) - Gamla Stan is the perfect place for a lone tourist to get lost for a few hours - and is also the site of the original settlement of Stockholm.
The bus ride to Stockholm, and train ride back, were both in daylight, and in the combined 11 hours I had recurring thoughts about the north shore of Minnesota because some of the terrain passing by outside my window was so similar to that which I visited in August. Our train/bus took us through forested lands, with fall colors in full effect. Rocky outcrops walled either side of the tracks/road from time to time and lakes appeared and disappeared through the trees sporadically. Swatches of pasture and farmland then took me back to North Dakota, and I wondered whether I was indeed in a foreign country.
There were actually many times during the few days away from Denmark when I thought to myself, "Am I really in Sweden?" It's one thing to look at a country on the map and to try to imagine what it may be like there and completely another to actually experience it. It's not that Denmark and Sweden are so different - I found Stockholm and Goteborg to be very similar to Denmark in terms of culture - but I've now had some time to get used to the fact that I live in Denmark. Much the same as the first few days or even weeks in Denmark, I had a hard time fathoming the here and now - and the actual distance between my current location and my home in the states. Apparently humans adapt. : ) When I got off the train in Aalborg upon returning from our trip to Sweden I was surprised at feeling such comfort in seeing familiar buildings - an emotion usually reserved for the moment I see an old friend or walk into the house at the farm in ND or my room in my old residence at the Honors house or even onto the campus at BSU or the hallways of LHS. As I made my way back to my apartment (half hour walk from the bus stop with my pack and bag - no bus for Tessa at that time of night), with plenty of time for reflection (and sore feet), I thought about how quickly I had become so at ease with this city...
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Well, that is about as deep as I'd like to delve on my blog. Only $9.99 + tax for the rest of the story. I accept PayPal. (Totally stole that from the comic you sent me mom).
In other news, I've now been in Denmark for two months. Woohoo! Happy 2-month-anniversary-in-Denmark to me.
: ) I hope everyone back in ND/MN is doing well! (And I'm thankful you're not in Cali...)
Take care,
Tessa
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