Copenhagen: Land of culture and hippies

After Sweden, I had to say goodbye to friends and continue the travels on my own. My next stop: Copenhagen. I went there not knowing much about the city, and left thinking it is one of the coolest cities I have ever been to, but hard to say why. Just the feeling I guess.

I had good timing and happened to be there on the one night of the year when the city has its "Culture Night": an annual event with various activities throughout the city. All of the museums and churches are open until late at night, there are various outdoor concerts, sampling of local foods, art exhibits, hands-on crafts and activities booths, and so much more. The whole city comes alive and all of the locals come out to enjoy the festivities. The streets were packed all night! It was a great way to see the city, and I had made friends with some locals that were my guides for the night, showing me all the best that the city has to offer.

In Copenhagen, I also had to make a visit to the infamous Christiana. This is a neighborhood or commune/community in Copenhagen that is a self-proclaimed free town. They do not follow any of Copenhagen's laws, only their own as established by the 800 some residents that live there. In fact, when you enter the area there is a sign that says "You are now leaving the EU." Basically, it's one big hippie community. The people freely sell weed on the streets in the neighborhood, and the local authorities seem to look the other way. It was bizarre, but really cool at the same time. The place almost looks like a slum: shanty houses, random things hanging from trees, artwork plastered everywhere, painted trees, colored picnic tables everywhere, and people that are dressed like homeless people sitting around everywhere. You would think by the looks of it that it was a dangerous place to be, but it was just the opposite. As I walked through the community, it felt so peaceful and full of life. The people make their own "laws", some of which were written on the sides of the houses: no hard drugs, no war, no fighting, share with others, live simply (I think all of the residents share a communal pot of money as well). Yes, they are total hippies in every way, and the place is considered to be pretty controversial, but it was one of the coolest places I've ever seen.

So far, I'm loving traveling on my own. It's nice to go at my own pace, see what I want to see, turn when I want to turn, and to just explore. It has also been a good experience to push myself out of my comfort zone, making friends with other travelers and meeting some awesome locals as well. It makes traveling on my own not so lonely, and much more exciting. I have met so many new people with different perspectives than me, living totally different lives than me. It just makes me believe more and more every day that people are so extraordinary and our differences are beautiful. Maybe that's just my inner-hippie talking now. But one thing I can tell you is you've got to be free. Peace and love people, that's all you need.

Sweden: Land of "Lagom": Just Right.

It's not that I thought I wouldn't like Sweden, it's just that I didn't know how much I would love Sweden! I think staying with friends in each of the 3 cities I visited definitely helped contribute to that feeling a lot. Either way, there is so much I loved about my stay in Sweden.

I stayed in 3 different cities in Sweden: the beautiful capital of Stockholm, the quaint and cozy small town of Jönköping, and the always exciting Gothenburg. In each city, I stayed with and meet up with various friends that showed me around the city and took me to all the great local places. 

Sweden has so much beauty to offer: beautiful nature (so many parks, rocky islands, colors on the trees, even sightings of moose and deer...), beautiful cities (old architecture, eclectic shops, and the cutest cafes), and beautiful people. I mostly love that there is so much green everywhere in the cities! And fika (coffee and treat time with friends) and godis (bulk candy bought by the kilo) need to be  more regular events in my life :) I feasted on traditional Swedish foods (meatballs, lingon berry, boiled potatoes, pancakes, salmon, shrimp salad, and even kebab pizza) and spent a lot of time catching up with old friends and making new ones. 

During my stay, I learned a few Swedish words, but my favorite is the word lagom. It doesn't have a direct English translation, but it basically means: just enough, just right, in moderation, or in balance. This is a word that definitely describes the Swedish culture, and also defines my stay in Sweden. The Swedish people do everything in moderation and seem to have a real balance in life. Whether it's eating just the right amount of food, having just the right amount of coffee, spending just the right amount of time with friends, or having a balance between work and pleasure, the philosophy infiltrates the culture in so many different ways. And it describes my visit as well: it was just right. A pleasant stay that was balanced between fun and relaxation that left me feeling balanced, rested, and energized. I want to I have more lagom in my everyday life. And although it was "just right", maybe my stay in Sweden still feels just a little too short. I know I will return someday, but maybe next time it will be in the summer; I could go for a little warmer weather....but still... lagom!

Finland: On Being Untraditional and Being Human

After spending a day in the cute little town of Gdansk, Poland, I boarded the ferry to Finland and spent the majority of the 22 hours on the ship laying on the sundeck and catching up on rest. I arrived in Helsinki early in the morning and didn't waste any time. I immediately headed to the shoreline and walked around the old market square. The market booths contained a lot of fresh seafood (some people selling it right from their docked boat!), reindeer meat, wool scarves, hats, and sweaters, freshly baked breads, and of course the tacky souvenirs. I continued along the shoreline and walked past the harbor to find a huge leafy green park sprawling on the southern end of Helsinki, right along the shore. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was so excited to see some trees with colored leaves! Even though there were only a few, it made me so happy that I'm not entirely missing the great Midwest autumn colors from back home. I relaxed in the park before walking farther along the shoreline and then back through the city, passing by tons of designer and antique shops. Then I met my friend Silja back at the train station, and the rest of the time in Helsinki was spent being not-so-traditional Finnish and very untouristy. It is so nice to stay with a friend who is a local, because you see an entirely different side of the city (not to mention you don't have to worry too much about navigating and getting lost!). Yes, she pointed out some major landmarks and we had a great traditional Finnish meal, but I also saw the other side of the city. Silja lives just outside the main city center on a small island. It was so quiet and peaceful, and we were just steps away from the rocky beach and a beautiful nature preserve area. We spent a lot of time just hanging out with her friends, having fika (Swedish tradition of getting together for coffee and treats), and going out for coffee or drinks. On the first night, Silja invited a bunch of people over for a tapas and sangria party (hmm...are we still in Barcelona?) and I had the chance to meet a lot of her awesome friends. I found that the stereotype about Scandinavians being cold and unfriendly was very untrue, at least among these ones. They were so kind to me, always speaking in English and immediately treating me like a friend. They said the stereotype is true, but I didn't sense it at all, except for maybe with strangers. We also went to see some of her friends perform capoeira (a Brazilian martial arts dance), which was incredible to watch. Maybe we didn't see everything Finnish, but I loved just seeing what they do on a daily basis and having the chance to just relax and hang out with friends rather than be sightseeing all the time. It was a nice change of pace and I had an awesome time. One of Silja's friends asked me if Europe was really different from the U.S. or what differences I noticed. While it's hard to compare all of Europe to all of the U.S., in general I think it's not so different. Well, maybe the language, customs, food and buildings are all very different (ok that's a lot), but when it comes to the way people interact with each other, we are all really very much the same. I can see how culture affects people, but in the end we are still all human beings with the same basic needs and the same desires to have love, community, and a high quality of life. I know that seems so obvious and I always knew it, but at the time it was a striking realization to me and I have never believed it to be so completely true until now. We are so different and yet really all very much the same, and that is beautiful.   Tonight, I will board another ferry, and in the morning I will be in Sweden! I'm excited to be staying in Scandinavia for a while more, since I really love it here (despite the rain and the cold), and I'm especially excited to visit more friends while I'm there.

 

Flying solo, flying free.

Well folks, I'm on my own now! And this marks the half-way point of the trip for me.

Becca and I spent a few days in beautiful Krakow, Poland before she headed back home to the states. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to her. It's a little scary to be traveling on my own, but also really exhilarating. It will be nice to go at my own pace (and a little slower the second half of the trip too). And even though I'll be traveling alone, for the rest of my trip I will mostly be staying with friends, so I won't even really be alone at all. Starting with my friend Barbara, who picked me up in Krakow and took me to her town, Wroclaw. I didn't know what to expect in Poland at all, but it's actually really cool her. Despite not knowing a word of Polish, it has been really great to explore here.


My first night on my own was one of the best nights of my life, for no real reason at all. Barbara was busy, so I took the night to explore Wroclaw on my own. I walked past the Cathedral, which was hauntingly beautiful at night and then came to some small islands that are all connected by bridges. The first bridge I crossed is covered in locks. It is also completely COVERED with spider webs and huge spiders! Since the bridge was lit up at night, I could see all of the webs glistening in the light. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Maybe it wasn't anything special, but the fact that I discovered it on my own and found beauty in it just made it really special to me, like I was catching a secret glimpse of something that no one had discovered before. I felt alive and empowered in that moment, and excited for the next month ahead of traveling on my own. I walked a little further, past the hoards of college students, hanging out on the lawn by the university (the whole city is a college town), and then to the city center and hung out there for a little bit before meeting up with some of Barbara's friends for the night. Maybe it wasn't anything crazy or exceptional, but it was an awesome night.


Spent the next few days exploring Wroclaw some more, and now I'm off to the train station to head to Gdansk, a cute little seaside town on the northern coast of Poland. I'll spend a day there before taking a ferry to Finland on Friday. It's exhausting to think I still have another month left, and yesterday I did get a little lonely and homesick feeling, missing my family and friends. I think it was mostly because I've been able to slow down and take some down time, which is really nice and also necessary. However, when I'm not as busy, I don't have the excitment to distract me from home. But today, I was already excited again to be on the move. Feeling energetic and empowered again to keep trekking!

Moving Eastward: Vienna and Prague

We left Venice and took an overnight train to Vienna for one day. Did our usual walking around, seeing the churches, museums, parks, public squares and admiring the architecture. Vienna is really a lovely city with a lot of culture. If we had stayed longer I would have loved to go see some classical music, since a lot of famous composers had a large influence on the city. Vienna also has a lot of great coffeeshops, so we found one and enjoyed a melange (basically a cappuccino), the richest chocolate cake I have ever had, and a cheese danish that tasted like real cheese. We also happened upon a circus/festival going on, so we took advantage of trying some schnitzel and preztels. So much eating in Vienna. It was a nice halfway point between Italy and the Czech Republic.

So another overnight train to Prague! Prague is such a cool city. A lot of "culture" (I need to work on my descriptions, I know). The old main square is where everything happens and where we spent a lot of time. We also saw the Prague Castle and the famous Charles' Bridge. Took a free walking tour to learn about the main square, some churches, the birthplace of Franz Kafka, the old Jewish quarter, where Mozart performed, and where the protests happened that created what is today, the Czech Republic. So much history to this city. Also found some great second-hand shops. Bonus.

Of course, we had to say goodbye all too quickly, but we are thankfully staying in Eastern Europe for a little while longer. I like it here: maybe not as "fancy" as Western Europe, but it seems very real and down-to-earth. From Prague, we are headed to Poland!

Don't be fooled folks: This traveling business may seem so glamorous, I know. But taking overnight trains and being in 4 different countries with 4 different languages in 5 days is just insane. Didn't have a bed or a shower the whole time, but it was really cool to make some stops and see things that I would never have thought to see. But I'm really happy that the next portion of my trip will be at a slower pace and I'll have the chance to stay in cities for longer than just one day. Next time, I will definitely pick one place and stay there for an extended period. This method of traveling is just too exhausting. But still worth the journey!

Italy: Whirlwind Part Three: Venice

Ciao bella!
(If I had a nickel for every time I heard that while in Italy....)

One final city in Italy: Venice! We had heard that you could easily do Venice in one day, so we arrived early in the morning and only planned to stay one day and catch a train that same night. So we arrived ready to go to see the sinking city. We began to walk through the streets and quickly found that what they say is true: Venice is one big labyrinth of tiny streets (or more like alleyways), canals and bridges. There are no cars in the entire city: every street is only for pedestrians, because most streets aren't even big enough for cars. Men make deliveries via cart. There are no buses or taxis, only water buses and water taxis that take you along or across the canals. Otherwise, you go everywhere by foot. They say even the locals get lost frequently. We didn't really have a map, so we just depended on a few signs directing us to major points, and when all else failed, we would just pick a direction or follow a canal until we got where we wanted to go. As you can probably guess, we spent most of the day wandering and getting lost (sometimes intentionally). The city is small enough to see quickly. A few more churches/bascilicas, Piazza d. San Marco, and a major bridge, Ponte Rialto, which is hoarded with touristy shops and of course, tourists.

Ok, every time before when I thought there were a lot of tourists, I was lying. Venice REALLY is the most touristy place I have ever seen. I knew that it was one of the most visited places in Europe by tourists, but I had no idea how crowded the city would be (and it wasn't even high season!). I guarantee that 90% of the population on any given day in Venice is tourists.The other 10% probably all work in the tourism/hospitality industry. The whole city seems to exists solely for the purpose of tourism. Kinda sad, in some ways. The city really is so pretty with all it's winding streets and canals, but it seems to have a lost a lot of culture. At night, the city completely dies. There doesn't seems to be any local culture: no events, no nightlife, no festivals. Just the souvenir shops and the gondolas.

We couldn't resist: we took a gondola ride through Venice! One more quintessentially (er, touristy) Italian thing to check off the list. We met up with some Australian friends that we had met in Rome so that we could all split the cost, bought some brie and crackers and wine, and we were off. It really was quite lovely to see the city from the water, and our gondola man liked to sing songs and point out historic buildings along the way. Maybe a corny thing to do, but it was definitely a highlight of the trip.

We finished off the day with some dinner sitting alongside the water, and then headed back to the train station to say goodbye to Italy and take an overnight train to Vienna!

Italy: Whirlwind Part Two: Florence

After Rome, we headed back to Tuscany to Florence for a few days.
Ah, Florence. So beautiful (I know, I say that about every city, but European cities are just so beautiful). I seriously wanted to take a picture of every single street we turned on to: they were all so cute and so quintessential Italy to me. I'm not sure why, and I can't really describe why they were so cute:: the architecture, the curved cobblestone roads, shutters and flower boxes on the windows, and cute old Italian women carrying home their loaves of bread from the bakery. I love the streets even more than the sights themselves! That being said, we did get out and see some sights: a lot of public piazzas (same as anywhere in Italy), more beautiful churches/basilicas, and the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. We climbed up hill at the edge of town to find a little church on the top of the hill, and Piazzolla Michelangelo, from which you can see a gorgeous panoramic of the entire city of Florence. We hiked up just in time to grab some gelato and to sit and watch the sun set behind the Tuscan hills. It took my breath away. I breathed  in the sweet aroma of fresh air, and I could feel every ounce of stress from the trip just melt away. It was easily one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

While in Florence, we also took some time to get out of the city a little bit and took a bus ride to a nearby small town called Fiesole. It is set up in the hills, so we could, again, see a view of the entire city of Florence below us. It was even more gorgeous than from the hill in town, because we could see even more of the city and more of the surrounding Tuscan countryside, hills and mountains in the background. I could have stayed up there all day. The town was really cute too: a sleepy little town with nothing more than a single piazza and a modest cathedral in the center. We explored around the residential area for a little while (and dreamed about what it would be like to have the Tuscan view right outside your window every morning) and then headed back down to Florence. We had been staying at a quaint little hostel; and by quaint I mean too small and crowded (3 rooms, each with 6 beds, everyone sharing one bathroom), but kinda adorable at the same time, run by an old Italian woman, who didn't speak any English and  had just converted an old apartment into a hostel. But for our last night in town, we ditched the hostel and were able to stay with a couchsurfing host, Anna, who was so sweet and generous. She is originally from the U.S. and moved to Florence after falling in love with it when she studied abroad there. She currently works with a study abroad program, helping students have a good experience in Florence, just like she did. Sounds like a dream job to me. Anna cooked us a delicious Italian meal for dinner before sending us off to Venice in the morning with wishes for safe travels.