It was very cute that we had planned to go to the castle together and woke up early to catch the train to take us to Helsingør. It was such a swift ride. The big double-decked trained cut through scenery worth a thousand postcards. Along the coast, overlooking the sway of the ocean, into the forest, through beautifully positioned houses and under the shine of the sun. I would stick my head on the glass window and sigh at the sweeps of Danish landscape that would rush before me. Everything moved so fast on the land while the quiet blue sky remained unmoved like a sanctuary. I was already smiling. When we arrived at the station in Helsingør I was smiling even more. It was very charming:
If you ever come to Denmark (you should) you will soon realize that it is not a very big country. Copenhagen in itself is even smaller: just when you grasp the identity of one neighborhood you have already crossed into the next. However, I am always astounded at how many new things about the city I discover everyday. For Easter I journeyed all the way north to visit my cute Host Grandparents, and after my second travel break to London I took my bike north to stumble into very cute towns. This had me craving exploring Denmark, traveling, and cuteness more and more and more and more. When my Host came up with the idea of going to Helsingør´s Castle I said yes to the dress and became real excited. It was very cute that we had planned to go to the castle together and woke up early to catch the train to take us to Helsingør. It was such a swift ride. The big double-decked trained cut through scenery worth a thousand postcards. Along the coast, overlooking the sway of the ocean, into the forest, through beautifully positioned houses and under the shine of the sun. I would stick my head on the glass window and sigh at the sweeps of Danish landscape that would rush before me. Everything moved so fast on the land while the quiet blue sky remained unmoved like a sanctuary. I was already smiling. When we arrived at the station in Helsingør I was smiling even more. It was very charming: When at first I thought about Helsingør and its castle I was imagining this typical medieval town with like a castle and then nothing else but a prairie reaching onto it. Wrong! Helsingør is on the north eastern corner of Zealand and was definitely founded by royals. The town seems just about 50 feet away from Sweden on the other side of the Oresund stretch so that the whole area is one nice sight. I learned that back in the 13th century when the Danes thrived and ravaged pretty much the whole entirety of Scandinavia, all foreign ships passing through the strait had to pay a toll at Helsingør to get their cargo taxed to the Danish Crown. Woah, how relevant of a place I suddenly found myself on. The nice breeze of a harbor city, and the lavish vibes of the crown made the town such a nice walk and such a nice experience! And there was no prairie, in fact, instead there was a nice arrangement of the most charming medieval street center making me want to give Denmark one big kiss in the mouth. Danish Nationalism at its best. They love their flag, they love their country, I love them. But wait, there is more. The new Danish Maritime Museum designed by starchitect spectaular Bjarke Ingels was also here to my surprise; as well as a modern culture center, a library, and the master of Danish architecture himself´s, Jørn Utzon´s, Kingo Houses. What a dream. My host dad, host brother, and I smiled real big that the day was so blue and so perfect. The cold winter days were long behind me now. In its place Denmark had left a pleasant drift that complemented so well the shining rays of the sun. We had one goal, which was to see the castle, but when we got off the station, Helsingor was making it really really had to keep our path on track. The city was decorated so particularly wonderfully. You can see them above, the danish flag strings covered the whole entirety of the center, from one side of the street to the other. They blew about as the wind pranced down the street, and shone brightly when they were caught on the sun. It was a sight. I was forced to detour. Then you sorta cross over to the harbor area of the town and into the castle. You can see my host dad and host brother above by the culture center and the Danish Maritime Museum. The museum was interesting because besides housing model ships, paintings, photographs, and related artifacts illustrating Danish trade, sailor life, and some wars, it is also built underground! What ends up happening is that the museum feels like a ship´s deck, which I thought was real smart because context is everything. And talking about context, it is really beautiful. The docked water front, the shipping history, the waves of the water, and the clear blue in the sky make Helsingør such a nice day trip. Here are more pics of the harbor, check it: Okay, enough about the town, I´ve already side tracked too much (not my fault). What takes the cake off coming to Helsingør is the Castle! And it´s not just any old castle, Kronborg, dates back to the 1420s and was transformed from a fortress to a unique Renaissance castle by King Frederick II. But it´s not just another royal castle via Renaissance magnificence, it is the setting of William Shakespeare´s more than famous tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Boom! Oh, how nice it felt to be.... and not to be... here. Not to my surprise at all, the castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has played a significant role in the history of this part of northern Europe, because of its strategic position between the North Sea and the Baltic. Other examples like the castle exist elsewhere in Europe; however, Kronborg is of special significance by virtue of its location, which has an exceptional value in strategic, commercial, and symbolic terms. Even better than I saw at full splendor with the clounds, the blue sky, the clear water, and the sun all in our favor. It is built to impress and to assert Danish control over ships passing through. It definitely controlled my cravings. We even went to the Casemates, the under chambers of the castle which were creepy and weird, and dark. I walked them only imagining what sort of medieval people must have walked by them on the daily. History is alive, and so am I. Hail Denmark. At the end of the trip my host brother got the brilliant idea of getting ice cream, which felt so right and so perfect. We stopped by the most delicious home made ice cream shop in the whole word, sat on a bench, and savored it all. It was so nice to be part of the family. But it was even nicer to be in Denmark.
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Easter in Copenhagen is a big deal! While the city can seem pretty quiet over the long holiday weekend, I cracked the secret as to where everyone went: many city dwellers take off to summerhouses in the country to enjoy their vacation with extended family members and plenty of food and drink. And that is exactly what I did! On Sunday My Host Dad scooped me and his son along and we made our way to my Host Grandparents house for my very own taste of Easter in Copenhagen.
Denmark holds a lengthy Easter holiday, with almost all stores as well as many restaurants closed most of the week through to Easter Monday. And, at the same time, Easter lunch, or ‘Påskefrokost’, is almost as big a deal to Danes as Christmas dinner and is celebrated as a large family gathering, with a traditional spread of warm dishes as well as cold cuts and open sandwiches. Its just the right type of craziness. This one time the Danes really showed me how to do brunch, I had to take notes. First me and my host family embarked on a 2 hour trip into the Danish countryside. We took a train and a bus to get to the most lovely sights in all of Denmark. Vast patches of green space and spring flowers welcomed Easter in fun and lovely colors. We passed lakes, charming town stations and the clouds drifting by in the sky. When we got to my host grandparents house I just remember sighting in relief as to just how cute their house was. It was decorated to the utmost perfection; a collection of items you wish every grandma would sit down and tell you stories about and charming interior design arrangements you can just tell and quirky cute old person put together. The place was open, sunny, full of narratives and good vibes. My host grandparents speak as much English as I speak Danish, which means nothing. Most of the time interacting with them involved honest smiles, hand gestures (my favorite was when she put both her hands on her heart to signify she liked something while I just nodded) and patience. They had a huge garden with all sorts of bird feeders and flowers. It was the most charming thing in the world. Despite the obvious language, racial, and age gap, my Host Grandparents made sure I felt as welcomed as the sunshine into their home. I sat there while my Host Dad caught up with his parents flipping through family albums and admiring the nice china that my host grandma seemed to have collected. As the sun started to shine harder so did our appetite. Suddenly we were all gathered around the table of plate after plate of food. There were meatballs, ham, a chicken spread, salad, pork, fish.... there was everything I have ever heard about Danish cuisine. Weeks before I had joked to my Host Dad that I had fallen in love with some meatballs that had been on the freezer that I ate in a moment of desperation. I came to find out that my Host Grandma had made them and sent them. Since that day I had bothered my Host Dad to take me to his parents house asap. So he did and I loved it. What is a Danish Brunch, you ask? It's everything that the American Brunch offers except more. And since I had been bragging my Host Grandparents went above the extra mile (or kilometer I guess) to show me what it was all about. Fist there was a sort of cupcake with a ham mix that was just so creamy and delicious. Then came the cold cut ham, a salad with every imaginable seed on it, and herring fish over bread. Then pork and meatballs and cheese and bread and then multiply by two. And of course, we had beers on the side because duh, this is Denmark. We ate, we laughed, and we enjoyed the food. After we sat around, drank coffee, and peaked into the garden where birds flew by. At the end of the lunch I told my grandparents that it was my birthday coming up and they got so excited. When we were leaving my host grandma grabbed me by the cheeks and said 'Happy Birthday!' in Danish. I said 'Tak' and got into the car on my way home with a smile on my face the size of all of Europe. Happy Easter Indeed! I was heading back from my 2 day trip to London sitting on the plane with a mix of emotions: somewhere in between yearning the fact my taste of London had been way too short and trying to decide if I had time to catch on sleep on a 2 hour flight. I grabbed the in-flight magazine and mindlessly flipped through its pages about all the amazing places I should go to and drooling over pictures in remote Italian islands with colorful cityscapes. But then it dawned on me: isn't it time I start discovering more of Denmark? The word microadventure hasn’t made it into the dictionary yet, but it might soon. The term – for a low-maintenance mini adventure you can do near home has become a cult hashtag on Twitter and the newest way to channel your inner Bear Grylls without actually having to eat bugs and drink your own piss. The day after I came back from London it was still the middle of Easter Vacation and the sun was shining more than ever before. I decided to grab my bike and hit the dust on the rode. I mapped a general route that passed through some really small nearby towns and looped all the way back. Rather than thinking about it as a stupid alternative to the big and impressive destinations all air companies promise to take you, I thought that if I wasn’t going to be doing this, I’d probably be doing nothing at all. I chose to make the most out of my vacation and the most out of Denmark. I went down the path that leads really out of the city. Past a hill, over the sunny embrace of the open road and in between the seldom family farms that spring up in the landscape. Everything was either a deep shade of green or a charming wash of light blue sky. Sometimes seeing horses would surprise me and I would stop my bike to try to get their attention as if they were dogs. They kept grazing, I kept biking. At some point I reached a part of the journey where I was in between road after road of what looked like a flower field. They were tall yellow flowers that stood up high insatiably trying to catch the last bits of sunshine. This made me happy. I stopped my bike and spent quite a bit of time trying to assimilate to them, walking in between rows, and observing them. Some had just started their journey: their buds were just peaking out; the immature mixture of green and yellow was refreshing. Others were majestically designed with the sole intention to make them stand out beautifully against their green backdrops. There was a breeze so sitting there by my bike and taking in the field was easy. In due time I kept going. When ever the light hit me just the right way I would maneuver my phone in one hand and control the bike with the other just to get a shot. Denmark has taught me this. I feel so comfortable in my bike now that I can be a Dane and only use one hand, if any. I know exactly what gear to use for different slopes. I enjoy speeding down the route and having full range of view to intake where you are going. I saw a little hill in the side of the road at some point and decided to make a little camp to eat the food I had packed for the day. The hill had a little tree on top, the only tree in a vast grass field with a great view. I sat here for another bit of time, watching the seldom car pass by on one side of the road and catching the occasional distant bird who would fly in the sky and make the landscape vivid. I kept going until I suddenly reached probably the cutest small European town ever. It comprised of the most charming library I had ever seen in my whole entire life, a pond and a cool windmill structure among a handful of houses. On my way back home after biking around the small town and passing by others, the clouds started to get real dark and eerie. I hesitated for a minute but then it started raining hard and I was wet. It was liberating. The sun was still shining and the droplets of water were shining like they were diamonds falling from the sky! When the rain was over, probably 5 minutes from home I saw a double rainbow and all of the sudden this microadventure was actually a pretty big one.
I will never be a royal, it don't run in my bl ood. But this type of love was actually meant for us because for Spring Break I made my way to London, where I stole the queen's crown and took over the city. From Princess Diana to Harry Potter to the Covergirl London Look I have literally been hearing about England for about the whole entirety of my life. Almost no history, art, architecture, philosophy or music discussion can avoid London in one way or another so it felt right to venture to the only part of Europe I had a duty to visit (aka we've all seen Prince Harry's pictures and we've all heard Emma Watson speak and we all know what I want what I really really want). Another reason I went was because it was so so cheap to travel there, given that it was Easter Vacation and Barcelona, Milan, or Instabul's prices were so high their eyes were real red. In reality, going to London was a dream come true. London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans. In this way, it is a leading global city with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism, transport, I mean the list goes on and on and so does the city. When you land in London you feel relevant. When you leave London you feel relevant. Being that I have so far spent 3 months in Denmark with a language that sounds a little like you've gotten your tongue cutoff, as soon as I landed in London from the airport to the metro I was hooked. I didn't have to tune out the advertisements or the newspapers or the conversations. Suddenly I understood everything. It is such a relief to be in your zone, at least remotely. Yet, all of the conversations sound extremely interesting because they are in a British accent, even their conversations about the weather sound like they are appointing the next sunshine baron. The cool thing is that it rubs off on you like glitter. Suddenly you look at yourself in the mir-ah, not the mirror and you really start driving home the As in fAAther (and lol why have Ts when they always skip them). Even though I almost died from my inability to get used to looking at the right THEN left when crossing the street, London was a magnificent experience. I traveled with two good friends and we stayed at the most charming hostel. Nothing fancy and over the top except the beauty of the blue skies and the shining sun caressing us. We made it there with ease, navigating the tube like professional commuters. The hostel was in a fairly mixed area which was quiet yet hip. It was a walk through typical British row houses with plenty of trees and cute scenery which was as accessible as cheap restaurants of all types and stores for all of your pressing survival needs like cheap wine, midnight snacks, and cookies on the go. It was cool. So far throughout my travels I always end up staying in areas like this, and I think I like them much more than if I would've have stayed in the city centre with the other heap of tourists. When we went for lunch upon arrival, for example, it was fun gossiping about the two old ladies sitting in the semi-italian deli whose accent was so strong it was almost a completely different language and trying to figure out what to order and how. My personal favorite would be when my vegetarian friend, Erik, would order a "veggie sandwich" and they couldn't understand him due to his 'American' accent. It wasn't long at all before we dropped it all at the hostel and headed out for the royal treatment. Firstly, navigating the 'Underground' in London is easy as pie. But really, the London Underground or 'the Tube' is truly underground and it truly looks like a tube. Stepping into it almost feels like going into a time machine: everything is crowded, there are not enough seats and before you know it you arrived to the next station. Unlike Copenhagen where if you miss one station you can easily walk or bike to the next, the London subway moves so fast you forget just how far apart the stations are from one another. London is a big big city. Neither the great fires, the Black Plague, WWII, nor the final battle at Hogwarts have managed to stop this monster from greatness. The first thing we had to do was to visit the queen so we headed to the fab part of life to breath the fantastic golden embellishments and the radiant tulips at the Royal Palace. It's like the Queen knew I was coming because she managed to showoff the most beautiful flower gardens and summon the blue sky with the wave of her hand. The British flag was swaying high in the air and everything seemed so valuable, much like my experience so far in Europe. I wish we would've stuck around her ground for longer but whatever we are busy too and had lots of things to do, people to see, and places to be! One of the things that blew me about London was its emphasis on vast open spaces. Really, there was probably not a single hour that passed in which we didn't engage in swiftly designed public parks and squares, the embrace of natural elements and the come-and-go of the sun. Throughout the UK there is an inherited legacy of first class public parks and landscapes. Today, every town has a park that they can be proud of and many of these are also historically important. Besides weird urban legends, a fish and a chip, and industrialization, the British also invented and shaped the concept of public parks and in turn influenced the creation of parks in North America and Europe. Recognizing the need for places to relax, unwind, and to exercise, the top landscape designers of the day, like Joseph Paxton and John Claudius Loudon, were commissioned to lay out these new parks. During the mid to late nineteenth century, public park and landscape design was a hot topic and dominated professional journals and sections of newspapers just like gardening and interior design pages in today’s consumer magazines. This is pretty refreshing because it makes the experience of the city one giant leisurely walk. We would enter a royal park from one corner, get off on the next and see a church, a great scenic view of the water; we would pass another park and into the financial district. The city becomes a mosaic of public and private. The Easter sun was so beautiful the first day that it was no problem spending it outside wandering the streets of London where size certainly matters when you take a grasp of Big Ben and the London Eye. It's Big and it's Ben, a place I had always wanted to see since defeating The Phantom in Kingdom Hearts and even before then when wondering about the magic of childhood in Peter Pan or perhaps even before that after following @Big_Ben_Clock on Twitter and dying after every post. Regardless, going to that whole area by Westminster Abbey is like stepping into an iconic and historical set. Talking about icons, seeing the Tower Bridge was pretty exciting for me too. Since Fergie proclaimed her London Bridge was falling down circa 2006, I became increasingly interested for bridges overall. Now that I've seen it wide and direct I think that Fergie probably let it down a little too early (typical). The London bridge fell down for a reason I guess because the Tower Bridge was much much better. It's quite a sight. I specially liked the paint job which looks like it is ready for the next Victorian/Renaissance festival. Even though London has this nice bridge and we went around it, up it, and across it, I am still not over it. One of my favorites parts of the day was getting to the bridge from a terrace/plaza by the city hall and glancing at the majesty of it with the perfect backdrop of softly placed clouds and the calming water. While I mostly talk about London through cheesy tourist pictures with exciting world icons, the vastness of British history and the ultimate quest of trying to find the ministry of magic per these pictures mostly: It is also relevant to point out that London first and foremost, in today's context, is a huge metropolitan hub for European development, economy, and society. The word that fits here is impressive. The amount of investment that comes in and out of London is only matched at best by the amount of people that come in and out of London every single day. You feel that energy driving the city, driving you. There are huge architectural developments taking place and the sheer magnitude of its financial and business center is astounding. Modern architecture is a norm now and the impressive form and scale might not compare to the ginormous projects in Asia and the Middle East, but rather provide a substance that keeps London righteously on its map. My favorite was the City Hall building and the modern square surrounding the harbor. Some of the stream-lined vistas and daring architectural elements went a long way. Like for example a building that was a giant spire, another huge skyscraper that bulged out on the center, and one steam punk building that was so righteous. In the other side of the river where the financial center is there was a nice intertwine of old and new, modern and modernist, tall and low, and of national identity and national progress. Walking through these areas felt rushed, the same way you would feel in an action movie: business men moving fast and sweeps of architectural structures coming into you in all sorts of typologies. Here, it felt like what we think of a city would feel like. And since so far I have been to Copenhagen (who is known for a tiny little mermaid), Stockholm (who is known for the underground subway stations), Amsterdam (who is known for picturesque low rise houses built-in right into the canals), and Berlin (who really knows the definition of destruction), London came to me out of the blue uninvited. Bu thankfully it came because I really liked it. Naturally we saw so so many things and had a great time exploring the city. We went to the national gallery, sat around a huge public square with vibrant city life, sneaked into a side church, went to the amazing modern art museum, and even found the time to buy ice cream. At some point I felt like I was living though the pages of my Art History book, recognizing buildings, pinpointing Picasso and Degas paintings and fan-girling about every single moment I thought of anything related to what Harry Potter would've done. It was all a dream, check it: St Martin-in-the-Fields known for being a prime example of the British quest of a national classicist architectural style and the cool new window design: The idea of the covered commercial street which helped morph to the modern market/mall: Shakespeare's Globen Theatre because a plague on both your houses and the ides of March: Tate Modern which is my whole entire modern Art History education housed under one roof and perfect for sneaking selfies in front of unidentified art: The huge St. Paul's Cathedral because you lose if you are a city and aren't in that S.t Paul Cathedral wagon: And also other moments of wandering through Corinthian columns and the like: The last truthful moments in the city we decided to venture a little bit outside into Queen Elizabeth's Olympic Garden, which was pretty out there and stood as a gem for relaxing, playing, and enjoying the sun. It's a huge complex that has brand new developments, a huge mall, and a sports compound integrated with an aquatic center, mountain biking trails, fun playgrounds, a weird twist structure, two arenas, and nice views of the water. It was built for the summer Olympics that took place in London sometime back. It was the perfect ending for a pleasant day and a formal presentation that yes, London is great and yes I like being queen. In the end, after barely 2 days of traveling I was extremely sad to have to leave the city back to Denmark. London definitely deserves more attention than that, my bad. Im just happy that my Study Abroad map includes all these wonderful places
I'm not sure after this week of lone travelling that I have fully come back to Denmark. I have left behind in Berlin my good vibes, my dance moves, and my dignity. The city deserves them. The city deserve me. Going to Berlin was quite literally the best decision. I was finally able to fulfill my long-lived dream to experience it. And by oh boy I did. It engrossed me in it, it hugged me so tight I didn't want to let go, it swiftly pushed me through its streets, it lead me to dark corners under the earth, it came from behind and covered my eyes. Unlike Amsterdam, which is centrally planned and densely small, Berlin is big and extensive. From one neighborhood to the other, the city unfolds itself in so many renditions, environments, people, and ideas. Everything has a historical undertone. Everything. It is no myth, the war really did happen, and Berlin is real. I was fascinated. The first day there I woke real early and headed out. There are so many things in Berlin to see that are so far apart that experiencing the city becomes like a tackling an exciting challenge. With the war being such a relevant part of the make-up of the city you can quite literally describe anything there with pre-war/post-war superlatives. Nothing is randomly placed, everything has been through historical manhandle. We hear it all the time. Germany is the political wunderkind, its seamless economic recovery a lesson for us all. No one is unemployed. They all work furiously. Rosy-cheeked children frolic in forests without a hoodie or tracksuit in sight. And then there is Berlin, which is impossible to pigeon-hole. Whereas in many German cities you expect to find the pavements immaculate and marshalled by civil servants wearing pressed white shirts and Colgate smiles. Here there is an eerie lack of state officials and more graffiti than under all of Britain’s flyovers put together. And at the same time nocturnal Berlin operates on a time frame all of its own. Most nights I headed out to clubs at 2am and on the weekends the U-Bahn runs round the clock to accommodate early morning revellers. I have no idea how this city works so well. What I do know is that it’s properly grown-up. It's grimy, It's hip, it's a place for memories, lost ones and ones made. The West is rich with beautiful renovated architecture, charming neighborhoods and great boutique life. Cafe's appropriate street corners, people walk their dogs, it's a place you want to go get lost in the playgrounds. The East is rich with an eclectic aesthetic. Graffiti and the remnants of ripped and new posters dominate the landscape. Hip bars and cafes lure you in in a way that a low lit portal might and sleazy corners will. Traveling alone meant that it gave me all the time in the world to see Berlin and see it well. I walked through Mitte the first day there, the part of the city that could be considered the center. From Unter Den Linden to the Brandenburger Gate and Museum Island, you can discover vast sweeps of history here. But Mitte is only a small segment of this sprawling city, which is carved up by rivers and canals, and fringed with lakes and forest. Here is what I saw; It was truly a beautiful day. Everything about the likability of the city met in between the land under my feet and the blue sky above me. I saw a lot of tourists, sat on the big green square and sketched, bought pretzels, and stopped to stare at the mix of architectural styles. The city is almost run by the young and hip, its framework is a progressive directive where people open up, nothing is extremely showy, and its not trying to be something else than a city. I praise it as beautiful and feasible but the city does nothing to hid its "ugly" sides. The opposite is true, it embraces them. One of my favorite parts about Berlin is that much like Copenhagen, it really values the power of its open spaces. As soon as the sun started shining the right way, tables, chairs, and any suitable household object were brought outside for people's enjoyment. This is a city that is not afraid to come out into the urban landscape as it is to go into underground parties. It's a nice balance. My favorite spot was the TierGarden. Quite possibly the Central Park of Berlin, this park drew me in from the minute I crossed the Brandenburger Tor to reach it. I spent some time here. I bought things at the grocery store, had a picnic and explored. Near here is where the Holocaust Memorial is too. Which as much as a tourist cliche it is to see it, it is definitely a memorable stop. Going inside the matrix of concrete blocks is eerie if not intriguing. When you are walking you don't know just who is in the other corner approaching you. You cross each block to form new purposes and encounter meaning in the sameness of form. Nighttime was a completely different story. I went out nearly every day I spent in Berlin. And given that I was alone and visiting, Berlin nightlife really did it. The first night there was the most memorable. I went out to a dance party. Before going I had spent some time at my hostel's bar eating dinner where is was as easy as peasy to pick conversations with fellow travelers. I met many people from many parts of the world, each with a new story to tell or a new joke to crack . I heard about something about a dance club and decided to venture there for the night. Inside was dark, corners were tricky and the bars had an overall "dirty" vibe. With the background music of funky deep house dance music and the buzzing of people, I felt really ready for Berlin. It didn't take too long before I was being dragged to the dance floor by strangers. The rest was history. I danced the night away like I never had. Berlin is uncensored. It is raw. People's soul are so open and given. Whenever I would lock moves with someone else they would embrace it. No one was out to get any one else. Everyone's enjoyment was at stake. Instead was an atmosphere of fun: somewhere to be what you wanted to be. I decided to be dancing queen, duh. Many drinks later, weird encounters in the stalls, music going directly to my soul and the warm embrace of strangers lips and I was ready for a break. I went and asked the bartender for the time and he said "its 8:30 am". How?!?! Where had time gone? I was definitely in the funnest episode of the Twilight Zone I had ever experienced. No one was going anywhere, the music was still playing as loudly as ever, and my smile was still on my face. Soon I came to terms that I must go back, and I did. I gave it my all, and I'm not even mad about it! Some of the next nights I went bar hoping in East Berlin. The amount of hip bars is pretty cool too. So cool vibes were shared that I was starting to think that that was the currency there! One of the nights I was in the same bar as Zachary Quinto, another I was staring at the pink fur plastered on all the walls, another place I sat over a beer and candles and another was right outside under a bridge. Every place as fresh as the next, every experience as cool as the next one. Never fancy bars with over the top bottle service. Never the Top 100 music put on a loop. Never the same graffiti on the walls. Another aspect I'm really into about Berlin is how it has managed to thrive a extensive repurposing revolution: a former Nazi bunker and communist power plant are transformed into iconic monuments of 'underground culture.' That is the norm. Berlin turns horror into beauty. While in many other cities architectural styles can change, in Berlin the meaning of them changes. Bunker turned gallery, Power Plant turned the best club in the world, Nazi prison turned huge artist collective, old brewery turned technology hub, old church turned memorial, war shelter turned horror house, for example. It's incredible. It's a cool way to build on history. I would stumble into these places and would look at them with wonder at to what stories they could tell if they could talk! One night when I was heading out to the East Berlin I got off one of the stations and there was quite literally a party there. And I'm not trying to say that to describe the fact that it was lively with people. It was actually a party. There was a make-shift DJ and a crowd of people dancing. There, in the metro stop. Berlin doesn't follow any guidelines. I could truly go on and on into all the things I saw, like Humboldt University, The needle tower, the French Dom, the Poseidon Fountain, a park, the mall, a mosque, countless public art, the prostitutes, the market, the cheap beer, the City Hall, the concert hall. I did so much all on my own! And for the sake of highlighting the principle of 'Getting Lost,' it is also relevant to point out what happened to me when I tried to come back to Copenhagen after my week long travel. When I had come to terms with the wonderful week I had just had, Germany goes "wait a minute, where do you think you are going?!" Here is the account: After a missed flight from Amsterdam to Berlin and hopping in the wrong train headed to Utrecht, I was completely determined to make it to my train on time, redeem myself and show everyone I am actually a civil and level-headed human being. Since I am a cheapstake, my booked trip back to Copenhagen involved 3 train changes, a ferry, and a long trip through northern Germany. No big deal, I thought, one train here, another train there, what can go wrong. Berlin to Büchen, Büchen to Lübeck, and Lübeck to Copenhagen. That's what my train ticket read. Clear and direct.....Well it turns out that it wasn't so direct and that Lübeck Hochschulstadtteil and Lübeck Hauptbahnhof are actually two different stations. aka I got off in the connecting wrong station! I got off at Lübeck Hochschulstadtteil which quite literally looked like the middle of no where. Crops of whatever they grown in Germany (potatoes probably, on one side, and a couple of buildings at the other). At this point it is Sunday late afternoon, everything is closed, and I had absolutely 0 euros (sorry for party rocking). I got off the platform a little confused as to why 1. no one else was getting off and 2. where was the rest of the station. By the time it clicked to me that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't the right stop the doors were closed and the train was well on its way toward a better place... without me. I thought to myself "maybe it's underground or something, don't give up the hope." So I walked around to face the dirty truth, I had missed the train and I had missed my brain. I saw this one guy who had gotten off and decided to follow him (which in retrospect sounds real creepy but whatever desperate times for desperate measures). I approached him out of nowhere and asked him to help him; I gave him my ticket to show him the mistake I made and he just smiled at me. He was a handsome guy, young, able-bodied, and unlike me appeared to have it together. He told me to grab a bus to the central station so we chatted and walked to the bus station, he made me lose track of my problem. He was so charming. Soon I realized that I had no money, so I don't know why I had walked all the way to the bus station after all. After pretty much begging the guy for money he said he would pay for me and I was feeling a combination of embarrassed and thankful. I kept saying thank you, and smiling at him. He said not to worry. Where ever he is (I didn't even ask him his name) I know he will become the best doctor and will have the greatest life. I get to the right station, step off the bus and a bug flied into my eye. literally, it flies into my eye. At this point I'm blind, rushing to make it to the train, carrying my big bag, and in a city I have never been. I get to the platform searching for my train, bingo the guy had kept it with him after I had shown him my mistake. Long story short I obviously missed the train and had to buy another ticket. Meanwhile I was stuck in the city of Lübeck for 5 hours, here it is: It made it back do Copenhagen just fine. The adventure I had was worth it. Hopefully Germany doesn't forget me because I will definitely be back soon!
I find it so perfect to be walking around and catching small glimpses of beauty in the city. When I passed through the flower market in Amsterdam I couldn't help but stop to smell the tulips. I admire them because they are a lot like me. I look at them and they look at me in return, turning their petals inward, hiding their stamen. But at the same just opened enough to let me peak inside them. In many ways, they trust me. They are vulnerable yet have strong petals, delicate yet have a thick wax coating. They embrace virtually all colors, including a purple so deep that it looks black. Even the black of a tulip is a color. And by planting a selection of varieties, we can enjoy their beauty from early spring through early summer. Tulips do best in areas with dry summers and cold winters. They visit cold Copenhagen winds with ease, they enjoy the blue skies under (when reflected in the water) and above Amsterdam .The brightly colored, upright flowers may be single or double, and vary in shape from simple cups, bowls, and goblets to more complicated forms. It's complex, never untied from its natural birth. I am a tulip, a perennial. A woman at the market stand saw me taking the above selfies and told me to keep the flowers, she said they would go well with my complexion. So I did. And seeing how I couldn't have taken them anywhere, I took them to the nearest park and planted them. Hopefully somebody, even the cyclist that passes by or the couple that holds hand in the sunset, saw them and found them special. I sure did
It was a sunny morning. I woke after a fun night with my friend who met me for a day in Amsterdam and had a nice and big brunch. Eggs, bacon, the sunshine, friendship, a pretty city, you know, everything a guy could ask for. I thought, "today is going to be good day!" Soon after I gave farewell to my friend in Central Station I went to my platform, mindlessly went into the next train that promptly showed up, a girl complemented my overalls. I thought "man, I didn't have to wait for the train, I'm getting complements, the odds are in my favor." I sat there smiling. Soon I realized I was actually in a one-way train to Utrecht, The Netherlands. Oops, I had managed to hop into a regional train that was taking me no where near my hostel. And by no where near I mean a completely different city! Nothing I could do at that point but to sit there and enjoy the ride. What is Utrecht? is it a city? a town? where am I going? how long will it take? what is my life? ugh. I had all sorts of things going through my head. Soon I came to the conclusion that there was nothing I could do at that point but to sit there and enjoy the ride. An unplanned trip to Utrecht, here I go: All I really knew about Utrecht before my trainwreck spectacular was by going to the Utrecht Art Supplies store for various school projects and buying paint and other useful materials. At least, I convinced myself, it will probably be colorful and artsy maybe (?). This self consolation sort of worked because upon arriving in Utrecht I was actually a little excited to be there. And, let me just say this right now, going to Utrecht was a perfect idea, thanks fate. Utrecht comes at you out of nowhere. You think, "I am in Amsterdam, lol what is Utrecht?" But to me, the city really did well to impress me. For starters I got off the train and headed down to the street where there is SO much construction taking place. But none of the regular road construction, Utrecht is truly undergoing an architectural revolution, if I might put it that way. No one would've thought that Utrecht had so many cool, modern, and interest buildings, at least not me. It definitly has a LOT of beautiful old architecture as you will see later but I was impressed to see many contemporary projects. Here they are some: After that I headed right back to where I came from and crossed to the other side of the tracks. Utrecht is so so charming, I could've stayed forever. The old city is as charming as it ever gets. It is situated in the heart of Holland, so I found it pretty fitting that it stole my heart. Founded over 1200 years ago, Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in Holland, a fact which is clearly reflected in the city’s structure and architecture. Although Utrecht is the fourth biggest city in the Netherlands, it has managed to preserve its local character. The compact historical city centre with its many canals, characteristic waterside restaurants and numerous parks give Utrecht a village-like feel. I felt like I had entered right into the cutest small town in the world. I truly felt like a close community, something so endearing to me since most of the time I spend time on big cities that can sometimes get very busy. I walked around for a while, going over bridges, passing building after building and hearing the sounds of the streets. Something so striking about this city is its big tower. At one point I couldn't help myself but walking toward it unconsciously. It stands so high up into the sky over all the other lively buildings that it's almost hard to ignore. It's called the Dom Tower, the tallest church in The Netherlands. With lack of funding the church never got completed so it is now a complex of a separate big tower and a church. I almost like it so much better this way, in between them there is a plaza where public life can be experienced. You go under the tower through a large portal and into the church which is high and beautiful. The best part for me was wondering around it and finding its garden, a beautiful showcase of classical style gardening and Gothic architecture. It has a zen organic aesthetic, as if the focus is to relax you, calm you, and bring you into terms with the beauty of space. It made me feel like I was in a scene from Harry Potter about to enchant an Expecto Patronum shaped like a cute little fox or something. The next couple of hours was something else. I got out of the church and just listened. The clock in the tower sings every hour, this caught my attention. Soon I was hearing another song being played, distant and warm. It was a beautiful tune, something you listen to when you open a music box with a rotating ballerina in the middle. I decided to find out where the tune was coming from, so I followed my ears, something I had never done before. Usually I let my eyes do the wondering; this time I heard musical tones and let them pull me into them. I passed closed courtyards, wondering if it was maybe coming from a music school, colorful streets that perhaps had a street performing playing, and other details that fit the whole mood the music had me feeling! As I found out, Utrecht is home to the biggest best university in the Netherlands, with some facilities situated in the city centre. Many international congresses are organised here, as the university has a fully equipped auditorium and congress centre on site. And there are many special and inspiring locations for meeting up, such as the Media Plaza, the Jaarbeurs Congress Centre / Beatrix Theater, the Railway Museum which has its own congress centre, Paushuize, the Rietveld Schröder House and many other historic locations. In this sense, despite its obvious centuries of tradition, Utrecht is a young and dynamic city. Soon after a nice little walk, I found it! This is where the music was coming from: Now, I couldn't be happier that my Study Abroad Map includes:
Funsterdam, coolsterdam, itsprettysterdam. I truly still don't get how Amsterdam managed to surprise me at being one of the prettiest places in Europe. From the canal after canal of picturesque street life, to the historical architectural elements lingering between cute and impressive, there is only one word that I can pinpoint to explain how Amsterdam is: seductive. Last week was my Independent Travel Break where I took the word 'independent' quite literally as the opportunity to grab my bags and head into a solo trip/odyssey through Northern Europe. I have never had the greatest time in my whole entire life. Traveling alone is so liberating and it allowed me to get face-to-face to just how cities can be charming, scary, disorienting, mundane, and even sensual all at the same time. Traveling alone had always been a huge interest of mine, I have never been afraid of plunging into the blue and taking spontaneous decisions. For me, traveling alone means wandering, discovering, and getting lost; thing I highly value both as a lifestyle mantra and an aesthetic appeal. It's quite literally ingrained in my personality. If you don't like to be lost then we would have a difficult friendship. Keep tuned for another post about how alone can be healing and how traveling on your own reaches into your soul fornall the right places. For what is worth, venturing to Amsterdam was definitely the right decision. From the 17th century buildings, the sleazy corners, and the modern architectural elements, Amsterdam truly did it and did it big time. For starters, my main goal while in Amsterdam was to brake the stereotype. When people come to Miami I usually dislike the fact they categorize it into the niche of "south beach, parties and EDM" without paying attention to the rich food, culture and other artistically composed elements that make Miami exciting. Same thing held true when people would talk to me about Amsterdam "sex, drugs, party" they said, making me both excited and reluctant about my trip. I came to find that Amsterdam is so so so much more than that. Here is a sense of the principles I told myself every day I woke up when I was in Amsterdam: 1. Peruse Getting lost was quite literally a recurring theme on the whole entirety of my trip. From missed flights, wrong train stations, and foreign languages, it seemed like getting lost was almost necessary for my trip to be my trip. Specially in Amsterdam please throw your map to the wind and loose yourself. Explore every lovely canal, observe the meticulously placed details, come into a plaza and turn the opposite direction, stop at the market, make the wrong turn, dare into small alleys. The first day I was there I got a free tourist map and made a general route. Five minutes into the city and I had no clue as to where I was and how I had managed to get into a street that curved from one canal into another. At that 5 minute mark I decided to rip my map and toss into the garbage (don't litter that's rude!). What came next was a whole entire day of enjoying every inch of the city. Just when you start thinking "aha, I got you Amsterdam, I figured what street I'm in!" you turn a corner followed by a curved alley and find yourself at a completely new part of the city. Usually I use architectural and topographical landmarks to orient myself when I am experiencing a city. The most obvious landmarks of Amsterdam, which are actually in the UNESCO World Heritage list, are the beautiful medieval canals; so it was only natural that I was completely seduced by them. Good for the city for being so pretty (applause) but not so good for me when I try to locate myself from a canal just as beautiful as the next... and the next.. and the one after that (snap). The effect is that while you feel strangely familiar and drawn into the city, you also feel extremely lost; and that to me is wonderful. To experience a city at the intersection of this is to understand just how you become a part of the experience itself. "Didn't I just pass this?" "is this a different canal or the same one?" "where does that street lead?" "oh it leads to another canal." That was literally my though-process as I navigated Amsterdam. Amsterdam kept me in check. When you stop fearing being lost and embracing wandering you find a true magic. Finding the hidden coffee shop becomes rewarding, walking into a wide city-square becomes like the way you might encounter an oasis in the dessert, pointing out a small detail in a window sill that others might have overlooked becomes purposeful. No laid out paths or predetermined tourist routes, I let my sense of wonder guide me through the whole entirety of the city. The first night that I got there I said to myself that I was going to make it worth it, so I headed out at around 10pm just after pretty much throwing my bags in my hostel bed and went to go to see the city, I was determined to not waste a single moment. A good thing about Amsterdam is that the city quite literally radiates out from its city center. You get off at the central station and are transported to a point that is relevant to the history, geography, and personality of the city. That is somewhat rare now a days, that a city's main station delivers you at the very heart of the city; it makes Amsterdam so functional and distinctive. You get out of the station and there is so much activity! All cities have a unique story to tell about their spatial history. So does Amsterdam. This watery cityscape offers an enticing mix of old and new. radially planned and almost deliberately designed for the walking and biking experience, spending a day in Amsterdam under the blue sky is the way to go. The medieval buildings in the center are never straight, in some parts they lean to the side, piled into each other and slanted into the street. In other parts, the narrow structures lean inward into the narrow street in front of them. You walk on the streets and feel part of the whole, everything is intimate. 2. Try it, don't expect it As soon as I landed in Amsterdam I was starving, so on my late night venture to the city I decided to look for a cheap snack to get me through the night and into my hostel's free breakfast. I spotted a French Fry stand selling fries in a cone with what seem a fistful of mayonnaise literally dumped on top like some sort of street style highschool cafeteria. It seemed so wrong, and so gross, and so right! Being in Amsterdam meant I was open to try new things: from the more orthodox going out to sleazy bars and talking to the Dutch, to the controversial Coffeshops, I was determined to make my stay in Amsterdam a memorable experience. One of the days I woke up real early (that right there is what I mean by trying too, because if you know me you know that I actually am a nocturnal creature and mornings were invented just to personally and eternally torture me). I headed to the city to walk around and hit off the main sightseeing attractions. Soon I figured out that I was in the middle of the Red Light district at 11 in the morning... While the Red Light District is actually lit red at night, in the day time it is quite literally just another neighborhood in the city. Known perhaps as the most controversial area in Europe, Amsterdam's Red Light District is truly interesting if not shocking. Women show their stuff on the window, just like if I had gone window shopping for new shoes. They are there, raw, winking at me, and throwing me besos. I only realized where I was strolling into it by looking up and locking stares with an 11 am prostitute. So only normally the woman on the window was not the late night, curvy with perfectly done hair. She knocked on the glass, pointed to inside and threw a wink for good measure. While you are welcome to go ahead and try that too, I kindly refused without helping but to look straight into her boobs and skimpy corset. Hi, I'm awkward. Sure, there are prostitutes, red lights, Coffeeshops, and big neon signs that say “Live Sex Show,” but there are also hotels, normal restaurants, and even houses where families live. It can be a surreal experience to walk through it, but it can also be disappointingly normal after your first visit. Part of this is that we, as Americans, associate prostitution with grimy street corners, meth-mouth, and unattractive women beckoning us to follow them with one hand and dragging on a cigarette with the other. Which is why it made the district so interesting and exciting to me at first. But, the Red Light District prostitutes don’t nearly live up to that standard. Each prostitute stands or sits behind her own clear glass door, wearing a bra and panties (some people assume they’re fully naked). They aren't hacking drug addicts (allegedly at least!). Also, the Red Light District only makes up a small section of the city, basically a couple blocks. In fact, if you keep walking down the street in one section of the district, in about 5 to 10 minutes you’ll end up at one of the University of Amsterdam complexes. So you could go out hoping to get high and ogle prostitutes and accidentally get an education. Boom. Amsterdam’s canals are beautiful, and the city has much more to offer than weed and prostitutes. Other less sexual things I tried were a picnic in the beautiful Vondelpark, ordering from the menu in Dutch, a nice visit to the coffeeshops (wink), lots of foam on my beer,joining a big and peaceful street protest/march, talking to strangers and buying something at the flee market. 3. Check it out Being in Amsterdam meant that I was able to see many wonderful landmarks and places that I had always hoped to visit! Finding the "I Amsterdam" sign, the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum and the other known contemporary buildings was very rewarding. I stretched them out too, since I stayed for about 4 days, as to fill each day with cool things to see. My favorite parts were:
With the Eye as a vivid and most recent example, it is very safe to say that contemporary and modern architecture is special in Amsterdam too. My absolute favorite was the library, which is masterfully orchestrated to be one of the best libraries I had ever been to! As the largest and coolest library in Europe, with seven floors, cafes, a restaurant, a museum, a gallery and countless wings, it would be silly if you go to Amsterdam and don't check it out. Other notable buildings were Nemo, the science center and the Olympic Stadium. 4. Have Fun
On Saturday night I had a really good high school friend meet up with me in Amsterdam. Needless to say is that we had a good time. At some point we were lost (surprise! see #1) but we ended up at a bar in the Red Light district ordering a very very very dark beer with so much foam that I couldn't help feeling like we were in the Holland. We met a weird (rather creepy at the end) guy called Adan from London, who after beer 3 or 4 I kept calling Alan because why complicate things. We chatted, made jokes, stared at the bartender. We walked around, stumbling into many streets and exploring the city. It was fun. But the fun wasn't just at night. In the day time I went to Vondelpark where I sat there people watching, the most fun and free activity there ever was. Another time I went to the flower market and got free flowers, I shared cigarette brakes with people from my hostel, I visited the playground, and the market. At the end I couldn't help for feeling so lucky to be where I was, because to travel is to live. 5. Be a tourist but also don't In my quest to getting to know the city was to try to not make it feel like a wacky tacky tourist. Getting rid of the map was the first step, buying a train pass was the second, the third was staying away from the crowded touristy street. The strategy payed off when in two separate locations a group of people stopped me to asked for directions. And ironically, I sent them off in the right direction. I met countless of Dutch who were actually a little frustrated with the tourists in the city. And to their defense, it was many of us who had come to visit. In every cafe and bar in the center there were tourists. The main pedestrian street was packed, the Anne Frank House and the Madame Tussaud's Museum had lines wrapping around the block, Asians held up their cameras by the hundreds, tourist feeding the pigeons in front of the Royal palace, a huge mass of humans tried to climb the I Amsterdam sign, and a lot of young crowds of guys flocked to the Red Light District. Instead I explored overlooked streets, I turned into quieter neighborhoods. I even stayed in a hostel in a hip, more residential and diverse part of the city. One secrete to meeting the Dutch, who are world renowned for being hot hot hot, is to go to the new library. There were so many hot students there (I guess book too idk) that it doesn't surprise me one bit that I spent about 3 hours wandering inside the library. One of the gems I found by turning into a diagonal side street was the district of Jordaan, this old development of houses next to the center that felt like walking into a village. The cafes near my hostel were less buzzing and more authentic to the Dutch experience. I found a cute white chapel by the harbor a little farther away and stumbled into a cool windmill by walking down the street to the train stop rather than for the closest one. It was great. In the end I even strolled late evening into a market where a nice woman spotted me admiring the flowers and gave me three of them for free. It was so precious. Last week came and went, and so did I. I went to Sweden with my Sustainability in Europe program to learn all there is to know about just how Scandinavia has managed to be so green and so pretty. Besides being "The Capital of Scandinavia" and the 2010 European Green Capital of the World, Stockholm stepped up to the plate to being the capital of Charming-Me-Away. From the 6 hr train ride through the calming Swedish forests to the twisting corners of the Old City and the artistically designed metro, Stockholm really did it this time. It is a glacially cool and interesting city. It was rich in all senses: expensive alcohol, a fascinating history, a colorful skyline and many attractive people. And, for the sake of comparing it to Copenhagen, which is cozy and hip, Stockholm is cozy yet cosmopolitan. It looked as perfect as it has ever been since I read Stieg Larsson's Millennium crime trilogy. In the books, a sort of 'grimy' image is popularized as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo intricately becomes the person we all want to be (the right to kick everyone's butt and serve a big hot plate of realness? yes please). I sat there some summers ago reading every single page of the book imagining Stockholm and the grungy spots that define the plot. I saw the book come to life as I experienced Stockholm's willfully alternative and eclectically picturesque city. What's more, Stockholm was not grimy at all. The city is painted in soft pastel oranges and pinks, making its warmth radiate through every single alley. No heavy stone work or elaborate marble facades, the cute arrangement of Stockholm's palette is pleasing to the eye and soul. It's crazy that my Study Abroad map now includes: Here is the recipe for how I went to Stockholm, Sweden and had a good academic and fun adventure. Ingredients: Directions: 1. Start by mixing a whole lot of Stockholm's Gamla Stan (Old City) into one big pot of wonderful architecture and charming sites. We arrived on Monday afternoon and got right to business and delved into the depths of Stockholm's Old City. It is located on an island right in the middle of it all. Pretty much, it is the heart of Stockholm. And very much so: the area almost palpitates with history; it's narrow and winding streets are like arteries through the city; there is life everywhere you turn in unseen chambers and in hidden courtyards; the medieval streets lead to peaceful plazas and spaces, yet remain energized with cafes and shops. The buildings here almost fold onto each other. As you walk down the appealing cobblestone streets with an array of houses that zigzag in-and-out/up-and-down the block you feel drawn in and welcomed. Everything is personal and up close, it is intimate and picturesque. In some parts you almost feel trapped but it is that feeling of wonder that makes you wanna walk more and more. The town dates back to the 13th century and in it you encounter stories of Viking stone slabs, tyrant rulers, market squares, bloodbaths and the commemorated past of merchants and the nobility. In terms of architectural and historic preservation, the site does well to not only keep history alive, but create an environment that nourishes identity and style. This is relevant to all cities today. As modernist principles in urban planning and architecture have come to wide criticism, there has been a movement for cities to turn to a lot more of what Gamla Stan is now: the concept of the walking city and the idea of preservation as a driver for an authentic urban experience. These are densified areas that promote human interaction, social capital, and multi-purpose living. In contrast with the demolish-and-build principles of the 60s that can be seen on some of Stockholm's financial centers, the Old City stands as a case study of how organic and flexible planning that accounts human needs can bring a positive experience of the city. 2. Score a small cross on the base of your schedule and itinerary, then put them into a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over them and do not remove. Make yourself explore the city. Of course, go to the royal palace and the national church. Make a stop to the beautiful gardens of mansions and cross into the main shopping area through parliament. But most importantly, make sure you experience the city by just wandering. This Long Study Tour had a lot of time where me and my friends were left in our lonesome selves to take in the city. And it was very rewarding. By the end of the trip we had the know-how on navigating the city and exploring Stockholm's hip neighborhoods. On Wednesday we had managed to go up the big hill after going to the Photography Museum. On our way we found great vinyl stores playing funky beats, a couple of quirky thrift and vintage stores, impressive churches, and a decent Tiki-themed bar. These small treasures made my experience of the city so much greater. You stumble upon public parks, school courtyards, silent passageways and even grimy alley ways. You get a lot out of seeing Swedes in their natural habitat. Trust me. It was fitting for us to walk around the city too, since Stockholm has long had the reputation of being one of the cleanest and coolest capitals in the world. We had a lecture at the Stockholm Municipality about their goals relating to carbon emissions and environmental policy, which highlighted Stockholm's aggressive target to become fossil-fuel free by 2050. That is quite a goal. The city's Environment Program contains six key priorities that include environmentally efficient transport, goods and buildings free of dangerous substances, sustainable energy use, sustainable use of land and water, waste treatment with minimal environmental impact and a healthy indoor environment. There is definitely a lot to say about every one of those areas and what Stockholm is doing to make life a little greener. But just what is behind this apparent success story? Part of the answer is a long history of political initiatives, stretching back to the welfare policies of the mid-1900s, which were implemented to improve wellbeing and health, but also contributed to urban settlement and resource use patterns that we generally consider “sustainable.” Buses run on biogas, there are very stringent controls of city road traffic and carbon emissions, nature reserves, and a great transportation system. Stockholm is leading the way on sustainable development, including projects like Hammerby and the Royal Seaport Innovation. And despite all this fuzz about smart growth, Stockholm's urban planning motto of "building the city inwards" talks about not only these great environmental focuses, but to the rich and beautiful history and architecture to highlight livability in the city. What I am trying to say is that Stockholm is a city you definitely want to explore.
5. Towards the end of the time, cook the public transportation in gently boiling well-salted water until nearly al dente You'd be a fool if you come to Stockholm without a subway pass. You would be missing some of the most beautiful stations in the world. That's right, Stockholm's train station are world-renowned for being what some call the "largest art gallery in the world." This gigantic art gallery spans for about 90 stations of unique public art featuring more than 150 artists in permanent and on-going exhibits! It is so magical to get off one stop and take in the impressive red stone and then get off onto another stop to astonishingly look up at the painted patterns in the caves. In other parts there are art installations, paintings and even sculptures just chilling there as every one makes their commute. It sorta makes public transportation an asset and an experience. No wonder the Swedes have one of the highest public transportation satisfaction rate in the world, even though most of the times the metro was crowded! The city has invested on the public and the public has responded. What better way to promote healthy cities than with art. A multidisciplinary and creative look into sustainability? yes please, supersized and with a side of fries! 6. Serve hot with a sprinkle of spontaneity and fun One day after a lecture on the Carbon Disclosure Project in Stockholm University, a group of us decided to spend our brake not walking around the campus but heading straight into the forest, of course! Although a short little visit to nature, we had a fun time in the forest, frolicking about and making it all fit in. Sometimes, the best way to enjoy the city is to do things spontaneously and embrace everything that can come out of that!
Meal is done! enjoy it with a side of potatoes and put some brown sauce on top and you are good to go for a sweet taste of Sweden. If you are ever feeling bored or like you have nothing to do (doubtful), then Copenhagen is not the place to complain about those things! You can hop on a train for 30 minutes and be in a completely different country! If I ever were to take the train in Miami for 30 minutes.... I would still be in Miami. This week you can see that I have added to my Study Abroad map Malmö is so close one can almost taste from the Copenhagen center. It actually takes shorter to get there from Central Station than it takes me to get home. That's the beauty of Europe, you have great cities, so much history, and so many cultures, so close to each other. Getting to Sweden was better than the breeze outside. The train goes over a bridge and all of the sudden it feels like you've booked a one-way ticket to Candyland. And that is what Sweden is. The colors of the city are soft, the placement of the bricks in the buildings are deliberate and cute, the details in the streets are charming. Once dismissed as crime-prone and tatty, Sweden’s third-largest city has rebranded itself as progressive and downright cool. Once of the best things about Malmö is that is it so diverse. Just a couple of minutes into the city and there had been a Latin-American restaurant, a Shwarma King, we ate wonderful Thai food, hip Italian cafes... The city is thriving; it's an under stated gem! We got to Malmö with no reservations, a city map, and the exciting will of adventure. One good thing about Malmö is that its main attractions are so close to each other than getting a good glimpse of the city is a nice walk in the park. The sun was shining ever so lightly that it was just gently kissing the city. The pedestrian street was lively: performers on the street, people frantically walking around, protests, street vendors, kids playing. The harsh February winter can't stop the people from Malmö either. Soon enough me and my friends had the Swedish groove going and we were having a really enjoyable time in the city! Here are the different places we visited:
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