A Year in Sweden: July 2008

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Christmas in Norway

I was lucky enough to be invited to Norway to spend Christmas with my Norwegian relatives. I spent two weeks in Norway, so I was able to experience a real Norwegian Christmas and New Years. I spent the first couple of days in Trondheim with my distant cousin Ingrid and her boyfriend Karl. We then all went to Leksvik, just across the fjord, to meet up with the rest of the relatives and celebrate the holiday. I am really thankful to have the experience of celebrating the holiday season in a culture different than my own and getting to know my distant relatives better.

I arrived at the airport in Trondheim in the evening and caught a bus to an area where I met Ingrid and Karl. We then went to their apartment, which was a modern building in a nice area. We ate a nice pizza meal for dinner. Karl works at a restaurant so I was fortunate enough to have some tasty meals prepared for me.

In the morning, I was given a tour of Trondheim by Ingrid and Karl. It is a very beautiful city. I saw some old buildings such as Nidelva and crossed the Old Town Bridge. We went inside Nidaros Cathedral, which dates back to 1070. Next we went to the city's central plaza where the statue of statue of Olav Tryggvason lies. In this square, I was able to try some brown cheese, which comes from goat milk. There were some sort of Christmas festivities going on in this square. After all this walking, we decided to take a break and warm up by having some coffee at a nearby coffee place. It seems that having coffee several times a day is quite popular in Norway. It did not surprise me so much because the swedes have coffee several times a day as well. I guess it helps to keep the Scandinavians warm and happy during such cold, dark and rainy seasons.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Lund Update

I thought it was time for me to give a little flashback or update about Lund. These pictures are from October, November and December of 2007. The pictures include one of my favorite pubs in Lund (Rauhrackel), the Lund Cathedral (Lunds Domkyrka), a picture of Lund taken near the cathedral, a picture of me and some friends at a potluck in Delphi in Lund, and pictures of Lund in December. The Rauhrackel pub serves a variety of German beers such as Hefeweizen, and there was even a mini Oktoberfest celebration in the pub. You can tell it is Bavarian themed by the large pretzels and the beer selection. On one occasion, I was lucky enough to hear a German choir sing some German drinking songs at Rauhrackel. The Lund Cathedral dates back to 1085 and is one of the most famous landmarks in the town. At the potluck in Delphi, I took a Swedish girl named Fia as my date, and the other two people in the picture are an American girl named Cheryl who attends UC Berkeley and her German boyfriend named Thomas. Lund looks very nice around Christmas time, as you can see from the pictures.

Rauhrackel

Me inside Rauhrackel

Rauhrackel

Lunds Domkyrka

The astronomical clock in Lunds Domkyrka

The crypt in Lunds Domkyrka

Lunds Domkyrka

Lund

Fia, Me, Cheryl, and Thomas at a potluck in Delphi

Lund in December

Oslo in November

Hey everyone. Well, it has been a long time since I last posted, and I have many trips and experiences to tell you all about. I am presently home in California after spending 10 months in Europe. I think that now is the best time to catch up on documenting my experiences abroad. I am certain that many details have simply been lost to the sands of time and my memory, but I will do my best to document what I do remember of it all and all the important stuff. Enjoy!

I took a trip to Oslo in November 2007. One of my friends, Antti, had told me that he and some of his friends were planning on going to a weekend cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo and back. It seemed like a good experience, so I decided to join. I had not been to Norway for a while so I was happy to go back. We only had part of the day to spend in Oslo, since we arrived in the morning and left for home the evening of that same day. Antti and I decided to visit the Royal Palace and Vigeland Sculpture Park. We also went to downtown Oslo before we boarded the ship to have a pizza and a beer, which was something like $30. Oslo is an expensive city. After our meals, we boarded the ship and cruised back home. It was a fun time indeed. =)