I'll let you in on a secret, this blog title really has nothing to do with what I'm going to say. Really I was inspired by my blog idol (Sarah) to make random Swedish titles with little to no connection to my content. I think it really adds an element of mystique to my writing. Your thoughts?
But really, ABBA is a band from Sweden and I have a 10 minute presentation on them (with Sarah, actually) in Swedish on Thursday. I should realllly practice that. Words such as "bäst säljande" are not the easiest to say.
Anyhow, this week was yet another spent in the lovely Malmo. We have had some good weather (read: sunny, but still cold). Warm enough for me to switch from winter gloves to trusty magic mitts. This week I have:
1. Received a package from my loving Father. Now I can have Canadian beauty in Sweden.
2. Finished a course and a 10 page paper about hockey and identity. And gave a presentation on the same subject. Everyone was enthralled...
3. Went for fika multiple times.
4. Toodled around Swedish suburbs on my bike.
5. Wrote and created a presentation on ABBA, in Swedish. Ja!
6. Went to an old town in Skane (the south of Sweden) called Ystad, and experienced a true European Sunday (aka everything was closed).
7. Made a 20 second film about Swedish Spring. Obviously hillarious.
8. Spent 3 hours drawing a glass bottle. Drawing is fun. Nat.
9. Frolicked in the sun. And avoided killer geese.
10. Caused a scene in Swedish class. As per usual. Met by hilarious laughing courtesy our Swedish teacher.
11. Was reunited with my buds who travelled around Poland and Hungary. Weeee!
12. Baked a kick-ass banana chocolate-chip cake. I'm getting good at this European bakery.
13. Excelled at being awesome.
14. Laughed. A lot.
Ooooh and 15. Started writing my blog for Malmo University (www.blogg.mah.se/emilyross)
And upcoming you may ask? I am shooting a 2 minute film on how to be Swedish tomorrow, so that will be fun. Maybe I can even post it here after I am dooone! Then catching up on homework for the rest of the week as April is a crazy traveling month. Also, we're planning on (finally) going to a club this weekend and going to the famous bath house. I will be sure to report back ASAP.
Kul fakta:
1. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but Sweden doesn't have chocolate chips or vanilla extract. BAKING ADVENTURES.
2. The sun in Sweden is more deceiving that in Vancouver. You think it will be warm then BAM the wind gets you.
3. Geese are evil all over the world.
4. I found the hipster area of Malmo. Watch out Vancouver hipsters, you have some rivals.
5. I wish all the Greenest City people would come to Malmo and see what a truly green city is like. You've got some stiff competition.
6. Don't go to small towns on Sundays. Or before June. It will end in disappointment or insanity.
Ta. xx
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
An after-thought...
Why not spice it up with some pictures?! From the vault of Emily Ross...not yet seen by the public.
Zach and I chillin' in the back seat post-road trip to Goteborg.
Me and some cat statues - typical.
The "bad" area of town aka where the heart is?
Concert in Lund.
The most exciting "monument" in Berlin - Checkpoint Charlie.
After a long quest to find the wall...we found a castle. Score.
Kat & Rob in Malmo!
An afternoon fika ft. elephant mug.
Just a Regular Week
These next few weeks are the first I haven't traveled in a while. Though that may sound like a disappointment in my usually action-packed Swedish life, it's actually been pretty nice to keep it local (and catch up/get ahead on homework). That being said, I don't have a lot to tell you.
This past week I've been working on a paper about hockey, typical, I know. Just finishing that up today and then working on a presentation to spread Canadian culture to the masses. It shall be enlightening for all involved. Besdies that, we started the photography segment of one of my classes, so hopefully this spring weather will keep up and I'll be able to snap some shots outside.
Speaking of Spring weather...yesterday it was like 7 degrees. That's groundbreaking for Sweden! Katreace and I went for a run to enjoy some of the sun on a lovely Sunday afternoon. It seemed like a lot of others had the same idea as the park and path we were on were packed. It's really nice to see so many people out enjoying the city, I honestly never see playgrounds that well used in Canada. Interesting. But I hope to continue exploring Malmo during my time here. My friend Sarah and I go on quests for good looking places to have coffee (or fika), so that shall continue once I emerge from my paper writing mania. Also, if this sun keeps up, I reckon it's time for some more bike tours, maybe even go to the bath house!
This week though basically consists of class and homework as I'm finishing one of my classes this week. Also, Thursday is all day presentations. Hurray. Then this weekend should be low key as Katharina, Katreace, and Franz are away. But one friend from Portugal is leaving (as he was on a shorter term placement) so hopefully we'll find a way to see him on (going away party? I think so!). But I don't want to bore you with my rambling, so I'm off to be a productive citizen rather than gallivanting around Europe.
Less-fun facts
1. Perspective drawing is really hard. Like, I don't think I like drawing anymore hard.
2. Tacos are not a common dish in other countries. Don't worry though, I spread the Mexican fiesta to Sweden last night.
3. It's definitely spring time here as I've seen bunnies (makes me miss Victoria) and pigeons fighting. Yes, that's correct, there were two pigeons in a tree fighting. Badass.
4. Poland is coming up next...so expect updates about perogies and kebasa soon.
5. Stamps are expensive in this country. Like 2 bucks a pop. But that means I can spread the joy of Sweden to Canada, through delightful postcards.
xx
This past week I've been working on a paper about hockey, typical, I know. Just finishing that up today and then working on a presentation to spread Canadian culture to the masses. It shall be enlightening for all involved. Besdies that, we started the photography segment of one of my classes, so hopefully this spring weather will keep up and I'll be able to snap some shots outside.
Speaking of Spring weather...yesterday it was like 7 degrees. That's groundbreaking for Sweden! Katreace and I went for a run to enjoy some of the sun on a lovely Sunday afternoon. It seemed like a lot of others had the same idea as the park and path we were on were packed. It's really nice to see so many people out enjoying the city, I honestly never see playgrounds that well used in Canada. Interesting. But I hope to continue exploring Malmo during my time here. My friend Sarah and I go on quests for good looking places to have coffee (or fika), so that shall continue once I emerge from my paper writing mania. Also, if this sun keeps up, I reckon it's time for some more bike tours, maybe even go to the bath house!
This week though basically consists of class and homework as I'm finishing one of my classes this week. Also, Thursday is all day presentations. Hurray. Then this weekend should be low key as Katharina, Katreace, and Franz are away. But one friend from Portugal is leaving (as he was on a shorter term placement) so hopefully we'll find a way to see him on (going away party? I think so!). But I don't want to bore you with my rambling, so I'm off to be a productive citizen rather than gallivanting around Europe.
Less-fun facts
1. Perspective drawing is really hard. Like, I don't think I like drawing anymore hard.
2. Tacos are not a common dish in other countries. Don't worry though, I spread the Mexican fiesta to Sweden last night.
3. It's definitely spring time here as I've seen bunnies (makes me miss Victoria) and pigeons fighting. Yes, that's correct, there were two pigeons in a tree fighting. Badass.
4. Poland is coming up next...so expect updates about perogies and kebasa soon.
5. Stamps are expensive in this country. Like 2 bucks a pop. But that means I can spread the joy of Sweden to Canada, through delightful postcards.
xx
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
"Can I buy your glasses for 60 kronor?" "Umm these were 300 Euro..."
This past weekend I went to Stockholm, Sweden's capital city. Katreace, Katharina, and I left Friday afternoon after a freak hail-snow-rain-thunder-lightning storm (reminds me of home, sigh). After a quick ride on the Flyggbusarna to Malmo's bustling (not) airport, we were off to the big city. The flight is quite short so we arrived in the early evening, starving.
We checked into our hostel (voted number one in Stockholm, pip pip), then set out for food. As starvation got the better of us, we chose one of the first options along the strip leading to the central station. Upon first glance, this place looked pretty populated, therefore we deemed it suitable. After entering, we realized something was a little amiss about this place. We order cider and sandwiches and waited at a table. There was a strange gambling table at the back and a group of sketchy characters. Our assumptions of weirdness were confirmed after Katharina went to the bathroom and came out with the most foul look on her face. In a fluster of German and English, she tried to describe it's grossness but could not find the words. So, of course, I had to go see it for myself. Basically it was like a weird open concept bathroom (how very Sweden). To the left there was a low 6 inch high "door" and a urinal trough. Classy. Then there was a single room with a toilet in it. It was disgusting. Pee all over the floor etc. I washed my hands for about 40 minutes. Anyways, we had our sandwiches and left fairly promptly.
We got back to the hostel and were almost down for the count until a nice Aussie chap tempted us with an offer of drinks. I reckon we were all keen as mustard (Aussie slang for you). We headed out to a bar called KGB which was in walking distance. It was a Russian themed bar in a fairly bustling area. We were accosted at the door for 40 kronor for coat check (and cover, we later found out). Katreace was ever so appreciative of this service and to show such, she commented "Wow!" We scoped out the joint, realizing the downstairs weird metal music area was the only place with seats and grabbed some drinks. With drinks in hand, we headed down to the basement and I was greeted with a wave from a Swede I had never met. Both Kat and Kat asked me if I knew him and I said no. Minutes later a guy from the same table came over and started describing the friend who had waved and asked me if he thought he had a chance with me. I was both surprised and amused. This played out for a little bit, finally ending with "I don't know what I'm saying, but I think I'm hitting on you". Priceless. Languages barriers, at times, may be frustrating, but are mostly hilarious. We continued sipping our pear ciders, when another man came and offered Katharina 60 kronor for her Gucci glasses. The night kept getting better. Instead of seeing it go downhill, we decided to leave on this high note and save some excitement for the next day.
Nice and early the next morning we set out into a beautiful sunny day down to the harbour. We all fell in love with Stockholm, especially the lovely, old buildings. We decided on a boat tour to see the city from the water as it is considered the "Venice of the North". We passed many famous spots as well as lots of nature. Learning facts and the like, we sat outside on the top deck on some sort of animal skin. Questionable, yes. But so Scandinavian. Stockholm definitely has more typically Swedish people than Malmo. So much Svensk.
After our tour, we wandered to Gamla Stan, which is the old town part of Stockholm. It's tiny alleys and cute shops were ever so charming. We found a cafe in a cellar to have some much needed sustenance where Katreace almost tripped to her death and hit her head on a low ceiling. Though delicious, the place was a bit of a hazard - lots of hidden steps and dropped ceilings. We continued to wander through the old town, browse shops, and of course, look for the best spot for pastries. Katharina was on a hunt for a perfect kanelbullar (cinnamon bun) so this meant going in and out of many shops assessing their goods. We finally settled on this cute little place with the most amazing looks baked goods. Katharina got a kanelbullar, Katreace enjoyed home-made apple strudel with vanilla sauce, and I (as it was Princess Victoria's name day) delved into a slice of princess cake. We left satisfied...but wanting more...more baked goods. Baked goods forever. There were some certain muffins that Katharina kept close to her heart. We continued through the town to a bit of a shopping district where we browsed some stores before heading back to the hostel and then the grocery store.
After having stocked up on some breakfast and dinner ingredients, we hunkered down in the hostel for some relaxation. After resting up, we made some dinner and hung out in the common area watching a back and forth mix of soccer and a Swedish American Idol equivalent (it was the finals). During this time, we also searched for places to spend a lively night in Stockholm. A lot of places here have age limits above the drinking age (ex. 23) so that limited our options. We settled on Debaser (lovingly known as "The Basil"). We put on our faces, drank our dranks, and headed to another part of the city on the tunnelbana (aka Metro). Along with us came the Aussie from the night before, Rob, and a girl from the Netherlands, who became known as "Awesome" or "Lighter" (as she provided a lighter for Katharina) but really her name was Berdet (or beer tit). Really her name was a massacre. We danced the night away and finished it off with some Danish sausage. Multicultural, I know.
The next morning came far too quickly, but we had to go see the Vasa. It's basically a really, really old wooden ship that has been restored. I thought it was really cool, but the others had slightly different ideas. I guess a boat is only cool for so long. We spent a couple hours in here checking things out and then decided to find a new option. We ended up back in old town, at the same bakery as the day before - fancy that! We got more treats and chatted for a long while before deciding that we're in Stockholm so we should probably do something. Back out on the streets, our exhaustion caught up with us but this didn't stop us from seeing the Riadarholm Church and various other monuments and churches along the way. Finishing up the day, we ended up on a pedestrian street at a cafe for some dinner before collapsing at the hostel. Our flight was at seven, so we headed to the train station and caught a bus to the aiport. Though short and sweet, this trip was a load of laughs. Awkward Swedes, combined with great weather, delicious treats, and several other inside jokes really made this weekend a good one.
Dying of sleepiness, we got back to Malmo at about 11pm and rode our bikes home. Bleh. So cold. I then caught up with some lovelies on Skype and called it a night. I proceeded to sleep the entire next day which wasn't so bad as it was pooey outside. I ended up dragging my arse out of bed to work on some homework (perspective drawings, bleh) with Ingrid. We finished those up then had tea and dinner with Sarah in another student building. All and all, it was worth getting out of my cozy bed for. Tuesday I had class all day, but hey, at least it was sunny. Then we went to the pub close by to celebrate Katreace and Elise finishing their nursing practicum. It was open mic night which is always...interesting. Ha.
Today, I went to Copenhagen to visit a friend of my dad's. We went to some lesser known spots, had delicious lunch, and enjoyed the sites. We also saw the Queen's marching band. If I were a queen, I would not only have a marching band, but also a parade. Daily. With floats. It would be majestic. The weather was also perfect (though windy, but I've gotten used to that being a given now). I headed home after then went to the gym. Yep that right, went to another country and the gym in the same day. I'm quite accomplished. Now I'm sitting in my cozy bed again resisting the urge to sleep as I have to do some homework for photography class tomorrow. Hurrah!
My next big adventure (Poland, the land of sausage and vodka) isn't until April, but I'm sure I'll find something to ramble on about before then.
Fun fun facts of funnnn!
1. Stockholm and Malmo speak different dialects. This proved to be difficult, even when saying you don't speak Swedish.
2. People don't really know what sloppy joes are here. Don't worry, I'll spread the goodness to them.
3. ALSO! Europeans don't really celebrate St. Patty's. Tragic. Will someone have a Skype party with me? Thanks.
4. I am writing a paper for one of my classes on hockey. Could I be any more stereotypical? I might as well where a beaver pelt coat.
xx
We checked into our hostel (voted number one in Stockholm, pip pip), then set out for food. As starvation got the better of us, we chose one of the first options along the strip leading to the central station. Upon first glance, this place looked pretty populated, therefore we deemed it suitable. After entering, we realized something was a little amiss about this place. We order cider and sandwiches and waited at a table. There was a strange gambling table at the back and a group of sketchy characters. Our assumptions of weirdness were confirmed after Katharina went to the bathroom and came out with the most foul look on her face. In a fluster of German and English, she tried to describe it's grossness but could not find the words. So, of course, I had to go see it for myself. Basically it was like a weird open concept bathroom (how very Sweden). To the left there was a low 6 inch high "door" and a urinal trough. Classy. Then there was a single room with a toilet in it. It was disgusting. Pee all over the floor etc. I washed my hands for about 40 minutes. Anyways, we had our sandwiches and left fairly promptly.
We got back to the hostel and were almost down for the count until a nice Aussie chap tempted us with an offer of drinks. I reckon we were all keen as mustard (Aussie slang for you). We headed out to a bar called KGB which was in walking distance. It was a Russian themed bar in a fairly bustling area. We were accosted at the door for 40 kronor for coat check (and cover, we later found out). Katreace was ever so appreciative of this service and to show such, she commented "Wow!" We scoped out the joint, realizing the downstairs weird metal music area was the only place with seats and grabbed some drinks. With drinks in hand, we headed down to the basement and I was greeted with a wave from a Swede I had never met. Both Kat and Kat asked me if I knew him and I said no. Minutes later a guy from the same table came over and started describing the friend who had waved and asked me if he thought he had a chance with me. I was both surprised and amused. This played out for a little bit, finally ending with "I don't know what I'm saying, but I think I'm hitting on you". Priceless. Languages barriers, at times, may be frustrating, but are mostly hilarious. We continued sipping our pear ciders, when another man came and offered Katharina 60 kronor for her Gucci glasses. The night kept getting better. Instead of seeing it go downhill, we decided to leave on this high note and save some excitement for the next day.
Nice and early the next morning we set out into a beautiful sunny day down to the harbour. We all fell in love with Stockholm, especially the lovely, old buildings. We decided on a boat tour to see the city from the water as it is considered the "Venice of the North". We passed many famous spots as well as lots of nature. Learning facts and the like, we sat outside on the top deck on some sort of animal skin. Questionable, yes. But so Scandinavian. Stockholm definitely has more typically Swedish people than Malmo. So much Svensk.
After our tour, we wandered to Gamla Stan, which is the old town part of Stockholm. It's tiny alleys and cute shops were ever so charming. We found a cafe in a cellar to have some much needed sustenance where Katreace almost tripped to her death and hit her head on a low ceiling. Though delicious, the place was a bit of a hazard - lots of hidden steps and dropped ceilings. We continued to wander through the old town, browse shops, and of course, look for the best spot for pastries. Katharina was on a hunt for a perfect kanelbullar (cinnamon bun) so this meant going in and out of many shops assessing their goods. We finally settled on this cute little place with the most amazing looks baked goods. Katharina got a kanelbullar, Katreace enjoyed home-made apple strudel with vanilla sauce, and I (as it was Princess Victoria's name day) delved into a slice of princess cake. We left satisfied...but wanting more...more baked goods. Baked goods forever. There were some certain muffins that Katharina kept close to her heart. We continued through the town to a bit of a shopping district where we browsed some stores before heading back to the hostel and then the grocery store.
After having stocked up on some breakfast and dinner ingredients, we hunkered down in the hostel for some relaxation. After resting up, we made some dinner and hung out in the common area watching a back and forth mix of soccer and a Swedish American Idol equivalent (it was the finals). During this time, we also searched for places to spend a lively night in Stockholm. A lot of places here have age limits above the drinking age (ex. 23) so that limited our options. We settled on Debaser (lovingly known as "The Basil"). We put on our faces, drank our dranks, and headed to another part of the city on the tunnelbana (aka Metro). Along with us came the Aussie from the night before, Rob, and a girl from the Netherlands, who became known as "Awesome" or "Lighter" (as she provided a lighter for Katharina) but really her name was Berdet (or beer tit). Really her name was a massacre. We danced the night away and finished it off with some Danish sausage. Multicultural, I know.
The next morning came far too quickly, but we had to go see the Vasa. It's basically a really, really old wooden ship that has been restored. I thought it was really cool, but the others had slightly different ideas. I guess a boat is only cool for so long. We spent a couple hours in here checking things out and then decided to find a new option. We ended up back in old town, at the same bakery as the day before - fancy that! We got more treats and chatted for a long while before deciding that we're in Stockholm so we should probably do something. Back out on the streets, our exhaustion caught up with us but this didn't stop us from seeing the Riadarholm Church and various other monuments and churches along the way. Finishing up the day, we ended up on a pedestrian street at a cafe for some dinner before collapsing at the hostel. Our flight was at seven, so we headed to the train station and caught a bus to the aiport. Though short and sweet, this trip was a load of laughs. Awkward Swedes, combined with great weather, delicious treats, and several other inside jokes really made this weekend a good one.
Dying of sleepiness, we got back to Malmo at about 11pm and rode our bikes home. Bleh. So cold. I then caught up with some lovelies on Skype and called it a night. I proceeded to sleep the entire next day which wasn't so bad as it was pooey outside. I ended up dragging my arse out of bed to work on some homework (perspective drawings, bleh) with Ingrid. We finished those up then had tea and dinner with Sarah in another student building. All and all, it was worth getting out of my cozy bed for. Tuesday I had class all day, but hey, at least it was sunny. Then we went to the pub close by to celebrate Katreace and Elise finishing their nursing practicum. It was open mic night which is always...interesting. Ha.
Today, I went to Copenhagen to visit a friend of my dad's. We went to some lesser known spots, had delicious lunch, and enjoyed the sites. We also saw the Queen's marching band. If I were a queen, I would not only have a marching band, but also a parade. Daily. With floats. It would be majestic. The weather was also perfect (though windy, but I've gotten used to that being a given now). I headed home after then went to the gym. Yep that right, went to another country and the gym in the same day. I'm quite accomplished. Now I'm sitting in my cozy bed again resisting the urge to sleep as I have to do some homework for photography class tomorrow. Hurrah!
My next big adventure (Poland, the land of sausage and vodka) isn't until April, but I'm sure I'll find something to ramble on about before then.
Fun fun facts of funnnn!
1. Stockholm and Malmo speak different dialects. This proved to be difficult, even when saying you don't speak Swedish.
2. People don't really know what sloppy joes are here. Don't worry, I'll spread the goodness to them.
3. ALSO! Europeans don't really celebrate St. Patty's. Tragic. Will someone have a Skype party with me? Thanks.
4. I am writing a paper for one of my classes on hockey. Could I be any more stereotypical? I might as well where a beaver pelt coat.
xx
Monday, March 7, 2011
Katie and Rob i Sverige!
This weekend, Katie and Rob came from London to visit. It was jolly and good aka jolly good. A laugh a minute really, with many minutes full of laughs.
They arrived Friday around noon and we launched into typical Swedish things right away. We started out with going to Hollandia Bakery which apparently is a very old and traditional bakery in Malmo. Here, in the company of many seniors, we enjoyed Semlor. Though we weren't sure the best way to eat these cream-filled delights (clear by the fact I ended up with whipped cream all over my nose), we had joyous times watching others eat the pastries. I also gave them a crash course in Swedish basics, and contrary to popular belief it's tack sa myckett, not taxi myckett. Next we roamed the various squares to Malmo and some shops as well. We had a burger at the Swedish equivalent of McDonalds, got blown around by the wind, witnessed weird Swedish hippies chanting in an alley, and then headed back to my room for a much needed nap (Katie and Rob had been up since about 3am). Katie and I went to the wonderful world of Willy's and she was both shocked and amazed by the size of things there. Cheese was huge, deli meats came in packs of a thousand, and there were samples. Essentially, the best grocery store ever. We picked up some ingredients for the following days breakfasts and were on our way. After waking a very sleepy bear up, we hit the town for a Swedish meatball dinner. We went to a strange South American restaurant with cafeteria trays that happened to serve delicious and cheap meatball dinners. Atop our meatballs, we even put lingdon berry jam, how very Swedish! After this, we headed to a few pubs. The first was an Irish joint full of a bit of an older crowd but with the best music ever - from WHAM! to ABBA to Will Smith (two songs in a row). Though it was hard to part from this musical odyssey, we decided to try another place as well. We braced the cold and walked into Lillatorg and found a place with a spot on the patio (with heaters and blankets). We grabbed some drinks, bundled up, witnessed a near bar fight, then an almost on fire couch. Some girl threw her cigarette butt carelessly and it landed on a sofa cushion underneath an extremely flammable IKEA fleece blanket. Katie smelt something strange and Rob noticed some smoke. I went in for the investigation and found a smoldering butt eating away at the fabric. I immediately began to pat it out with my gloves and put some ice on it. Close call. We decided to call it a night after that, but not before a trip to Coop, another grocery store. Rob decided he wanted to eat some deli meat with his hands, so we picked up some salami and ate it on the way home. Yum.
The next day we were woken up by sunlight streaming through our window. Hurray! We made a killer breakfast of toast, juice, and scrambled eggs, then set out for a day of toursim. Starting with a coffee and pastry, we then headed to the System Bolaget to purchase some beverages of the alcoholic type for the nights festivities. We walked through parks, past a casino, past geese, ducks, and magpies, to the Malmo Castle. Here there is a museum, an aquarium, and an art gallery, all for the low price of 20 kronor. We wandered the museum for a while as a lot of it was quite interesting (read: the aquarium and animals were rad, the rest was okay). We then grabbed a coffee and watched a woman chug a 1 litre of juice ever so casually. We then decided it was time for a nap again as we are getting old, after (of course) purchasing ice cream bars and eating them outside after debating treats for 30 minutes in the store. We made a delicious home cooked meal and chilled out before a Summer themed party. We drank our 3L box of wine mixed with lemon & lime pop (to keep it classy) and mingled with Russian and Sloveians mobsters (one was wearing a doo-rag and a leather jacket with a snake on it, legit). As we partied the night away, we decided to keep our lives free of illegal drugs and cock fights and went to bed.
Sunday we again woke up to the scalding sun. By scalding, I mean a tiny bit warm, but as the sun rises on the same side as my window, it feels on fire when you wake up. Rob enjoyed the sun from a window ledge in the kitchen as Katie and I prepared breakfast and a picnic lunch. We then headed for yet another coffee and pasty and then off the Turning Torso and the beach. We took all the obligatory photos and then laid on a dock sheltered from the wind. We devoured our picnic and then enjoyed the sun on our faces (well Rob and I did as we were both laying on Katie). Once we started getting a little too chilly, we decided yet another coffee was the answer. All the shops along the beach were packed due to the nice weather and Swedes loving to get the most of their city, thus we decided to back into the city center and try another cafe. After having delicious lattes of the coffee and chai variety, we headed home to relax away from the cold. We met Katreace and Katharina for Thai food in Mollan. We shared many a laugh there at the expense of others (including ourselves) and had an all around good time. We had one last bus adventure home and kicked it for the rest of the night (refraining from a yogurt party).
Kat and Rob left this morning sadly. I will miss their weird animal noises, ability to seamlessly act like my children, as well as how much we laughed together. Proper laughing. Luckily I'll get to see them again in June (and maybe before then as I think they seemed to enjoy Sweden thoroughly.
As for now, I'm spending the week catching up on homework (common theme, I know) and then off to Stockholm this weekend.
Facts for you!
1. Baking is really hard without measurements like cups. Luckily I'm a master and my cookies were amazing.
2. Swedish people are a fan of coloured jeans. I dig it.
3. You can act like a penguin in Sweden and no one really seems to care. Case study on acting like other animals to commence soon.
4. Redesigning the currency for a country you know little about is interesting (aka difficult) but it pays off when the Swedes say they like it. Score.
Anyways it's past my bed time, godd natt.
xx
They arrived Friday around noon and we launched into typical Swedish things right away. We started out with going to Hollandia Bakery which apparently is a very old and traditional bakery in Malmo. Here, in the company of many seniors, we enjoyed Semlor. Though we weren't sure the best way to eat these cream-filled delights (clear by the fact I ended up with whipped cream all over my nose), we had joyous times watching others eat the pastries. I also gave them a crash course in Swedish basics, and contrary to popular belief it's tack sa myckett, not taxi myckett. Next we roamed the various squares to Malmo and some shops as well. We had a burger at the Swedish equivalent of McDonalds, got blown around by the wind, witnessed weird Swedish hippies chanting in an alley, and then headed back to my room for a much needed nap (Katie and Rob had been up since about 3am). Katie and I went to the wonderful world of Willy's and she was both shocked and amazed by the size of things there. Cheese was huge, deli meats came in packs of a thousand, and there were samples. Essentially, the best grocery store ever. We picked up some ingredients for the following days breakfasts and were on our way. After waking a very sleepy bear up, we hit the town for a Swedish meatball dinner. We went to a strange South American restaurant with cafeteria trays that happened to serve delicious and cheap meatball dinners. Atop our meatballs, we even put lingdon berry jam, how very Swedish! After this, we headed to a few pubs. The first was an Irish joint full of a bit of an older crowd but with the best music ever - from WHAM! to ABBA to Will Smith (two songs in a row). Though it was hard to part from this musical odyssey, we decided to try another place as well. We braced the cold and walked into Lillatorg and found a place with a spot on the patio (with heaters and blankets). We grabbed some drinks, bundled up, witnessed a near bar fight, then an almost on fire couch. Some girl threw her cigarette butt carelessly and it landed on a sofa cushion underneath an extremely flammable IKEA fleece blanket. Katie smelt something strange and Rob noticed some smoke. I went in for the investigation and found a smoldering butt eating away at the fabric. I immediately began to pat it out with my gloves and put some ice on it. Close call. We decided to call it a night after that, but not before a trip to Coop, another grocery store. Rob decided he wanted to eat some deli meat with his hands, so we picked up some salami and ate it on the way home. Yum.
The next day we were woken up by sunlight streaming through our window. Hurray! We made a killer breakfast of toast, juice, and scrambled eggs, then set out for a day of toursim. Starting with a coffee and pastry, we then headed to the System Bolaget to purchase some beverages of the alcoholic type for the nights festivities. We walked through parks, past a casino, past geese, ducks, and magpies, to the Malmo Castle. Here there is a museum, an aquarium, and an art gallery, all for the low price of 20 kronor. We wandered the museum for a while as a lot of it was quite interesting (read: the aquarium and animals were rad, the rest was okay). We then grabbed a coffee and watched a woman chug a 1 litre of juice ever so casually. We then decided it was time for a nap again as we are getting old, after (of course) purchasing ice cream bars and eating them outside after debating treats for 30 minutes in the store. We made a delicious home cooked meal and chilled out before a Summer themed party. We drank our 3L box of wine mixed with lemon & lime pop (to keep it classy) and mingled with Russian and Sloveians mobsters (one was wearing a doo-rag and a leather jacket with a snake on it, legit). As we partied the night away, we decided to keep our lives free of illegal drugs and cock fights and went to bed.
Sunday we again woke up to the scalding sun. By scalding, I mean a tiny bit warm, but as the sun rises on the same side as my window, it feels on fire when you wake up. Rob enjoyed the sun from a window ledge in the kitchen as Katie and I prepared breakfast and a picnic lunch. We then headed for yet another coffee and pasty and then off the Turning Torso and the beach. We took all the obligatory photos and then laid on a dock sheltered from the wind. We devoured our picnic and then enjoyed the sun on our faces (well Rob and I did as we were both laying on Katie). Once we started getting a little too chilly, we decided yet another coffee was the answer. All the shops along the beach were packed due to the nice weather and Swedes loving to get the most of their city, thus we decided to back into the city center and try another cafe. After having delicious lattes of the coffee and chai variety, we headed home to relax away from the cold. We met Katreace and Katharina for Thai food in Mollan. We shared many a laugh there at the expense of others (including ourselves) and had an all around good time. We had one last bus adventure home and kicked it for the rest of the night (refraining from a yogurt party).
Kat and Rob left this morning sadly. I will miss their weird animal noises, ability to seamlessly act like my children, as well as how much we laughed together. Proper laughing. Luckily I'll get to see them again in June (and maybe before then as I think they seemed to enjoy Sweden thoroughly.
As for now, I'm spending the week catching up on homework (common theme, I know) and then off to Stockholm this weekend.
Facts for you!
1. Baking is really hard without measurements like cups. Luckily I'm a master and my cookies were amazing.
2. Swedish people are a fan of coloured jeans. I dig it.
3. You can act like a penguin in Sweden and no one really seems to care. Case study on acting like other animals to commence soon.
4. Redesigning the currency for a country you know little about is interesting (aka difficult) but it pays off when the Swedes say they like it. Score.
Anyways it's past my bed time, godd natt.
xx
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Adventures of Rosetta Stone aka Emily Ross
So I am finally recovering from exhaustion after weekend in Berlin. And by finally recovering, I mean I hope I don't almost fall asleep every 3 minutes by tomorrow morning.
That clearly did not go well as I fell asleep shortly after I wrote that. Anyways, now I am feeling much more rested and am stoked to have the day off. Getting prepared for Katie and Rob to come this weekend, which is super exciting especially as it's supposed to be sunny (read: sunny but not warm).
So my biggest news is that I went to Berlin for 4 days this past week. Katreace and I left Malmo on Thursday to go to the city of currywurst and poor English. We arrived quite late at night and caught a combination of S-Bahn and U-Bahn into the city. We met some nice British fellows who had been to Berlin before and helped us find our way - which was quite convenient as they were basically heading to the same area of the city as us. We were in the "mitte" region also known as the middle section, quite near Postdamer Platz and the TV tower. Our hostel was a little sketchy looking at first as it was in a random run down looking building. But once we got up to the third floor, where the hostel was housed, the place was quite cute and homey. It also helped that the staff were nice and there was always some sort of treat (biscuits or chocolate) out for our consumption. We then set out to find some food at 12:00am which wasn't hard to do as Berlin is truly the city that never sleeps. We found a shwarma place on the block, were appalled by the low cost of delicious roast meat, then hit the hay.
Day 2: we went for a 3.5 hour free walking tour of Berlin. It was neat to see all the history that we clearly wouldn't have on our own. Of course we hit all the hot spots like the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and Holocaust memorial. So. Many. Photo. Ops. It was funny as all the other tourists (from Britain, Spain etc.) were complaining how cold it was but we were stoked on the fact we didn't have to wear gloves! After this, we went to the main, famous shopping street near the zoo and partially destroyed church. The shopping wasn't that great as all the stores were basically repeated every block. H&M, Zara, C&A. Repeat. There was a cool department store that reminded me of Harrods but the security guard gave me a nasty look when I tried to go inside with my food. Oh well. Also! While we were walking down this street, we recognized people speaking Swedish. It was really rather amazing that we were able to pick that up, but it sure made us happy. After a long long day of walking, we headed back to the hostel to make some dinner and get ready for our first pub crawl. We ended up going with 3 Brazilian girls from our hostel to the 666 Anti-Pubcrawl. I know, it sounds scary. Basically it just takes you to pubs that aren't super main stream or that you would never find on your own aka crazy clubs. We went to a Ping Pong club, a Goth Club, an unidentified club and some more crazy spots. It was super fun due to the oddity of it all. We also met some cool girls from NYU who were studying in Prague as well as some Liverpoolians. The NYU girls were the one who dubbed me Rosetta Stone as I was able to translate any and all broken English. It was amazing. I think they'll probably remember me forever. All and all a good night when you consider we were dancing with people wearing gas masks. Here we were also informed that basically no one pays for transit in Berlin...and if you do, the lady gives you "special price". So confusing, so awesome.
Day 3: After breifly nursing our hangovers, we were up and at 'em quickly the next day. First stop was the Jewish Museum. It was a really cool building that combined a newly modern one with a Baroque one. It also was super interactive and we learned lots. Yay for museums. Then we went on a search for the painted section of the Berlin Wall which Google totally lied to us about. Instead we found the Charlottenburg Castle which was equally beautiful at sunset. We still were determined to find the wall so we roamed the streets looking for English speakers. Most Germans pretend to speak English so it's a lost cause, but a hilarious one at that. At an Internet Cafe, the man there finally resorted to speaking in "English" to us after he deciphered that we didn't speak Russian, Italian, or Spanish. Basically the conversation went like this:
Us: We are looking for the Berlin wall that is decorated by artists.
Man: What?
Us: Berlin Wall. With paintings...
Man: Ahhh! The Nazi's (fighting type motions)
Us: Umm...sure. Where is it?
Man: We don't care about the wall. It fell.
Us: Okay...
Man: Where are you from!?
Us: Canada and Australia.
Man: OH SO INTERESTING.
Us: Ha yeah, it's pretty cool. So where is the wall?
Man: So interesting. Canada AND Australia.
Us: Okay well thanks anyways. (Abruptly leave)
We decided to cut our losses at the point as the sun was starting to go down and we were in a strange part of the city without a wall. We also had another pub crawl on our horizon. After getting back to the hostel, we had a quick nap (aka kip, it's the new word for it). It was nice to take a rest and then get some food. We then headed to a bar called Zapata where we kicked off evening two. Free beer and jager shots looked like they would spell out a good night (even though there was a disproportionately high number of Edmontonians). We went to some cool spots ending with this huge club called Matrix. It had like 3 rooms each with a different theme and all with outrageous go-go dancers. We met people from London, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, and more. It was all and all awesome. And we didn't get home until 10am. Thanks Berlin, for the sleep deprivation.
Day 3: We washed up, ate some breaky, and headed out for another day. Kicking exhaustion and weird foot retardations (walking around a city in boots is not the most ergonomically correct), we walked up to Mauer Park for a HUGE flea market. Of course, we again got lost, but truly experienced the streets of Berlin. Once there, we were appalled by the amount of sweet stuff there. Hipsters would freak out. Majorly. So much vintage leather, fur, sunglasses and more! I bought a couple necklaces, a bell for my bike (whooo) and a german flag patch to add to my collection. After this, approximately 24 hours after the first venture, we went and found the Berlin wall. It was actually the easiest thing to find ever, kind of embarrassingly so. Oh well. We can blame it on being tired. We ran into Gui who is also studying in Malmo and took some opportune photos. Cute. We then continued on our journey back to our hostel for another quick kip before dinner. We went to this Vietnamese restaurant near by and it was amazing. It was like 20 euro for two entrees, drinks, and appies. And it was delicious. And it satisfied my Asian food hankerings. We ate happily then went outside where we found a photo booth and took some hideous photos. Ahh memories. Back to the hostel we made some tea and chatted with our fellow hostel-ers. Very cool to hear their stories. After that we hit the hay pretty hard as we had to be up at 4am. Though this was the case, we were woken up at 1am by our roommates. Thanks guys!
Day 4: Waking up in the darkness, we got our bags together and stumbled towards the first Schoenfeld Express Airport Train. Arriving in a timely fashion, we met Gui again who was on our flight. Safe to say we slept for most of this and were overjoyed to touch back down in our beloved Scandinavia. Arriving back at Malmo Central Station at about 9:15am, I biked as fast as I could home to drop off my stuff and grab some food. I was out the door at 9:50am for 5 hours of class. Glamorous life of an exchange student indeed.
Now I'm sitting in my room being lazy as all get out. Off to a Swedish school this afternoon to chat with some kids and eat some Swedish treats. Yum! Then a big weekend with my besties Kat and Rob. Hurrah!
Facts of funnnessss!
1. Swedes apparently have better English than a lot of the rest of Europe because all of their TV shows are subtitled in Swedish instead of dubbed in. Amazing.
2. Germans all pretend to speak English. You ask them, they nod and look confused. Then proceed to have no idea what you are saying. At least they try though and give you random discounts on train tickets.
3. We had another nude model this week in drawing class. It was a lady. Heehee.
4. It's almost consistently above zero now. I am excited. And it's supposed to be sunny. I don't know how I am containing myself.
5. This is the longest blog post ever.
xx
That clearly did not go well as I fell asleep shortly after I wrote that. Anyways, now I am feeling much more rested and am stoked to have the day off. Getting prepared for Katie and Rob to come this weekend, which is super exciting especially as it's supposed to be sunny (read: sunny but not warm).
So my biggest news is that I went to Berlin for 4 days this past week. Katreace and I left Malmo on Thursday to go to the city of currywurst and poor English. We arrived quite late at night and caught a combination of S-Bahn and U-Bahn into the city. We met some nice British fellows who had been to Berlin before and helped us find our way - which was quite convenient as they were basically heading to the same area of the city as us. We were in the "mitte" region also known as the middle section, quite near Postdamer Platz and the TV tower. Our hostel was a little sketchy looking at first as it was in a random run down looking building. But once we got up to the third floor, where the hostel was housed, the place was quite cute and homey. It also helped that the staff were nice and there was always some sort of treat (biscuits or chocolate) out for our consumption. We then set out to find some food at 12:00am which wasn't hard to do as Berlin is truly the city that never sleeps. We found a shwarma place on the block, were appalled by the low cost of delicious roast meat, then hit the hay.
Day 2: we went for a 3.5 hour free walking tour of Berlin. It was neat to see all the history that we clearly wouldn't have on our own. Of course we hit all the hot spots like the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and Holocaust memorial. So. Many. Photo. Ops. It was funny as all the other tourists (from Britain, Spain etc.) were complaining how cold it was but we were stoked on the fact we didn't have to wear gloves! After this, we went to the main, famous shopping street near the zoo and partially destroyed church. The shopping wasn't that great as all the stores were basically repeated every block. H&M, Zara, C&A. Repeat. There was a cool department store that reminded me of Harrods but the security guard gave me a nasty look when I tried to go inside with my food. Oh well. Also! While we were walking down this street, we recognized people speaking Swedish. It was really rather amazing that we were able to pick that up, but it sure made us happy. After a long long day of walking, we headed back to the hostel to make some dinner and get ready for our first pub crawl. We ended up going with 3 Brazilian girls from our hostel to the 666 Anti-Pubcrawl. I know, it sounds scary. Basically it just takes you to pubs that aren't super main stream or that you would never find on your own aka crazy clubs. We went to a Ping Pong club, a Goth Club, an unidentified club and some more crazy spots. It was super fun due to the oddity of it all. We also met some cool girls from NYU who were studying in Prague as well as some Liverpoolians. The NYU girls were the one who dubbed me Rosetta Stone as I was able to translate any and all broken English. It was amazing. I think they'll probably remember me forever. All and all a good night when you consider we were dancing with people wearing gas masks. Here we were also informed that basically no one pays for transit in Berlin...and if you do, the lady gives you "special price". So confusing, so awesome.
Day 3: After breifly nursing our hangovers, we were up and at 'em quickly the next day. First stop was the Jewish Museum. It was a really cool building that combined a newly modern one with a Baroque one. It also was super interactive and we learned lots. Yay for museums. Then we went on a search for the painted section of the Berlin Wall which Google totally lied to us about. Instead we found the Charlottenburg Castle which was equally beautiful at sunset. We still were determined to find the wall so we roamed the streets looking for English speakers. Most Germans pretend to speak English so it's a lost cause, but a hilarious one at that. At an Internet Cafe, the man there finally resorted to speaking in "English" to us after he deciphered that we didn't speak Russian, Italian, or Spanish. Basically the conversation went like this:
Us: We are looking for the Berlin wall that is decorated by artists.
Man: What?
Us: Berlin Wall. With paintings...
Man: Ahhh! The Nazi's (fighting type motions)
Us: Umm...sure. Where is it?
Man: We don't care about the wall. It fell.
Us: Okay...
Man: Where are you from!?
Us: Canada and Australia.
Man: OH SO INTERESTING.
Us: Ha yeah, it's pretty cool. So where is the wall?
Man: So interesting. Canada AND Australia.
Us: Okay well thanks anyways. (Abruptly leave)
We decided to cut our losses at the point as the sun was starting to go down and we were in a strange part of the city without a wall. We also had another pub crawl on our horizon. After getting back to the hostel, we had a quick nap (aka kip, it's the new word for it). It was nice to take a rest and then get some food. We then headed to a bar called Zapata where we kicked off evening two. Free beer and jager shots looked like they would spell out a good night (even though there was a disproportionately high number of Edmontonians). We went to some cool spots ending with this huge club called Matrix. It had like 3 rooms each with a different theme and all with outrageous go-go dancers. We met people from London, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, and more. It was all and all awesome. And we didn't get home until 10am. Thanks Berlin, for the sleep deprivation.
Day 3: We washed up, ate some breaky, and headed out for another day. Kicking exhaustion and weird foot retardations (walking around a city in boots is not the most ergonomically correct), we walked up to Mauer Park for a HUGE flea market. Of course, we again got lost, but truly experienced the streets of Berlin. Once there, we were appalled by the amount of sweet stuff there. Hipsters would freak out. Majorly. So much vintage leather, fur, sunglasses and more! I bought a couple necklaces, a bell for my bike (whooo) and a german flag patch to add to my collection. After this, approximately 24 hours after the first venture, we went and found the Berlin wall. It was actually the easiest thing to find ever, kind of embarrassingly so. Oh well. We can blame it on being tired. We ran into Gui who is also studying in Malmo and took some opportune photos. Cute. We then continued on our journey back to our hostel for another quick kip before dinner. We went to this Vietnamese restaurant near by and it was amazing. It was like 20 euro for two entrees, drinks, and appies. And it was delicious. And it satisfied my Asian food hankerings. We ate happily then went outside where we found a photo booth and took some hideous photos. Ahh memories. Back to the hostel we made some tea and chatted with our fellow hostel-ers. Very cool to hear their stories. After that we hit the hay pretty hard as we had to be up at 4am. Though this was the case, we were woken up at 1am by our roommates. Thanks guys!
Day 4: Waking up in the darkness, we got our bags together and stumbled towards the first Schoenfeld Express Airport Train. Arriving in a timely fashion, we met Gui again who was on our flight. Safe to say we slept for most of this and were overjoyed to touch back down in our beloved Scandinavia. Arriving back at Malmo Central Station at about 9:15am, I biked as fast as I could home to drop off my stuff and grab some food. I was out the door at 9:50am for 5 hours of class. Glamorous life of an exchange student indeed.
Now I'm sitting in my room being lazy as all get out. Off to a Swedish school this afternoon to chat with some kids and eat some Swedish treats. Yum! Then a big weekend with my besties Kat and Rob. Hurrah!
Facts of funnnessss!
1. Swedes apparently have better English than a lot of the rest of Europe because all of their TV shows are subtitled in Swedish instead of dubbed in. Amazing.
2. Germans all pretend to speak English. You ask them, they nod and look confused. Then proceed to have no idea what you are saying. At least they try though and give you random discounts on train tickets.
3. We had another nude model this week in drawing class. It was a lady. Heehee.
4. It's almost consistently above zero now. I am excited. And it's supposed to be sunny. I don't know how I am containing myself.
5. This is the longest blog post ever.
xx
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