Though my past few blogs may lead you to believe that my life is ever-so glamorous, it's really nice to be back at my home base with some time to rest on my hands. And more importantly it's time to get my life back in order.
Things that I haven't done in a long time/just completed:
- gone to class
- cleaned my room
- laundry
- grocery shopped
You get the idea. Thankfully, after tonight, I will be caught up with all these things and thus, one step closer to being a functioning human.
Enough of my pity party, the past week and a bit has been amazing! After I got home and had a good nights sleep after Vienna and Budapest, I was up early to clean my room and prepare for my mother's arrival. I went to the Central Station at noon and frantically searched for the correct platform to receive them at. After finally deciphering the arrivals boards I waited. And waited. And then the train arrived. I spotted my mom and aunt immediately. On the first car. Meaning I ran the whole platform. Actually ran, to meet their car. I believe one of the first things I was asked was "Are you sick?". Nope just ran to greet you! After many hugs I got them settled into beautiful (and incredibly sunny, Malmo).
We started with a hearty Swedish meal to sustain them after their long flights. Of course, this was followed by a nap. We then toodled about the city, browsing my residence, a grocery store, various walking paths, cafes, and then for a lovely tapas dinner. The next day we took Malmo by storm by bike. My aunt hasn't ridden in years, but after a little gentle coaxing, we were breezing by the sea. We went all around the Turning Torso, dipped our toes into the Baltic, checked out the bath house and generally enjoyed the amazing weather. Both my mom and aunt were expecting 10-12 degrees. They were surprised when they landed and were greeted by a balmy 19 with full sun. Thanks Sweden! This tiring day was followed by some resting, fika, and a mondo steak dinner. It was served on a plank. With onion rings. Nom.
Day three was shopping. We had to strategically plan this as to avoid Easter Holidays which meant closed stores. We pranced through the streets of Sweden looking for lovely wares. We went to shops for clothings, trinkets, home wares and more! We went to one store (where I found a dress [which was also a birthday present, thanks Nancy-Ann and Mama!] for Heather's wedding) where we met a lovely Canadian sales lady. The store, which was one of my favourites already, became even more so with the help of this lovely lady. She brought us all sorts of goodies and rejoiced when we Canadians (unlike the Swedes) hopped on the runway to look at our clothes. Proof: http://www.l-and-i.se/blog/2011/5/2/canadian-people-makes-us-happy-and-they-are-beautiful. Cool right? Practically famous in Sweden now. We then asked her for some restaurant recommendations which were delicious as we could vouch as we went that evening. Katharina and Katreace came along to Plocke-Pinn for a delicious tapas dinner. We had seafood, and meat, and veggies galore. Along with some sparkling white. Yum. It was such a good meal indeed. We capped off the night (we meaning Kat and Kat and I) by saying good bye to Laura as she went home to the States.
The next day we packed a picnic and enjoyed our Easter Sunday as Falsterbo and Skanor on a white sand beach. We relaxed in the sun nestled in a dune with our books and bottle of wine. We spent most of the day relaxing and scoping out the Swedes on the beach. It was a nice break after walking around in the sun for so long! After schleping wine out of the bottle with my family, we headed back and my mother and I went for a paddle boat along the canals. After almost being attacked by rogue Swedish youth, we brought in the boats and had a seafood dinner. So much shrimp yum. It was a good way to end our last day in Malmo. That night we got all packed up and I got a big bag ready for my mom to take home with her. No need for winter clothes any longer! It was kind of bittersweet as it meant my time here was getting closer to closing. But alas, I still had many more adventures ahead of me.
We caught the train across the bridge to Denmark the next day. After dropping our things at our quaint little apartment in the city, we walked over to the canals to find a boat tour. We purchased our tickets and found a bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe in the sun. After fueling up, we hopped on our tour boat to learn about Copenhagen from the sea. We saw all the sites, castles, statues, opera houses etc. We stopped at the Little Mermaid Statue and wandered around there a bit then over to Our Saviour's Church and Christiania. We scaled the steps of the church to a tower on top for a view of the city. We also got to go for free as we were the last people up so we locked the doors on the way down too. VIPs on the top of the tower! We then caught the boat back to the city centre and refreshed at our apartment. We wanted to find a nice brewpub but it was closed due to the holiday which turned out to be a good thing as we found a quaint little French bistro that was amazing (let me know if you want the deets). We had mussels which Nancy Ann had been craving and the server was amazing (especially in regards to his hot chocolate making abilities!).
The next day was (drum roll) MY BIRTHDAY! Yay. We started the day off with some pastries and yogurt (our favourite in Denmark - their dairy is just so good!). Then we hopped on a train to Hamelbaeck to go to the Lousiana Museum. It was a lovely ride through the country side to this small little town. We wandered through and stopped in a couple of shops before getting to the museum. It was a beautiful little building, but after entering it was quite the juxtaposition between old and new. The big exhibit currently is Picasso (specifically his pieces with a political influence). It was such a large collection - pretty amazing an 85 year old could make 2000 pieces of pottery in a year. I don't think I'll ever make any in my life. Ha. We wandered through some more bits including a drawings on iPads and iPhones (cool) and then had lunch in their cafe which was largely on a beautiful terrace overlooking the water. There were sweet sculptures and seniors abound! We pranced through the rest and headed home. We toodled around to some shops and then went back to the hotel to put on our faces and party dresses for the evening. We tried to get a table at Noma (the best restaurant in the world, no joke), but they were booked so we went to a place that backed onto Tivoli called Nimb. It was beautiful! Lovely terrace and lights and prettiness! We had a nice little drink then moved on to our four course meal. It was so delicious. Wine pairings and all. And of course again, we finished with hot chocolate. We took a walk through the gardens and called it a night.
The next morning we woke up and decided to find a nice local spot for breaky. We ended up walking through the red-light-ish area to a local hang out. It was cute and delicious. Portions were huge, but traditionally Danish. I think we were the only Anglophones in the whole place - authentic. We then walked through a cute boutiquey area before heading to the main shopping streets to find a dress for my mother. At the last second (before we were supposed to meet Jacob), we found it! Just our luck (as we'd spent a lot of time looking and trying on awful dresses). We then scurried to meet Jacob (who lives in Copenhagen) who took us around the city. We hit up the Kings Garden, Castle, Botanical Garden, Student area of the city, and a nice square. It was nice to see some spots we wouldn't usually see, and it was even nicer to enjoy some beers in the sun. I then had to get home to have a Skype interview (which my mom and aunt kindly left as to not distract me during). I met with them after, greeted with some bubbly. We then we on to our last supper - hot dogs and beer by the canals. Lovely indeed.
The next morning we were off the airport. I dropped my mom and aunt and my giant bag off and saw them on their way (with a few little tears). It was so good to have them. So nice to show people around and have family see what my life has been like. (This blog is getting more and more sappy as I get closer and closer to leaving, apologies). Love to them both!
I came back on Thursday and started to get my life back in order. That is, until people convinced me to go out and have some drinks. That turned into going to two clubs and having a lovely time with friends I hadn't seen in a while. That resulted in Friday being spent mostly lounging in bed followed by a sushi picnic. Delicious. Friday was low key as Saturday was Valborg. I don't really know how to explain what it is exactly, but basically a celebration of May beginning. So on the last day of April, in student towns (Lund and Upsalla) students gather in a park, dance, and drink their faces off. Essentially the most amazing concept ever. We hopped aboard a bus at 9am (not student-like, I know) and set up camp for the day. Deejays started playing, drinks started flowing and before you knew it, it was 7pm. Needless to say I was quick to bed that night. Sunday was an Art Day with Ingrid (more catching up on reality). And now today, I had my first class in over two weeks - reality bites they say.
Please excuse me if I forgot certain events. They most likely included: laughing, hugging, drinking beverages, and eating. All enjoyed by all. Also at night, when the old lasses retreated to bed, I generally caught up with my exchange amigos as I had missed them dearly on my travels.
Fun!
1. New Canadianism - "fair enough".
2. I really wanted to vote, and I really tried, but they didn't send me my papers. Sadness.
3. Dairy here is actually so delicious. I think I am going to miss it the most (besides the people, I guess).
4. I have no facts. Sorry.
xx
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