a few days in..

settling in Vienna is going good and I've learnt a few things so far

Here stores are not allowed to be open on Sundays.. exceptions to that rule can be made, such as in travelling locations (train stations etc.) If these kind of exceptions are made,then they only apply for a limited number of square meters. Larger stores therefore have to keep some of the "less important" aisles closed. That looks sort of funny, you'll see aisle where the shelves are barred and locked with padlocks.

So anyways, being new in town and unused to all this I went grocery shopping on a Sunday in one of the very few stores that are open on Sundays in Vienna. That's definitely something I'll not do again. There were so many people in the store that it felt like it was quarter to Christmas and the entire city had forgotten to get food for Christmas dinner, or more accurately, like it was quarter to closing time at systemet on a Friday evening in Sweden.. 

Lesson learned: Get your groceries on any other day than Sunday

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also, after running all over town I finally managed to do what was starting to seem impossible, that is, getting a decently priced gym membership here for these three months. And the one I found is even on my way to and from work

I bought these in order to celebrate the little gym-membership-victory

(and also because my old, crappy pair got "not so accidentally" left behind in Gothenburg) 

they're going for a test ride tomorrow after I stop by the market in the street next to mine and grab some fresh and good fruit :)

Location: Vienna

here are just a few phone pics from my first couple of days in Vienna.. 

I want to take my camera out around the city on my days off here so hopefully you'll get to see some pictures of this beautiful city in better quality..

Vienna has been very nice so far, even though my days have mainly been spent at getting a working Austrian phone number and finding a place to buy groceries on a Sunday (which is a bit more difficult than you might think)

And then tomorrow is the first day of my internship and I'm very much looking forward to it, let's hope I'll do good! :)

xx

eva

Back in GBG

I had some very lovely days at home, here are some random pics from the last days..

I managed to get a little bit of the sunny weather that's been around Iceland this summer.. nothing beats a book and the hot tub

this sweet little fella kept me company on the way to Reykjavik culture night

culture night/day in that cute little city

a one day stop in cph

the train I could have taken to downtown cph.. though I only noticed that 15 seconds after it left

every occasional glimpse of sun in Gothenburg is worth capturing on a photo

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now it's time to start preparing for the next move even though I still haven't unpacked my stuff from the trip to Iceland.

Boxes need to be filled, bags need to be packed and room needs to be emptied and cleaned.

So, the first step: Suitcase shopping tomorrow. 

Hopefully I'll find something good and magically get inspired to start packing!

h o m e

a few days in Iceland means a few days to get my hands on all my favorite food

it's good to be home

xx

eva

16 days until moving day

next stop

study days

some days are simply busier than others and this week has quite an amount of busy days with deadlines, presentations and papers.

So for me it's continued study mode in front of the computer for the next days 

but knowing that all this work serves as steps in reaching some bigger goals in the future gives me a kick of determination

xx

eva

study friday

bad hair day

comfy clothes

conflict analysis assignment

an unexpected study enthusiasm 

these words pretty much sum up my day so far

and most likely the rest of my weekend 

using the rainy days to study gives me all the more reason to do something fun when the good weather finally arrives 

by the way.. is it normal to check the weather forecast at least twice a day?

just thinking about the 20°+ weather that is supposedly going to visit Gothenburg in one week makes me jump with joy

this picture describes my relationship with 20°+ weather quite accurately

xx

eva

life in a student room

living in a 18m² student room can be a little bit challenging, especially after having had a sweet, sweet 52m² apartment all for myself when in Iceland

so since the space is rather limited I've tried to organize my things well and make this little habitat of mine as homey as possible, after all, it's my home :)

and being a student with a rather limited budget, my room has ended up by being characterized by cheap solutions (hej ikea!) 

some of my clothes have been put on a simple rack in order to free some space in my closet for other stuff that is preferred to be hidden 

(I'd rather have my clothes neatly on display instead of showing off my, ehem, laundry bag or the bag I use for recycling bottles haha! ) 

Getting some curtains was the only thing I thought to be absolutely necessary when  I moved in. So I got one of the cheapest lace curtains from IKEA along with simple clear Christmas lights. The light from my window, preferably coupled with some vanilla scented candles, brightens my mood every night.

(I actually had to take the Christmas lights with me from Iceland after Christmas since my search for this type here in Sweden was not providing any usable results at all)

the biggest downside of living abroad is not being able to see my family and friends as often as I would want.. Instead they've all been put on my wall in a printed form so I can at least see their faces every day :)

xx

eva

just a little something that made me smile..

I'm pretty sure that following these words would lead to an interesting life :)

xx

eva

game of thrones fan treat

since I am a huge Game of Thrones nerd stumbling upon this sugar sweet peeps reenactment of the first season at Epicurious was priceless! 

I love this!

thanks for making my day, epicurious staff! 

xx

eva

music obsession

this remains on repeat these days.. 

good stuff!

xx

eva

:)

a few pics from the last days

now it's back to the books!

xx

eva

tiny words of advice

Do more of what makes you happy.

for me that for example includes

playing cards

I'm a sucker for cards and board games making game nights one of my favorite ways to spend time with friends.

reading

currently it's the game of thrones series, they're absolutely amazing!

watching penguins

my favorite animals, they're dorky but cute at the same time.. and it's even possible to visit them for free here in Gothenburg

one of my goals in life is not to forget enjoying the little things in life despite how busy times can get.. and of all the goals I set myself, I'm pretty much sure it is my favorite one.


xx
eva

getting comfy

it's a study day in the rain.. 

it's raining like crazy today and just thinking about the fact that I'll have to leave my apartment later just gives me shivers

so until then it's just enjoying doing the best thing possible in this weather

having a hot drink

in truth, I don't really like most coffee but will never reject some hot chocolate or, even better, some chai latte. So, despite my disinterest in coffee my mug couldn't really fit me any better.

a big comfy sweater

no extra words needed on the necessity of those on rainy days

some big nice socks

warm toes are happy toes

and something to read

the literature could be more relaxing but schoolwork needs its share of attention too 

(and being the nerd I am, I actually find reading about conflict resolution to be pretty fun)

Enjoy your day!

xx

eva

chocolate heaven

here's something that's too good not to be shared

these are the most delicious chocolate cupcakes I have ever tasted..

they're incredibly moist and have the capability to turn the gloomiest day into some extraordinary phenomenon  filled with rainbows, unicorns and  sunshine.. alright, maybe you will not see any unicorns but damn, these are good.

the results from this recipe have taken various forms in my hands throughout the years

my favorite version of these cakes is without a doubt Jimmy Junior, the bear-like dog who served as a birthday present to a special someone last year

so, the recipe is as follows:

3 1/2 cup wheat

4 cups sugar

2 cups boiled water

1 cup oil

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup cacao

3 teaspoons baking soda 

3 teaspoons baking powder

(yes, both baking soda & powder)

2 teaspoons salt

2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract 

what you do couldn't be easier..

just sift the dry stuff together

then add the liquid stuff

and pour into baking tins/cups/whatever you want to use

bake at 175°c (347°F) for I guess 20-25 min.. just check them and see for yourself, they're supposed to be a little bit moist so if you stick a knife or a needle through them to see if they're ready, then don't freak out if a little bit of the dough sticks to it.. at that point they're actually just fine.

and yes.. it's a huge recipe and don't worry if the dough is very liquid, it's supposed to be that way.

and by cup I´m talking about somewhere around 150 dl.. I'm the type who never really sticks directly to the measurements in recipes and find it best just to use a regular coffee cup from the kitchen..

the frosting is just a regular buttercream:

100 gr soft margarine 

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

some confectioners sugar

and food coloring if wanted

just gradually add the confectioners sugar and taste as you go..

follow this recipe and your mouth will love you.

xx

eva

rainy days

The weather in my lovely Gothenburg is anything but nice today.. it's raining, it's windy and when biking to my place today I only saw three other persons on bikes instead of the usual hundred.. and knowing that it will continue to rain in the next couple of days is not really making it any better. 

This weather just makes me wanna go back to the sunny weather in London and get lost in Camden strolling through the markets and eating lots and lots of cheap and good food.

this was such an awesome trip!

xx

eva