Reading days

Since wrapping up school work I've been reading, and that pretty much non-stop.

Books together with comfy pillows, tea and chocolate never fails

xx
E

London Zoo

The ZSL London Zoo was among the places we visited in London

This spot quickly became one of my all time favorite spots for photography. I love photographing the animals because nothing quite beats the beauty and the colors of mother nature.

It is a bit saddening though to walk through the zoo and see how many of these beautiful animals are either endangered or have hit a level of vulnerability. It's a little bit more uplifting though to know that these animals are carefully cared by professionals, and to find out that places such as the London Zoo actively run conservation programs all over the world to conserve the species and their habitats.

Here are some of the pictures we took during our visit.

I wanna go back!

xx

E

The backyard

There are few places in Gothenburg that offer a better view than my neighborhood, Masthugget. After a day spent mostly inside I decided to grab my camera and head over to the hill right behind my building to enjoy the view before the sun went down.

After all, one of the things I've learnt over here is that sunshine is not really abundant in Gothenburg, you've got to catch it while you can.

It really is a privilege to only have to take a few steps out of your building to enjoy such beautiful scenery.

I can't wait until the weather bumps up a few more degrees because this lovely place is the perfect spot for some barbecuing and beer.

xx

E

My little escape

Sometimes when I need to take a little break from the things I'm doing (these days "things" mostly refer to thesis writing) I  like to grab my camera and take pictures of random things or places. I find it to be a nice way to relax a bit.

It's a bit cold outside so tonight I decided to stay inside and try to catch my room on camera (by clicking on the photos, you get a larger display)

Living in a small student room means that it's a bit hard to divide the living space into areas. I decided to hang up an old lace curtain in order to separate the entrance from the rest of the room, it's not much but it sort of works.

My Game of Thrones calendar proudly on display. Yeah, I'm a terrible sucker for both the books and the show.

My front door is magnetic so it's almost completely covered with pictures. This little message is there to send me out into the day in a good way. 

The room is not big and being rented I can't put up any hooks. That's why I'm really glad about these knobs above my bed, they make storing things slightly easier.

A part of my desk and the string lights that literally hang all around my room. It's amazing what one string with 100 clear bulbs can do for a little room.

Yeah, that's about it. My little Swedish home.

My little Friday night snack also got captured in a few photos. Strawberries and blueberries dipped in 70% chocolate and coconut flakes. Followed by one cold beer.

Sweet, sweet Friday

xx

Eva

Anywhere in the world

Tonight I had an interesting discussion with some of my kitchen mates (I live in a student housing where I share a kitchen with other students). The question was asked: If you could be from any place in the world, what would it be?

Some countries got mentioned but when the turn came to me I didn't hesitate. Unlike the others I said I wouldn't change a thing, Iceland it is. The reason is simply that despite having lived in four other countries nothing comes close to beating home, even though I've really enjoyed my time in all of the places I've been. 

There's just something about it. The nature is truly one of a kind and I'll be the first to admit that I didn't appreciate its true beauty until I spent time away from it all. Only then was the first time that I saw the uniqueness about it.

Not only is the nature beautiful but you can also really grasp the power of it. That power is something that I haven't felt to as much extent in most other places. Maybe the emotional connection I have towards the country enhances that sense of natural power.  However I think the most deciding factor for me is the fact that you only needs to take a short walk outside of town to see clear examples of nature's power, such as lava rocks or strong ocean waves. 

That's how near the nature is. The nature is there, it's constantly present and constantly reminding you of itself, whether it's through stormy weather, northern lights or volcanic ashes settling down on your windowsill. 

Of course nobody's perfect, Iceland still has issues that need to be addressed whether they are economic, political or social.  When taken into a larger perspective these issues however become minor and to me mostly serve as a reminder of the privilege of being born in a safe and healthy environment.

The nature, the location, the size of the population, the language, the culture, the history. In my view all these things create some sort of quirkiness that makes it a privilege to be able to say this is where I'm from. To me this quirkiness gets confirmed in the reaction of almost every single person who asks me where I'm from. The reactions describe some fascination with a country that is so close but still so far away.

I'm a lucky one for being able to call this place my home and hopefully it won't be too long until I get to visit it again.

xx

E 

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