Walks

What a beautiful city!

I've lived in several beautiful places but Stockholm seems to be in a category of its own. 

(my tiny Gothenburg heart is squeaking while I type this... no worries, I still love you GBG)

Large green areas, beautiful buildings and  great waters=  lovely large city with nature visible all around.

I guess I'm a sucker for the easy access waterfront, it´s absolutely everywhere and I love it!

I'm looking forward to more weekend walks this autumn!

xx

E

Drottningholm

I've only visited Stockholm during winter so it was very nice to get to explore the city in proper summer weather this weekend. 

Yesterday I went to Drottningholm. For those who don't know, it's the residency of the Swedish royal family complete with a palace, gardens and a lot of naked statutes. 

The weather was amazing and the area surrounding the palace was absolutely beautiful, I'm very sure that if I had lived in Stockholm over the summer I would have spent a few days relaxing in the park there. 

waiting for the bus

it was a bit tempting to cool off in these

the palace and one of the many naked statutes

smart kid doing what I should have done

Now it's just hoping that there will (magically) be some more of this awesome 20+ degree weather the next weekends. 

Not really likely but one can always hope! :)

xx

E

Off on a train

For the fifth time in my life I've packed my bags and moved to a new place. 

However, this time around it's slightly different. Firstly, I moved within the same country and secondly,  I somehow managed to break my habit of moving to places where I have never been before as I've visited the city.

This time around it´s Stockholm.

Lovely, beautiful, lively Stockholm, at least for the next few months.

The first week at work has passed and it seems like it has flown by.

Everything is new, busy and exciting and I hope to keep things busy and exciting for the entire stay :)

entertainment: essential on early morning trains when sleep is not an option

the daily ritual

the view ten meters from my front door, I won't complain.

I love passing through this environment on the way to work

Heaven in a cone! 

 It looks like the last bit of  Swedish summer will be visiting this weekend and I'm planning to be out and about to take a proper advantage of it...

most likely with another ice cream.

xx

E

Oslo in a day

Yesterday I went on a day trip to Oslo with some good friends. 

I love how easy it is to go on cheap little trips here by simply jumping on the bus or the train (something that is not really an option on the good old North-Atlantic island).

Great people, great weather, great city.

xx

E

Göteborgs Kulturkalas

The Gothenburg culture festival took place this weekend which meant loads of people all over town, a bunch of concerts and tempting food options.

Break dancing champions bringing it in at the end of their show

This girl had awesome hula skills and was bouncing off four pieces at a time. Given that my record is probably spinning a single one of those for ten seconds, I was very impressed.

12 more days in this lovely city and then I´m off to a Stockholm adventure for the next few months. 

I guess that means I better start packing.

xx

E

Photo recap

I'm without a laptop these days as I had to send it to a repair shop for a few days, but that's no excuse for no updates.
I tend to take a lot of pics that I never upload anywhere. Sometimes I even edit some with instagram but don't post them. That actually happens with most of my instagram pics.
So while going through my phone I found some summer pictures I thought I might share.

The first time I ever saw a hedgehog. I think it´s safe to say that I was more excited than him.

My Joanna.

There have been a few air balloons flying round my neighborhood this summer. I find them fascinating but unbelievably scary at the same time. I'd probably faint if I ever took a ride in one.

Slottsskogen's sunshine.

xx

E

Sweet Summer

The Swedish weather keeps rockin it this summer which means there have been a few trips to the beach.

It's hard to believe that the same place that was mostly cold, rainy and windy at the same time last year has now had almost an entire summer with +20°c weather.

Pale skinned me is even starting to get a tiny hint of a tan.

Lovely life!

x

E

The Wieliczka salt mine

While in Poland we visited the Wieliczka salt mine. 

In total the mine tunnels span around 300 kilometers and, according to our guide, it would take five months to cover all of them.. and yes, you'd most definitely get lost. It was amazing to walk through tunnel after tunnel knowing that you're only seeing a tiny proportion of this giant structure (less than 2% to be more precise). 

There weren't many good opportunities for photography down there since we were walking, rather quickly, in a tour through very dark tunnels. However, as amazing as it sounds, there is an entire cathedral located in the mine and I took a few photos as we passed through it.

Just as anywhere else in the mine, almost everything in the cathedral is made from salt: the walls, floors, ceilings and sculptures. Even the crystals of the chandeliers are nothing but salt. 

Pretty impressive stuff.

An awesome place to visit and most definitely worth the seemingly countless steps down. 

Plus on the way up you get sort of an adventure ride; you're squeezed into a tiny industrial elevator with eight other people, speeding up around 130 meters in almost complete darkness.

An awesome day!

xx

E

Krakow street art

I love beautiful street art. It brings life and color to otherwise boring plain walls.

Krakow had some beautiful pieces and I'm pretty sure we would have seen a lot more of it I we had spent more time outside of the city center.

I am in love with this one. Whoever made this, you've got some awesome talent!

I saw this bunny at couple of spots around the city and I'm pretty sure there's more of them. After all, bunnies reproduce quite quickly, right?

This one has some impressive details.  People with this kind of talent absolutely amaze me.

It's a wonderful different side of Krakow

xx

E

Back from Poland

We visited Auschwitz while in Poland as it is located very close to Krakow. 

The trip was emotionally draining with some areas particularly hard to visit. Having been mentally and physically exhausted after only a one day excursion, I find it impossible to even imagine how some prisoners survived years at the camp. 

However, I am glad that I went there. As uncomfortable it is to visit, the site is a pressing reminder of  the importance of never repeating the mistakes of the past, and of the importance of upholding a society based on equality, love and respect.

Before arriving I was sure I would take quite a lot of pictures but once you're there and see the devastating surroundings and read testimonies of the horrible treatment of camp prisoners, intense photography just doesn't seem right. Here are the few pictures I took.

(clicking on the photos will increase the resolution)

A part of the "Arbeit macht frei" sign at the Auschwitz I entrance.

These suitcases were among the property of camp prisoners plundered by the Nazis.  Each suitcase was carefully marked by the owner, who never got to retrieve the luggage.

Fences at Auschwitz I

Brick barracks at Auschwitz-Birkenau

Flowers at the end of the railway inside Auschwitz-Birkenau. The "Gate of Death" can be seen in the background.

A rose laying on one of the bunks inside a wooden barrack at Auschitwz-Birkenau.

Now, apart from this depressing visit, our trip to Poland was great. Krakow is such a beautiful and lively city with so many interesting things to do and see. 

I promise there will be some more uplifting posts from the trip in the next days.

xx

E