Archives for October 2010

More cuteness.

Called Malmo.

The next day Hannah and I took a bus to Malmo. Despite being the third largest city in Sweden, it still felt pretty small. And cute.

We took a stroll down the main street, passing this gentleman and his companions on the way.

A little market was up and bustling. The vendor talked me out of the strawberries I was eying and assured us that we needed some fresh Swedish raspberries. I think he was right.

photo by Hannah

We visited a shop dedicated to specialty foods from America. It’s funny to see the items the shopkeeper stocked. Some of the brands were new to me, but I enjoyed the Boylan soda we used to sell at the Pickford.

photo by Hannah

The rest of our time in Malmo we skipped over cobblestones, relaxed in outdoor cafes, and looked longingly at the adorable buildings and rooftops. Not even the bloody headless pigeon could ruin the atmosphere.

photo by Hannah
photo by Hannah

After returning to Lund, we walked up to “the hill.” The hill probably couldn’t be smaller… but luckily it’s a pretty flat place so the view was rewarding.

We watched this guy try and fail multiple times to take off with the wind… so we thought. Turns out he was just practicing his steering skills.

xo, jill

"Look at the clouds!"

“And you can drink from the tap!”

The next morning I caught a quick train to Sweden. Until a few years ago, I never realized how close Sweden is to continental Europe. In my mind it was always swimming up there with Norway and Finland, far away from everywhere else.

(It’s worth noting that one of the first things I saw when entering the country was: IKEA!)

The train took me right into the little town of Lund. Look who was waiting for me at the station:

Hannah!

Hannah studied abroad in Lund a few years ago. She was in town visiting her friends who are still in school. It worked out well that our travel itineraries allowed for us to meet up. And it worked out especially well that one of her friends let us stay in his dorm while he was out. (Sweden is expensive!)

Hannah showed me around town, took me to her university, and to the local church. We admired the cute little houses and Swedish clouds, and ate lunch at a sandwich shop.

It was fun to see the adorable town that Hannah holds so close to her heart.

xo, jill

Communal living.

Danish style.

After my canal tour, I scurried back over to Christiania for a guided tour. Communes have always been fascinating to me so there was no way I was going to miss getting a peak inside this one.

Quick background info: In the 1970s citizens of Copenhagen broke into the old military barracks in Copenhagen and declared it a free state. The citizens of Christiania established their own rules and run the commune via a consensus system. Although the inhabitants are technically living there illegally, they pay double taxes to the state. First they pay as a citizen of Denmark, then they pay as the community of Christiania. Christiania even has it’s own postal system.

I highly recommend learning more about their living experiment.

While Christiania has historically been famous for selling hash, its other industries are receiving attention as well. For example, Christiania bikes are gaining popularity all over the world.

In addition to living in the old military barracks, some of the early residents built their own homes. Building is no longer allowed inside Christiania in and effort to protect the natural environment.

The weather during the tour was a bit rainy. Fortunately, it cleared up for this shot near the lake:

As you leave Christiania, you’ll notice this sign:

I chuckled.

At this point, my transit pass had expired so I decided to head back to the hostel. I muddled through the instructions at the laundromat across the street in pursuit of clean clothes and spent the rest of the evening in. I was the only person in my hostel that night so it was a good opportunity to rest before heading to Sweden the next morning.

xo, jill

Canals of Copenhagen

Watch your head.

While researching Copenhagen I wrote down “canal tour” on my list of activities. However, after spending a few fairly expensive days in town (compared to other travel destinations), I wasn’t so sure. But when my new travel friends all raved about their tours, I figured I might as well go for it.

After spending the morning at the Dansk Design Center (wow, those Danes are talented), I skipped up to Nyhavn to catch a canal tour.

The tour took us down the canals and under multiple low bridges.

The white house is where Hans Christian Andersen lived for a time…

The opera house was surprisingly modern…

The famous mermaid statue was off visiting Shanghai. But don’t worry… you can still catch a satellite feed of her on the other side of this screen.

The inventor of Excel’s little weekend skiff…

Beautiful old warehouses…

A pretty little scene…

A new (wishful) investment…

A lighthouse ship…

I enjoyed seeing the city from a gorgeous new perspective. I’m glad I took the advice of my fellow travelers.

xo, jill

"Fee-yord"

… always be fun to say.

My second full day in Copenhagen I took a quick train ride out to Roskilde, a town on the edge of the Roskilde fijord. Because it was a Monday, the main street looked like this:

A quiet day in town, for sure.

Unfortunately the rain began to pour as I stepped off the train. My miracle shoes, recently defeated by cobblestones, didn’t hold up long in the puddles. The first stop of my sightseeing was inside a supermarket. I needed a pair of galoshes!

With my feet nice and dry, I was ready to explore the area. I stopped by the local museum to get a feel for the town. Roskilde was the medieval capital of Denmark and is now famous for an annual rock festival.

The cathedral in town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so I made sure to stop in for a look.

My intentions were to have a nice picnic lunch near the water by the viking ships. The combination of a long walk, my sore feet, and the drizzly rain left me pretty tuckered out by the time I reached the water. I took a quick look at a viking ship before catching the bus back to the train station.

Back in Copenhagen I wandered back over to Christiana. A friend had recommended a good vegetarian restaurant in the area. Luckily I stumbled upon the place without trying too hard to locate it. It was there that I had another bowl of delicious delicious very good (and expensive) soup.

Most attractions close early in Copenhagen but I didn’t want to waste any time in the city. Having bought a Copenhagen Card, I was determined to get my money’s worth by visiting as many of the supported attractions as possible. When the only place open in the evening happened to be The Wonderful World of Hans Christian Andersen, I thought it might be worth a look. The minute I entered, I felt… silly. I was the only visitor in the showroom that was certainly set up for children with very cheesy reenactments of fairy tales. When I came to the scene from The Emperor Has No Clothes, I just had to take a picture. Of course as soon as I did a family walked up behind me. What a perv, Jill.

xo, jill

Happy to report…

…the school year is going along swimmingly.

(yep, that’s my naughty-naughty).

xo, jill

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