Gothenburg

... and two weeks later I finally decide to write about Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city behind, of course, Stockholm. Gothenburg is largely lost in the shadow of Stockholm and nearby Oslo and Copenhagen, and while I have only visited one of those for comparison's sake, I can't really understand why it's so unknown. First of all, Gothenburg's Swedish pronunciation (Göteborg = YUH - teh - bor - ee) is WAY cooler than the pronunciation of any of the other cities. Second, it has everything that a European capital would have to offer... without the capital price tag.

My favorite part of Gothenburg was by far the coastline. The harbor is actually Sweden's busiest and provided for some awesome scenery. The port is ancient and its use likely dates back to the Viking era. While the Vikings are often (rightfully) stereotyped for sea conquer and pillage, most were simple fishermen and farmers. Their isolation in Scandinavia forced them to connect with the rest of the world via shipping. As a side note, the building on the right side of the picture below is dubbed the "lipstick" building and was about the ugliest thing I've seen to date in Europe. Touche on the harbor, Gothenburg, but that building... REALLY?

A 24-hour pass for the public transportation got us access to the islands along the coastline, which were beautiful. While we were walking around on the streets we found places to walk a little off the beaten path and take some pictures of the harbor and westward scenery. There were not too many tourist attractions or businesses on the islands, they were predominantly residential. It was nice to not have the mob of people around, though.

My Fodor's Travel guide (thanks, Christine!) notes that from 1995 to 2005, 8 of the 10 "Swedish Chef of the Year) winners were from Gothenburg. From my experience, the food in Gothenburg was excellent, and the city blew Copenhagen out of the water in that department. Cafe's and restaurants were everywhere, and I got to sample some of the local fare at a fresh fish market, which was originally a church (shown below). It was hands-down the best seafood salad sandwich... ever.

Speaking of churches, this city was downright loaded with them (seems to be a European trend). The church shown below is the Haga Church and was the only church that we were able to enter. There was a music performance just beginning inside when we entered.

The most famous (but certainly not the most beautiful) church was probably Gothenburg Cathedral. However, there was this large, brick church that had to be the best I've seen yet, in Scandinavia anyway. Unfortunately, it was closed and thus I could not take a look at the inside.

Another highlight of the Gothenburg expedition was definitely the museums. We visited two during the trip, Stadsmusset (City Museum) and Röhsska Museet (Museum of Arts and Crafts). While the latter was interesting, the City Museum is definitely Gothenburg's gem and a must-see if you're going to visit. The building was a warehouse and auction room for the Swedish East India Company in the mid-18th century and the museum itself focuses on Gothenburg's and Scandinavia's trading and nautical history. It actually hold's Sweden's only preserved Viking ship. Pictures were not allowed in any of the museums, so I can't show anyone the ship's remains. For a little more on the Vikings, the word "Viking" was coined from "vik-," I can't remember if the word was Latin or otherwise, which means "anchoring in the harbor." While Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus get all of the glory in the United States for discovering the Americas, it was actually Leif Ericson, a Viking, who first sailed the St. Lawrence River, about 500 years before Columbus landed on the Caribbean islands. No permanent Norse establishment was created there, mainly because beforehand the Viking explorers attempted to bring their people to Greenland (great idea, right?), and nobody would listen to the explorers after the botched settlements there.

There was also a fortress atop a hill near the city's center, from which we were able to take panoramic pictures of Gothenburg.

As a final note about Gothenburg, after visiting London I really appreciated the complete lack of large tour groups (at least when I was there). My next post will be about London and I can tell you that the large tour groups in London took away from the experience a little bit. They crowded the streets and were incredibly loud and annoying while passing by. Gr.

Vadstena

I guess keeping a blog is completely pointless if I don't update it once in a while, though time here doesn't necessarily feel all that long (this is going by WAY too fast).

But, anyway, about a week and a half ago I made a day trip with my peer student, Martin, to a small town called Vadstena, about an hour from Linköping. In our experiences, we've all learned that good things come in small packages, and this town is no exception. Its population is only about 5,700, but the town is loaded with Renaissance-era relics and beautiful architecture.

The main attraction in the town is Vadstena Castle. King Gustav Vasa began construction of the castle in 1545, and it was completed in 1620. It was originally intended as a military fortress, but was also built as a castle for the royal family. Until 1716, it served as a castle and fortress, but was used to store grain thereafter. It now houses the Regional Archives. Honestly, it was like something out of a fairy tale. The castle was entirely surrounded by a moat and placed alongside Lake Vättern, which made for some beautiful scenery.

Vadstena is also famous for its monastery and Vadstena Abbey, the roots of the Bridgettine Order. The Abbey was founded in the early 1300's by Saint Bridget under King Magnus II. A palace, constructed in the 13th century, which served as a home for a powerful family, was donated to Vadstena Abbey upon its founding.

St. Bridget's church was constructed in the 1400's, and the current town grew around the Abbey. Some of the wooden sculptures inside the church had dates in the 1400's, but since I could not read the captions (they were in Swedish), I do not know if they were replicas or authentic pieces.

As I mentioned before, the church was loaded with historical relics. The tomb of Prince Magnus, who died in 1595, is actually on display near the entrance. Engravings in the floors of the churches often indicate tombs as well, and this church was loaded with such sights.

St. Anne with virgin and child, mid-15th century.

Some more random Sweden-US comparisons:

In stores, sales tax is already included in the prices you see. I had no clue that the items were taxed when I first came here, and I just thought that the Swedish government paid for its extensive entitlement programs exclusively through income and business taxes.

The postal services are largely privatized, contradicting the American stereotype of Swedish socialism. According to my peer student, the system is similar to that of the United States, based on the description that I gave him.

Unlike the United States, students receive a great deal of financial help from the Swedish government. I've probably already mentioned that there is no tuition, not even for international students. Additionally, students (Swedish citizens) receive 2500 SEK/ month from the Swedish government, pending good academic standing, and low interest rate loans are also available to cover the remainder of living costs. However, there are few, if any, outright scholarships or grants (I guess the 2500 SEK stipend can be viewed as a scholarship?)

Kiruna

Looks like I haven't updated in a while... well, Monday I got back from a 4-day trip to Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost city. The only unfortunate aspect of the trip was the nearly 20-hour train transport each way, the majority of which was in sleeper trains. For some reason Allison is jealous because I was on a sleeper train... Allison, they are NOT comfy and cozy haha, but when you're with 60 of your friends, it's fun.

First day: We arrived to Kiruna over 3 hours late because the sleeper train broke down overnight. That afternoon, I went on a tour of the iron ore and copper mines in Kiruna, which are major sources of income for the city. The tourist office wasn't offering tours that day but recommended that we contact an older, retired tour guide for a private tour. As it turned out, the private tour was actually cheaper and, from what I heard from others who went on the city's tour, much more interesting. He gave us a rundown of the mines' history, how the city was developed around the mines, and explained the process used to dig the tunnels and extract the ore.

Then, we got a little surprise... the tour guide actually grew and sold shii-take mushrooms in the mines. We got to take some back to the hostel for free and cook with them... yummy.

That night, a group of about 30 of us from the hostel climbed to the top of a ski slope in town to catch a glimpse of the northern lights. It was bitter cold outside (the city is WELL north of the Arctic Circle) and a clear night, so we got a very good view. However, they weren't bright enough to be picked up by my camera. I have a couple of pictures of the city from the top of the slope.

Day 2: A group of us decided to walk down to Kiruna Camping and rent snowshoes. The company had a ton of trails in the woods and we caught some great views of the wilderness around Kiruna. Where you may expect just Arctic tundra, given Kiruna's latitude, the city was surrounded by evergreen forests. Reindeer and moose are actually native to these forests, and reindeer is practically a delicacy in Kiruna (I didn't get to try it).

A dinner and a party was organized for the students that night. The dinner was a buffet at a restaurant attached to the hostel, and we went to one of the TWO bars in Kiruna for the party.

Third Day: On the first day of the trip, we tried going to Kiruna Church and, just our stroke of luck, the church was closed. I went back alone on Day 3 and was actually able to get in. It was probably one of the most beautiful buildings I had ever seen. While many of the churches in Sweden are built out of stone, Kiruna's Church was built more recently and was entirely made of wood (and probably some steel for support). Another interesting feature was the bell tower, which was separate from the church and an architectural masterpiece in itself.

Then came the highlight of the trip: DOGSLEDDING!! The company gave us warm weather gear (body suit, hat, mittens, insulated boots, etc.) and grouped us into fours. I can honestly say that I have never seen the night sky like I did once we were a few kilometers into the woods, it was magnificient. We did not get a view of the auroras while on the sled, but just the stars alone were more than worth it. There was a teepee along the trail where we were able to start a fire and warm up with tea, coffee, and snacks.



Later that night we went out for one last view of the northern lights. We went to the same teepee we saw while showshoeing and got a GREAT view. Again, my camera was not able to pick them up, so no pictures here.

Fourth Day: Before leaving Kiruna we visited the Ice Hotel just outside of the city. I have to say it was probably the most interesting structure I have ever seen. Indeed, people can stay in the hotel. Some of the rooms were very simple, just beds inside of a snow room, but some (the expensive ones) contained ice sculptures worked on for weeks by professional ice artists, for lack of a better word, from around the world. The walls and general strcuture were composed of artificial snow, and ice blocks were used as supports and carved for decorations. All of the water used to make the snow and ice blocks is obtained from the nearby Torne River.

The Ice Hotel is not just a hotel. There was a church (of course, made of snow and ice) attached, and the Ice Hotel is actually a fairly popular spot for weddings and honeymoons. The hotel is only open from December to March and, during that time, the church is able to hold the third-most weddings per year of any individual church in Sweden. There were actually three planned for the day that we were there.

There was also an ice bar inside the hotel. Even the glasses were made of ice! You actually have to buy your glass and, to keep it from melting/shattering, you're only allowed 4-5 drinks per glass (though one person once got 22 drinks out of one, a record).

Copenhagen

So, last weekend I went with eight other exchange students to visit Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. We stayed in a hostel called "Sleep-in-Heaven" (Allison, you're taking notes, right? haha) which was walking distance from all of the main attractions in the city and the central train station. Actually, we went everywhere by foot, and were all exhausted by Sunday night.

Our first stop in Copenhagen was the Statens Museum for Kunst, home to the royal art collection. Inside were exhibitions of modern art, Danish art dating back to the 18th century, and international art dating as far back as the 14th century. My favorite pieces were probably the older paintings with religious or historical motifs. I have shown below a 550-year-old painting entitled "The Good Thief," showing the crucifixion of St. Dismas, who was executed alongside Jesus.

Next, we visited Rosenborg Castle, which was clearly visible from the museum. It was built in 1606 as a Summer Palace, that's right, a "vacation spot," so to speak, for King Christian IV. This structure was like something out of a fairy tale. It was surrounded by a moat with what appeared to be a drawbridge, and surrounding all of that was a large park. There were armed guards at the main entrance dressed in traditional uniforms.

Of course, you can't visit Copenhagen without seeing the Little Mermaid, which was sculpted and placed in the harbor in 1913. It was inspired by the play "The Little Mermaid" and symbolizes a fairy tale by Danish poet Christian Andersen. In a nutshell, the plot mirrors that of Disney's "The Little Mermaid," except that in the Disney version there is a happy ending.

We also visited the royal palace and the Church of Frederik before the first day was up. The Church of Frederik's dome was inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the inside was magnificient. One of my favorite things about Scandanavia is definitely the presence of old churches.

The second day in Copenhagen was all about the government buildings.... and Christiania. We visited the Danish Parliament and saw what was probably my favorite building in the city, the Danish Stock Exchange. The stock exchange was originally built as a marketplace in the 1620's and is the oldest stock exchange in all of Europe. Most interesting was the spire, which is formed by the interweaving tails of four dragons.

Now for the little segment on Christiania. This is a section of Copenhagen that was once declared a lawless free state by its founders. Thus, it became a safe-haven for, and symbol of, the free use of drugs and sexual expression. Of course, the area was eventually annexed by the Danish government and the use and sale of drugs has been banned. Christiania, though, is still a national symbol of sexual freedom and, of course, illegal drugs. Imagine Woodstock, except people actually live there. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, unfortunately.

And now for my favorite stop of the trip, the observatory, where we took 360-degree panoramic pictures of the city.

Air Force Museum!!!

On Saturday I paid my first visit to the Swedish Air Force museum, which is actually right on the outskirts of town and only about a 10-minute bike ride from my building. The place wasn't enormous but it was by far the most interesting thing I've seen since coming here (that's going to change very, very soon). Aviation has played a large role in the history of Linköping. Though the city itself has been here for a while, it underwent a cultural and economic transformation when, one day, Saab Aerospace decided that it would be a good place for a plant. Saab actually manufactured a lot of the jets in the museum, though the first fighters and trainers of the Swedish Air Force were actually purchased from the UK and France. Just to show you how quickly the Europeans caught onto aviation, the Wright Brothers first set flight in 1903. Sweden bought its first trainer from I believe it was the UK, might have been France, in 1907. The US government first denounced the idea of air defense as folly. My camera battery ran out ten minutes into our visit, so I will be going back soon to take more pictures.

This plane was on display right outside of the entrance and I believe it is the Saab 32 Larsen, though I could be wrong as I may have forgotten exactly what the sign next to it said. The blue emblem with the three gold crowns is the emblem of the Swedish Air force.

Most of the planes you see in the picture are not models, they are former in-service aircraft. Some of the more recent ones even had the artillery still attached (but I'm sure not loaded). There were some that we could walk inside of and many of the engines were reverse-engineered and on display. It was interesting to see the progression from in-line cylinders to rotary-style to current jet engines. Actually, the planes inside were arranged chronologically and the side railing was measured out to be as long as the Wright Brothers' first flight.

In other news, the Exchange Student Network put on a Welcome Dinner for all exchange students on Saturday night and served up what was probably the best meal I'll have on Swedish soil. Then Sunday night I visited my peer student and got my first taste of Swedish delivery pizza, in stark contrast to Allison's dining at a 17th-century pub. This weekend I will finally get my first chance to do some actual travelling as I am booked to spend the weekend with seven other students in Copenhagen. It's going to be a blast.