Slut (it means 'the end' in Danish)

So I come home tomorrow. I can't believe it. I am writing this to put off packing.. I have already finished with my clothes but I don't want to take apart my room yet because it's too depressing. I am SO excited to come back to the States tomorrow but really sad to leave this place that really started to feel like another home.

The past few weeks have been filled with COP15, finals, julehygge and christmas traditions with my family and just enjoying and exploring different parts of the city that my friends and I haven't been to. COP15 has turned the city upside down and it's a different town than when we got there. There are tons of (other) foreigners and all of a sudden I'm not the most clueless any more. It's a good feeling. There have also been a ton of free concerts (we've seen Nephew and Outlandish) and speakers (Desmond Tutu was my favorite, we also saw the prime minister of Norway and the UN climate man) and the general exhibitions etc are interesting and informative. It's a really cool time to be here. Besides COP15, Christmastime is a generally an amazing time in Denmark. It's really different because something like over 90% of Danes celebrate Christmas so the traditions are pretty much national. I can't wait to tell you all about them! And the Christmas foods are great, too. :) I finished finals yesterday (freedom!) so now I am just waiting for my grades in January.

Anyways, I should finish packing and get ready to go to the DIS closing ceremony today. Afterwards, I am going to a special restaurant with my host family that is all Danish design. I take off tomorrow a little before 9 and should be back in the 203 by dinner time. I still can't believe it. See you soon!!

Thanksgiving and Prague

I just got to spend the most wonderful week with my family and Dave in Copenhagen and in Prague. Mom, Dad and Matt arrived early Monday morning and Jesper and I were waiting at the airport with smiles and Danish flags. They checked into the hotel and then I sent them on a canal tour while I went to class. Matt and Mom enjoyed a nap but that is okay because this was the rainiest time of their trip. We met for lunch and then went up to the Round Tower to have a view of all of Copenhagen. That night, we met Jesper, Rikke and Anders for drinks before going to a really nice restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed a lot of family time and we went to a cute cafe for dessert and then I showed them around the center of Copenhagen while it was all lit up at night.

Tuesday brought more classes for me but also going to the King's Gardens, Rosenborg Castle and seeing the crown jewels. They were AWESOME. I just could not believe how big the stones were in the crowns and necklaces. My mom and I were very impressed. When I went to class, I sent my family to eat some traditional Danish food at Ida Davidsen's and apparently they had quite the experience. After my class, I picked Dave up from the station and we met my parents at the hotel room. Then we went to Christmas (Jul) Tivoli. The park was absolutely gorgeous all decorated for Christmas. There were lights and christmas markets and gnomes (elves) everywhere. We went on rides and had a great dinner, it was really a wonderful night.

Wednesday morning we left for Prague, which is an awesome city. We checked into the hotel and wandered around the old town square, where there is a famous clock and church. It was also being set up for Christmas, so it was beautiful. We also went to a concert of a string quartet in an old church. They played Vivaldi's Four Seasons and some other pieces, too. They were very good. Everything in Prague was old and beautiful. And much cheaper than Copenhagen, which was nice. Thursday we spent finding and walking the Coronation path that the Kings of Prague used to take in order to get crowned. This took us over the Charles Bridge and to the Prague Castle, which was really really neat. We wandered around for a bit and then went to a marionette show, which is really special to Prague. It was really cool, despite the fact that it was in Italian and we couldn't really follow what was going on. Then it was time to celebrate Thanksgiving. For dinner, we actually found a place that served turkey! It was an American special. We went around and talked about what we are thankful for and said grace and everything. Later on, we skyped with the Iassognas back in Connecticut while they were getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. It was really a nice way to see everyone and remember what is important on a holiday like Thanksgiving. I really had a lot to be thankful for this year.

On Friday, we came home from Prague and picked up our rental car, or should I say rental bus. The company "upgraded us to a van" which in Denmark apparently means from a midsized family car to a 9 person passenger van. It is possibly the only one of these in Denmark, land of the ecofriendly. We drove to my host family's house to cook pasta and gravy... which ended up being a huge success. I am so lucky that my families get along so well! Everyone enjoyed Mom's gravy and good old American apple pie and pumpkin pie.

Saturday was a tour of northern and western Zealand and we went to the viking museum and cathedral in Roskilde and then drove up to Helsingor to see Krongborg Castle. My dad and Dave really enjoyed Roskilde's viking museum and my dad even got to see a fjord, which he had been looking forward to. We hung around at a flea market in the center of Roskilde's shopping street and then saw the cathedral where all Danish royalty is buried. It was really neat because Denmark's monarchy is the oldest in Europe and has not yet been broken, so all royalty is related. By the time we got to the Krongborg castle, it was kind of late, so instead of going through the whole castle, we went in the casemates (the tunnels underneath the castle), the chapel (one of the only original parts of the castle interior left) and checked out the grounds. Afterwards, we went back home to a 3 course Danish meal prepared by my host mom and family. We had a great sit down dinner with everyone (Mom, Dad, Matt, me, Dave, Helle, Jesper, Ida, Rikke and Andres) and it was really just a nice night. After a delicious meal and good conversation, I showed my family pictures of home: my house, around town (including the Diner, which Ida thought was so cool, haha) and my family. They couldn't believe how big the family is! It was really great to finally show them pieces from the US.. now they have some sort of idea of what I talk about when I tell all my stories.

Dave stayed until Monday, but my parents had to leave on Sunday. After wishing them a safe flight, Dave and I spent some quality family time when we went to Rikke's apartment for some "Christmas Hygge" which is basically when you sit around with your family and get "cozy" and eat lots of Christmas desserts, which was fabulous and delicious. We also played Trivial Persuit and Dave was MVP, per usual.. I guess some things don't change even with language barriers and jet lag. I have a lot of recipes to try out when I get home.. maybe our Italian desserts will have some Danish variety added to them this year. Another special aspect of this Sunday was that it was the first Sunday of advent, which means in Denmark, it is time for the first round of presents. When they are little, Danish kids might get presents EVERY DAY of December! But when they get older, the presents get consolidated into four nicer presents on each Sunday. My host mom has presents for Ida, Rikke and I for each Sunday of Advent, which is pretty cool. I am so lucky :). I got a few traditional Danish Christmas decorations, including a countdown candle with 24 marks on it... you burn the candle down a mark each day until you arrive at Christmas eve, the most important day of celebration in the Danish Christmas tradition. I also received an Advent calendar that is a big scratch card: instead of opening doors of chocolate each day, you scratch off a different box... at the end of the month you could win up to 1 million kroner! Merry Christmas to you!

The next few weeks are filled with work but also Christmas and end of semester celebrations and receptions, etc. I can't believe the end of my adventure is approaching so quickly! So far, it has been truly amazing, and I know the next few weeks will be wonderful, too.

Christmas at the Kronborg. Beautiful!
Mom and I dressed up at the Viking Museum in Roskilde.
Charles Bridge in Prague! If you look over Dave's shoulder you can kind of see the Prague Castle.

Matty and I in front of the Christmas tree in Prague's Old Town Square.

Dad and I in the King's Gardens right outside Rosenborg Castle.

Dave and I in Christmas Tivoli, in the Christmas town exhibit they had in the center.

Istanbul!

Istanbul was one of the most amazing cities I have ever been to. It was vibrant and colorful and so alive. I travelled with a group that went along with a class at DIS and the people I was on the trip with were great. I learned a lot academically through the things we got to experience and people we talked to, etc. This post will do no justice to the trip, so I will have to tell you about it when I see you in person!

One thing I do not have pictures of is the Turkish Hamam. A Turkish hamam is a bath house and a type of spa. My friends and I decided to go all out and get the whole luxury treatment. This means that we got bathed, a soap scrub and an oil massage all by the "mamas," which are large, saggy Turkish women who smack your butt when it's time to turn over. In between, we got to go in the hot tub and just relax. It was definitely a bonding experience because everyone was naked and experiencing something completely different for the first time. The girls and I had a great afternoon there!

We went to the Prince's Islands on one of the days and got a tour via a horse and buggy ride of the largest island. Here, besides seeing some beautiful sights, we met some of the members of the Greek minority and learned about minority status in Turkey.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to meet some Turkish students who are studying in Istanbul. This was the first night when we met them over hookah and Turkish tea. We ended up going out to the bars and clubs with them a few nights that week. They were really awesome and we had a lot of fun together. I have even kept in touch with a few since I got back to Copenhagen!
This is in the 1500 year old Haga Sofia. It is one of the most incredible buildings I have ever seen. It is a really neat piece of history because it was originally a church and was then converted into a mosque. There are remnants of both Islam and Christianity, which is so neat.
Haga Sofia from the outside. It's pretty spectacular. Also, note the palm tree. There were all trees whose leaves were changing colors and roses were in bloom. The weather was gorgeous while we were there - between 65 and 70 and generally sunny! It was such a nice change from Copenhagen.
This is my friend Kat and I in the Blue Mosque. The building is beautiful, very open comfortable. As women, we had to cover our hair, our elbows and our legs to our knees.
This is the view at night from a bar we were at. It was pretty spectacular.
We went on a cruise on the Bosporus the first day we were there. It was a great way to get our bearings and we got some great views of both the European and Asian sides of the city.
This is one of the main entrances to the Grand Bazaar! The place is ridiculous, with people asking you buy something everywhere you turn. It is also so easy to get lost in the carpets and scarves because after a while, everything starts to look the same. It was really fun bargaining down, too! I was much better here than I was in Hong Kong!
Out the back of the Topeki Palace. GORGEOUS.
The front entrance of the Topeki Palace.
Inside the Topeki palace with Kat.. look at all the tiles. The whole place was so detailed and absolutely gorgeous.

On our first night, we had a traditional Turkish dinner and this is the plate of desserts we got to choose from. The food in Turkey was unbelievably good and there was a lot of variety, too.

I can't wait to tell you more about Turkey when I see you in person! It was really an awesome awesome trip and I am so blessed to have gotten to travel there. Now my parents will arrive in Copenhagen tomorrow and Dave will come on Tuesday! I am so excited to show them around my new home :)

Milan & Bra

After waking up at 3 am, taking two night busses and a shuttle to get to the airport, I took my 5 euro flight from Paris to Milan to go meet Emily Goldman, a good friend from high school, and share some Newtown love in Italy. Emily is studying ecogastronomy and hospitality and the poor girl is REQUIRED to go to Bra, Italy and study food and wine for the semester as part of her major. Sounds tough, right? She gets to travel all over the country going to vineyards and olive oil refineries and learns about the history and production of different Italian foods. Needless to say, I ate very very well when I was with her and her friends. I also never thought anyone could love food as much as Emily as, and she found a group of 5 or so who are just about as passionate as she is.

We spent the first day wandering around Milan, and I have to say that I'm not that fond of the city itself. We were mostly around the train station, but still, it was not that impressive. Maybe the city center is better. Also, no one could point us to good shopping, which was rather surprising in one of the fashion capitals of the world. Anyways, after perusing a few shops and getting lunch and gelato, we hopped on a train to Bra, a few hours away.

Bra is a small city, exactly what you would think of when you think countryside Italy: cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, rooftop/balcony gardens, bakeries etc etc. The first night we were there, we went to aperativo with a few of her friends, which is this sweet deal where you go to a bar and order drinks and get all sorts of appetizer foods (as much as you want) for free. There should be more places like this in the world. We spent the night hanging out with her friends and it was so nice and relaxing. I really liked Emily's friends, and it was neat to finally put faces to names I've heard so many stories about.

On Thursday, we walked around Bra in the morning and Emily and her "foodie" friends (their name, not mine) showed me all their favorite places: the milk machine, a spice store, and pretty much every pastry shop or bakery that we passed. They picked me out delicious things that I had to try and of course I didn't turn any of them down. Then Emily had to go to class so I wandered around Bra for a bit longer and then went on her balcony with a big blanket and just read and people-watched. Emily's balcony overlooks this really adorable walking street lined with shops and cafes, so people watching was easy. It was so nice and relaxing after such a crazy first part of the week. When she and her friends came home, we did some shopping and then went to this restaurant run by Slow Food, the organization that also runs her university in Bra. The restaurant is special to the town and to the program and I can hands down say it was the best meal I've ever eaten in a restaurant in my life. I had the "foodies" order for me and the wine we drank was from vineyards they had visited during their stay. We took 3 hours to eat the meal and it was a wonderful way to enjoy good food and good conversation. Afterwards, we met some other people in their program at a bar and enjoyed some live music. Later, Emily and I skyped with Dave Wilkins, one of our best friends from high school. It was the perfect end to such a great day. I left early Friday morning to go back to Copenhagen before meeting with the group to go to Istanbul.

This is Bra from a high point over looking the city. It was so pretty, built right into the hills.
It was so awesome to see Em in Italy! This was at our last night's dinner excursion.
These are Emily's books. Just read the titles to get a taste of her semester (pun intended).

This is the milk machine in Bra. You bring your glass bottle to the machine and put in a euro and out comes fresh milk! How cool, right? A "foodie"'s dream!

Paris

The Eurostar is a train that runs through different countries in Europe and it was supposed to take my from Amsterdam to Paris. I booked my ticket with my friends who were supposed to be in Amsterdam with me and we were supposed to pick the tickets up when we got to the station. What the website and later emails did not say was that we could only pick up the tickets at the train station in Brussels. You see my problem. So I got to the Amsterdam Central Train station with plenty of time only to find out that I couldn't get a ticket for the train I was supposed to be on. The lady behind the desk suggested that I buy a ticket to Brussels and go there first, get everything straightened out and then go on to Paris. I figured this was the best decision and buy a ticket and run to the platform of the train, which was leaving in 2 minutes. Of course, the train is pulling away as I get to the platform. So I am sitting there looking distraught enough for a woman to come up to me and start to comfort me and assure me that there is another train to Brussels in an hour, that I can just take that one. I sat on the platform waiting for the next train to Brussels and it turns out my train to Paris was on the same track. I was watching all these happy people with their tickets get on the train when I saw the conductor on the side of the train. I decided to go up to him and show him all my travel information, booking reference, etc, and try to talk my way on the train. The begging worked and I think he felt bad for me so he let me on board with no problems. I really learned how to ask for help and to take a chance on the kindness of strangers while I was traveling these past two weeks. Sometimes I felt like I was making it up as I went along.

Paris itself was an absolutely amazing city. I need to go back as I did not spend nearly enough time there. My friends flew to Paris and met me there at the home of a family friend of one of the girls I was traveling with. We stayed in a little countryside house in a suburb of Paris called Lozere with a family of four of the nicest people I've ever met. Adriene is a year younger than us and he met my friend Anita while they both worked in Hong Kong last summer. His family cooked Parisian food for us, helped us with all our planning and travels and fully welcomed us into their home. While I was there, we did all the touristy things: The Louvre, The Notre Dame, a wine tasting, The Sacre Coeur, the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triumph and of course, the Eiffel Tower. I also got to meet up with some friends from Tufts for a drink while we were there, which was great!

This is the four of us in front of the Eiffel Tower. We saved it for the last thing we did in Paris... we bought some baguettes and wine and enjoyed the views before we climbed up the tower.
It was really really pretty when the lights twinkled on the hour. The whole thing was enormous and just awe inspiring.
In front of the Arc de Triumph!
The Sacre Coeur was one of the most gorgeous cathedrals I've ever been into in my life. We had to climb up tons of stairs to get there, but it was totally worth it. The inside had the most beautiful mural on the wall and ceiling of Jesus being raised, it was just wonderful.
Tufts love in Paris! Rosanna is on the right and Cady is in the middle - they are both studying here for the semester and it was so great to see them. Cady is pretty much fluent in French now, and it was awesome to have them both speak/order etc for us and show us their favorite spots. They had us try Kir, which is a French cocktail made with white wine and black current liquor.
The food was amazing in Paris. We tried all the typical French foods, including escargot and fondu and crepes and croissants and meringue etc. etc. The street vendors (below) made great crepes and other snacks that were perfect for walking around and eating with sight seeing.

The Notre Dame is absolutely gorgeous. It was exactly what I thought it would be from the movies that we've seen, etc. I chose to put this picture up because from far away, you can start to imagine the presence it has because it is so huge.
We did the wine tasting in this little cellar through this company called O' Chateau that was close to the Louvre. We learned all about wine and how to tell the difference between different kinds and ages, etc. We learned how to properly taste it and smell it and how to pick apart the different ingredients. He also showed us where the different types of wine came from around France. It was a great little lesson and we got to have three very different, very good wines.

We pretty much ran through The Louvre... we did not have enough time to really appreciate everything that was there but some of the highlights included seeing the Mona Lisa and a few sculptures by Michaelangelo. Two of the girls I was traveling with, Jessi and Tessie, had taken classes on some of the art we saw, so it was cool for them to see the real thing right in front of us. For me, I was really excited to see the Pyramid in the front because I had done a project on I.M. Pei, the architect who designed it. The outside and the actual building of the Louvre was just as much of a piece of art as the works inside of it.

The River Seine runs through the general center of Paris and provides some really beautiful scenery. It rained for a good amount of time while we were in Paris, but the moments in the sun were really spectacular.

Finally, this is the little house we stayed in. It is so cozy and cute and really made us feel like home while we were staying there.

Amsterdam

So I'm back from my whirlwind travels around different major cities... it was an incredible and crazy two weeks and I got to see so much cool stuff! I am truly blessed to have experienced such an awesome trip. Now, though, it's back to reality and homework and other things, so updates will come in parts.

My first stop was Amsterdam. The friends I was supposed to travel with booked their flight tickets on the wrong day, so the trip started as a little adventure, but I managed to find some other DIS students who were going to Amsterdam and I tagged along with them. We had a really really good time experiencing the city, etc, and saw some really cool stuff. We went on a canal tour of the city in the morning (it was a great way to get our bearings and learn about the history) and then wandered around and found our way to the Red Light District. Later, we went to the Anne Frank House, which was where she hid during the war. The whole thing was very well done as you walked through the rooms guided by quotes from her diary. It was just really really cool. We went out to some bars and clubs on Halloween and had a really great time. They were a fun group of people, and I was lucky to get to see the city with them.

This was on the pub crawl-- you can't get as good of a feel of how many bars there were around. There were tons of people walking all around and the streets are lined with different places to go into. The girl in yellow is Allie, and she goes to Tufts.. we just met here in Copenhagen, though.
WOODEN SHOES! They were everywhere.
Amsterdam was really pretty in the fall with all the canals and changing leaves. These two girls are in my special needs class at DIS.

Canal tour! It was in 5 different languages, which was kind of cool. Here are a few friends (Danny goes to Tufts, too) with the English signs, haha.

General Updates

So these two weeks have been pretty much consumed with work and other daily things around Copenhagen.  I have been tutoring at the Copenhagen International School on Mondays and Tuesdays. I work with a little boy named James who is in the fourth grade and needs help staying focused and getting organized.  I taught him how to plan his homework and tasks for the week and make lists, things that at least I am pretty good at, haha. It's so refreshing to be in an International school because it is set up like an American school and I know the system, unlike working in Danish schools where the whole system is, well, foreign. Also, everyone speaks English, which is a huge plus for me! But yeah, he is already getting better at allotting time for different tasks, so I think we are making progress.  James' family moved here from the West Coast five years ago and are hoping to return to the US next year, which is why James and his siblings are at the CIS. It is really interesting, though, because they went to Danish preschool and kindergarten, which is really cool and very different than American kindergarten. The kids know Danish and have had a really cool preschool experience. For example, Danish children will eat with a knife and fork and drink from glasses by the time they are 2 years old and the kindergartens take field trips at least twice a week, often just on a whim.  James' mother thinks this is hilarious, haha. 

For my photojournalism project, I have been shadowing and taking pictures of a vice principal of an inner city school here in a section of town with a lot of minorities, which is very very rare for Copenhagen.  I have gone to the school once a week for the last month and a half taking pictures of all sorts of things that Ms. Jacobsen does, including running meetings, working recess, and teaching in classrooms. Because of this, I have become sort of a teacher's aid in one of the classrooms that she works in with 9th grade students.  It is really interesting because they are doing a unit on slavery in the US and the USVI, which used to be owned by Denmark.  They like having an American perspective on slavery and race relations today.  We talk about the triangle trade and we watched La Amistad. Today when I went, they  were having their class picture taken and they had me be in it!  And now my project is done but they still want me to come with them to do a tour in Copenhagen with them in a few weeks. I love that they've adopted me into their class. 

I am having a great experience because now I am working with three very different types of students in three very different schools in three very different environments.  I am working with mentally handicapped students at Maglemosen in a pretty middle class town a little ways out side of the city.  Then there is James in the CIS, which is in the nicest/richest suburb of Copenhagen, probably in all of Denmark.  Now I am in the school in one of the harder sections of Kobenhavn working with kids from not the best family situation, etc. It is very very interesting and I am learning a ton not only about education but also about the different subcultures.  It is really neat to see how the education system reflects the culture of the people it serves. 

Last Saturday, I went to the Carlsburg Beer factory with Angela, Jessi, Tessi and Adrian, and that was really fun. We went on a tour of the factory and learned some history about the beer and you can see how it is made.  At the end of the tour, you go to this nice bar and smell all these fragrances and mark the ones you like.  Then, based on the ones you liked or disliked, you pick two beers to have. We had a great time and then went back to the kollegium to cook dinner and hang out afterwards.  

Everyone has had a lot of work so it hasn't been as exciting as it used to be around here but that's okay. I've been keeping busy with swimming and tutoring and yoga and classwork, etc. I'm done with tests now and I turn in my last midterm paper on Friday and then we are on our two week TRAVEL BREAK! I am going to Amsterdam, Paris, and Milan for the first week and then to Istanbul, Turkey for the second! Can't wait to tell you all about the cities!! I hope this finds you well at home!  :)

Vienna!!

I spent this past weekend in Vienna with one of my best friends from Tufts, Meghan, who is on the swim team with me. She is studying there for the semester and it was so so good to see her. We had a really good time and she planned a weekend that had the perfect balance of touristy things (palaces and churches and markets, oh my!) and going out with her friends and just sitting, eating amazing food and catching up in little cafes.  Vienna is very different than Copenhagen.  The center reminded me a little bit of Rome or other kind more "typical" romantic European cities and outside of the center the city was much more Eastern European.  It was really interesting to see the effect that the wars (losing both of them...) had on the city.  Meghan is also having a really different experience than I am because she is living with all Americans and her program is very small. They all know each other really well, so it was really fun meeting her friends and just hanging out with them.  They are great! I stayed in her apartment and we cooked American meals and it was like being in an apartment near Tufts.. in Vienna.  Anyways, Meghan was a great tour guide and knew a ton about the city and it was fun seeing it through someone who knew it so well. 

Vienna is famous for their chocolate cake and expresso. I can personally vouch that both are amazing. The other cake we had is called Mozart cake, and had a picture of him in chocolate on top. Only in Vienna, haha. 
HofburgWe went Mass at the Hofburg Palace and saw the Viennese Boys' Choir sing. They were amazing!  Here we are with one after Mass/their concert. 
This is in front of the Schonbrunn palace.. the summer home of the royal family. This is the back side in the gardens. It was beautiful in the fall with most of the flowers past their prime.. I could only imagine what it looks like in the spring!
There is an outdoor market filled with food and trinkets.. Megs and I bartered down matching rings!

This is on the balcony of Meghan's apartment. She has a really nice view when it's not so cloudy.. how cool, right?

Stockholm, Sweden

So we took the ferry to Stockholm, Sweden and it was one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to.  Although it was kind of cold, the sun was out and we got to enjoy a few beautiful days.  Stockholm looked so cool, too, because the buildings were so neat and they all looked different. Also, the leaves were changing color! It reminded me of home.. I'm so glad I get to see the change of seasons here, too. Anyways, we went and saw a really cool school called the Stella Nova school based on a certain educational theory and also go to an Autism center where they train caregivers to treat children with ABA therapy.  Both visits were really beneficial and I learned a lot.  We also got to spend some time on our own in the city and do a scavenger hunt to learn about the history, etc. My friends and I went to an Irish pub while we were in Stockholm one night and also ate at more really cozy cafes.  Also, on Thursday night, we went to the Stockholm Opera to see the Barber of Seville! It was interesting because the opera was in Italian and the little subtitle were in Swedish... so I had to rely on what I remember from Spanish to try and figure out what was going on. Those of you who have ever helped me with Spanish homework know about how successful I was... thank God for the notes in the playbill. 

This is the palace! It seems like all European palaces have these guards that won't smile at you...
This is the great group of girls I got to spend the week with. We had so much fun together! It is neat because we are all really different and from all different parts of the US (from Oregon to NYC to Tennessee to Arizona!) and go to school in spread out places, too. This is on the side of one of the main canals in the city. 
This was the national Art Museum next.. it's next to a canal, like most things here, hah.
The city's buildings were all so different! It was really cool to see all the different types of buildings along the streets. They are all so detailed!

This is the Wasa (pronounced Vasa) warship that was resurrected from the bottom of a canal and preserved. They built a museum around it once it was completed. It is so awesome, pictures don't do it justice. 
So pretty, and so what you would think of when you think Sweden. 
The subway system in Stockholm is called the T! and the lines are named by colors! I was so happy, it felt like home :)
Beautiful changing leaves in the fall! This was taken from the T. 

This is a 1000 year old viking rune.. on the side of a wall of a building on a walking street. There is no sign, no explanation, no glass.. I touched it. It's crazy. That is 3 times as old as the US.