Scandinavia

Having a few free weeks before my classes started, I decided to visit Scandinavia. Just last week, I booked my hostels and flights to Stockholm and Copenhagen. After three short and remarkable days in Berlin, I boarded a flight for Sweden.  On the bus going into the city, I met a girl who is also studying economics in Berlin. Not only did we have similar education paths, but both of our parents immigrated from the former USSR and we both speak Russian! It was great getting tips about the city from a local. The hostel I stayed at in Stockholm was a bit sketchy. However, this only encouraged me to explore the city as much as I could! The medieval capital was charming, and paved with cobblestone roads and H&Ms galore! I found Stockholm to be very expensive, and ended up eating bananas, crackers, or Thai take out for most meals. After two full days in Sweden, I boarded an early flight to Denmark. Copenhagen is remarkable. Also having learned about Denmark in a history course this past semester, I was curious to visit the country's capital while in Europe; I was not disappointed. I spent my first day in Copenhagen taking advantage of the free National Museum. While it boasted international exhibits, I focused my attention on learning more about Danish history. For lunch, I found a quaint cafe that offered a filling weekend brunch, as well as draft Carlsberg beer. I was fortunate enough to stay at a great hostel and met quite a few interesting people that evening. I had two roommates from Australia that had been traveling for almost two years! Listening to them talk about their adventures was remarkable. One of them was backpacking from Beijing into Europe! I also met a few girls who were teaching English in France. I ended up spending my last day with one of them before heading back to Berlin. After a three hour long walking tour of the city, Heather and I climbed to the top of Church of Our Savior's spiral, one of Copenhagen's main attractions! The view from the top was phenomenal. We could see all of the city, it's canals and channels, and even Sweden! 

Afterwards, we went to Christianshavn. Christianshavn is basically it's own eclectic, self-sustaining community within Copenhagen. I'll leave it up to you to research it a bit more for yourself.   My second day in Copenhagen was a bit spontaneous, as I went back to Sweden! This time, I explored the city of Malmö, Sweden's third largest city, with two guys from USC who are studying abroad in London. Unlike Stockholm, Malmö is affordable for the traveling college student. It's charming, green, and full of quaint squares and parks. Accidentally, Bryan, Jack, and I, stumbled upon a working windmill; it was the most pleasant of surprises!  I had a great day exploring a city I had no intention of visiting (especially since I had left Sweden 24 hours prior to returning!)