Bon Voyage

Play for a snippet of the views to come

After an hour bus ride dropping off other students at their locations, we finally reached my home for the next bit. Located on an island called Söldermalm, this piece of the city contains hints of classic Stockholm, mixed with modern, creative vibes. I was only able to see a small part of the city (shout-out to jet lag) but have already seen some really cool restaurants and cafes I can’t wait to try out.

The lovely student apartments I’ll be spending there next weeks in

Most of the others living in my dorm are part of my UNC program. I was able to meet everyone during a taco dinner hosted by my RAs Max and Alva and am really looking forward to getting to know everyone on this trip. During dinner, all the students clicked well with each other. \240I’’ll be living with another another girl, Lily, as well as Alva the RA in the cutest apartment style room. We even have a dining nook and kitchen!

Tomorrow consists of an orientation and my first day of class, but first I’ll need to ~hopefully~ sleep off some of this jet lag!

Swede Dreams!

DIS building

Orientation began with some of the staff singing us beautiful \240Swedish songs about summer weather and ended with a Dancing Queen sing-a-long. We then partook in our first fika!

After a few more talks about the DIS program, safety, etc. all of the DIS students were divided into groups to do a walking tour/scavenger hunt of Gamla Stan, the Old Town. Below are all the places on our list:

Storkyrkan—Stockholm Cathedral

Royal Palace

Riksdagen, Helgeandsholmen—Parliament on Holy Spirit Island

Stortorget—Great Market (video)

Skeppsbron—Ship’s Bridge (video)

After we finish our self-guided tour, we came back to the DIS building and ate lunch at the cafe there. I was expecting some sandwiches and such, but there was so much more! With lunch they lay out a salad and bread bar; they have sparkling water on tap! I had a light bean and olive that was \240topped with cod and it was delicious! Will definitely be back for lunch again.

Following \240lunch, we had our first Social Psychology class. There are only 14 of us in the class so it is super small and personal, which is awesome. FDOC was awesome and I’m extremely excited for this class.

After class, we headed back to the dorm to take a quick breather then headed out for dinner. I had the very Swedish meal of Chinese dumplings and Bao, which was delicious. Then we took a walk around the city and came upon some amazing views. There was a natural outlook that looks across the water to another part of Stockholm and we arrived right at sunset.

Don’t worry mom I’m making friends!

In a unanimous decision, we all agreed to venture back to the outlet for a picnic one night. It was a great end to a fantastic first day!

Swede Dreams!

Video of the Cafe Sten Sture

Nevertheless, the food was still quite good and the atmosphere was very unique.

Update: the cafe used to be secrete passages to the Royal Palace, as well as a prison

Following lunch, we walked around the island a bit more and then headed home to rest before mini golf. Our RAs took us to Bangolf to show off some Swedish putt putt. A surprising amount of Swedes were very much into the game—bringing their own balls and practicing there swings. The putt putt course was located in this massive park, which was filled with people lounging on the grassy hills and playing in the water. It was magical how many people were out and about!

(Video) I was very excited about this park

Today after class, we had a walking tour of Södermalm. From witch hunts to Mäster Mikael—the town executioner— we learned about how religious this now hip and trendy neighborhood used to be. To top it off, we were granted some amazing views of the Stockholm we had yet to uncover ourselves.

The hill where “witches” were accused of flying off from

Katarina Kyrka

Group pic in front of Gamla Stan

Our tour guide was great and really catered the tour to our psych class by tying everything to how the Swedes have become such happy people. He explained to us that Fika is especially important during the winter months when sun is scarce, because it gives people a little break and a little boost to recharge. So of course, we had to some of our own fika after the tour.

Once we made it back to the dorm, it was Operation Oslo Tallinn Lund! After going through a variety of places, scouring the internet for flights and housing, and figuring out schedules, a group of us decided to go to Lund, Sweden for a weekend getaway next week. Once we worked through all the nitty gritty details, Caroline, Taylor and I prepared the classic easy college meal of pasta and sauce, but with a Swedish twist: Swedish Meatballs. For frozen meatballs cooked in a tiny dorm kitchen, they were tasty!

Swede Dreams!

IceBar Stockholm

(Video) IceBar Stockholm

On our way back to the dorm, we stopped at a McDonald’s for a little taste of home. The fries were just as salty and as good, which delighted all of us.

For the first Saturday, we had planned to go to a few museums around the city. Unfortunately most of us got up later than planned so we had to slightly alter our plans. Before heading to our destination for the day, we stopped for some fika. Bageri Petrus’s cinnamon roll was the number one on many lists for Stockholm so we had to make a stop.

Rated the top cinnamon buns in Stockholm

We finished up and headed out to the open-air museum, the Skansen. It was humongous! The museum consisted of a zoo combined with traditional customs and buildings from of old Sweden. We spent most of our time looking at the animals, especially since there were a lot of babies because of the spring.

Skansen Museum and Zoo

Baby Reindeer!

After seeing all the animals, we pass through the rest of the museum. There were role players dressed in traditional garb, buildings built as if they were from the 1500s, and traditional occupations like glass blowing throughout the old town section. I wish we had a little more time to explore, but we were all exhausted from the heat and the walking.

Unanimously we decided that we all needed a nap and food, so we hopped on a ferry back to our island. We all indulged in a peaceful break and then in some delicious Italian food for dinner.

Right after dinner, we hurried back to change for our night ahead. Our RA, Max, is a dj and invited us to his gig at Stockholm University. It was an all day affair, from 3-3, but we decided to go just for his set and to check out a Swedish college party.

Stockholm University Party

Since we were all so tired, none of us were particularly passionate about going to a party but I am so glad we did!

It was much more fun than expected and it was awesome to see our RA in his element. The best part was that the sun was just beginning to set when we left the party at 11 so it was still light out! It was also intriguing to see the similarities and differences between our parties and theirs. The biggest difference to me was that all of the guys were dancing, a sight never seen in Chapel Hill.

It’s been a very good end to a very great start of the summer! There is an IKEA trip in the works for tomorrow (hello Swedish Meatballs), as well as some studying for the first exam on Monday.

Swede Dreams!

IKEA Meatballs

Had to get a group photo with the Ikea

After our very Swedish outing, the rest of the day was spent preparing for our first exam.

Luckily, the exam was not too difficult and most people did fine on it. A good start to our brief class! Since we had the whole afternoon after the exam, a few of us decided to go to the Vasa Museum.

The Vasa is a 17th century ship that sunk only 1000 m into its maiden voyage in the Stockholm harbor. For over 300 years, it layed completely submerged and could not be salvaged. In the 1960s, someone relocated the ship and it was salvaged from the bottom of the harbor. Today, 98% of the ship is original and intact. The Vasa is significant because it’s the only complete ship of its kind from the time period.

Many of the details and carvings can still be seen. However, back in the day the whole ship would’ve been painted bright colors to scare enemies.

The museum is centered around the actual ship. There are exhibits surrounding it describing what life would be like for sailors, what the ship used to look like, etc.

The Vasa

(Video) The Vasa

After we saw the Vasa, we took a snack break on the canal before a DIS cookout. It was a beautiful day today with blue skies and sparking water.

Cider and pie on the canal

DIS hosted a barbecue for all who could come in this very pretty park. It worked out very well that it is Memorial Day back home, and we were able to have something slightly similar to remind us about it! The RAs grilled out some hot dogs and veggies and then taught us a Swedish running game. It was a very fun afternoon for us to just kick back and relax a bit.

DIS barbecue

Tomorrow we are going on our first field study as a class. We will be going to the the Fotografiska! I am very excited to tour this photography museum and see what’s on display.

Swede Dreams!

The Extraordinary World of Christian Tagliavini

The Extraordinary World of Christian Tagliavini

The other exhibit in the musuem was done completely on Polaroids. Cathleen Naundorf has full access to many designers’ couture dresses and so the focus of her works was mainly on the art of the dresses.

Secret Times by Cathleen Naundorf

Secret Times by Cathleen Naundorf

We had a very good guided tour that gave us insight into the photographers and their processes, allowing us to look at the art from another angle.

After the musuem, everyone dispersed to do their own thing and relax for a bit. Then, we took a walk up to our favorite outlook to enjoy cheese, meats, and each other’s company. There were even more people at the outlook than last week, but the view was still just as incredible. If you are ever in Stockholm, you must visit Skinnarvik Park at sunset!

The view from Skinnarvik Park

Today in class, we had a guest lecturer from DIS teaching us about many ways Sweden is different from the US, mainly in the ways of gender. It was very interesting to hear about their practices and institutions in place to promote gender equality.

One thing that stuck out to me was their policy on parental leave. After having a child, the parents have 480 days of paid leave they can split up between themselves to stay with the baby. However, at least three months have to go to the father so that he can spend time with the new child.

Following the leacture, I headed home to make some lunch and work on my paper. I make (simple) avocado toast with ham and a fried egg, one of the few meals I can do pretty well. After chowing down, I slowly but surely worked on my paper about the Fotografiska. Shockingly, I had very little motivation to do this work will sitting in room looking out at Stockholm.

Avocado toast with ham and a fried egg

Overall, today was very calm and relaxing. While working on my paper, I also hung out with some people in the dorm and took a little bit of time just to chill and watch Netflix.

Tomorrow should pick back up, as a small group of us our going to Swedish family’s house to eat dinner with them! I am very excited for this opportunity to really sit down and get to know some Swedes.

Swede Dreams!

Solskinnsboller, Sunshine Bun

Last night I had the really awesome opportunity to eat with a Swedish family in their house. Two other girls and I took a taxi into the suburbs and got to experience a different aspect of Stockholm life.

The family we ate with had a 15 year-old daughter and had actually hosted a DIS student this past semester. They had a beautiful home on a hill that overlooked a lake and we got to enjoy the view while talking on their porch.

It was great to actually sit down and talk to some locals for a while. The mother had lived in Sweden her whole life and the father was born in Philly, moved to Austria, and then to Sweden. They were both lovely and so kind to us.

To start, they made us toast skagen. This is a very traditional Swedish dish and is like a shrimp salad served on toast. The main dish was mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers, salad and homemade meatballs with lingonberry sauce, another very Swedish meal. Everything we ate was so delicious, and it was great to have a homemade meal. We finished the night with some amazing vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries!

Today for class, we had our second field study! We went to the Karolinska Institute to observe an emotion and perception lab. We were able to see two experiments carried out partially with volunteers from our group.

The Karolinska also houses the site for the Nobel Assembly for Medicine and Physiology. We got to see the building where all the Nobel lectures are held, but sadly we couldn’t see the hall because of a graduation.

Building that houses the Nobel Prize lectures on Karolinska campus

After our visit to the Karolinska, we stopped but the Greasy Spoon for some brunch. A few gals had seen this place highly rated and I can understand why! Every single dish we had was delicious—there wasn’t a scrap of food left. I had one of the specials for the week, truffle Benedict, which just so happened to be two of my foods. This was a fan favorite all around.

Truffle Benedict with prosciutto

Now I am off the Lund!

Swede Dreams!

Maddie and I with in a small public park

Lund Cathedral

Visiting the botanical gardens

Much of our time in Lund was spent eating pastries and laying in the grass looking at scenery—my kind of trip.

We ended up getting an AirBnB, which we thought was this cute little estate right outside Lund. It turns out the house was a 35 minute bus ride and a 1.3 mile walk away. There was a little trouble figuring out the Lund bus station, but eventually we made it to our Swedish suburb.

We grab dinner at an Italian place in the little town of Hörby before heading to our place for the night. The house was perfect for us! There was a hot tub, a little tea nook, and we all had a comfy place to sleep. We were all exhausted so after hanging out for a bit, we knocked out.

Our second day in Lund was much like our first. We found an amazing brunch spot, Crêperiet, went to the Museum of Public Sketches, explored the city a bit more.

Crêperiet

The Musuem of Public Sketches

The little weekend getaway was a great little excursion and allowed some more time to get to know the gals I was with a bit more. It was awesome to see a different part of Sweden and have a change of scenery!

Swede Dreams!

Wearing a Viking hat = cooking better pasta

Yesterday was a national holiday in Sweden, so that meant no class for us! Instead, our class went on a tour of the Stockholm Archipelago. The archipelago is a collection of 30,000 islands and rocks near Stockholm. It’s Sweden’s largest archipelago! Most of the islands have beautiful summer homes and beautiful hiking trails and fishing spots.

For 2 and a half hours, we floated the archipelago and saw all of its beauties. Sadly it was cold out, so about half of the tour was spent inside the dining cabin. We had a delicious meal on board for lunch, as we got to see the various islands

A castle in the archipelago

(Video) Part of the tour

After our lovely tour, we had to hunker down and crank out our final paper and study for our last exam.

Today was our last day of class! Social Psych has easily been one of my favorite classes I’ve taken at UNC. The opportunity to take it abroad only added to the class, because we were able to observe the concepts from class out in a different culture.

I cannot believe the three weeks are already up. I loved getting to know Stockholm, and will definitely be back another summer

Tonight we have our final dinner together as a class. We are going back to the Gamla Stan and then hopefully to our fav outlook \240to finish up a fantastic three weeks!

Here I come Copenhagen!!

Swede Dreams!

The last view from our dorm

The ferry to Denmark

Once we made it to the city, we were surrounded by beautiful old buildings and bikes. I knew Copenhagen was a bicycling city, but was still shocked at how many people were on them.

The dorms we are staying in is very comfortable and cozy! We have our own kitchen again and whole wall of windows that open up over a courtyard. Our RAs had some snacks and pizza for all of us for dinner and then took us on a quick walk through the neighborhood. Everything is pretty walkable which is very convenient. Friday night we took it easy and settled in our home for the next three weeks.

Yesterday morning, the RAs took us on a ferry ride through the canals! On our way over, we walked through most of the city and got a better lay of the land. The guided tour started in Nyhavn and went through Christianshavn’s Canal, to the Holmen Canal and the past the Little Mermaid and the Royal Palace! The open air boat was the perfect way to see many of the sights of the city.

Nyhavn

After the tour, a group of us got food at an open air food hall. Caroline and I had some amazing Cheesbrugers from the Gasoline Grill. We walked back to the dorm to rest for a bit since most of us were dehydrated. It has been much hotter here in Copenhagen than in Stockholm already

After having dinner at home, we met Taylor’s friend for ice cream at Ismageriet and to learn more about what we should do, because he has been here for a semester. Then we headed back to the dorm and got ready to check out a Danish bar Taylor’s friend had suggested. We were probably the only Americans in the bar, but it was a really fun time!

So far, Copenhagen has been awesome and I can’t wait to see more of it!

Copenhaving a great time!

Church of Our Savior

View from the top of the tower

Riding around on our go boat!

On Monday, we walked around the city some more and ventured to find various castles, churchs, and trampoline sidewalks. There are three different throughout the city and we made it to Christiansborg Palace,which houses various government bodies, and \240Amalienborg, the queen’s winter residence. Both the buildings, and all the others surrounding them, were beautifu. l

There are right 5 small trampolines right in the middle of the walkway next to the main canal. Anyone can just hop on and bounce for a bit—no wonder Denmark is so happy!

Frederic’s Church

Today was my first day of my positive psychology class. Just from the introduction, I think I’m really going to enjoy this class!We had our DIS orientation before classes began, than wandered the city in search for our books and lunch.

The DIS buildings here are all spread out, which is kind of nice because it gives you a chance to look around the city more. Our classes are closer to the heart of the city than where we live, but in a neighborhood I don’t think I’d explore without having to go there for class. The area has a good mix of old and modern, and is very hospitable to students because it is where the University is.

For lunch, we found this highly rated sandwich shop near school. The sanwhcihes were massive and the prices were low, so every student’s dream. They were defineirly some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had and a great way to kick off FDOC

Sandwhiches from Smagsloeget

Copenhaving a great time!

Duck pals

Thursday was also a pretty routine day. Class, lunch, some more class, head home. For dinner, we decided to check out the meat packing industry and get some real danish food. We found the Chicky Grill and with it, some delish danish comfort food. The basic components of all our meals were meat and potatoes smothered in gravy and boy was it good!

When talking to my mom last night, she commented on that a majority of my pictures are focused on food—like a true Fly. Of course, I had to include some food pics!

The Donut Shop

Ice Cream in a bubble waffle from Munchies

Copenhaving a great time!

Tivoli Gardens and Amusement Park

The hotel at Tivoli

Part of the Gardens

The Park felt like a little fairytale with its antique charm and whimsical decor. The rides were also very fun and many had amazing views of the city. \240Tivoli has definitely been a highlight of Denmark for me!

After a long day at Tivol followed by a day of traveling, we made it to Edinburgh! My positive psychology class is taking a 5-day long study tour here to experience a new culture and learn more about positive psych. \240This beautiful city is filled with gorgeous, old, gray buildings and lush, green, lands surrounding them. There are pubs on every corner and plenty of plaid to be seen

To start off our trip, we had a walking food tour of the city and got to try some local favorites. We began with smoked salmon on toast that was incriedble. Then we had ox cheek on potatoes and black pudding on potato bread.

Black pudding on potato bread

When then headed to a private Scotch club to sample some rare scotch and eat haggis. The Scotch took a bit of getting used to, but was tasty after a few sips (and a few drops of water in it) I was hesitant about the haggis but it ended up being one of my favorite dishes of the night!

Then we sampled some Scottish beer and cheese and had some traditional Scottish dessert. Safe to say I was a member of the clean plate club after both of those stops!

Throughout the tour, we were able to see different parts of the cities and learn some of the history. It was a grest introduction into the city!

Part of Edinburgh University

Panaroma of Edinburgh

The food tour was a great way to see the city and I can’t wait to explore even more!

Scots of love!

Tom Riddle’s Grave

The Elephant House Cafe

After exploding the city some, we took a hike up to Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh. The hike was beautiful and gave a whole new vantage point on the city

Panorama of Edinburgh

Hike from Arthur’s Seat

Hike to Arthur’s Seat

(Video) View from Arthur’s Seat

The night ended with dinner and a ghost tour, which somehow I managed to survive. \240

Today, we headed to Glasgow! Our first stop was at a Buddhist meditation center. We had a nun talk to us about Buddhism and the practice meditation and mindfulness.

(Video) Buddhist meditation center

After meditating, we headed to Loch Lomond for a guided canoe tour! It was a dreary day and a bit cool but the trip was amazing!

(Video) Loch Lomond

Scots of love!

Afternoon high tea!

The next day, we packed up our bags and headed back to Copenhagen.

Eggs and black pudding on toast

This weekend, some of our friends from Stockholm came to visit us! It was great to see them again even though it’s only been about two weeks since we last saw them. We were able to explore some parts of Copenhagen we hadn’t seen yet and also show them some of our favorite sites.

Only a few of us were back Thursday and most of Friday so we just kind of took it easy. I had a paper due tonight and so I worked on that a little bit on Friday while our friends explored our city. Friday night we had pasta family dinner followed by a walk down to the canal at sunset.

Saturday was a very full day for us! We started with brunch at this very cute restaurant Mad and Kaffe, which was delicious.

Brunch at Mad and Kaffe

Then we headed to see the Rosenborg Castle and botanical gardens. It was a beautiful castle and the grounds were even more gorgeous! Luckily, we had a pretty day so we could really enjoy looking around.

Masaaki and I in front of Rosenborg Castle

Hannah and I in the botanical gardens

(Video) Cartwheels in front of Rosenborg

Then, we visited the Glass Market to browse around and find some afternoon treats.

After taking a bit of a break and fueling up with dinner, some of us are headed to a pub crawl! Throughout the night we went to four different bars and were able to explore around Copenhagen some more. Our party guides were very fun and overall we all had a great time!

Sadly today was not as fun :( Our friends had to return to Stockholm and I had to write a seven page paper. Not the best way to spend my last Sunday in Copenhagen but we did get to have bagels before everyone left so that was quite nice!

Copenhaving a great time!

Progression of coffee beans when they are roasted

The other field study was to a psychologist who utilizes art therapy with her clients. Her main area of study is time and how people view the past, present, and future. During our trip, we made collages that reflected how we viewed different parts of our life. It was a very interesting and fun experience and made us really reflect about our whole lives.

Before the study, our class met up early for brunch at Sidecar Cafe! We all ordered the breakfast plate, and so they brought it to us on one massive platter.

Brunch at Sidecar Cafe

My collage

For our last day of class, we had a final paper due and a group presentation. My group presented on how positive psychology could be beneficial in interventions in \240homeless shelters. Then, we had a pizza party! My professor wrote a gratitude letter to the class and it was extremely kind and heartwarming—I will certainly miss my positive psychology class!

To finish out my final days, I stopped by the Glass Market to try the duck confit sandwich, which some claim is the best in Copenhagen. I did love the sandwich, but my sandwich the first day may have been better.

“The best sandwich in Copenhagen”

On our last night, we strolled around Christiana, the Free Town, for a bit. It’s basically this section of the city not under Danish rule because they declared themselves free years ago. It’s a very hippy area with cool street art and interesting people.

Then we headed to Nyhavn one last time to soak in the views!

One last trip to Nyhavn

Now, I’ve made it to Paris with Melissa and Caroline!

Lots of love from the city of love!

Mel and me in front of the Louvre

After somehow making it out of the Louvre in only a few hours, we stopped by a cafe to escape the heat and grab some food. After refueling, we were able to partake in some of the Paris Pride parade happening that day. Then we headed to see Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle.

Sainte Chapelle is easily the must beautiful chapel I’ve been in. All of the walls were stained glass windows and it was absolutely gorgeous when the light shown in.

Sainte Chappelle

After visiting the chapel, we went to Luxemborg Palace and Park. We walked through the manicured gardens, watched toy boats in the fountain, and enjoyed a glass of wine under shady trees. We then headed to Ladurée for some necessary macarons along the Seine River.

Ladurée macarons

After eating the sweet treat, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. We stocked up on cheese, crackers, fruit, and wine for a nighttime picnic next to the Eiffel Tower!

The Eiffel Tower

Nutella crepe

The Eiffel Tower at night

We started off Sunday morning with a delicious breakfast. Our breakfast platter included three different homemade breads, homemade jam, eggs + more!

After our delicious breakfast, we made our way down to the river for a cruise. The river tour was a great way to see all the hot tourist spots and hear some more about the history of Paris.

Alexander III Bridge + Eiffel Tower

At the end of the tour, our guide let us know that all museums were free because it was the first Sunday of the month! So we knew we had to make our way to Musée d’Orsay. There was an amazing Van Gogh exhibit

Van Gogh

After visiting the (new) Love Lock Bridge, our last stop of the day was Champs-Élysées to browse the shops and see the Arc de Triumph. Sadly as soon as we hopped off the metro, it started to rain! We took refuge in a small cafe to wait out the storm and eat eclairs. We headed back to the aprartment one last time and grabbed dinner at a little restaurant.

The last morning, we stopped by the delicious bakeryrigjt by us for some final French pastries. Then we headed to the airport (many hours early to be safe) and ended our amazing European adventure!

Until next time!