IRELAND!

The Cliffs of Moher--West Coast of Ireland

Tig Coili Pub! Not the best picture, but it captures at least a bit of the atmosphere :o)

Christ Cathedral, where we went to an Evensong service. Beautiful.

Dublin Castle

The Temple Bar

Brazen Head Pub...est. 1198! Talk about OLD!

Rick Steves (and Cat Swanson!) helped us alot :o)

St. Stephan's Green Park

Grafton Street. Have you seen "Once" ?!

Lots of Cherry Blossoms!

Trinity College

Kilaminham Jail....eerie but informative.

Fresh brewed pint of Guiness at the factory....it actually wasn't too bad! :o)

Howth Harbor. YAY!

The trail we wandered on...

Ahhhhhhh

Looking toward home!

Sorry its taken me a while to post about my last trip, but better late than never, right? :) So, last Wednesday, my friend Keilin and I returned from our trip to the great land of Ireland! We left on a Thursday and returned on Wednesday, so it was quite a long trip! Because of limited flight times, in addition to trying to make the longest trip possible for the smallest amount of money, we decided to sleep in the airport both on the way to Ireland, and on the way back. haha. I am laughing about it now....maybe not at the time :)

Before leaving we found a website for people who do this on a regular basis (sleep in the airport) and it was actually quite helpful because people posted where good places were to sleep, and gave each airport ratings. haha! So, the first night we slept in the Dublin Airport. We found a place that wasn't too bad--we each had our own couch (airport couches though...not normal ones!) and other than security people walking by all night (if anyone were to be walking by, I guess I would choose them...:o)), we were able to get about 3 or 4 hours of sleep. So it was fine. Coming back was another story: we slept in the Skavsta Airport in Stockholm, which is a really small airport in operation almost solely for the carrier Ryanair. Let's just say there were a lot less options for sleeping arrangements. It wasn't the funnest experience in the world...haha...but it WAS an experience, and I can guarantee I will never forget it! We just used the excuse that people our age are supposed to do things like sleeping in the airport. Plus, now we can check it off our life "to do list" :o)

Anyway...to the ACTUAL trip! The first day we traveled to the West Coast of Ireland to Galway. That day we took a tour of the Burren region, where we were able to see lots of the Irish countryside with stone walls, green fields, and grazing sheep on rolling hills. It was quit picturesque, I must say. We also went to the Cliffs of Moher, which were incredible. They are about 200 meters tall, and drop off right into the ocean. Plus, there are no fences! Eeek! But, dont worry, we played it safe :o) It was truly a beautiful sight to see. That night we went to McDonagh's Fish n' Chips (supposedly the best in Ireland), and it was delicious! Afterward, we walked around a bit, and ended up seeing a sign for a pub with live music. So we made our way there, Tig Coili is the name, and is was GREAT! It probably was one of the highlights of the whole trip. There were about 5 or 6 musicians playing different instruments including the violin, the banjo, a drum, and some sort of pipe instrument. The best part was that they didn't have planned songs; they were just jammin' away. It was so fun! After talking about our trip, both Keilin and I agreed that deciding to go to Galway was one of the best decisions we made on the whole trip. We loved it!

On Saturday morning, we headed back to Dublin. The next 3 1/2 days were spent seeing pretty much everything that Dublin has to see. We walked just about EVERYWHERE. We didn't even take a bus the whole time we were there :o) It was really nice though, because our hostel's locations was arguably the best it could be. We were located in the center of everything. You could walk 2 minutes in any direction, and be somewhere new. That was really helpful. So, some of the sights we saw were: Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, O'Connell Street, St. Stephen's Green Park, Marion Square Park, Christ Catherdral (where we went to an Evensong service...beautiful), Temple Bar, Brazen Head Pub, The Guiness Brewery, and Kilmainham Jail to name a few :o) haha. I wasn't kidding! We walked alot, and were tired at the end of each day, but had a blast the whole time.

On Saunday, we took DART north about 30 minutes to a town/suburb called Howth. It is a little community along the water with a harbor, and a fun harbor-like atmosphere. We got there, meandered through the market, bought some fresh Irish Soda Bread (yum), and then hiked along some cliffs looking out over the ocean. It was amazing. The sun was shining, everything was green, and you could smell the ocean in the air. Ahhhhhh. We spent a good three hours walking around, and just sitting and soaking in the gloriousness of it all! That too was a great side trip.

I could go into more details, but I will save that for when I talk to you all in person! For now, this is a little glimpse of our trip! Hopefully the pictures will help you get a feel for what we did as well. I am so glad everything worked out for us to be able to go to Ireland. Keilin and I both had such a great time, and I know that I will be going back someday!!

Glad Påsk!

Some of the twigs with colorful feathers that you can find just about everywhere around Påsk.

Some cute little "witches"

Karlstad's Stora Torget. The busiest I have ever seen it.

Antje and Keilin dying eggs!

Antje and Martin preparing to race!

Keilin showing us how it's done.

The end!

A picture of the sun....just because....its the SUN! Thank the Lord for Spring!

As you all know, this past weekend was Easter weekend, and since it was the first "major" holiday I have experienced in Sweden, I figured it deserved its own blog entry.

While people recognize the origins of Easter as religious, it is considered to be a secular holiday in Sweden. So...what do they do? Well, the children dress up as Easter witches, wearing old clothes, colorful headscarves, and rosy cheeks with freckles. They walk from house to house with baskets full of hand painted or colored drawings to give to their neighbors in hopes of receiving some candy in return. Its almost like Halloween in the states, except the witches are not scary, and they all dress up the same (Although I DID see one little fellow in a spiderman costume....not sure what that was all about :o) To decorate, Swedes take various twigs and put colorful feathers on the end to place in their yards. They generally eat the "traditional" Swedish food such as pickled herring, cured salmon, and potatoes.

I did not experience the "complete" Påskdagen because I did not eat the traditional food; however, I think I got a pretty good glimpse of Easter in Sweden. On Saturday, I went with Keilin downtown where there was a big festival for Påskdagen. There were little kids everywhere all dressed up in their witch costumes, vendors selling everything from home made kanelbulle, to lingon juice, to flowers, to candy, and there was even some live music. It was the most people I have ever seen at one time in Karlstad. haha!

Then, on Easter morning, I sang with the choir at the church, and some of my friends came along as well. Afterward, I got together with Keilin, Antje, and Antje's boyfriend, Martin, to celebrate together. We boiled and dyed eggs, ate a German meal (Zuess und Sauer Eier...yum) and played some German Easter games with the eggs, like rolling them down a hill in a race. It was a wonderful day. I guess you could say I was able to experience both a Swedish and German Easter at the same time! I'll never forget it :o) I hope everyone has a peaceful Easter wherever you might have been!

Until next time,

Lauren

Nijmegen, Amsterdam, and Düsseldorf

On Saturday we took a day trip to Amsterdam. Here is Keilin, Rebecca and I posing in front of the "I am Amsterdam" sign. The start to a great day!

Amsterdam in the Springtime. Bikes and Blooms. Lovely.

We went to the Van Gogh Museum, and saw the "Coulours of the Night" Exhibit. I have always liked Van Gogh's paintings, but in real life they are absolutely amazing! I still can't believe we saw THE Starry Night!

Our next stop was the Anne Frank House. Having read her diaries once when I was youger, and again about a year ago, it was incredible to be able to match my imagination's image of the house with the real building. The museum is set up in a way that takes you through the house as it is described in the diary, with quotes along the way, as well as videos with interviews and background information. It was thought-provoking to say the least.

This is the church near the Anne Frank house that she mentions in her diaries when she speaks of hearing the bells ringing.

Dutch Clogs!

Hooray! Someone has bigger feet than me! :)

Walking through Amsterdam.

This is in Nijmegen. On Sunday, Keilin and I walked all over the city and found quite a few nice parks. It seemed wrong to pass by this field of flowers without skipping through it. :)

In some botanical gardens we found. Hooray SPRING!

On Monday Rebecca took us all around downtown Nijmgen. There is a big market with tons of vendors selling everything from clothing to fish to dried fruit and fresh veggis. Keilin and I were pretty excited to see fresh produce for so cheap! :) We were able to borrow bikes from some of Rebecca's friends so that we could truly experience the Netherlands! We had so much fun!

In Old Town.

Entering Old Town. Nijmegen was bombed during the war, so it is interesting to look at the city from a distance because you can see a clear line of where the damage occurred. On one side you can see the buildings that have been constructed recently, and on the other side you can see the beautiful buildings that are still intact from long before the war.

Some of the many flowers in the market.

This is a "Tosti". They are very popular in The Netherlands. It is basically a glorified grilled cheese sandwich. This one is made with brie, walnuts, and honey. Yuuuum.

Happy to be biking!

Ok, now we are in Düsseldorf. We headed here on Tuesday and spent the entire day walking all over the city. This is just one of the many beautiful old churches we saw.

Germans are known for their bread. And there is definitely a reason for that. Bakeries can be found on every corner, and on every side street. The bread was so good, that on Wednesday morning, Keilin and I stopped in a bakery on the way to the train station, and each bought an entire loaf to bring home :) So now I get to enjoy it all week long!

There is a really nice walkway along the Rhein that Keilin and I made our way up and down a few times. In the background, you can see the "Rhein Tower", which we went to, where you take a ride to the top to get a great view of the Rhein and the city.

Düsseldorf.

We walked across the bridge over the Rhein, and on the other side, we found SHEEP! That provided us with a good 30 minutes of entertainment :)

For dinner, we ate at a Lebanese Restaurant in Old Town. I was so proud because I was able to use my German...annnnnnd.....it WORKED! He understood. Even better, I taught Keilin how to ask if she could buy another piece of pita bread, and she was successful too. If you couldn't already tell, I was pretty excited about it :)

Another trip = another blog entry! Last Friday, my friend Keilin and I headed out for a trip to the Netherlands and Germany. We flew into Düsseldorf with Ryan Air, and then caught a shuttle to the city of Nijmegen, in the Netherlands. One of my friends from North Park, Rebecca Erickson, is studying abroad this semester in Nijmegen, and so we went to visit her. On Saturday we went for a day trip to Amsterdam, and then spent Sunday and Monday exploring Nijmegen. Early Tuesday morning, Keilin and I got up early and caught a train to Düsseldorf, Germany. We spent the day being tourists in Düsseldorf, and began our journey back to Karlstad early Wednesday morning.

Other than transportation plans, we didn't have any real agenda before going. We figured it would be a trip where we just would go with the flow, and see where we would end up going and what we would end up doing. It worked fantastically. Part of that had to do with the fact that we had a great hostess, Rebecca, to give us tips about things to do in Nijmegen, as well as be our guide in Nijmegen and Amsterdam. Other than that, Keilin and I just explored. It was so great. Our feet were sore at the end of each day; a sure sign of a good day of sightseeing!

On Easter, I will have been in Sweden for three months. Wow. It's hard to believe. I've experienced so much, and yet it feels like just yesterday I stepped off the plane in Stockholm. Keilin and I were talking about how we have reached the point in our time here that we feel comfortable in Sweden. When we came back from the Netherlands and Germany, we felt home, in a sense. What a great feeling. I am already starting to miss Sweden and I still have two months here :) The same thing happened to me last Fall in Chicago at North Park. Since I knew I would not be back for 9 months, I had already started missing NPU in early November. Fortunately, it made me truly enjoy every moment I had left. So, as funny as it sounds, I am thankful that I already "miss" Sweden, because I know it just means that every moment will be cherished that much more. Well, I'll be here another week before my next adventure to Ireland!

Örebro

We came across a group of ducks on our way from the bus station to the city center. They provided us with a good 15 minutes of entertainment :o)

I guess they did not like me very much.

Örebro Slott (Castle). It was first built in 1347 by King Magnus Eriksson, however it has been remodled several times and the current architechture comes from the late 1800s. Quite a few historical events have taken place here, so it has its fair share of Swedish fame.

A picture of the back of the castle. It sits on the Svartån River.

St. Nicolai Kyrka. This church dates back to the 13th century, but like the castle, has been restyled many times.

Beautiful stained glass.

Old Swedish churches like this one have a really nice simplicity to them...without being dull. I like them :o)

Wadköping. This is a "cultural center" where a few surviving old buildings have been moved to create a little community. There are lots of fun shops, as well as several residences dating back to the 16th century.

This is in Cajsa Warg's Hus, the home of the well known "cookery writer" Cajsa Warg. The ceilings were not very tall!

A steep stairway in the building called Kungsstugan. The King would sleep in this house when he visited Örebro in the late 1580s because he thought the castle was too cold.

Candy shop! No big surprise...Swede's love their candy :o)

Speaking of candy, we were in a convience shop, and we spotted THIS piece of candy...it is a Kanel Bulle candy !!! Unfortunately, it does not taste much like real Kanel Bulle...but it is fun to look at!

Last Saturday, Anja, Keilin and I took a bus to Örebro, a city about an hour and a half east of Karlstad. Some of you know that when I was choosing Universitites to study at during my semester abroad, Örebro University was on my list. So, naturally, I wanted to see what I was missing :o) Haha. Seriously though, I had heard that it was a nice town, and so Anja, Keilin and I decided to check it out.

We planned the trip about a month ago with the intention of going during the Springtime. Lets just say we learned our lesson. On Friday, it snowed ALL day long, and it was still coming down on Saturday. It was not exactly the "Spring" weather we were hoping for/expecting. Fortunately, the temperature was not too cold, so a lot of the snow melted throughout the day. Plus, we have plenty of experience having fun dispite the not-so-great weather! We had a great time, and although it was a great little city, I am happy to say that I am still 100% happy with my placement at Karlstad University :o) The pictures and captions tell the rest!

On Friday, Keilin and I are off to The Netherlands to visit one of my friends from North Park, and then we are spending a night in Düsseldorf, Germany before heading back to Karlstad. Let round two of the travels begin! As always, I hope everyone is doing well back home! You are all missed!

Lauren

Våffledagen

My Swedish Waffle and Coffee... mmmm...

Every year on the 25th of March, Swede's celebrate Våffledagen or Jungfru Marie Bedådelsedag
(Annunciation Day of the Virgin Mary). The Swedish name Våffla (waffle) comes from vår fru, which is an old name for the Virgin Mary. This day is also a celebration of the coming of Spring! On this day, Swedes eat heart-shaped waffles with a dollop of whipped cream and either stawberry or raspberry jam on top. All of the international students were invited to celebrate Våffledagen together with the host students. It was a fun and delicious celebration :o)

Back In Karlstad

The group before heading to the bad taste party. We did well, huh? :)

Photo Shoot: Keilin-- San Fran, CA, USA

Anja--Magdeburg, Deutschland

Antje--Berlin, Deutschland

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Greeeeeen food!

I have been back in Karlstad for about a week and a half, and it has been great. As much as I love traveling to new places, three weeks in a row of traveling can be a little tiresome, and so it has been nice to be in one place for a while--especially Karlstad. 

The timing of my trips worked out quite well. The first term is ending at the end of next week, meaning that for the first time since I have been here, there is a decent amount of studying to be done. While I have enjoyed having more free time, I have to admit that it is nice to have some more work to do. Having said that, I know it is a bad sign when I feel like I have a heavy work load, when in reality, it is still much lighter than what it would be at home. All I know is next semester is going to be a test for me :) I have been keeping busy though. Next week I have a listening comprehension exam in addition to a written exam for Swedish, and a ten page paper along with an hour and a half oral exam for intercultural communications. So there is plenty to be done.

However, despite the increase in homework, I have found time to have some fun too. Last 

Thursday, there was an international night, where all of the international students got together with their fellow countrymen to make a main dish and a desert to share with everyone. The result was ridiculous amounts of delicious food from pretty much everywhere...Germany, Pakistan, Poland, France, Finland, Belgium, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Canada, and Sweden to name a few...as well as 100+ people waddling home after trying to get a taste of every dish. It was fun though, and delicious to say the least.

On Friday night, some friends and I went to a "bad taste party" where we all dressed up in horrible outfits, sported extremely out-of-date sunglasses and neck ties, and plastered on obscene amounts of brightly colored makeup. We looked bad. Excellent!

As you know, St. Patrick's day was on Tuesday, and so some friends and I got together to make a "green dinner". Its funny because I have always thought about doing that, but never had. Whenever I think about green food, I think about the story my dad used to tell about how he made green pancakes for his family breakfast one St. Patrick's day :) Anyway, since none of us had actually done it before, we decided it would be a good idea! We made green omelets 

with green peppers and broccoli inside, as well as green bread, kiwis, and green milk (oh, and peas...they didn't quite go with the "theme" but they are green, delicious, and nutritious, so we added them in :) It was a fun time, and despite the appearance, everything was pretty tasty!

So thats a little "taste" of what I have been up to the past week or so. In addition, I have had some time to take more classes with kauif--I am really enjoying a kickboxing class I have started to attend with my friend Anja, spinning is great as always, strength training is good, and of course, I have continued to go to soccer, which seems to improve each time I go--I have also continued to take part in the church choir--we actually have a "concert" this Sunday!--I've made my way downtown for fika with friends, and have been trying to spend more and more time outside. At this point, the sun rises around 5:45 or 6:00am, and does not fully set until around 7:00pm, so it is quickly getting lighter later, and I am loving every moment of it. Plus, for the first time, today felt EXTREMELY "spring-y" Hallelujah! The sun was shining brightly, sounds of snow melting and birds chirping were abundant, and everyone was outside trying to soak up as much sun as possible. I even opened my windows! I can officially say I now understand why Swedes are considered to be "sun-worshippers". Its completely understandable :) Well, I hope you've all enjoyed hearing about a little piece of my life here in Karlstad! More updates to come!

Love,

Lauren