A busy week and a half in Uppsala, on a relative scale. Started with Kulturnatt, or the town-wide culture night, where different cultural groups and organizations across Uppsala showcase their activities or host events. The event is huge and brings the masses out to the streets. It began with a fika in cafe barista, progressed to perusing the stands lining the street and halted momentarily at the cathedral where we explored the treasury museum (hidden in the walls of the cathedral). Here are Manon, Kyle and Aaron feasting on the delicious cultural treats we found. Below is a picture of the candles lit in the cathedral.



















After a trip to the Carl Linneaus museum/garden, I headed home for dinner and later returned to hit the streets on a solo expedition. The view across the river from the bridge on S:t Olofsgatan (one of the main streets through town) was beautiful. All the windows were lit, people milling in the street, the lights of a packed restaurant.















After some more time of rambling in the crowds, I headed for the cathedral and luckily hit the middle of the choral performance. The entire cathedral was packed, hushed. And the singing! Lovely. Returned home full of energy and settled into pancakes with one of my splendid hallmates.















Next excursion! Manon, Kyle, Eva and I took a spontaneous trip to Enköping, a western town of, as we discovered, pretty little note. BUT. The drive was beautiful, through farmlands and forests. At first, we stopped at Viks Slottet (or Viks castle), a tall, impressive building on a knoll overlooking a lake. Also along the way we stumbled into several of the many, many viking runestones common in the province where Uppsala lies (Upland).



















Most of the runestones commemorate dead relatives, developmental events (the building of bridges) and the conquests/conversions of different rulers.



















Viks slottet.















A pathway at Skokloster, the palace where the day ended. There was also a beautiful old church there, unfortunately closed. Although we couldn't get into the palace due to the late hour, the grounds were gorgeous and we managed to sneak some apples out of the church orchard.



Manon, Kyle and Eva inside an impressive tree of the palace grounds.




























The lake at Viks Slottet.



















Manon being f'ing awesome. After we all went home, she came over for a delightful evening of tea, chocolate and whisky.


Third and last adventure of the last week! Stockholm. Feeling that I hadn't explored quite enough of my surroundings over the past week, I took an impromptu trip to Stockholm, my first time there. It was, unfortunately, a grey day after a string of very long grey days. Below are views of Stockholm from the tower in the Stadhuset (City Hall), where I started my morning with a quite a climb to the top. Then I had the upper half of the tower entirely to myself for some time and was able to look out 360 degrees around the city. Stockholm is built on 14 islands in an archipelago, so numerous bridges connect the various sections of the city.






























After stadhuset, I went to Gamla Stad (old city) and rambled in the streets, went to the palace briefly and walked through an interesting, archaeological/historical museum. Afterward, I walked to the National Museum, and spent a few hours looking at the paintings, etc. housed there.



















This squirrel is p-iisssedd.














The palace from across the channel.














The streets in Gamla Stad.




















An open air market above the central metro station. PAELLA. If only the line hadn't been so long and I wasn't trying to limit my spendings because oh my god paella.
















Dinner: chokladbulla.














I believe this is the east asian museum on one of the small islands.














In Stockholm, if you are wealthy enough you can take a tour of the city...in hot air balloon! The tickets cost about 1000-2000 kronor, so 200-400 dollars, so, to summarize...that's not me in one of those balloons.














Well, over a month of my time has already gone by. Already I'm feeling that it will be too short. I've met some wonderful people and the thought of having only three-four months left with them is worrisome to me. More so, with ridiculous amounts of free time and unlimited sources of adventure, I've felt, at times, overwhelming amounts of energy. This has been a good and a bad thing. On the positive, greater end of things, I'm doing and thinking more than in earlier times but on the low-down, I'm not sleeping too much...But it's a good way to live for now, always more to see, do, say, etc. Right now the key is to let time pass using it well and let the possibilities of being here develop a little more without getting at all caught up thinking too far ahead.

End thoughts: