God Jul!

Merry Christmas! Or as we say here in Sweden, God Jul! (pronounced: Good Yooool)

I spent this special holiday with the Brandts and their family on the island of Gotland. I had such a wonderful experience, and now I get to share a piece of it with you!

Swedes celebrate their biggest moment on Christmas Eve; this is when the whole family comes together to eat, watch Disney cartoons, sing and dance, and this is when their Santa comes to greet and give gifts to all.  

Christmas Eve we took a walk around the historic village of Visby. I hadn’t been there since this summer and it was great being able to see it again but this time with Christmas decorations out, (but unfortunately, no snow). We eventually came to a church, where the feeling of holiday spirit was at its highest for me. I lit a candle for my grandfathers among other relatives and hoped that somehow they were able to enjoy this day with me. After about an hour spent in town, we headed back to Mormor’s (grandma’s) to watch Disney cartoons and fika. Those both are serious Swedish traditions. The watching of Mickey and the gang is a part of Christmas here, and if you haven’t watched it, it’s not truly Christmas. They have a special Christmas program at 3 o’clock and it shows a collection of the classics. It was great watching those again, most of them I haven’t seen since I was an itty-bitty.

When it was time for the big celebration, we all headed to the farm house and joined in the rest of the family for a big feast and for merry-making. They had set up a big, long table in the dining room and all 18 people were able to sit around it. The Christmas table was filled with all sorts of fun food; hard boiled eggs and caviar, red beet salad with egg crumbles on top, hard and soft bread with cheese, all sorts of herring, Johnson’s Temptation which is composed of potatoes au gratin and anchovies, ham, potatoes, home-brewed ale, shnapps, Julmust, and many other things that reminded me dearly that I am in Sweden for this holiday. (And recipes that I plan on bringing home with me for next Christmas in the states)

As you can see from the videos I have posted, during dinner there were several songs sang and cheers made. This part of the dinner really reminded me of the crayfish feast that I had attended this summer!

After dinner we participated in singing and dancing traditional Swedish songs! I have also posted a few videos of this, I found it quite fun and amazing that they do these things… I have never experienced anything like this before, and I would love to do something like this again! 

Christmas morning was quite a difference for me. I woke up with the urge to run downstairs and conduct the usual Christmas morning ritual of seeing what's in the stocking, and what is under the tree. It was a strange realization when I remembered where I was, so far from home, and that we weren't going to be doing the typical American celebration. 

For a moment or two I was saddened by the fact that I wasn't with family back home, but that I remembered that I had such a wonderful time the night before and that I need to enjoy every moment I have here. 

Christmas Day was also spent with family and loved ones, but the focus on the holiday was gone. I took a nice walk with Alicia and her cousin Isabelle, we walked along the coast and walked on a pier. I still can't get used to living on the water, it amazes me with every sight! 

Hope your holidays went well, and wishing you the best for the new year! 

Mon ami, Paris

Paris- a city of culture, history, fine cuisine, fashion, and romance. That's where I found myself this weekend. 

By the time Maja, Greta, and I found our way through airports and metro stations to our hotel the first night, it was dark and time for dinner. Our 'camp' for the next few days was located in a cozy corner right off of St. Michael's Boulevard, and it was surrounded by a multitude of cafes, restaurants, shops, and movie theaters, (Not to mention how centralized it was compared to all of the big Parisian monuments).  

We went to a restaurant that was very close to our hotel, and to our luck it was exactly what we were craving for! Total French cuisine- veal liver, steak tartar, escargot, and many other mouth-watering dishes. I split a plate of escargot with Greta, I had never tried snail before and I was sort of worried about how it was going to go down. I was imagining snail to be all slime, and to kind of take on the texture of an oyster. Greta was telling me before the dish came that she used to work for a restaurant and jokingly said that the snails were going to be alive when we were going to eat them. She let me panic for a few moments and then told me the real story of how the snails were long-dead before hand and that they are seasoned with garlic and re-stuffed into the shells. 

As our plate of mollusks arrived and the sweet smell of garlic filled my nostrils, a certain excitement rushed through my veins. We were given two cutlery tools, a fork and a clasp. I smiled, dug out a snail, and plopped it into my mouth like a candy. It was DELICIOUS! No slime, no grit, just garlicy perfection in a shell. I was pleasantly surprised and greatly enjoyed gobbling up the rest of the platter with Greta. 

The rest of the meal included freshly-baked bread, local wine, I split a plate of veal liver (YUM) and a plate of lamb with Greta, all three of we girls shared a chocolate mousse, and ended the perfectly rounded meal with a black coffee. If this meal is all that I would have had in Paris, I would have still been 100% satisfied. Have I forgotten to mention that our waiter had the stereo-typical French mustache? 

The next morning we awoke to rain. Nothing better to break the gloom of clouds in my opinion than a nice, bread filled French breakfast! With appetites curbed, Greta, Maja, and I started our short walk to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. The inside and the outside of this church are simply magnificent. The colors emitted by the intricate stained glass and the pure height and size of this structure is breath-taking. The feeling of this Gothic cathedral really does put off an essence that there is something 'bigger' out there. It amazes me that architects and engineers hundreds of years ago could construct such a long-lasting, massive, artistic feat.   

After some time spent in awe in the Notre Dame, we headed down several shopping streets in the surrounding area. Unfortunately things in Paris are a bit pricey, and we did not do the Christmas shopping that we thought we could. 

A few hours spent browsing through high-fashion designer specialty shops, and we were ready for a nice cup of tea. We took the metro to the Mosque of Paris, (built in 1921), where we were not allowed in due to it being the day of prayer, but instead dove into the cafe located on the other side of the structure. We drank honey tea in a room crowded with all sorts of people, but with the interior design taking us to somewhere else... completely different from what we had been experiencing lately. I almost half-expected it to be blazing-hot outside when we stepped out of the cafe. 

We then ventured into more small streets in search of a special market street. We found it, and bought supplies for an indoor-picnic. Browsing through the meat-deli, I was surprised to find pheasants and chickens plucked from the neck down, but with their heads still feathered and completely in-tact. I suppose that either people use the head for cooking, or it is simply for style. With grocery bags filled with good bread, cheese, olives, wine, and other food items, we found our way back to our hotel. 

After our picnic we decided that it would be fabulous if we went to the movie theater next door and watched an old film. 

This theater had a few retro movies playing, we watched Henry Adams and the Million Pound Note with Gregory Peck in it! It was adorable, I love old movies! 

We woke up to a gorgeous blue-sky day on Saturday. Once again, pleased with a bread breakfast we three girls took a train ride to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. This beautiful place of worship was perhaps my favorite thing I saw in Paris. The shape and the colors were so pristine, and the view of Paris from the top of the hill was to die for. There was a harpist playing on the stairs nearing the entrance, to add effect to this magical place. When we got inside, there was a service being provided. Nuns were singing and as the lights shone in from the stained glass, a priest said his service. We sat in on the service for awhile, and then walked around a Christmas market which had placed itself conveniently alongside. It was at this Christmas market where we purchased nutella crepes and vin chaud (hot wine). We browsed our way along the market and eventually found ourselves in a artist square. Artists had placed themselves all around this square and were painting, and selling their art. It was neat to see them in progress, and I was reminded that I was truly in Paris. 

Greta had had her heart set on eating couscous at a specific restaurant for several weeks, and this was very close to the Basilica and the artist square. We eventually found it and once again delighted our taste buds and pleasantly bloated our stomachs. 

After lunch we did a little more store-hopping but due to a change in the weather, headed back to our hotel for the day. 

We didn't have to venture out too far from camp to find a hopping restaurant filled with 'young' people. This is where we had our last dinner. Our hotel was also located in the so-called 'student' area of Paris, and we witnessed this Saturday night. I have a feeling that this crowd of students were ones who were more into the arts, and perhaps the movies because they were all going to the theaters later, which were filled with very artistic, indie, and retro movies. 

Sunday morning, once again we woke up blessed with a sunny day. Our flight didn't leave until 3 p.m. so we decided that we could indeed make a trip to the famous Eiffel Tower. Just as everyone imagines, this famous landmark towers over everything around, and it is the final step in creating the feel that you are in Paris. 

I had a wonderful trip to Paris, and I hope to all those who are reading this will have the chance to experience this interesting city like I did! Don't leave anything out! (Especially the escargot, you HAVE to try it!) 

It's a week before Christmas, start the countdown! 

'Till next time! 

"The Living Moment Is Everything"

This weekend I had the chance to explore the wonderful city of Helsingborg again and also to show someone else the wonders of this beautiful area I can temporarily call home. 

Helsingborg has so many things to do! I really appreciate how centralized the town is so everything that you could want- from shopping streets to many different restaurants and cafes- is all in very close range and easy to walk to. Not to mention the fact that each street and alley has a cute European design that I am still not getting used to seeing, and the sea is almost always in sight. 

Ivar came down to visit this weekend! We did tons of things, the question is where to begin! We spent the weekend touring the streets of Helsingborg, finding picture perfect places, dogging in little cafes for a fika, going out to dinner, seeing and participating in the night life, figuring out bus and train tables (to a fault) and generally having a good time. 

One problem with taking the bus all the time is that unfortunately the bus does not always cooperate with the times that you want. But this fact ended up a plus for us, because while waiting for the next bus home, Ivar and I went into an ICA (a grocery store) and spontaneously bought a gingerbread house set! As you can see from the picture below, it turned out wonderfully!  

Maria Park (where I live) is a very special area. It is just far enough out of town to where I'm not bothered with the noise of the city, but it is also close enough to where we aren't secluded. 

About a 15 minute walk away from my house, is Sofiero Castle. It must have been a summer getaway for the royals, and at one point a certain king put a lot of thought and effort into a most beautiful garden surrounding the building. Unfortunately the inside of the castle is closed off for the season, but all year round people can explore the expansive and intricate gardens. 

Even though it is December, the garden is still green and somewhat full of life. It's must be magic... or am I really in Sweden? 

Blessed with a sunny day, Ivar and I took a long walk along the beach into town. Along the way, we saw many cute houses and properties... what a great place to live!

All and all, it was a fabulous weekend. This weekend starts off many other fantastic weekends to come! Next weekend is Paris, the weekend after that is Christmas which I will be returning to the island of Gotland with the Brandt family, and the weekends after that is the start of 2012 and I will be off to the Canary Islands! I'm very ready for what is ahead but I am also thankful for what I am experiencing now. "The living moment is everything" after all. 

Good Times

December is a month that brings homesickness to many whom find themselves traveling abroad. I've experienced that with a few of our foreign exchange students so I'm mentally preparing myself for this horrible feeling. Luckily for me, I am going to be able to keep so busy and I am going to soak up so many new traditions that hopefully I can keep my mind off how far away from home I am this holiday season. 

This weekend was full of fun! Friday night I went out with my friend Caylie and a few other friends. First we went to a pool hall that was decorated in the American Western style, and they even had Chicago Bulls Basketball Jerseys! What I want to know is how in the world do these Swedes find this stuff? After a round or two of pool, and a few tequilas later, we all headed to a dance club. Apparently this weekend was some kind of transvestite party at the club we went to... That was a shocker to find! Ha! 

Today was actually the second advent... but due to hazardous weather conditions last weekend, the winter festival celebrating the first advent was moved to this weekend. The Helsingborg advent festival included the crowning of a Lucia, (which is the girl with the candles on her head singing in the movie above),  a light show, and food. 

Traditional Swedish foods around this time of year are lussekatter (saffron buns), glogg (a kind of .... warm grape juice.. not wine.. and it has hard alcohol in it) , gingerbread cookies, julmust (Christmas soda), and rice pudding. 

I went downtown and met up with Martin and Caroline, we sat in a cozy cafe and drank some glogg while waiting for the Christmas light show to start. 

After the exhibit, we walked around the market... and we ran into Caylie and Eric! (As seen in the video below)

I ended the evening excursion at the Brandt residence, sitting cozily watching a Christmas T.V. show (I could understand it!!!) And eating those delicious traditional foods mentioned above. 

I think I'm really going to enjoy spending the holidays here, but of course I miss everyone back home and I love you all! 

This week is my finals week for the online classes I'm taking, but thank goodness I'm not stressing too much, I think I'll be just fine! 

The rest of this month will be filled with excitement, including going to Paris, back to Gotland, and then of course the start of the new year and heading to the Canary Islands! Can't wait!