Kiruna, Sweden - An Adventure to the North

Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden, where snow is everywhere and average temperatures are extremely low. The city has only 23,000 people and the main industry is iron ore mining, so why would anyone want to visit this place? I visited Kiruna and the north of Sweden recently and I will tell you why it is an incredible place. The adventurous location is north of the arctic circle, where snowmobiles and dog sleds are normal transport for many, the incredible Ice Hotel is within a reasonable distance, moose and reindeer roam the forests, and the hope of seeing the mysterious Northern Lights is very present.

Seeking an adventure, I traveled to with Jonathan and Emilia to the very north via train. The trip was 20+ hours and over 1500 kilometers! We met some great and interesting people on the various trains we were on. First was Charlie, a British guy on his travels through Scandinavia towards Russia. He reminded me exactly of my friend Isaac back in the states! Charlie was hilarious and helped me make fun of Jonathan when he misspoke and said that Omaha was a state in the US. On the next train we met Joel and Sofia who were both Swedish. Joel was headed to work at a ski resort in the north and when we asked Sofia what she did, she said "I'm just living". A great moment was when Sofia was talking to us in Swedish and we all looked at her as though she was crazy, it was only then that she realized that she was speaking Swedish. Do Swedes have a switch on the back of their heads that has two modes, English and Swedish? Overall we had some interesting people to chat with while traveling. 

Upon arrival in Kiruna, we noticed that they actually had snow, unlike Jönköping. It finally felt like winter again and the north is truly a winter wonderland. Snow covered evergreen trees and snowmobile trails cutting through the woods. The north of Sweden felt a lot like home for me. We took a few hours to explore Kiruna before we headed to our cabin at Camp Alta, where we would spend two nights. The top attraction in Kiruna was the wooden church, and it did not disappoint! Pictures tell a thousand words! While in the city we picked up some moose sausage and smoked reindeer meat. Can you say delicious?

 Next, we jumped in a Camp Alta van and headed to our cabin. Our little cabin had everything we needed, a kitchen, beds, shower, sauna, and a view over the frozen lake. One odd thing was the toilet which was in a separate building and was called an "ecological toilet". I would just call it a toilet seat with a garbage bag under it, but what do I know.

Our first evening was filled with dogsledding in search for the Northern Lights. There was one issue, when there are clouds it is not possible to see them, and it was cloudy! All in all, dogsledding was great. It is crazy that this 11 little dogs could carry us three and our guide, Luke. Luke was from France and brings his dogs all the way up north every winter to let people experience dogsledding. It was interesting that he gave commands in French and the Swedish guide gave commands in Swedish. I guess we can say that dogs can learn any language just like humans. The dogs got a break and we ate a small sandwich and some delicious mushroom soup inside a traditional Sami lavvu. The Sami people are the native people to the region similar to the Native Americans in the USA. Afterwards, we headed back through the woods to the camp. Dogsledding was a cool experience that everyone should do at least once. I had hoped that the dogs would run faster, but Luke told us that the dogs prefer a much colder temperature that it was on that evening.

Since the could hindered our view of the clear sky, we spent most of the night inside relaxing. We tried out the wood fired sauna and I was the only one that used it for more that five minutes. It was crazy how much you sweat in those things and how much just adding water to the rocks increases the heat in the room. I think it would be more fun with a group of people versus by yourself. 

The agenda for the next day was snowmobiling to the Ice Hotel! I got lucky and ended up getting my own snowmobile instead of having to share one with another person. So I was able to drive to the Ice Hotel and back. It was great to get back on a snowmobile again. We spent a lot of the time driving over the frozen lakes that are over one meter deep with ice. After 18 km of driving, we arrived to the Ice Hotel.

The Ice Hotel was breathtaking! After paying the 200 SEK ($30) entrance fee we had full access to explore all the rooms and even the Ice Church. Again, it is easier to explain the Ice Hotel with this awesome photos. It is absolutely incredible that all of this melts in the summer and is rebuilt every winter by sculptures from across the world.

After returning from the Ice Hotel, I enjoyed a reindeer kebab in a pita and it was so good. Reindeer meat is fairly chewy but delicious nonetheless. The only adventure we had left was to experience the Northern Lights. We prayed for clear skies, but came up unsuccessful. It is a reminder that things do not always go the way you plan. You just need to take a step back, take a breath, and think "maybe next time!" I will return to the north again some day to search for the Northern Lights, it may not be in Sweden but I must see them at some point. 

We took a plane out of the tiniest airport I have ever been in. There were just two gates in the Kiruna airport so you quite literally could not get lost. We arrived in Stockholm a short hour and a half later and spent the rest of the evening exploring beautiful Stockholm before we caught our bus home to Jönköping. Viktor promised to take me on a tour of Stockholm when it gets warmer but just my short visit there proves why so many people have told me how amazing it is and how much they love it. 

All in all, my trip to Kiruna was incredible. I was able to experience many new things and have a lot of fun along the way. I learned that I prefer adventurous outdoor traveling. Everything doesn't always go as planned but that is part of the adventure, you just have to make the most out of the hand you have been dealt. The only thing to say now is, Northern Lights you may have escaped me this time, but I will find you next time!

Old Friend Reunion - Linköping

One reason for choosing Sweden was to take some time and visit my friend, Viktor, who studied at Blair-Taylor with me back in 08-09. I always promised I would come and visit him and what better way to do that, than study in Sweden for an entire semester. After a few weeks of both of us being busy, I finally had a chance to take the bus to Linkoping and catch up with him over the weekend.

Upon seeing him for the first time in over three years, I knew I was in for an exciting weekend. We both had to catch each other up on what has been happening in our lives. After a while, it was like we were not even apart for such a long time. It is crazy how best friends can be separated for so long, yet in just a very short time after seeing each other again, everything goes back to the way it was.

Over the weekend I saw him, we walked around Linköping for a little bit. There isn’t too much to see since it is not a very large city; it is similar to Jönköping in size. We went and had some kebab for lunch on Saturday and went shopping to make our “Swedish meal” for the night. We prepared salmon with goat cheese and honey, along with potatoes. It was very delicious. I also tried the Swedish winter drink called Glogg. All I can say is that it tasted like Christmas, if that is even possible. After an evening of watching an old movie called “Alive” and catching Viktor up on How I Met Your Mother, we were ready to sleep.

The next day we did a lot of the same, chatting, watching How I Met Your Mother, eating Swedish food (including a taste of caviar), devouring too much Swedish candy, and finishing the day off with a get together with some of his friends. It was great to meet some more Swedish people and get to know them. A few of them had been to the USA so we talked about that as well. We watched 21 Jump Street and shared a laugh. It was a great day!

I headed home the following morning and promised I would visit soon. It is crazy that after all of this time, we still can talk for hours about any topic. I received a different perspective on life over the weekend, since I usually prioritize a lot of other things before friends. Friendship is such an important part of life and without friends and family to share all of your experiences with, what do you have? (The answer is nothing) From now on I will put a greater focus on friends and put in more effort and keeping in contact with old friends.

I will see you soon Viktor, as you always say “Have a good one!”

A Weekend in Göteborg (Gothenburg)

Göteborg is fairly close to Jönköping so myself and a few of my fellow Villys (People from Vilhelmsro) traveled there for a quick weekend trip. We headed out on Saturday morning and returned on Sunday evening. Since arriving, I had not traveled anywhere so I really wanted to get out to see the rest of the world and what the other Swedish cities had to offer.

Göteborg was a pleasant surprise for me. It is the fifth largest city in the Nordic countries, with over one million people in the metropolitan area, but seemed like a small city while there. Coming from the country, I generally do not feel the safest in big cities, but so far in Sweden I have felt very comfortable walking around and not having to worry about anything.

Some highlights of the trip were the City Museum and seeing the many beautiful and old portions of the city. It was very interesting to learn how Göteborg came to be, starting all the way back with the Vikings, to now. Göteborg is even known as Little Amsterdam because it was designed similar to Amsterdam and was built by the Dutch. It is a port city so a ton of supplies have gone through the city throughout the course of time.




A few other stops were the Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, a park called Slottsskogen, and the Fish Church. I learned that I am not a huge fan of art, but I do like landscapes scenes of ships, olden times, or battles. I also was able to see the only stuffed blue whale in the world. The park was huge with many activities for children, a zoo, and plenty of ducks. The Zoo was unfortunately closed but the seals were still there so we checked those out. The Fish Church is not actually a church at all, it is a fish market! There were no fish left by the time we got there due to the early closing time on the weekends. (Things in Sweden open late and close early by USA standards).

I also tasted one of my favorite treats, Prinsesstårta, or in English, Princess cake. It is a traditional Swedish cake and is absolutely delicious. I could talk so much more about my adventure but that would spoil all the wonder. I would love to return in the spring to visit the amusement park, Liseberg. It is suppose to be one of the best amusement parks in Scandinavia! I had my great first travel experience since arrival in Göteborg. Hoping for many more to come!  

Appreciation

While away from home you learn to appreciate the little things. Yesterday, I had one of those moments that made me stop and think very deeply. I was shopping at the grocery store picking up my weekly groceries and since I used my credit card they ask for a form of identification. I handed the lady my passport and she was in awe. She stopped, stared at the bald eagle at the top, rubbed her finger over it, and smiled. She said to me "It's a marvelous creature isn't it?" I really didn't know what to say to her besides "Yeah." I know not all Americans have seen a bald eagle but I have and I know they are beautiful animals. I tried to envision the situation from her point of view, she has never seen a bald eagle, the national emblem for the USA. It's almost like some mythical beast that doesn't exist.

Lately I have seen a bald eagle every year and I know that I haven't appreciated that fact as much as I should. Now the big question is; what other parts of daily life do I not appreciate that I should? What do you not appreciate enough? Time for some real thinking...

University Overalls - A Swedish Tradition

At the end of the first week of the Spring Kick-Off, the new "Zeros" (new students) finally were initiated into our yellow overalls. The initiation involved many team building activities and fun games to get us to work together and feel more comfortable with our new friends. Many of these activities involved getting dirty in the dirt and mud outside. Most schools keep their overalls clean, but us in the Engineering School make sure to get them to get them a little dirty. It shows that we are not afraid to get dirty to get the job done. Along with being dirty, my overalls have a number of patches on them to remind me of the activities I have participated in. With the overalls, there is a rule that you can write on everyone's overalls and anyone can write on yours. Also, the overalls are considered holy so you cannot wash them, unless you wear them in the shower or go for a swim in the lake.

A tradition exists at most Universities in Sweden with these overalls. At Jönköping University there are many overall colors. There is a color of overall for each school. Engineering is yellow, business is green, health is white, education is red, and communication is blue. Students wear these overalls at activities like the Kick-Off week and at the Student Pub, Akademien. Wearing your overalls shows pride for your respective school and lets others know what you are studying. At first they were odd, but I have grown to appreciate them . Initially us "Zeros" had to wear the overalls all the way up, but after our initiation we were allowed to wear them up to our waist and held up with a belt. I am sure I will make many memories in these new overalls and it will be a very meaningful souvenir from my time here in Sweden.

We are FAMILY

Sweden is INCREDIBLE. In my accommodation, Vilhelmsro, there are people from Germany, Russia, Mexico, Canada, Latvia, USA, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, and everywhere in between. I have only been here a short week and it is crazy to see how much everybody cares about each other and how polite everyone is. It could be sharing a meal together like Italian pasta made by Italians (delicious by the way), or sharing in political conversations, or simply learning about each others cultures and language.  It does not matter where you are from, we are all people. We are students here to advance our education and have the experience of a lifetime, and so far Jönköping, Sweden has succeeded.

It appears that I am the only one from a farm here so I have even been referred to as Brian the farmer. Apparently I have an accent too so I am known as Brian from Wisconsin. It has been great to get to know all of the international students from all over the world! It's interesting to see how proficient everyone is in English, with some knowing more words that I do, and some knowing very few with the hope that they advance their skills while here. Living here is hard to describe in words because it's something very special that only people who study in another country get to experience.


I can tell that so many people truly care and will take care of each other if we ever have problems or get into some sort of trouble. I have met only a few Swedish people but from the few that I have met, it is very evident that Swedish people are truly some of the nicest people in the world. I am so excited to spend the next four and a half months here. Until next time!

Travel Troubles...A Learning Experience

I made it into Sweden on January 3, just as planned. Although, there were a number of moments when I needed to step back, take a deep breath, and remember that everything was going to be okay. The flight from Madison to Chicago was very small and left a little late in order to de-ice the plane. Once it landed in Chicago, we waited on the runway for almost an hour due to snow and delays. After a little layover in Chicago my plane was suppose to leave at 3:30. Well it didn't leave until 7:00 PM. There were a few delays with weather but we were told that they were attempting to fix our plane, which they were unsuccessful at, so they found us a new plane.

Eight and a half hours in a plane wasn't too bad, the toughest part is the crazy time change of plus 7 hours. Since the flight was late leaving, I missed my connecting flight to Copenhagen from Dusseldorf, Germany. For our inconvenience, we were given food vouchers for airport food. Naturally, I ate a Pretzel, Apfel Kucken(Apple Pie), and a German Bier. After learning about these foods in German class it was awesome to finally eat them. Instead of sitting in the airport, my travel buddy, Jonathan, and myself went into the city of Dusseldorf to see some sights. We weren't there very long but were able to see some neat things, like the Rhine River!

Once we finally arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark it was raining quite a bit. We exchanged some money for Danish Kroner and Swedish Kroner and attempted to find our way to our hostel for the night called Copenhagen Downtown. We jumped on a train and made our way to the general area. Well let's just say we got extremely lost. We asked directions multiple times and it turned out those people were giving us the wrong directions. After lugging all of our luggage through the capital of Denmark for about an hour, we finally found our hostel. Our room was on the the fifth floor and the elevator was so small that only two people could fit in it. I feared we would get stuck inside! We made it and slept good that night since we were both exhausted.

The next morning we explored Copenhagen for two hours before we had to checkout and head to the train station. The city is very cool with some cobblestone streets, monuments, a palace, and lots of history. I can tell my adventures through Europe will all be very interesting and fun. A little advice for navigating trains in Europe, just ask. Many people are willing to help and most speak English. Once we discovered what train to get on and where to go, it was smooth sailing from there. The Swedish landscape is beautiful and I saw many farms. Although we ran into many troubles with our travels, I made it through it and discovered to just relax and remember than everything is going to work out.