This evening we headed down to the St. Pauli neighbourhood with Silke, Till and Jurgen, more German friends from Sweden. The six of us spent some time at a Hamburg specialty, the ‘beach’ bar. Set up on the harbourside, the outdoor bar has quite a beachy feel, set up with sand, trees, deckchairs and the like. Was nice to be there as the sun was still up, then later rug up with a blanket as it cooled down outside.

A visit to Hamburg isn’t complete without a trip down to the Reeperbahn. Guided by Till, we ventured into Hamburg’s Sin City, the party district. After some 50 cent shooters, which included Tabasco and tomato juice, we headed to a cool bar to enjoy the weekend nightlife. A great first day in the city, a good first impression was certainly made.

Another Hamburg must is a Hafenrundfahrt, also known as a harbour tour. One of the biggest ports in Europe, we spent an hour or so cruising the waterways seeing the city as well as its industrial heart from a nautical perspective, complete with an informative and entertaining guide. Quite well timed, since as we returned to port the dark clouds were rolling in, and almost as soon as we stepped on to shore, the downpour began. After braving the elements, we ventured to the Jungfernstieg area, where there is a nice lake right in the inner city. After enjoying a lakeside lunch, trying not to get attacked by the ducks, the rain returned, and we managed to get reasonably soaked this time around.

Once the rain cleared, it was over to Town Hall Square, which was playing host to the European Beach Volleyball Championships. With free admission, we took advantage of this bargain price and joined the crowd. Was quite an entertaining few hours, some high quality games and exciting rallies. We saw the women’s finals, where the Germans took home the gold, so that created an exciting atmosphere in anticipation of the said result. Norway scraped through to take silver and bronze, with the day culminating in the obligatory champagne spraying. Combined with the music blaring in the breaks and the entertainment by the Nestea dancing girls, it was an entertaining afternoon.

If a visit to Hamburg isn’t complete without a trip to the Reeperbahn, then a weekend in Hamburg isn’t complete without two trips to the Reeperbahn. Saturday night saw us enjoy the late evening sun with some beers down at Jungfernstieg, and not before a quick pit stop at Konrad’s, off we went again to the heart of Hamburg’s nightlife. This time around though we did things right, and after a bit of bar hopping, a few more 50 cent shots and the obligatory late night kebab, at 5am it was time to call it a night. Or was it?! Not in Hamburg at least, where a Saturday night visit to the Reeperbahn goes hand-in-hand with a Sunday morning visit to the Fischmarkt (Fish Market). Half an actual market, half an after party, we managed to enjoy some quality cuisine, particularly the fried potatoes with fried egg on top, followed by some more dancing, this time with some old-style rockers. Stumbled out of there sometime after 7am and made it home sometime around 8am. A really fun night/morning taking part in this unique Hamburg experience.

So of course, after such an adventure, some sleep would be the next logical step, right? Well, as we came home, our hostel roommates were just getting up and getting ready to face the day. So they took this opportunity to fill us in on their whereabouts over the past five months of travelling. Quite interesting, but perhaps not the best time to talk about it. Okay, so they left finally. Peace and quiet. Rest. But no, not for too long. Since it was such a beautiful day outside, Jule thought it would be foolish to waste it away with something as ridiculous as sleep. So let’s call it a 3-hour ‘nap’, before we were up again and getting ready to enjoy some more Hamburg sights.

All jokes aside, I was glad though for the wake-up call, since there is more than enough to see in Hamburg, especially given our short time frame. We headed next door to a fantastic photo exhibition at the Deichtor Hallen, before travelling to the City Park to meet Till for a game of Kubb. For those not lucky enough to have experienced it, Kubb is an old Swedish game with Viking origins, which involves throwing sticks towards each other, well at least at each other’s wooden blocks. A little hard to describe, but in any case quite a fun way to enjoy the sunshine and each other’s company on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the park. Soon enough we were joined by Silke, Jurgen and Konrad, as well as Guillaume on his way back from France, so it was a great chance to catch up with a lot of Linköping’ers at once and reminisce about the good old days back in Ryd.

After finally getting some decent rest, we had one more day to enjoy the city and all its offerings. Given the previous three days efforts though, Monday was spent wandering through the city at a snail’s pace, with coffee, shopping, lunch, shopping, and coffee, before finally working up the strength to climb the tower at St. Michelis church. Not before attempting to save 50 cents on the admission fee, only to be caught out by the eagle-eyed cashier who noticed our Hamburg Card had expired. An extra 1 Euro 50 lighter in the pockets, the three of us ascended the mighty tower, to be confronted with a fantastic 360-degree panorama of Hamburg and her sights. Just as well, it wouldn’t want to be ordinary considering the effort expended climbing up there. Attention citizens of Hamburg: don’t waste your money on a gym membership, just climb the tower every day.

Finishing our visit the way it began, with a wander through and a beer at the Speicherstadt, it was time to trek to the Hauptbahnhof to Jule and I to head back to Marburg and Martin to take the night train back to France. Was great to have the Tri-Nation team back together again for a few days, and even better that Australia doesn’t compare to France and Germany in soccer so I could stay out of those heated discussions! Above all, another fantastic weekend, Hamburg – eine Perle!

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Spent the weekend and pretty much the rest of the week relaxing around Marburg. On Saturday we wandered around the Oberstadt (Upper City) and caught up with Simone, another of the gorgeous Germans I met in Sweden. This evening was spent partaking in the German phenomenon known as ‘reinfeiern’, translated as ‘celebrating into’, in regards to birthdays. I don’t remember doing this in Australia, but here it’s quite common for everyone to gather with the birthday boy or girl some time before midnight on the day before the birthday. As soon as the clock strikes twelve, the celebrations begin. In this case, we were celebrating into Anne’s birthday (please note for future reference, in German, Anne is pronounced more like Anna than Ann), complete with singing, wine, and dramatic speeches. Yet this was only the entrée before the main course, a garden party on Sunday afternoon. Jule and I were responsible for preparing an Apple Crumble – well at least Jule directed while I duly followed instructions. Result – a completely empty tray, so I dare say it was well received. Unfortunately so much so that the birthday girl missed out, oops! Anyway, many of the guests brought along a dish to share, combined with some generous dishes prepared by our hosts. This resulted in serious overeating over the next few hours, but everything was absolutely delicious, so there was no excuse not to really! Was a beautiful afternoon spent in the garden, complete with food as mentioned, beer, radler, some fun and games, and getting to meet lots of nice people. Party migrated indoors after the sun came down and the neighbours had had enough. Though back to the balcony, the scene of the reinfeiern, to celebrate out of the birthday (not as common). Was a really lovely day and I appreciated everyone’s efforts to make me feel welcome as the only ‘foreigner’. Danke Schön!

The rest of the week was spent relaxing, enjoying some more delicious German cuisine, enjoying some more delicious German beer, and catching up with friends. Jule and I made the one hour trek down to Darmstadt to see a couple of fellow Linköping’ers, Sebastian, better known as Turner, as well as Jan. Turner directed us to a student party being held in a warehouse somewhere in town, so we managed to hit the dance floor there for a little while which was a lot of fun. Coming home we had an encounter with a shopping trolley and a pit stop at an all-night Turkish bakery, followed by a big late-night/early-morning cook-up back at Turner’s place. Quite an eventful and fun-filled evening, and particularly great to catch up with the two guys again. The next day we took a quick tour retracing our steps around the city, at least in daylight this time, as well as checking out a few extra sights. A short but sweet pitstop in Darmstadt!

After almost a week in Marburg, it was time for a weekend trip in order to see some more of Germany. Details to follow….!

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Made the short trek back to Thomas’s place, a student corridor arrangement which brought back memories of the time in Sweden. Enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by my host and his lovely girlfriend Rienke, which thankfully they managed not to burn considering I kept them waiting and guessing all afternoon. Spent the evening relaxing and catching up, was a nice welcome to the Netherlands - worth the wait!

Sunday was spent taking in the sights of Eindhoven in true Dutch style, by bicycle. Arrived in time for Fiesta del Sol, so there was plenty of Latin action throughout the city, which Thomas and I enjoyed from the comfort of a café sitting in the sun with some cold Weissbier (It doesn’t sound right in English for some reason, white beer…) This was the day of the European Championships final between Spain and Germany, so after managing to get through the biggest salad ever made for two people, Thomas and I headed down to the local Irish pub to catch the match. Was fortunate that this pub was also the venue of choice for the Spanish exchange students, resulting in a lively atmosphere and a lot of fun and singing after all was said and done and the Spaniards had the trophy in their hands.

Spent most of the week in this tiny yet beautiful little land. The size made it perfect to get around on train easily enough without too much cost or forward planning. One day I made a day trip to Den Haag (The Hague) where I spent a few hours wandering and enjoying the sunshine, likewise in relatively nearby Utrecht. Enjoyed both cities, particularly Utrecht though, with its major canal cutting through the city and lots of little streets to explore. It’s one thing I love about the European summer, well two things, one – it’s not too hot, and two – there are people everywhere and a lively atmosphere flows through the city centres. In Utrecht, the squares and canal banks were packed with diners basking in the sunsets of the long days. I only spent an hour or so there but definitely think it deserves a return visit one day.

After a few days based in Eindhoven, it was time to leave and trek north to Amsterdam. Not before a personal guided tour through the pleasant Jordaan district and one last beer canal-side under the watch of the towering West Church next to Anne Frank’s house, it was time to bid farewell to Thomas as I spent the next day or so catching up with my next host, the ever traveling Steffi from Austria, who I met in Brazil six years ago. To keep up with the trend I started in Paris, dinner this night was a delicious Greek meal, souvlaki, prepared by one of Stef’s friends, an international student from Greece. Served with ouzo of course. Enjoyed some nice Greek desserts as well, was yet another pleasant evening on my travels getting to meet some more interesting people.

Had one full day to enjoy the sights of Amsterdam. I visited the city six years ago on my first Eurotrip, but somehow with a group of young Australians and Americans, I didn’t manage to see much more than the seedy side of the city. However this time around I made up for that, starting with a ‘grachtenfahrten’ or canal tour. Was a nice way to see the city, as well as learn a bit of history and trivia along the way. Did you know there are more than 1 million bicycles in the city, that’s more than one per inhabitant. And apparently about 20,000 are recovered from the bottom of the canals every year.

Spent the afternoon on land exploring some more corners of the city, including the new public library, a very modern design and concept with a great café and lookout on the top level (can highly recommend the hot chocolate). Also enjoyed the Crooked House bar (don’t quote me on the name), enjoying a beverage waterside as boat after boat sailed past. The evening was spent meeting yet more nice people, this time a couple of Stef’s friends from her time in Mexico.

On my way home, I decided to pass through the renowned red-light district – as a social experiment of course. I don’t know what anyone else thinks, but for me, it has to be seen to be believed. Window shopping is how it’s done here, but this time the mannequins are moving. Interesting to see people streaming through the tiny alleyways either to make a selection or just enjoy the sights.

Well, after almost a week criss-crossing the place, it was time to move on. Friday morning saw me at Amsterdam Central Station bright and early to catch the train over the border to Frankfurt and eventually Marburg. Was a really great time spent there, seeing the sights and learning some Dutch history, as well as enjoying some warm hospitality and catching up with old friends. Thomas en Rienke, Steffi – Dank u wel!

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First stop: Seoul, Korea. Well, if you want to be technical, it was the second stop. Jetted off from Adelaide on June 8, spending one night in Sydney, where I still managed to head down to Circular Quay and enjoy the short time I had there. Early start the next day, leaving on the 9.10 to Seoul courtesy of my sponsor Asiana Airlines www.flyasiana.com. After a comfortable 10 hour flight I touched down at the sparkling Incheon Airport and made my way into downtown Seoul.

Was there for four nights and three complete days, during which time I managed to see a nice range of areas throughout the city, comfortably assisted by my own personal guide, a local friend Jemin who took good care of me. The first night we ventured out into the local area, stopping by a huge night marketplace where all sorts of clothing were being sold. I also had my first encounter with street food, and also stopped in at a small “restaurant” for some more local delicacies, including soju, a wine which is sort of like Japanese sake. Quite a nice introduction to the city.

For my first full day it was off sightseeing. After enjoying the hotel breakfast and practising my Korean with the waitress – she told me “You’re almost Korean!” – I took a taxi to the National Museum. A huge building, covering a long period of national and Asian history, including an interesting piece about how the Korean alphabet was formed (I managed to learn it myself during the week, not quite an expert yet though…). I also had fun interacting with the local kids in and around the museum, they would see me and say “Hello” and get quite excited when I responded back. Usually it was in English, but a couple of times I said hello in Korean and this caused large amounts of shrieks and laughter. I also got called “Handsome boy” a couple of times, so it seems English teachers in Korea are doing a good job! Later it was off to a cool restaurant/bar area to relax and enjoy some more local cuisine, this time Korean BBQ, chicken which we are cooking directly in front of us with a huge variety of side dishes. I quickly learnt that in Korea, it’s all about the side dishes!

The next day it was off for more sightseeing, first stop this time the national palace, Gyeongbokgung. Although not in use anymore as a residence, it has been preserved as a museum and is complete with live performances by finely dressed men and women – hard to describe, will post photos. Walked from here to the Insadong area, passing a large number of riot police along the way, since during the week I was there there were huge protests in regards to US beef imports. Was a bit confronting but I didn’t get caught in the middle of anything at least. Insadong was quite nice, enjoyed iced tea Korean-style and some noodles for dinner. During the evening I crossed the Han river and looked around the downtown area of Gangnam.

For my final full day, Jemin and I headed off on a DMZ tour. The DMZ, or Demilitarised Zone, is the area that separates North and South Korea. I’m not sure of the exact distance, but it’s at least a couple of kilometres wide. First we visited a park which is one of the closest points South Koreans can get to North Korea. We could see that many schoolchildren had been here and left messages on a wall to their northern counterparts, saying things like that they are looking forward to being able to see them one day. Not knowing much about the history of the situation before this day, it was fascinating to learn what caused the division of the once-unified Korea and what has happened since then. We were able to descend deep underground in a tunnel to get down to view the 2m x 2m tunnel that the North Koreans were building a couple of hundred metres underground towards South Korea. A defector informed South Korea of the tunnel, and when confronted, the North Koreans smeared some black stuff on the wall and told them it was a coal mine. What a coincidence. Anyway, there went that idea. Next stop was the lookout point, where we could see a little part of North Korea. No photos were allowed at this point (nor at many others along the tour) as we were closely watched by soldiers. There was a ‘photo-line’ some metres back from the wall which was the limit for taking photos, so at this point many tourists were frantically sticking their cameras up into the air to see if they could capture something from the other side. I tried as well. Not too successful. Finally we went to Dorasan train station, the link between the two Koreas. There is a little bit of train movement between the two countries, but use is limited. Some of the electronics companies have set up manufacturing facilities just over the border to take advantage of the cheap labour on offer, so the train line is also used for goods transportation. Soon enough the half-day tour was over and it was back to the hustle and bustle of Seoul, only 60km or so from the DMZ. Was really enlightening for me and a memorable experience.

For my final afternoon/evening in Seoul, I made sure to experience some more Korean cuisine, bibimbap for lunch and galbi for dinner, oh, and an iced green tea latte in between. Bibimbap is a dish with rice, meat and vegetables (I think that’s right…) put together in a hot ceramic dish where you mix it all together. Again, hard to describe, sorry! Galbi is aef BBQ dish where it’s all cooked on the table in front of you, then you wrap a small piece of beef in a lettuce leaf and some rice and away you go! Both dishes were delicious, both were served with about 10 side dishes, as per usual 

Between all this hectic sightseeing and eating, there was also a chance to enjoy the hotel facilities, a highlight of which was the traditional Korean baths. There were three spa-sized pools, one cold, one warm and one hot. Enjoyed hopping between them as well as the sauna/steam rooms, again at three different temperatures – was a nice and relaxing way to finish an exciting and interesting first visit to Korea!

Back by Popular Demand - Scott's travel blog for 2008 remains copyright of the author scottg, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Well sadly this will be my last entry on here, since I am writing this from home, yes I am back in Adelaide now, my amazing year abroad has come to an end. But at least let me tell you how it all finished up...

So, after getting back from the tennis in Paris, had just a couple of days before it was back on the road, well the sea, on the ferry over to Helsinki. Eight of us from Linkoping went over on the so-called "party boat". We were greeted by drunk Finns before we had even set sail, so gave us a taste of what was ahead. It was really nice as we sailed out of Stockholm, the ship heads through the archipelago which has some fantastic scenery, so it was nice to sit back and enjoy that. For dinner, we splashed out and went for the 30 Euro buffet ($50), all you can eat, but more importantly, all you can drink wine. We managed to get quite a collection of wine bottles on our table, was quite enjoyable. Had the whole night to party, enjoying the nightlife on offer, before eventually arriving in Helsinki the next morning.

We had two days to explore the city, and had great weather which made it even better. Had a really nice time exploring around, seeing the famous churches as well as the island fortress Suomenlinna. Was a really nice visit to the Finnish capital!

We took it easy on the ferry back to Sweden, and arrived back in Linkoping for what would be for most of us the last few days of our stay in Sweden. But my time in Europe wasn't quite over, the day after returning from Helsinki, I was back in Stockholm, at the airport to greet my Aussie visitors! My sister Alexandrea, my cousin Matt, and my friend Marisa came over for a month in Europe, so naturally their first stop was Sweden while they waited for me to finish up things there. Spent Swedish national day in Stockholm, saw the royals which was a nice start to the holiday for the tourists, and being a fan of Princess Madeleine I was happy to see them as well After a few days in Linkoping, where I completed (and just passed) my last exam, it was time to hit the road. First stop was Helsingborg in southern Sweden, for a graduation party for my friend Jacob. Graduation from high school in Sweden is quite a big and traditional event, so it was nice to be a part of the celebrations.

From here, it was a short hop on the ferry over to Denmark. After the weekend in Copenhagen, we flew down to Rome. Without accommodation planned, we got to Rome airport and managed to get something sorted which was pretty close to the train station, so that was a convenient base for our time there. Even though I had been there before, the highlight and new thing for me this time was going inside the Colosseum. Was amazing, so historic and really fascinating to imagine what went on there however many years ago it was in use.

Next stop was Venice, just stopped in here for the day, did everything except the gondola ride, but was nice in any case to wander around and soak in the atmosphere. Really nice day. Next we were on the night train, 12 hours or so later we arrived in Vienna. Again, just the day here, again just wandering around and relaxing.

Another night, another night train, this time from Vienna to Paris. We had three days or so there, I figured out it was my sixth time there during this year, but still I enjoy it every time. Enjoyed the tourist sights once more with the newcomers, and even spent a few hours at Disneyland Paris which was new for me as well. Also exciting was a visit to the Moulin Rouge, had a great dinner, accompanied with champagne of course, and experienced an excellent musical performance. We were all really impressed!

From Paris it was then a short hop across the Channel to London. We had four nights here so was nice to stop in one place and take it a bit easier than we had been. Again, just the usual sights here, as well as catching up with a mate and visiting some markets and of course pubs. Nothing too out of the ordinary for a tourist visit to London, but nice nonetheless.

After five world cities in about ten days, it was time to slow down and escape from that for a while. So the next stop was quite a contrast, over to the Danish island of Bornholm. We had a couple of nights over here, and one full day, which we used to enjoy the nature and cycle along the coastline. Was really nice, even if my year of cycling in Sweden had made me much more capable on a bike than my co-travellers. So I was out on my own for most of the time. Got a bit lost and ended up on a walking-only track at one stage, much to the annoyance of local hikers. Too short a visit, but realised Bornholm is definitely worth a visit for a week or so.

By now, it was time for Midsummer, another high point on the Swedish cultural calendar. We stayed at a place near Helsingborg, with friends of Marisa's friends. Considering we hardly knew anyone, the people we met were really friendly and welcoming and showed us some of the traditions that take place at this time of year, such as dancing around the maypole, eating herring and drinking schnapps. Was really nice to be in Sweden to see this famous celebration.

It was after this that Marisa left us, so then it was just Alex, Matt and I. After a short pit stop in Linkoping, we headed north to the middle of Sweden, the town of Ostersund to be exact. Was a really nice location, on the edge of the Big Lake, we spent a couple of days here, exploring the local outdoor museum, as well as relaxing around and on the water. Also enjoyed a couple of the nice restaurants on offer! From here, we caught the train over to Norway, four hours away to the third largest city of Trondheim. Enjoyed sightseeing around here for five or six hours, before we were again on the move and on a flight down to Bergen, Norway's second largest city. Spent a day or so here in this really picturesque coastal town, enjoying the nature, as well as the nightlife. Caught up with some fellow students from Linkoping who were travelling around Norway for two weeks, we managed to find a bar which was serving 2-for-1 beer! Which in Norway means a really expensive beer is now only mildly expensive. No, actually I didn't find Norway quite as expensive as all the horror stories make it out to be. But in any case, managed to get my money's worth this night!

After much anticipation, it was time to take one of the world's famous scenic train journeys, the 7-hour trip from Bergen to Oslo. Though things didn't go quite as planned.... First there was a delay in leaving, then about an hour or so into the journey, the train couldn't go any further, so we were stranded at the station. There was much confusion as to what was going on, but to make a long story short, 4 hours after arriving at this station, and about half an hour before we were originally due in Oslo, we managed to get on a replacement bus and on our merry way. The bus wasn't quite as comfortable as the train, but the scenery was at least rather interesting to look at. But after dark, it was just totally boring! Anyway, at 12.45am, 7 hours after our scheduled arrival time, we made it to Oslo!!

Sadly this was our last weekend of the grand trip, but we managed to make the most of it. Spent some time sightseeing, visiting places such as the town hall to see where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, as well as visiting Akershus Fortress, the Royal Palace, Vigeland sculpture park, and Holmenkollen ski jump. We were joined on our sightseeing by Jon, a friend from Linkoping, and later went to a Swedish pre-party and then to a local bar, where we caught up with the German travellers from Linkoping once more. Was a really nice last weekend to spend in Europe for this year!!

Sorry, I'm nearly finished!!.... The last week of my stay was pretty uneventful. Headed back to Linkoping to get my belongings in order, packing was a nightmare, trying to sort out a year's worth of stuff!! Caught up with some friends during the week to say goodbye, as well as squeezing in one last trip to Stockholm, visit number 779 I must be up to by now! hehe but seriously along with Paris, it must be one of the greatest cities in Europe!!

I said a temporary goodbye to my co-travellers in Linkoping, as they headed to Frankfurt airport by night train, via Copenhagen. My flight left direct from Copenhagen so I didn't have to leave so soon, so I headed to Norrkoping for a couple of hours to meet up with my friend Elin. After arriving in Copenhagen the night before my flight to Singapore, I met up with some more friends from Linkoping, Martin and Daniel, who were making a stopover there on the drive home to Germany. We went out for dinner at Wagamama, a cool Asian restaurant, before having one last beer. Then it was time to say goodbye to my last Linkoping connections

So, after all the adventures I have had over the past year, just a few as you can see by what I have written during the time it was time to head back to Australia. 12 hours from Copenhagen to Singapore, arriving at 5.30am in Singapore, then having a whole day to hang around and relax on the beach, before flying over night from Singapore to Adelaide, arriving back in Australia 36 hours after I left Europe. Was quite a journey, and took me a few days to really get back in the rhythm. Went to bed at 8.30pm on my first night back, the earliest night I have had in a long time!

So, that's it! Nice to be back and see my friends and family, but on the other hand tough to leave the great friends I made during the year. In any case, I am graduating at the end of this year, so who knows where I will end up after that! Hope you have enjoyed reading this and all my other journal entries throughout the year, hope I have some more travel stories to share with you soon! Until then....

Scott

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Sorry, yes it's been a while since I have written, and for that am I sorry! The last month or so has just been crazy, I have been meaning to get up-to-date on this site, so let me give it a go!!

Well, one of the highlights of my last months in Europe was a visit to Paris to watch the French Open. Headed down with my mate Jon, we organised a 2-day journey to take in some 1st-round action at Roland Garros.

It looked daunting when we arrived to Paris, lots of rain about which had caused lots of cancellations and delays. On our first day we just looked around the city, first time for Jon, ending up in the Latin Quarter, wandering around for ages looking for somewhere to eat, finally settling on some galletes, something I hadn't encountered before. A savoury crepe you could say. In any case, was nice! More wandering around in the cold and rain as we looked for a pub, eventually making our way between a couple and just escaping from the rain for a while.

Tuesday was our big day at the tennis. Luckily the weather was perfect for us, so we had a nice day out in the sun. Had tickets to Phillipe Chatrier court, and thanks to the previous day's rain delay, got to see Federer and Nadal win their first-round matches. Was pretty exciting to see the world's best two players in action right before our eyes. Other players we saw that day included Hewitt, Grosjean, Bagdahtis, and Bjorkman. Arrived at 12pm and stayed til 9pm, all in sunlight, but could have stayed longer. Was a great day!! Ended up with a not-too-dodgy kebab from near Pigalle and headed up to the steps of the Sacre Coeur to enjoy the lights of the city as well as listening to what the drunk busker had to offer (wasn't too bad actually!)

Wednesday was allocated to sightseeing, walking gradually from our hotel down to the Champs Elysees, over to the Arc de Triomphe, then wandered along to Le Tour Eiffel, also known as the Eiffel Tower. Decided to skip the queues and save a few Euros by walking the first two levels and just take the lift to the top from there. Wasn't at all as exhausting as I might have imagined, only 15 minutes or so worth of work. First time I had been up the tower in five years, so was all new to me again, nice to see all the great views on offer! From here, we wandered the calm streets then made a wrong turn or two on the Metro, which extended our journey a little longer than needed. Went to have a look at the Pantheon, then dodged the rain again as we made it to Pont Neuf, the first bridge in Paris to cross the Seine. Soon enough it was time to head off and get the airport bus, not without a hot and exhausting trip across town on the Metro to first collect our things, then get to the airport bus. 1 hour and 20 minutes later we were at Beauvais Airport, north of Paris, ready to get our good ol' Ryanair flight back to Sweden. Made it home at about 1am, finishing the adventure with a cycle from the station to home. Had a really great time!!

Need to finish this entry with a note about SOF, the biggest student party to hit Sweden! Held every 2nd year in Linköping, we were lucky enough that this was our year! After much anticipation, we made it down to the uni to go to the bus stop, as the first night's action was in neighbouring city Norrköping. After getting ourselves there in enough time, Jon and I seemed to secure ourselves a place in the second bus. Yet after the eventual queue jumping that happens at these sort of things, all we could do was stand by as the doors to the second and apparently last bus closed in our face. Not happy! After some deliberation amongst organisers, they miraculously managed to source another bus, due to arrive in another hour. Yet this time a bit more order was taken to the queueing, so we were placed well and truly at the head of the line.

Got there eventually, all prepared for a good time! And we got it! It was a really cool location, the student union house, down by the water, and we got much better music than we were used to, both on the dance floor and provided by the bands playing. I should take this opportunity to explain, that SOF stands for Student Orchestra Festival, where orchestras from all over Northern Europe, as well as a couple from Germany, converge on town to play for us. Not the sort of music you listen to every day, so for that, I enjoyed listening to it! No such bus dramas on the way back, our outward journey assured us a ticket for the return bus. Glad for that, not many other options at 3am!

Thursday I had a rest evening, greatly caused by a lack of ticket, but in any case, it all began again in full swing! During this week, it was great to have Simone and Neele visiting from Germany, so we were able to do some things during the day as well, but the main focus was on the festival. Friday night was pretty full on, would love to tell you more about it but we'll have to skip straight to Saturday night....

Oh, first of all, Saturday in the afternoon was the traditional student parade through the streets, with all sorts of crazy floats on display. Was fun to see, very creative, with a USA theme, so all sorts of aspects of the culture put on show. I couldn't see it all though, since I had to get to work! I volunteered to work behind the bar, so from 3-7.30pm I was one of a few of us pulling beers and serving chilli nuts. Had a break until 10pm, when it was back to work. A LOT busier in the evening of course, going flat out on the hamburger stand until 1.30am (serving them not selling them). Was pretty hectic but a lot of fun, got to work with Jule so that made it better at least! By the time I clocked off, I tried to catch up with my friends' efforts, but it was too late, so took the chance to enjoy the last hour or so of music.

After all the hype and anticipation, SOF was over, but we all had such a good time - I think a visit to Linköping in 2009 is in order!!

Anyway, gotta go, but stay tuned, will write more soon!! (Even if it is a bit out of date =(..... )

Scott

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Was quite a relaxed couple of days, spent the days exploring and sightseeing around the old town and central area of the city, climbing the 450-odd stairs up to the top of a church belltower, getting some great views over the city. Enjoyed some delicious Polish food and beer over the days, and discovered some pretty great nightlife as well. Check out the photos (link below). Had a nice first experience in Poland, would love to check it out some more!

Apart from that, life in Sweden has been keeping me busy enough. The sun is back and seems here to stay which is more than welcome! Everyone has come out of hibernation so it's nice to see people everywhere enjoying the weather, brings a great vibe around the place. It's tough to be stuck inside studying when the weather is as nice as it is, so a lot of people just take the books outside. The winter conditions make you really appreciate the sunshine when you get it! Today a few of us went outside to throw the frisbee around for a couple of hours, yesterday, it was lunch in the town square followed by coffee and cake at a garden cafe. Lazy weekend, love it!

Over the past couple of weeks, I was studying a subject looking at globalisation among other things, ending in an exam last Friday. Start a new 5-week finance course Monday, my last committment here at Linkoping University

Other than the studying and sunshine, I have been keeping up with the student party life, a big 21st party for my French mate Martin definitely a highlight. On the evening of the last night in April was another big party, a Swedish festival known as Valborg, or Walpurgis Night in English. During this night there are big bonfires around the country and lots of singing, to celebrate the arrival of the spring time. Oh, and lately, it's a big excuse for teenagers to get drunk and roam the streets. So yes, I spent a couple of hours down at the river watching the music, bonfire and fireworks, was another nice traditional Swedish experience!

So, that's about it from me for now... Have a look at the latest photos from Poland, as well as some from Germany and Stockholm from a few weeks ago.

http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/scottg/

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I have made two trips there over the past three weekends. First I headed up with Steph and Jon, a last minute organised trip, but definitely worth the effort. We headed up on the Saturday night, and just took it easy around the south island of Södermalm, not wanting to exhaust ourselves before a big day of sightseeing. First stop was Gamla Stan, the Old Town, where we managed to see the Changing of the Guard, which was interesting enough. Also was nice to spend a bit of time wandering around, exploring all the side streets and alleys. Quite a touristy area of Stockholm, but with good reason.

From here we headed up to Östermalm, which is the posh part of town. Did some nice people watching here, sunglasses as big as your whole face seem to be in fashion around here, just a tip if you are in the area! After this, we headed over to the island of Djurgården, relaxing by the water and enjoying the great views to be had over the city.

After heading back to Linköping for a few hours, the next day I was back to Stockholm and on the way to Germany, which you can read about in the previous entry. Getting back from Germany on the Tuesday after Easter, I was on my way back to Stockholm again on Friday the 13th, to have a 24th birthday celebration weekend! Going back a few hours, I headed to the city centre in Linköping to party it up with my friends at one of the few nice bars in town, Platå. I had a nice evening, topped off with a couple of surprise visitors from Germany, Jenny and Silke, so it was nice to see them again as well!

A not so thrilling seminar at uni took up too much of my birthday time, but after that it was off to the station, where my friend Jule and I headed to Stockholm, making the train just in time. I decided I wanted to forget about the crazy prices in Stockholm for one night, so we went out for a delicious dinner at a Thai restaurant in Östermalm, then headed to a café in Vasastan (another part of town), topped off to a cool Cuban salsa bar also in Vasastan, where I made sure I enjoyed a birthday Mojito! Though I didn't indulge in any salsa dancing, I left that to Jule

On Saturday, we headed out to enjoy an action-packed day around Stockholm in the sunshine, which was exhausting enough that Saturday night was spent relaxing at the hotel watching the Ice Hockey finals, which our local team here in Linköping, the Lions, unfortunately lost, so that was a little disappointing.

On Sunday, we borrowed some bikes from the hotel, and made our first stop on the island of Kungsholmen, to visit the City Hall. We took a guided tour of the building, hearing some interesting facts, as well as seeing where the Nobel Prize banquet is held every December. Another must see stop in Stockholm. It is well located, looking over the water, so we took this chance to cycle along the coast, enjoying the water scenery and further sunshine.

After an obligatory stop for ice cream, we headed over to the island of Djurgården to visit the outdoor museum of Skansen. We caught up with a friend of Jule's, and spent a nice hour or so wandering around and seeing some of the animals that were living there, including the big brown bears which had come out of hibernation - that was a highlight for me! From here we headed to an outdoor café nearby, enjoying once again the sunshine and perfect weather. Following one more stop for ice cream, the excitement began, with 50 minutes to head from the city on bike to the hotel on the outskirts of town, then catch the train back to the central station. Was expecting it to be straight forward, but coupling a stop for Jule to steal a poster advertising The Who in concert, with my chain falling off the bike as we cycled as fast as possible to get back in time, we really began to be pressed for time. A crazy dash from the hotel to the metro station got us there just in time for the next train, coming at 10 minute intervals at this time of day. This meant we would arrive at the central station at 7.47pm, in time to take our 7.50pm train back to Linköping. As soon as the train doors opened the mad dash began, darting and weaving through human traffic to make it from one part of the station to the other, stopping only long enough to check which platform we needed to go to. Thankfully it was one of the closest ones, and I was quite relieved to see it still sitting there when I arrived. I had left Jule behind, so I had a worrying moment for a few seconds as I waited for her to appear. But she did it, so we jumped onto the train within seconds of the doors closing, and weren't even sitting down before we were on the way home. Quite a bit of excitement to end the visit to Stockholm, certainly didn't waste one minute of time there!

So yes, that was my couple of visits to Stockholm! Have some photos online already, will put some more on ASAP. Better go to bed now, back on the road again tomorrow to visit a country I have never been to before, so looking forward to it. Stay tuned!

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Not so long between entries this time, trying to keep on top of things more now than over the past few months! So, let's get you up to date then

Since you last heard from me, I headed over to Paris for a weekend. Had a bit of free time so made the most of it, escaped to the French capital to indulge in some delicious food and wine for a couple of days, as well as getting the chance to catch up with some local friends which is always nice. Kept off the tourist track, though had a visit to the tempting Rue Mouffetard with some great food available there, lots of cheese shops attracting me! So yeah, was just nice to relax, enjoy some great wine, champagne, bread, pate, cheese... you get the idea! And what better city to do that in??

From there, it was back to Linkoping for a few days to finish up my second course for this semester, Leadership and Culture. After struggling through that, I managed to make a visit to the next closest city, Norrkoping, where my friend Jon introduced me to Frisbee Golf. Yep, pretty much like normal golf (depending which way you look at it...) but in any case, played 18 holes, or baskets, where the goal is to throw the frisbee into the basket (about 100 metres away) in as few throws as possible. Not too exhausting but a nice way to spend some time in the fresh air in the last hours of sunshine for the day. Made a little tour of Norrkoping, quite a nice place to spend a couple of hours, though appears to be really quiet after dark, strange for a city of 100,000 people. Had another little excursion during this week, to the local newspaper factory to see how the printing process works, quite interesting actually!

Had my first Australian visitor the other week! Steph, also from Adelaide, made the 6-hour bus journey from Copenhagen to check out 'Linny' as we have affectionely renamed the city. So spent a nice 24 hours or so exploring the city, enjoying the sunshine, and looking at the city from its nicest angles, some of which you will be able to see in the photo section. This weekend was topped off by a spontaneous visit to Stockholm, but have been there a couple of times lately so will save that for a separate entry!

Anyway, back to the topic of this blog - Germany! Took off on April 2 for 8 days, first stop was Frankfurt airport, but headed straight to Marburg to catch up with my friends there, Neele and Simone. Though the 90-minute journey there wasn't as straightforward as I usually have it... first of all, I was waiting at the wrong area for the train at the airport, so it wasn't until the train I was waiting for had left that I realised it was the one I wanted. This resulted in some mad running through the airport, and subsequently through Frankfurt main station to get the connecting train, which I made with just a minute to spare! When I eventually found my place on the train, I relaxed and took a Swedish chocolate bar out to enjoy. This was seen by another passenger, who asked me if I had bought it there in Germany, but I explained that I had come from Sweden that day. Not long after, she started talking to me in Swedish, and we began to have a conversation. I thought she was Swedish and she thought I was, though she soon told me she was from Germany but had spent some time in Sweden which resulted in such a good accent. However, I somehow neglected to tell her I wasn't Swedish, so we continued talking with her thinking that I was a local. This caused some small problems when she didn't know a particular word, which she would say in German or English, but I didn't know the word in Swedish, so I got a couple of confused looks from her, but managed to pull it off

So yes, I made it for a nice few relaxing days with my friends in Marburg, a university city in the state of Hessen. The first day we spent looking around Frankfurt, a nice city to spend a few hours in, wandering around the streets and watching over the city from the observation tower. The second day we spent around Marburg, walking around a lot looking at the nice castle overlooking the town, and just enjoying looking at the scenery and the buildings. The weather has really improved here over the past few weeks, so this allowed us to head onto the Lahn River for some paddle-boating which was fun and relaxing. Apart from that, just enjoyed some nice food and wine with my friends, catching up since our time in Sweden last year - (Danke Mädels!!)

Next stop was Kassel. Well, if you want to get technical, Ahnatal. I came here to catch up with my friend Mareike, who I met in Adelaide a couple of years ago when we both worked at The Smith Family. Here the trend continued, catching up, lots of relaxing, nice food and wine, and enjoying the long-awaited sunshine. There is a really nice park near Kassel which I enjoyed looking around, Bergpark, which I will include in the photos. Mareike's 2-year-old niece Amelie and her parents visited over the Easter weekend, so most of the time around her was spent trying to prove that I wasn't such a scary strange man as I think she imagined I was. Upon trying to get her to say my name, Mareike was greeted with the response, "No. Tomorrow." Am I that scary?? No, I had a really nice time with everyone there, was quite a test for my German but I kept up as much as possible! But after a couple of nice days there, it was on to my third and final stop for this journey......

......Berlin! Headed here for a few nights and a couple of days, catching up with Steph and her boyfriend Alex, who had made the shift from Copenhagen to Berlin during that week. Had two full days for sightseeing, during which time I managed to see a fair bit of the city, but of course with a city that size I think I just scratched the surface. In any case, I managed to see the main sights, like Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, Ku'Damm, Checkpoint Charlie, plus lots of historic monuments and buildings - photos online soon! Apart from this, also managed to explore the not-so-touristy side of things, heading more into areas like East Berlin and Kreuzberg to see the more alternative, multicultural side of the city. Was great to be able to eat out more often than in Sweden, great food for not-so-expensive prices. Also caught up with Zahid, a Berliner I met in Adelaide a few years ago, so I got to learn more about Berlin through him as well, though we also had a look through the Checkpoint Charlie museum, with some fascinating stories about what went on in Berlin during the years the wall was up. I really enjoyed Berlin, such an interesting and fascinating modern history, mixed with a lot of modern and vibrant places. I can definitely recommend a visit!!

So yeah, that was my visit to Germany. Think I have covered most of it! For those of you who I caught up with there and who looked after me so well.... Danke Schoen!!!!!!!

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I'm back! Been a few weeks... nearly two months... since I have added to the blog site... basically cause I haven't had a lot to write about, well at least in comparison to what I have been up to since I have been in Europe. Anyway....

So, since I got back to Sweden on the 22nd January, I haven't left Sweden and have hardly left Linkoping. But still, life has been good, busy and cold. So, let me go back over time and pick out the most interesting things that have been happening!

Well finally, many of you will be happy/surprised to hear, I have been studying - a lot!! Hasn't really stopped over the past nine weeks, and there is still a week to go before a week and a half off around Easter. Anyway, I won't go into too much details, since I don't want to bore you with words like strategy, internationalisation, leadership and culture, but I will say that it has been really interesting and enjoying it despite the long hours.

Needless to say, I have still found time to party! Still averaging at least two per week. Either at the student pubs, in the city, or something new like Reggae night last week at a local pub/restaurant. Still lots of fun, always great getting around on a bicycle though in the middle of the night when it is freezing cold/snowing! But I have made it through, the snow is gone, and it's getting warmer (average +10C the past week). One of the most notable parties coincided with Carnival, so I will stick some photos of that on the photo page (will put the link at the bottom of the page).

Also have visited the ice hockey a couple of times, most recently yesterday. We have a top team here in Linkoping, who are into the semi-finals right now. Went to the first of seven matches last night, but unfortunately they didn't win. But there's still time! In any case, has been fun, and quite a good atmosphere to get involved in!

Went to Stockholm the other weekend as well, was good to catch up with some friends there, plus put to good use the staff discounts available through my friend Mattias, stayed at a great hotel for next to nothing, and had a nice dinner and excellent brunch, so was nice to enjoy something different from pasta! But by then the weather was getting quite nice again so spent some nice relaxing time wandering around Stockholm, still love that place!!

Hmm, what else?? Went skiing again!! The International Students Association organised a day trip to a place a couple of hours north from here, so was a pretty fun day, and great to get out on the slopes again!! Put a video on YouTube so you can check out just exactly how amateur I am. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bZ2nOsEd-w

So yes, skiing, and also started playing squash over the past few weeks, so after six months of doing not a lot sport-wise, I'm getting back into it which is quite fun!

I'm sure lots more has happened in that time, but either I have forgotten about it, or don't want to put in online for all the world to see... so gives you a reason to email me and get in touch personally with all those questions you want answered! I have a few emails in my inbox waiting to be responded too, have to get my personal assistant onto that one, so if you are waiting, I won't be too much longer!!

Sorry it's taken so long to write. But if someone wants to give me some more free time to go travelling I will be happy to take it. Actually, was getting a little sad there for a while with all the non-travelling, but then I just have to remind myself that the reason I came here was to study, and with the carrot of graduating in November dangling over my head, I've made sure my priorities are in order - no matter how hard it is to stay put when Europe is on the doorstep! In any case, I will have a month at the end of my studies to jet around, accompanied by my sister and cousin who will come over, so will make the most of that time for sure!

Well, have got some travel plans on the horizon, so stay tuned and I will try and keep the blog updated more frequently! And if we haven't spoken for a while - get in touch! And for those that have, thanks heaps, and I will write back soon!!

Ha det så bra/Take Care
Scott

Photo Link:
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PS. Bruna - Parabéns a você! (Hope that's right!) Thanks for the letter, will get in touch soon!!

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As I already wrote, the first week was spent very well in the French Alps, learning how to ski in Chamonix!! Came to an end too quickly, so soon enough it was time to keep moving....

From Chamonix I caught the train to Geneva Airport. That was a really nice journey in itself, getting to see some more great scenery, both the mountains and around Lake Geneva. From there I caught the short easyjet flight up to Paris. As usual I have trouble getting out of Paris airports, took a good 10 minutes or so walking back or forth before I was on my way. Eventually got into the city and met with a local friend, and since it was Saturday night, we were prepared to check out some of the local nightlife! First went to a cafe on the Champs Elysees, which had a really nice atmosphere around at this time of night, being all lit up and lots of people and cars everywhere. Then we also went to a nightclub also on the Champs Elysees which was also really cool. Cost 20 Euros to get in ($35), but it's okay, that included a drink. But anyway, drinks cost 10 Euros each, but hey, guess it's the price to pay to party in Paris like this. Oh and it was funny I thought, cause the drinks are served in plastic cups with a lid and straw, like something you would find at a take-away shop. For 10 Euros a glass would be nice! But no, I had a nice night for my first time partying in Paris!

So anyway, really just a short visit, the next afternoon I was off to Austria! Caught a flight to Salzburg, then a train eventually to meet my friend Stefanie. I stayed with her and her family for a week at their place in a picturesque valley in Tirol, not far from the city of Innsbruck.

Like I hoped in my last blog, I had planned to spend the whole week skiing again after learning all the skills in France. One small problem - no snow! Well I guess it could be found somewhere, but nowhere near us. But it wasn't a problem, still had lots of nice things to do outdoors, mainly going walking and enjoying the magnificent scenery around. I also had a paper to write for uni this week so that kept me busier than I wanted to be. By my last day in Austria I finally got to visit Innsbruck, a really nice city! But overall, I had such a nice, relaxing week, being really taken care of by my hosts with such nice food and everything else, was perfect!

From Tirol, it was on towards Germany. For the last couple of days of my holiday I was staying with Bernd, a local friend I met in Sweden. Again he and his family were really welcoming to me, providing me with the local delicacies to try! The apple cake was especially great!! Also enjoyed the local nightlife, as well as the nice landscapes. Went to have a look at Stuttgart which wasn't too far away, a nice city from what I saw.

So I think that is about all I have to report at the moment. Just to say I had a really nice time, very relaxing and very lucky to be looked after so well! Now I am back in Linkoping, things are really cold and snowy here, which is rather nice (except when cycling!). Uni is already back into full swing so will soon have lots to do I am sure. Anyway until next time....

Scott

ps. the link to my photo site:
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In any case, the first day was spent exploring the nice little town, that lies in a valley in the French Alps. Very picturesque, photo opportunities everywhere. It does have a good nightlife, or as it's called, apres-ski, but I was here for one thing, to ski!! Actually until the last minute I was planning to snowboard, but was convinced otherwise, so on Sunday I hired some skis and boots, and made my way to the slopes for the first time in my life. Not alone mind you, I had a private lesson for 2 hours, otherwise I would have had absolutely no idea what to do. That really helped, and I was pretty happy with my first encounter. I decided to take lessons for four more days, with a class this time, so that went for 4 hours in the mornings from Monday to Thursday. That was really good, every day I grew more and more confident. After the classes I spent a bit more time by myself trying to practise, but I also had some work to do for back in Sweden so had to pull myself away from the slopes early on some occasions, very reluctantly!

But that was done by Thursday, so then I was able to spend the whole day, from 9am to 4.30pm, going down and up, down and up. We had a funny instructor on Thursday, getting us to do different tricks like one ski in the air, looking backwards, and looking through our legs all while skiing across a busy piste.

One exciting thing, I got to see my first snowfall ever! Only took nearly 24 years, but got caught in quite a heavy fall which was at first exciting then it got really cold. But yes, another thing I can tick of the list of things to see!

On my last day I went out with a friend to a place called Le Tour. Well he has been snowboarding for years, yet of course this is my first week. Anyway, he decided to take me down one of the hardest slopes first, so that was quite a challenge for me, add to that the fact that it was so foggy I could hardly see where I was going. Not my most favoured conditions! In any case I made it down there twice with just a minor bruise to show for it, then we headed back to the 'easier' slopes. But for me nothing was really easy with such poor visibility. In any case, I went to a different resort in the afternoon, and even though I was there the day before, it was a lot easier second time around.

But now my time here is finished, 6 days gone like that. It was important though to take the time to learn properly, but now I can put it all into practise, as I leave this afternoon towards Austria, where I will spend one more week in the snow!! Lucky for me, because I think I am getting addicted hehe! I am already thinking of where I can go next winter.

Anyway, that's it from me. Will put some great photos online ASAP.

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So, about time I updated you on what I have been doing here in Sweden the past month or so. When I haven't been on a holiday I don't always have a lot to write about, so in any case, I can tell you know what's been going on.

So, since my last trip to Norway, I have been almost just in Linköping except for the quick visit to Riga. That's because I finally started studying full-time! Yes don't be too surprised, I did come here for that after al (even if I forget sometimes!). So yes, have been studying Human Resource Management all of December and it will finish 19th January. So even though there are no more lectures for it I still have some work to do, but can do it from home so it's okay. But enough about boring study things... no but I will say it was a really enjoyable and interesting course.

What else.... well yes we had a few parties here and there as usual. One of the good ones was a cowboy theme party, so needless to say we all got dressed up as cowboys and cowgirls, I had my fake gun and rope to lasso others. Was a really good night!

Made a nice dinner for a couple of friends one night as well (the Donna Hay for those of you who I have already made it for), so that went down well especially when combined with a bottle of French champagne. Cost nearly my fortnight's student allowance but was well worth it - only joking, but alcohol is not the cheapest thing to be found here.

We had another big student party here, was supposed to be one of the best of the year, the Lucia Kravall. Bit of a disappointment though, amongst all things there was a fire alarm in the middle of it, so that's not so nice when it is so freezing cold outside!!

Though a cool tradition to experience was on the 13th December, St. Lucia Day. This is traditionally to do with an Italian Saint, but now is as much about light, since it is so dark in Sweden around this time. So at 7.30am at the university, there is a procession of the elected Lucia girl and her attendants singing choir type songs, putting on a presentation. So that was nice to see, since it is a big deal here. In the evening we also saw a school group wandering through the city singing traditional songs, so that was also nice.

Not much else exciting happened before Christmas, was just busy studying.... well I was studying in any case. One strange thing was to get used to the dark hours. Sun would start setting at about 3.30pm, and it would be pitch black at 4pm. Doesn't feel quite right somehow! But it hasn't really got cold yet, still between 5 and 10 degrees plus, so quite bearable.

So yeah, that was about me for the past few weeks up until Christmas. Oh yeah before I go on, I got sent two big boxes with all sorts of chocolates, lollies and other things from my family back in Australia, that was really exciting and very welcome. Didn't last long though....

So... Christmas! Went to Copenhagen on the 23rd for the day before heading back over to Sweden on the 24th to spend Christmas with my friend Sara and her family in Helsingborg. Have to say, I had such a nice time!! First we went to a local church, where there was a nice play from some of the young kids which was cool to see. Had a nice lunch at home followed by a walk in the local area, making sure we were back at 3pm for the big Swedish tradition - Donald Duck! Yes, at 3pm, the whole of Sweden, or so it seems, settles down for an hour of Disney cartoons, featuring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy among others. It has been a tradition for who knows how long, and even though it seems like they are all tired of it, since it is the same every year, they keep watching it year after year. So that was nice to be part of that tradition!

Then it was time to get to the business of preparing the dinner. We had a five-course dinner, so I felt very spoilt, but I was responsible for half of one of the courses. I made potato cakes, or you could say something like hash browns, and they were served with some smoked salmon. Was very good (not being biased!), but somehow after this I got stuck with the nickname 'Scotty Boy the Potato Man'. Better than Mr. Potato Head or something like that I guess though! But no, I thought it was funny. So yeah, had a really really nice dinner, other courses included a fish and vegetable soup, a salad, chicken and vegetables, and coffee and chocolates. This is not traditional Swedish Christmas food, but excellent nonetheless.

In the evening, Tomten (the Swedish Santa) visited and I was presented with a really nice book about the region I was visiting, as well as a book about how to make things for a Swedish Christmas, so I will be able to put that into practise next year. Later on, we visited church for the midnight service. Was a bit more traditional than the earlier one, but very nice to experience. Also enjoyed some traditional Swedish mulled wine and gingerbread biscuits, perfect! So yes, that was Christmas for me, had a really nice time!!!!!

But it wasn't over yet! Of course New Year's Eve is never too far away, but in the meantime I just had a few days to relax and get a head start on all the work I have due in January. At least that was the plan.... but I was well and truly in holiday mode so failed to make a dent unfortunately. Anyway, on the 30th, about 19 of us international students, mainly from Germany but also some from Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands, made our way to the holiday house we booked for a week. Was about 2 hours away from Linkoping, but located right in the countryside and in a nice and peaceful location. I spent the time from the 30th to the 3rd here, not doing very much at all apart from eating, drinking, reading and relaxing. But hey, that is what this time of year is about right? So yes, together we had a fantastic New Year's Eve feast, complete with a massive turkey for the main course. Can't remember the weight, but it cost about $80 to give you an idea! Anyway that was an excellent evening!! For the rest of the time, I didn't really leave the house, just lounged around, but went for a couple of walks around the local area and enjoyed the traditional-looking Swedish farming landscape.

So yes, after a fun and relaxing week in the countryside, it was back to Linkoping for one day, where I had to move all my things to a new room due to upcoming renevations, as well as pack for my first ski trip ever - to Chamonix, France! So...... be sure to keep an eye out for an update on that later this week!

Happy New Year - Gott Nytt År
Scott

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But will put aside five minutes to update you on my visit to Riga last week. Living near a Ryanair airport made it a good and affordable idea to make a visit to Riga, not to mention that everyone who came back from there has been raving about it. So Andreas, Sven and I made a 48 hour visit, return flight cost $45! Cost nearly that just to get to the airport and back. Anyway.....

So arrived to a cold and wet Sunday evening, caught the bus into the city from the airport, very clean and modern for just 50 cents. Plus they have got the idea, let the driver drive, and another lady takes the money for the tickets, very efficient I thought! We arrived to our highly recommended hostel, Friendly Fun Franks, and felt immediately at home. (It's run by an Australian guy called yes, Frank, and was voted the best hostel in the world 2005!) They make you feel immediately at home, offering a complimentary beer and giving us a rundown on the do's and do not's of Riga. We hung around the hostel for a bit before venturing out for dinner.

Of course I was left holding the map, and after a bit of a non-planned detour (I can't always get it right!), we made it to a nice traditional Latvian restaurant called Lido. Really nice!! Was pretty much like a buffet, but with a chef standing near the grill offering lots of nice meats, potatoes and vegetables. Filled up the plate for about $12, great value we thought. Plus a beer to go with it of course, something we enjoyed coming from Sweden where the beer quality is not that exciting. In the evening, we headed out with some others to a local bar. It was Sunday night so pretty quiet, but not bad in any case. Bit of excitement - Andi and Sven took some tobacco that you sniff, in any case the security came up a bit later and tried to take Andi away. I went along cause I thought it was strange, so then they tell us they called the police cause they thought they saw Andi and Sven taking cocaine. I tried to get our jackets so we could leave, but then they wanted to keep me there as well. Anyway, Sven finally showed up with the evidence that it was just tobacco, and we all had a good laugh and the guys even tried some of it. So no harm done but a bit of a worry there for just a moment.....

The next day, we went along to an old Soviet bunker and took up the opportunity to shoot some guns. There was a smaller handgun, an AK47, and another pump-action style gun. That was a pretty exciting experience, I didn't shoot so well but managed to shoot both my target and his hostage in the head - don't worry it was just a picture on some paper! Andi and Sven did much better, though they did look quite more professional, taking their style from the Terminator I think!

That night we went to a cool bar about 10 stories up overlooking the whole city. Got to see that Riga is quite a large, spread out city but also very modern looking now and lots happening. After a couple of hours relaxing there, we managed to escape the angry barman..... he asked where we were from and if we gave tips in our country, even though a 10% service charge was added onto the bill! At least he tried.

Went back to Lido for a second time for another delicious dinner and local beer. Another night out beckoned with a few other travellers, again rather quiet cause it was Monday night, but we had a good time just relaxing and playing some table soccer. Eventually got to bed at 6am after trying to find something to eat... others had waited 2 hours for a pizza to come, and I wasn't that hungry. Check out time was 2pm, woke up at 2pm, so that went well, but the staff were really friendly and had no stress about it. We had a couple of hours to kill so went to check out if cheeseburgers taste any different in Latvian McDonalds (they don't), and just relaxed out of the rain before heading back to the airport late afternoon.

Oh and just when we thought it couldn't get better, at the airport we found these great massage chairs, cost $2 for 5 minutes, and was absolutely perfect!!

So yeah, that was my little adventure to Riga with Andi and Sven! A very nice time in a great city, so if you are in the area be sure to check it out!!!

Have lots of other stuff to update on re the last month or so here in Sweden, but running out of time right now so will leave that til after Christmas. Will put some photos up soon as well when I'm not in such a rush.

Until then - God Jul!!
Scott

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Yes, we got up at 6am for a 6.56am train from Copenhagen to Horsens, on the other side of Denmark. The reason for our visit was to see our first taekwondo tournament! Our friend Jeannie was competing there so we went along to cheer her on. Which went well since she won her division! So that was exciting, plus I learnt a lot about how taekwondo as well so that was really interesting. In the evening we went to Århus, Denmark's second-largest city, to catch up with a couple of Danish girls I met four years ago during my strawberry picking experience. We had a nice dinner and wine, before taking the 3 hour train back to Copenhagen, getting in at 1am. Though the night wasn't over yet, we went to check out a cool little club for a little while, was fun. So 23 hours later, got to bed at 5am, but was an excellent day!!

After a nice sleep in, had a lazy Sunday afternoon before heading out to meet the latest taekwondo champ again. We relaxed for a while at a cool cafe, where I managed to slip while going down the stairs with a coffee and two plates with cakes on them.... luckily managed to hold on to everything and just spilt a little bit of coffee. In the evening, Jeannie and I went for dinner at Wagamama, then went to see the new movie Borat. At some times I couldn't believe what I was seeing/hearing, but overall it was quite funny!

Headed back to Sweden on Monday, not without a stop in Lund in the south of Sweden. Caught up with the lovely Sara who was my local guide, we managed to see all the sights of the city despite the rain. There is a great old cathedral which should be seen by any visitors to this nice little town. Had a relaxing afternoon practising my Swedish, before taking the train back to Linkoping in the evening.

Only been back for a few days before we will embark on the next adventure, a road trip to Norway! Heading off in a few hours, so will let you know how it goes next week. Was a great time over the past week in Stockholm, Denmark, and Lund, so looking forward to this weekend as well!!

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Well I think the above quote is something I will have to keep in mind to get through the coming winter. It's getting cold! Though I don't mind that so much, it's just all the rain that is frustrating - especially when a bicycle is your main form of transport! But, what can you do?!?! I'm sure I will survive, just need to stock up on the waterproof clothing.

So, it's been a while since I have added to this page. It's not that I haven't got anything to say, but you know, you get in a routine and things start to get normal, so it doesn't seem so interesting. But I am still having a great time!

Have to go back, try and recap the highlights of the last month.... you may be surprised to hear I haven't left Sweden for all that time, and I have only left Linköping for one day in that time as well. So I have well and truly been getting settled down here into life in a Swedish town.

Earlier on in the month, we had a few big student parties at the university. This entailed getting dressed in an overall, picture something a plumber or electrician wears. Yes, it's tradition over here to wear this sort of thing at the student parties, known as kravalls. So we have been at a few kravalls, pretty fun, music is usually okay there. One was called Intervallen, held by the international students. So there were bars from Russia, Germany, Finland, France, Italy and Spain. So from each you buy some local food and drinks. Was a fun night, will put some photos on the photo page.

Have also had some relaxing nights, escaping the cold. Myself and some others have really been trying to improve our Swedish, so we have had a couple of nights where we get together and speak only Swedish, with at least one native speaker, so that has been a good opportunity. We also watched Finding Nemo with Swedish voices and subtitles together, so that was really helpful as well.

Believe it or not, I have been doing a little bit of study as well! For our Nordic Culture class, we had to do a group report about our opinions on the area, that went well. We also had to write individual reports, so that kept me busy for a day or so. Swedish language class is coming along quite good as well.

After a couple of months of only going to the student pub, I have finally made it into the city to experience the nightlife there. There are two main nightclubs here, BK and Platå. Have been at BK for a couple of Saturday nights with one friend Sven, and a big group of us have gone a couple of times to Platå, tonight included. Thursday there is student night, which entails free entry, and half-price drinks. So a good deal. Though the problem with the declining temperature and increasing occurence of rain, is that it makes it harder to ride your bike home after such evenings. We live about 10 minutes cycle away from the city centre, but I think it takes just as long by the time you find a taxi etc., so I usually prefer to ride, as long as it's not absolutely pouring down. But I have had some good nights out, it's usually a lot of fun and decent music. They also have blackjack tables inside BK, but I have managed to resist the temptation.

So, apart from that, it has just been a lot of relaxing and hanging out with friends. I'm usually in the city every day or so for a coffee, and other times a few of us together for a fika (Swedish for a coffee break). Went to play billiards the other night, and I also recently caught up with my Swedish friend Elin, which was nice to see her again. Also been a few parties here in people's corridors, so there is usually always something to do. And the times that there isn't, I'm usually grateful for the night off!!

On Monday, myself and two friends, Astrid and Kristin, took a day trip. It took 4 hours there and 4 hours back on the bus, to spend 6 hours in Göteborg (Gothenburg), but I tried not to think about that. Göteborg is Sweden's second-largest city, and you could clearly tell the difference from here. We spent most of the day wandering around, visited the nice city park which was great, and were able to see some moose and deer which was cool. No particular big landmarks to see, but was surely a nice place to spend the day.

Had a funny time on Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning.... went to the student pub, which closed at 2am, so a few of us went back to one corridor, where we just sat around talking and listening to music... anyway 6 hours later, I finally got to bed at 8am! Lucky for me my lectures are almost non-existent at the moment, and start at 5pm when they are on. But yes, was yet another good night.

In any case, I wanted to write this now, even though it's 3am, cause I leave to Paris in the morning. Will be there for 6 days or so, to catch up on what I missed last time. So will have something more to talk about soon!

Hope all is well, take care
Scott

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Was a bit of a recap visit since I spent a lot of time there on my travels in 2002. So I didn't really go to see all the typical sights, just mainly catch up with friends and relax. Caught up with one Aussie mate who is living there now, plus a few other Australians who were around at the same time, as well as friends from France and Singapore. So I had the chance to eat at some great restaurants, mainly Asian and Italian, as well as the obligatory Pizza Hut and Starbucks on occasion. You may have heard of Wagamama, well they seem about as common as McDonalds, but great for some fast-food Asian style. Oh and I couldn't go without experiencing a typical fried English breakfast, although I passed on the black pudding... maybe next time!

Spent a lot of time around Oxford Street, along with about a million other people. Have not often been in such a crowded place, but is a great atmosphere around there. Also spent some time in Covent Garden, really nice there too. They have an Australia Shop there, so I dropped in to get some Vegemite and BBQ Shapes! Still have some Vegemite but for those who want to replenish my BBQ Shapes supply, let me know and I can give you my address (Actually today I offered some Vegemite for a couple of German guys to try - were not impressed!! Was quite funny to see the reactions actually!!)

Was really nice weather most of the time there, not much rain at all like I am used to from London. Was a public holiday on the Monday I was there so was an even greater vibe around. Did the obligatory visit to Harrod's, though it seems most things are still out of my range, few more years before I can worry about being a loyal customer there, but nice to look at least. Especially enjoyed the Food Hall, and tasted some delicious French macaroons from Laduree, much better than the offerings from Krispy Kreme next door.

Another highlight was going to see the production of The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre. Had heard a lot about it already, and it lived up to the expectations - quite impressive!!

Also experienced the Portobello markets in Notting Hill, they are really big and diverse, nice to just wander around and explore for a couple of hours. While in Notting Hill, was also introduced to Banana Bread Beer... yes sounds strange but actually quite nice!!

On my last night I went down to Canary Wharf. Quite interesting to see this side of London, with the skyscrapers and everything else modern - a contrast to the old and historic buildings you see everywhere else.

Flew out of Heathrow, and didn't experience any delays, actually found myself with too much time to spare! But went with British Airways, and made my way back to Stockholm on Sunday afternoon after a great and exciting week in one of the world's greatest cities. Just nice to see all the people and different cultures from all over the world. Can be a bit daunting if you don't like a lot of people around, but for me, I look forward to doing the usual working-holiday here one day, as I think the best way to experience London is when you are earning British Pounds, it's too daunting to convert everything all the time, otherwise you would probably not want to eat! Discovered the Oyster card with the Tube too, makes it cheaper and it's so easy to get around with the public transport, you can walk but I got lazy at times....

In case you are wondering, "Isn't he there to study?", well I had no classes that week so I thought I better make the most of my free time! But now I am back and ready to begin again. It was a nice trip, but it's also nice to be 'home' again here in Sweden!!

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Swedish classes were becoming quite the routine, up at 7.30am every morning to get to class by 9am, it's nice to live 5 minutes from uni! So I probably could have got up later, but it's nice not to have to rush. Classes went really well, have been practising as much as possible, in particular with the people who live in the same corridor as me. I am avoiding speaking English with them at all, so it means I get to practise my Swedish, however this also means that our conversations are also very limited. But I would rather it this way for the time being, and it seems to be helping me a lot!

I should really keep up with this more often, or write notes of what I have been doing, cause it all seems to be blending into one big event.... Actually remember one cool thing, we had a big party the other week to celebrate a birthday, lots of us crowded into a small living room, was a lot of fun. I will put the pics from it up soon. Then after I went to the BBQ at the uni for the new international students, where I met my Swedish peer student Frida, so that was nice to put a face to the friend I had made over the past couple of months whilst making my preparations to attend LiU.

The next evening, after helping Frida and some others to paint a big banner for the uni ski club, we all travelled down to a local lake to go swimming. It wasn't really hot, but the water was nice enough, even though we didn't get there until it was about 10pm and dark. But it was quite a nice setting and very peaceful, I enjoyed it!

Over the weekend I travelled to Stockholm on the Saturday and caught up with a local friend there, so we just hung out for the most of the day and explored parts of the city. It is such a great city and I can't wait to get back there as often as possible!

During the past week, we had our oral exam on Monday, so I had to talk about a topic of my choice for five or so minutes, so I talked about Adelaide and all it has to offer. That went well, and we also had our written exam today, finished in about 25 minutes, most of us were done in an hour, funny considering there were 4 hours allocated to it. But that is one topic finished now, and 7 to go! But looking forward to the next ones. Apart from that, we had quite a random party on Monday night, hanging around the washing house (where all the washers and dryers are). Worked well actually since there were no other roommmates to disturb and not have to worry about cleaning too much. Was a fun evening, followed by a visit to the local (HG) then some late night pasta! Fun and games, often when least expected!

On Wednesday night we were introduced to a Swedish student tradition, the kravall. They are big parties with 1000 or more students, with bands playing and lots of beer to be had, especially at this one since it was German-themed. Was quite a fun night, outdoors but luckily the rain held out for most of the evening. Will put some photos of that up soon too.

That's about it for now! Have a week or so off now so stay tuned and I will let you know what I get up to in this time, it's exciting but I don't want to ruin the surprise....

Anyway hope you are well, until next time, take care
Scott

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