NORA
Interestingly, my two favourite Year 9 teachers from Australia are currently raising their family in a typical Swedish falu red barn house near Örebro. I spent the night getting to know their two children and updating them on the lives of their past pupils.
GOTHENGURG
I caught up in with a guy I'd met in Montengro to spent a few nights travelling around Gothenburg. This was a new place in Sweden for me, and it was fun to travel with someone again.
Gothenburg is a lively city rich with museums and nature. To begin our adventures, we went to the Museum of Natural History which was free. I was amazed at the collection that included every type of taxidermied mammal imaginable, including a 16m long whale from 1865! The museum also had lots of information about world evolution. We then went to the Museum of Art which also had a giant collection of both old and new styles by various famous painters.
In terms of nature, we walked around the botanical garden, entered the warm 1878 Palmhouse with plants from all over the world, and marvelled at the seals, elk, pigs, horses, etc that live in Slottskogan ('the castle forrest'). All sites free to visit, however, the first two close overnight.
I enjoyed browsing the shops and cafés in the old town of Haga. We climbed the Skansen Kronan (a small fortification with a golden crown). And to end our trip of Gothenburg, we rode on a scary-looking rollercoaster at the Liseberg theme park.
STOCKHOLM
I ended my Swedish trip in Stockholm where I stayed at a very lively hostel, the City Backpackers.
I did a tonne of walking around Gamla Stan (old town), squeezing through the narrow lanes and stumbling across the Nobel Prize Museum, and the Royal Palace.
I also had the time of my life in the ABBA Museum where I sung my heart out and learned about the uplifting backstory behind the song, 'Chiquitita'. 1979 marked the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. The UN hosted the 'Music for UNICEF' concert in which ABBA donated half of the royalties from 'Chiquitita'. A Convention to increase female education was adopted that year which almost all UN countries have signed on to. In 2014, UNICEF Sweden established 'press play to give' so that simply by listening to 'Chiquitita' on Spotify, iTunes, or YouTube, you will be donating to UNICEF.
From the museum, I caught a ferry from Skansen to Skeppsholmen. Both areas are very beautiful and contain a lot of historical information.
Notes:
- Sweden is a pretty safe country. In most buildings, you can leave your jackets and bags unattended on the hooks at the entrance while you explore the space
- forget McDonalds and Burger King...Max is the burger place to dine at when in Sweden
- Swedes also have an obsession with korv (hot dogs) - you'll find them everywhere!
- I'd already visited the Vasa Museum as a kid, but if you're in Stockholm, I'd definitely recommend going
- I had multiple saunas during my stay, a part of the culture I'll really miss
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