Captain's Log; Stardate 101608.1 (Stockholm and London!)

Hello everyone!

Like my previous blogs, I will be posting all of the pictures up on Facebook so if you want to see them please feel free to look at my albums there!

I just returned yesterday morning from a truly wonderful 5 day trip to Stockholm and London. It was such a whirlwind of experiences and pictures and new people and new places that it was certainly hard to mentally and emotionally process everything. Nevertheless I'll try to give an overview.

I took a bus down to Stockholm last Wednesday night (the 8th), arriving in Stockholm on Thursday morning. I slept for a few hours in the airport, which is where the bus stopped. After I had rested up a little, I decided to take a train into the city. It was one of those bullet trains and it was really quite amazing how quickly it went. I don't think I've ever traveled that fast on the ground before.

Once I arrived in Stockholm (with luggage in tow) I basically spent the whole day walking around talking pictures. It was rainy but relatively warm, and I managed to grab lunch at a Pizza Hut (I was like "oh something American thank god" haha). It was nice to be able to rest my feet and get some reading done. At the time I was tackling Malcolm X's Autobiography.

Stockholm is a very, very beautiful city. European cities really have a different feeling, an aura, about them, than American cities. I attribute it to the much greater depth of history that exists in them, but it is many things I guess. The architecture is more attractive, there seems to be more of an emphasis on spreading out, rather than building up. Also, they have many more nooks and crannies that one can explore and find. Stockholm is built on numerous islands, as it lies in an archipelago. The water adds a lot to the beauty. I really wouldn't mind living there at some point in my life.

I eventually took a bus to the airport again and got on my flight for London! I arrived at Stansted Airport in England (Essex), at about 11 PM on Thursday night, and I met up with my friend Erika. We couldn't get a hold of our friend Kara at all, so we decided to take a train to our hostel and see if she had already gone there. Getting out of the train station in London and making our way up to street level, my anxiety was at its peak. We ran into some hilarious construction workers who were rather jovial and called Erika "little one". haha that was priceless. We took a taxi from Liverpool St to our hostel on Borough High Street. The hostel was in a GREAT location, right near the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and some good pubs and restaurants. The people working there were really friendly, young, and helpful. The hostel itself was pretty nice as well, and cheap.

We did so much over the next few days that it's hard to remember all of it. All in all, we saw the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Primrose Hill, the National Gallery, and the British Museum. Out of all of this, the things that affected me the most were being able to see the inside of Westminster Abbey and the British Museum. The inside of Westminster Abbey is without a doubt one of the most beautiful sights I have ever been fortunate enough to see in my lifetime. The combination of the architecture, the feel of the place (this is where not only monarchs but famous writers, philosophers, and scientists are buried, such as Charles Darwin and Geoffrey Chaucer, to name a few). I do not call myself a religious person, but there is something deeply spiritual about that place. The British Museum was SO amazing. Being able to see the Rosetta Stone, one of the sculptures from Easter Island, and art from ancient Greece and Rome was breathtaking. But the most deeply stirring piece that I saw was a sculpture in the African wing called the "Tree of Life". It was built by four artists from Mozambique out of old weapons from the civil war that raged there for 19 years. You could see magazine clips made into the shell of a tortoise, gun handels made into bark, and barrels made into the wings of a bird. It was an overwhelming testament to the power of the human spirit, and it really made me think.

Other than all the sightseeing, we went out on a pub-crawl with some other people from the hostel and that was really fun. Also, one of my English friends which I have met while studying here in Sweden was kind enough to connect me with one of her university friends from back home, who is now living and working in London. He texted me while I was there, I called him back, and I suddenly found myself being invited over to his lovely apartment. His name is Pad, and hanging out with him, his roommates, and his friends was unforgettable. They were kind enough to give us food, tea, take us out to clubs, let us crash at their place, and show us around Camden Market, which is a really sweet kind of hipster bazaar. That is the best way that I can describe it. There is clothing, music, food, and overall it was both ridiculous (in terms of the number of people there) and damn cool. I couldn't stop thinking that the Madison indie kids would go out of their minds if they saw it.

London as a city is a bit different from Stockholm. It is very expensive (not surprisingly), and the people and atmosphere of the place are in constant motion. I guess living in a city of 7 million people will do that to your mentality. I could see this most strikingly in the business people who were always going, going, going, with their posh suits and briefcases. It is also a very multicultural city. Kara and I ate Indian food at this really sweet place on Brick Lane, which is a really sweet area. It was so good. Actually, eating Indian food in London was one of primary goals while visiting the city, and I wasn't disappointed. Also, London is a really hip place, with the utmost and latest in fashion, music, clubs, and culture. It's the epitome of a capitalistic world, where money rules all and success is measured by the cut of your suit and the elevated dignity of what you say. This both disturbed and intrigued me.

I believe myself to be very fortunate to be able to travel like this, and I know that the experiences I'll have and the places I'll go will be ones that I will remember for the rest of my life.