‘Semester in Sweden’ Category
Standing on Kinekulle
Our geology field trip with Mark was a very interesting and enlightening experience. It was amazing to see all of the old rock formations and really put the earths age into perspective. One of the parts that was the most interesting which made it easy to see the history of the area was when the [...]
Wood, Students, and the Greenest city in Europe. April 17-18
For years if someone wanted to build a building over 3 stories in Sweden, wood was not an option. It was not considered strong enough to safely support such weight. Recently, however, people have changed that. Wood is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than brick or cement. It can also be recycled and is easier to [...]
Journey to Växjö, Kalmar and Öland
On the morning of April 15th, we departed from our hotel in Uppsala for a relaxing morning train ride to Växjö. That afternoon, we congregated at the main square before meeting our families, while some of us had fika at a nearby cafe. Matt and I would be spending the next five days with Stefan [...]
Hello Hållö!
After a day of exploring the city of Göteborg, we began our first day “out in the field” of Geology with Mark on Tuesday. Mark taught at Gustavus for many years before he moved to Sweden in 2003 and began teaching at the University in Göteborg, and he is now head of his department there. [...]
Our first week on the hill – Jönköping
We arrived in Jönköping after a short train ride from Växjö. The first thing we saw through the train windows as we pulled up was the enormous (2nd largest in Sweden) Lake Vättern. Jönköping is situated at the southern tip of the lake, with large hills on each side of the city. It’s actually quite similar to [...]
Spring in Paris and Berlin
Over spring break I decided I would hop over to continental Europe to see Paris and Berlin. After spending 12 days in Stockholm, I thought it would give me a great opportunity to compare 3 very different cities. It’s interesting how cities have a character. Each city certainly feels different, but it’s sort of hard [...]
A week with my family in Småland
Over spring break, some of us took the opportunity to reconnect with home again, through a trip back home or spending the week with family and friends. I chose to spend my spring break with my cousins here. My cousin Ingela and her husband Lars live on a farm near the small town Ljungby in [...]
Got Land? I did during Spring Break
As loyal readers already know for spring break I traveled with Devon to Visby on Gotland, an Island off the southeastern coast of Sweden. Visby is an extremely well-preserved medieval town, and was a member of the Hanseatic League, a group of predominantly German towns specializing in trade on the Baltic and North Seas. At the local museum, Devon and [...]
In Europe’s Greenest City
We arrived in Växjö on Tuesday, April 16th. For the next five days we all got to live with Swedish host families; some of us in the group were in pairs and others were alone. Kallie and I stayed with Magnus and Katarina and their four children, Aaron, Salomon, Miriam, and Efraim. (They also have [...]
A Bit More of Stockholm
Stockholm is one of those cities with a name that makes you think of certain images or ideas. Beautiful people. Waterways and islands. Old pastel-colored buildings. Often, visiting an actual city shows you that the idea you have of it is actually inaccurate. In Stockholm, the stereotypes are true. The level of fashion here is [...]