Farewell Europe

All adventures must come to an end – and this one is no exception. As I write this, I have left Europe and am currently on a layover in Beijing. As I look back I would have to say the two highlights of my European adventures (in order) would be visiting Levi and his parents in Sweden and the Development Finance Summer School program at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.
I did enjoy travelling through parts of Germany and to Paris, but I did most of that alone and, despite what I have said in the past, it is much more enjoyable travelling with others! It has been a month, but it feels like no time has passed, yet some of the people I have met along the way I feel like I have known for a long time.
Now it is time to go home, resume my life, start my first 'real' job and complete the last semester of my degree. My adventures in Europe are over, but today is the first day of the rest of my life!

'Emo' Cows!

I feel this one photo is worth a blog entry.  These cows belong to the Lindbloms. I wonder if these 2 cows should be put on suicide watch!!

Stockholm From a Different Perspective

I walked the sidewalks and 'climbed' the sphere – how else could I see Stockholm? By water of course! Levi and I took a 30 minute cruise from a 'cruise stop' near his home to the centre of Stockholm. It was really   beautiful and relaxing. It was interesting to see the city from yet another angle!

A Royal Castle

Sweden has its own Royal family and this, of course, means that it has Royal Castles, Palaces and Gardens. Perhaps it is because I grew up always helping out in the garden at home, I always enjoy strolling around  beautiful gardens more than interior of buildings.  Levi took me to the castle near his house and we wandered around the perfectly kept gardens (and even into a maze!).

Ericsson Globe Arena

Where do you get the best bird's eye views of Stockholm? The top of largest spherical building in the world! Levi took me to the Ericsson Globe Arena and we took this small glass bubble (which could hold about 10 people comfortably) on a track over the exterior of the sphere. The views were amazing, but I have to say Stockholm isn't a skyscraper city and is best viewed by walking in and around the old buildings and canals. Unlike a lot of cities, it is extremely clean and feels very safe – Stockholm is definitely best viewed by pounding the pavement!

Stockholm

So Solgerd and Bertil's farm is rural as expected. I say this, yet they get broadband internet, perfect mobile phone service and most amazing of all – public transport. In fact far better public transport than I get at home in the suburbs of the Gold Coast! Levi and I took the bus (and train) into central Stockholm and spent some time walking around. With my own personal tour guide, I only saw the 'best of the best' sights – the parliament building, stadiums, Old Town (the tourist area), historic buildings and beautiful canals. Stockholm is a city made up of dozens of islands. My thoughts on Stockholm? A truly unique city that has so much soul and I honestly can't compare it to anywhere I have ever been! I really enjoyed Stockholm (even if it is the only place that I have been that is MORE expensive than Australia) and I hope to return someday!

The World’s Largest Ikea Store!

So Levi is moving to a new unfurnished apartment this coming semester. In true Swedish style this means a trip to the local Ikea store. Of course, the one around the corner just happens to be the largest Ikea store in the world. As we all know, I love Ikea, so Levi and I set out with a shopping list of items he needs. We need to 'fill up' for the 'maze' that we are about to enter, so we start off in the restaurant which, according to Levi,  actually has real Swedish food (pictured above are Swedish meatballs – Köttbullar). We look at everything from lighting to cooking and eating utensils to couches. After many hours, and much discussion, Levi had narrowed down his list and had a rough idea of what he wanted. We ended as we started – eating in the restaurant. We each had a slice of traditional Swedish Apple Pie (which, in my opinion, is nicer than American apple pie or Australian apple tea cake).

Grazing!!!

Around Levi's family house there is a garden area with lots of fruit trees and vegetable plants growing. Today I spent the entire afternoon wandering around, going from tree to tree eating apples, raspberries, plums and cherries. Not too dissimilar from the garden at home, but everything here is just so plentiful and sweet! (Sweden's also much greener than our ""wide brown land".) There were also quite a few plants that I had not seen before, but I wasn't game to eat the fruit that was on them in case they were not ripe or worse, poisonous. My favourite would be the thousands of ripe juicy cherries (pictured above).

The Lindblom Residence

After Levi picked me up at the Stockholm airport, we then  made our way north to his family's farm. Upon arriving I was warmly greeted by his Mum, Solgerd and Dad, Bertil. Their house is over 200 years old and has been in the Lindblom family for five generations! It is a beautiful home with antique furniture and quirky rooms. Shortly after arriving, we had spectacular home cooked Spaghetti Bolognese, made with fresh mince from one of their own cows. I am definitely going to enjoy my week here!

I survived Ryanair!

I had been warned by everyone I knew that I should avoid Ryanair, at all costs! I wanted to experience the 'service' for myself. I was booked to fly from Berlin to Stockholm. First encounter with a Ryanair staff member was at the 'Bag Drop' counter. I asked if they had tags to place on your luggage to write your name and contact details; after literally 60 seconds of conversation I was told that Ryanair don't give those out (it was like drawing blood from a stone). I then dropped off my 20.0kg bag – exactly the maximum allowed :) After passing through airport security I looked at the screen to see which gate I was departing from – they don't display that until boarding commences:(  Finally, when boarding began the procedure was very similar to Southwest Airlines in the US; open seating with "first in, best dressed" priority. Overall the experience was actually a positive one. Once on board it was no different to flying Jet Star in Australia; they try to sell you beverages, food and other products. They were a little more commercial in that there were advertisements placed on the overhead compartments (pictured above) and they also not only advertised in their in-flight magazine, but also over the loud speaker (for example discounted rental cars). I would fly Ryanair again – if it was the cheapest.

Berlin

A summary of modern Berlin history:  the vast majority of Berlin was destroyed in the World Wars and then it was split into two parts following World War II – East Berlin (controlled by the Soviet Union) and West Berlin (controlled by the US, UK and France). The Berlin Wall served as a physical barrier; built to stop people fleeing East Germany to West Germany in search of a better life. I have been in Germany for a few weeks and had seen a little of central and south Germany, both were absolutely beautiful. Berlin was not! West Berlin (where my hotel was located) is okay – reminds me, a little, of parts of New York, but not as nice. It was rebuilt by the Allied forces following WWII. East Berlin is a 'dive'. It is a deserted horrible place. I am very glad I went to Berlin, as I enjoyed learning about the Third Reich, Nazi Germany and seeing what remains of the Berlin Wall (pictured above) on some guided tours, but it would be okay if I never returned.

Musée National d'Art Moderne

After visiting the Louvre on Wednesday, Thursday was time to 'hit up' a modern art museum (which is more  my thing). I have to say that I actually enjoyed the Modern Art Museum more than the Louvre. The highlight was a temporary exhibition from India. It had a heavy focus on the environment (particularly the treatment of e-waste) but also addressed on cultural issues (such as the suicide of young women from poor families not being able to come up with a sufficient dowry for marriage) and rape. It was all very well done and very interesting! I really enjoy art work that makes me think about an issue that is relevant in the world. Above is a  photo of a reflection of me in one of the art pieces!

Why aren’t all French people fat?

I am not going kid myself – I ate my way around Paris!! And loved every second. I feel I should dedicate this entry to my Mother and to Jenny – the people who share with me most the love of food. Okay, judgement time (for the cakes – not me!). In first place is the bottom cake - it was thick custard in between ridged flaky layers of pastry. Second place goes to top left, this is cream and raspberry with thick crunchy layers - it was 'to die for'. Final place is the top right - coconut with cream and pieces of crunchy meringue. Just for clarity, I still absolutely adored all of them and would kill for any of them – seriously, give me a name.
Disclaimer: the above comparison between the pastries and the Eiffel Tower is, unfortunately, not a life size comparison.

The Louvre

The most visited art museum in the world – and I could tell. There were people EVERYWHERE. It honestly almost ruined it. Almost. It was amazing – the highlight was the Napoleon Apartments (these original rooms of the palace made the interior of Neuschwanstein Castle look like a hostel). I honestly couldn't stay more than a few hours – fighting through crowds is not the way art should be viewed! Oh yea, I also checked out a painting you may have heard of - Mona Lisa!

Escargots Gratines a`l`ail (Snails)

Paris should be really called '5lbs per 3 days' – I have been eating so much good food (I can always diet once at home, right?) I just had to try snails. I had a half dozen at a traditional restaurant with some people I met on my tour. It was served with garlic and butter and came with some weird silverware that looked like a torture device. I ordered a glass of Riesling, as a chaser, in case they were as horrible as they looked. (I have developed a liking for sweet Riesling after the wine tasting a couple of weekends ago in Germany). I worked out how to use the 'scooper'(after being laughed at by strangers) and ate one. My verdict? Délicieux (Delicious)!

Walking tour of Paris

So after the mediocre walking tour in Munich I wasn't expecting much of the one in Paris (done by the same company – called 'New Europe' if I recall correctly). I was pleasantly surprised – it was really interesting and informative. My tour guide (also called Alex) was very knowledgeable – especially about the history of France and Paris.  He told us some of the history of the last 2,500 years in the 10 minutes before starting the tour. We visited all the top sites – Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame (pictured above), Le Louvre, the famous romantic bridge 'Pont des Arts' (the one where Big comes and finds Carrie in the end of the TV series of Sex and the City – don't judge me) and about a dozen other attractions.

Eiffel Tower

First stop in Paris? Climbing the Eiffel Tower, of course! I say climbing, because I took the 600+ steps to the 2nd floor. I am honestly not as fit as I would like to be. It was a lot of effort! In my defence, the line for the steps was only about 10 people, and it is cheaper than the elevator. The line for the elevator would have been about 1km winding in and around the four pillars at the bottom; so there are a lot people who are lazier and/or less fit than me. The trick is to take the stairs to the 2nd floor and then buy a ticket to the top from there (this is what I did and I waited in line for less than 5 minutes in total!) It was definitely worth all the effort – the view was amazing!! Oh, and they don't check tickets on the way down – so I caught the elevator all the way :)

Neuschwanstein Castle

After missing the train yesterday, today I decided to do a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle. The castle is 2 hours away from Munich and is only 5km from Austria (as the crow flies). It is at the beginning of the German side of the Bavarian Alps. It is absolutely beautiful – inside and out! The inside tour was a little disappointing – the inside is spectacular, but the tour only takes you through about 10 rooms. Plus you are not allowed to take photos inside – which, of course, meant that I only took about 20 :) We also did some hiking around the castle through some river rapids and forests. To summarise, if you are in Munich and can afford the time, absolutely go to the castle – but I wouldn't make a special trip to Munich for it!

Hofbräuhaus

I couldn't go to Munich without having a 1 litre beer. After a long day of walking and walking, Allison (an American girl I had met on my walking tour) and I decided to go to the famous Hofbräuhaus for some dinner and a beer. We ordered an obscene amount food; potato salad (Germany style – with no mayo, white vinegar based sauce instead), bread basket (with 4 different types of bread including soft pretzel), and then 'an HB Original Sausage platter' with three different types of German Sausage, a knuckle of pork (with potato dumplings, of course). Finally we had this delicious apple flavoured (almost French toast pieces) dessert that I can't remember the name of. To drink I had a 1 litre HB original – and yes I did manage to finish it!
Side note – there were three Korean girls sitting next to us and they shared a knuckle of pork between them. Now I know why Australia and America are the fattest countries – but it was so worth it :)

Welcome to Munich – Dachau

On my first day in Munich I was supposed to be getting up at 6.30am to catch an early morning train with Rachel, Lily and David to see Neuschwanstein Castle. My alarm failed to wake me; I woke up at 7.40am (5 minutes before my train left!). I didn't waste the day.  I decided to do a walking tour of Munich in the morning and a tour of Dachau Concentration Camp in the afternoon. The walking tour was nothing special, but the
tour of Dachau – wow!  I couldn't say it was the favourite thing I have done on this trip so far; it would be inappropriate to label a memorial to a concentration camp in a positive light. But, I can say it is the place that I am most glad I visited. The vast majority of the memorial is original and they have only added cabinets showcasing the torture methods and describing the 'systems' that the Nazi's used. I honestly had no idea about just how horrible Nazi concentration camps were – and I think only those who were there when it was in 'operation' ever will really know.