01/01/2019

My Gap Year Begins

Maxing out time in the Schengen: Sweden, Denmark, and France

I usually travel to Sweden in the summers, to visit my family friends, during which time they live in southern Sweden (Båstad, Skåne). Visiting during the fall meant I had a new opportunity to explore Stockholm, where they live during the work/school year. Stockholm is known for its subway station art, some of which is pictured below. Rosendals Trädgård remains my favorite place in Stockholm, though Bergianska Trädgården was quite beautiful.

8 Hours in Copenhagen

After some time in Stockholm, I traveled down to Båstad. While down south, I spent one day in Copenhagen, Denmark, just two hours away by train. My phone plan didn’t extend to Denmark, so I had no service—just a long list of places to check out! It was exhilerating to know I had crossed international borders, with no way for anyone to reach me.

Thanksgiving in France

For Thanksgiving, I met my mom in France, before heading back to Båstad for Christmas. As usual, we divided our time between Paris and Burgundy.

Luciakonsert

Swedish summers already had my heart, but the Swedish Christmas spirit is also unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Eagerness for jul warms the air, and string lights and advent candles everywhere ensure the short days are not dreary. Luciakonserts—real children with real candles, singing real choral music, lussekatter—saffron buns, Sveriges Televisions julkalender and Kalle Anka, proper julbords and julmust: a Swedish holiday season builds anticipation and excitement with traditions not only shared within families, but also in every household across the nation.