Reliving the Past in Västerås

This weekend I reunited with not only Vanessa, who by the way has scored herself a sales job in Stockholm beginning 1 September, but also with a few other Swedes who I met in Korea and a Korean girl who is seeing one of them. We all gathered in the city of Västerås, where three of the Swedes hail from, and enjoyed a barbeque comprising of both Swedish and Korean dishes during which we consumed much grog and played the hilarious drinking games that we all learnt and enjoyed in Korea. We all just seemed to pick up where we left off when we all went our separate ways after our semester in the ROK; it was as if we never left the country

Afterwards, when the sun set (i.e. 11.30pm!!), we all progressed to a bar in town and then to a club like none I have ever visited. The whole place was painted white with white curtains draped throughout, highly made-up blonde girls dressed in tight-ankled jeans stood drinking with one another as a middle-aged man who appeared to have been stuck in the 80s danced half-naked against a pole after having a bit of a dance-off with Martin, and the very Swedish computerised music could have easily come from the Transformers soundtrack. The Korean girls and I found it all very fascinating. We had such a great time dancing despite the fact that us non-Swedes had a little trouble dancing to the bizarre rythym and we all buggered by the time the sun began to rise again (i.e. 3.00am!!!). It was absolutely awesome to have such fun with these guys again. Next time we do I hope that it's back in my homeland!

Korean Reunion in Sweden

After touring Copenhagen with an old Danish dude dressed as Hans Christian Anderson (embarassing to be seen with but very, very charming), I hopped on the train headed for Växjö in Sweden, where I met up with one of my best-friends from my semester of studying in South Korea last year, Jennie. I spent a great few days with her and her boyfriend, Per, touring around her town and visiting a nearby island called Örland, which is where the Swedish royalty spend their summers. We also played a game of mini-golf (I sucked!!!) and had a dinner of moose meat at Per's dad's house. It was so awesome to see Jennie again that I almost forgot to appreciate the beauty of Sweden, however that is quite impossible because the country is just too unbelievably pretty to go unnoticed. Blessed with emerald green forrests and too many picturesque lakes to count, Sweden is physically somewhat of a utopia. I guess you could say it looks a lot like Australia would if it were not for the seemingly endless drought that has plagued my homeland for too many years.

And now I am in the old university city of Uppsala, which is approximately forty minutes north of Stockholm. I am here with Martin (Swede), Kay and Janis (Koreans), who I also met while studying in Korea, and tomorrow we will be joined by my other best-friend from Korea, Vanessa from Canada. To reunite with these guys is quite a surreal experience. It doesn't seem like we ever left Korea. I think, though, the fact that as I write I am eating Korean dried squid while enjoying a glass of whisky has something to do with that.

Disney-like Denmark

Denmark is like a Disney-fabricated world, with picturesque streetscapes, beautiful gardens, pristine canals and happy shiney people (and very cute guys!). Even reading the newspaper I've learnt that Danes are the most satisfied nationality in all of Europe with one of the highest annual incomes, shortest working week and lowest unemployment rates. Moreover, they are exceptionally friendly people with perfect English and they evidently love a good joke. Is there anything wrong with this country? Oh yeah, there's one thing, George Bush is here!

Friendly Germany

Why do the Germans cop so much shit about being unfriendly? Everyone I've met has been extra lovely!! On the train to Munich from Berlin a sweet little German girl was practicing her English on me, then her grandmother began having a nice long chat with me, and before long half the carriage was talking to me and even offering me their food and drinks. I've been given free coffees at cafes (happened in Holland too) and treated very kindly by shop staff and everyone else that I meet, including a 25-year-old Munich native who I ate breakfast with yesterday morning and who showed me around her city for a couple of hours. It goes to show that you can't judge a people by their stereotype.

Aside from the unexpected friendliness of the Germans, the country is also wonderful. There's so much to do and see, a lot of history, natural and man-made beauty and saurcraut (or however it's spelt), which I am a huge fan of, if not of the bratwurst. Munich, while not as lively as Berlin - except for perhaps during Oktoberfest - is equally as stunning and full of history and culture. I spent yesterday wandering through one of the oldest and most significant art musuems in Europe, which exhibits works from Rubens, Leonardo di Vinci and Raphael, and I checked out the various town squares. It's a pity it was raining because there is a lot more that I would have loved to have seen. Ah well, I guess this trip through Europe is more of a taste for future reference. And, having said that, I will definitely go back to Germany. But for now I will enjoy my short visit to Copenhagen, which I arrived at an hour ago. Sooooooo cute and clean and exactly how I pictured the new home of our princess Mary Donaldson to be!!

In Love With Berlin

I never imagined it possible, but I love this city!! I only came here really as a stop over en route to Denmark and not because I had this burning desire to see Berlin, but I am sure as hell glad I did pay the city a visit, as I'd have to say it's probably the best city (except for maybe Hanoi, Vietnam) that I have ever been to worldwide. There's just so much history to the place yet there is such a youthful energy to it as well. And the Germans themselves aren't as unfriendly as the rest of the world accuses them of being. I will definitely come back one day and spend a good few weeks here, I think Berlin deserves that much time.

Well, yesterday I took a walking tour of the city hosted by an American girl who, like so many other new Berliners, came here in her early twenties and decided never to return home. We travelled to all the famous sites including the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the area above Hitler's bunker (there is nothing left of the bunker so it is impossible to see the bunker itself) and, low and behold, the hotel at which Michael Jackson dangled his kid from the balcony a couple of years back. It was all so very interesting, I think particularly interesting because not long before nicking off overseas I went to the Dendy to watch the German flick 'Downfall', which detailed Hitler's last days before his and East Berlin's demises. There were quite a few sites that got the emotions going too, such as the newly created memorial for the Jews that died during the Holocaust and the crosses nearby Checkpoint Charlie recognising those that lost their lives trying to escape to the West at this infamous border checkpoint. Seeing such sites really bring home just how brutal humanity can be. It's sad, really sad.

Anyway, I am heading off to Munich in about an hour, or maybe Koln (Cologne) or wherever else I decide upon when at the train station. I'm reluctant to leave Berlin but I guess there is more to a country than it's capital city and, like I said, I will be back here anyway!

P.S. Happy Birthday Poppy (for 4 July) and Nanna (for 5 July). I love you both so much and wish you both an awesome day! Miss yas!!!!

Bjorn Again

On my final day in naughty Amsterdam I visited the Van Gogh Museum, which was very exciting (and I´m not being sarcastic). To see his most famous works in real life is quite a surreal experience. Of course everyone gathered in awe around his yellow sunflowers painting and his large and impressive 'The Potato Eaters'. There were also a few paintings there by my all-time favourite artist, Paul Gaugin, which made the visit to the museum that much better. In the evening I checked out a couple more coffee shops with an American dude that I met, who is annoyingly patriotic, loud and, even worse, a fanatical Republican - the two of us naturally enjoyed some healthy debating over (cough, cough) coffee.

The following day I ventured to the northern Holland city of Groningen, where my Dutch mate, Bjorn, lives. It was awesome seeing him again! He gave me a little tour around the city, which was incredibly cute. The old buildings, cobblestone paths, canals, outdoor cafes and markets gave me the impression of walking through a postcard or featuring in a fairytale. He also offered me some traditional Dutch cuisine - raw herring covered in diced raw onion - great tasting but I am sure not so great on the breath. At night, his mate came around and the three of us got stuck into a bottle of rum and waited until the sky outside darkened (which was at about 10.30!!!) before heading out for a night on the town, on bikes of course. We paid a visit to a few typical student hangouts and concluded our night (well, by this time it was morning) at my first ever foam party. It was an amusing way to spend my last night in the Netherlands.

Now, after a six-hour train ride through both the Dutch and German countrysides, which are absolutely adorable, I am now in Berlin. I have not long been here, but, judging by my first impressions, Berlin seems like a heaps cool city. It has such a vibrant feel to it. Apparently there's a lot to see and do here so I intend to spend the next couple of days seeing and doing as much as my Euro stash can afford before heading off to Munich.