Travel Blog #1: Scandinavia
Something I mentioned in my first blog post was my passion for adventure and exploration. I love traveling to new places, seeing new sights, and meeting new people. It is always so amazing to me that despite how different each culture is, we are so similar in so many ways. We all laugh, love, cry, explore, and chase are dreams. Life may look different to each person, but at the end of the day we all need love and support from others.
I have traveled to quite few states in America, as well as Bolivia, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. I hope to travel more in the future, but I am blessed to have traveled where I have thus far. In this blog post I will dive deep into my Scandinavia trip on what I learned and saw while there.
In high school my school took a group of kids to Scandinavia on a music tour. I would like to say that these teachers were very brave for taking a group of kids to a foreign country! Personally, I do not know if I could do it, but thankfully most of us were pretty responsible. On this music tour, the first place we stopped at was Norway. We spent the most time here and some of us were able to get to know students going to school in Norway. They were super friendly and easy to connect with.
The scenery of the parts of Norway we were in were so beautiful! I have never seen a winter wonderland quite like it. The ground was covered in snow the entire time we were in Norway and some of the fjords were still completely frozen over.
One of my favorite memories of Norway was seeing the inside of the Oslo City Hall located in Oslo, Norway. Oslo City Hall is where they award the nobel peace prize every year since the 1920s. From the outside the building looks kind of boring, but on the inside it is so beautiful. The room opens up into this huge gathering area with high ceilings and murals on every wall.
The murals use lots of bright colors every part of the wall draws the viewers eyes toward them. These murals are meant to depict the struggles of the Norwegian people from their roots to the prosperity that they live in today. It has so many beautiful depictions that I can not express everything I saw. However, the moment I saw it, it took my breath away and I could not stop smiling.
The murals are showcased by the simple but elegant marble floor and the windows and the top of the lobby. The floor and natural light all accentuate the huge murals and point your eyes toward them.
The next place I traveled to Stockholm, Sweden one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. It was such a cool mix of modern and old architecture that was super fun to wander around. Additionally, the city is right next on the Baltic sea so the palace and the government buildings are on their own island. This allows viewers to look out at the city and the sea from the edges of the island. If you look across the channel you can also see so many beautiful hotels and museums on the other side. I was only there for one day, but I was completely captivated by the city and I would love to go back.
One of my favorite things about Stockholm was how walkable it was. I was able to wander around the city with my friends easily and I felt safe the entire time. While walking around my friends and I stumbled upon a bakery. This bakery made the BEST creampuffs that I have ever had. It was light and fluffy with just the perfect amount of sweetness. Overall, it was one of the best pastries I have ever had and I would love to have it again.
One of the last stops we made on the trip was Copenhagen Denmark. Copenhagen is my favorite city that I have ever been to. One of our sponsors payed for our entire group to ride on one of the tourist boats around the city. It may seem silly, but it is a great way to see the sites of the city and learn the history behind them.
Overall, the city was very walking and biking friendly. This made it easy, safe and fun to navigate. The most famous section of the city is rows of brightly colored houses and restaurant that line an inlet from the city. Their bright colors brighten the gloom of the sky and were very eye catching.
While in Denmark I was able to go into one of their palaces. The grandeur of the palace was so beautiful, and it was filled with artwork. In one room there were huge tapestries on the wall depicting Danish history. They were in an abstract design but very intricate. I wonder how long it took to create each of those tapestries. Despite the beauty of the tapestries my favorite room was the Queen’s Library. It looked like it came straight out of beauty and the beast. My favorite part was the painting of storks that covered part of the ceiling.
Something I have noticed about European artwork within cathedrals and palaces is that it forces you to look up. The viewer most always be looking around searching for artwork because its everywhere. Even though I have seen many beautiful paintings, I never fail to be amazed whenever I see a new one. Each artist has their own technique and style that no two paintings are the same.
In conclusion I desperately want to go back and explore that part of the world. It was so beautiful and I know I have only scratched the surface in discovering the wonders of these countries.
