Jag åkte till Stockholm för första gangen!

Wow. I've been incredibly lame and haven't posted here in over a month. It seems I've ever been fantastically busy, or just plain lazy. Well, let's say that it's a mixture of both. I've been in Sweden for four months now, and I'm very sad to say that there are only two months left in this wonderful adventure. As I continue the downhill leg of this trip and reluctantly look California straight in the eye, I'm going to try my best to really live up this experience and truly enjoy my last two months as a viking. Honestly, I'm just going to have tons of fun (don't worry, Mom, not too much fun!)

So this last weekend I finally made the trek north to the capital city of Stockholm. It's the first time that I've traveled outside of Lund, but remained in Sweden. I didn't think much of it, but I quickly realized that hearing Swedish around me was actually shocking. I realized that I was really expecting to hear German, Italian, or some language that I don't understand. I was not expecting to be traveling on the metro, listening to a little girl talk about a friend who is two years younger than her -- and actually understand the story she was telling her father. I had to keep reminding myself that even though I was traveling, I was still in Sweden! Although, I must admit, it was a bit easier to understand Stockholmska Swedish than the Skånska Swedish that I am mostly surrounded by (since I do live in the southern Swedish region of Skåne). Here's an example:

The Stockholmers turn "s" into an "sh" sound, while Skånska does not. So in Stockholm, the word "thursday" (torsdag) is pronounced "torshdah" rather than "torsdah"

Stockholmers also do not pronounce heavy "h" sounds like those in Skåne (a relic of Skåne's Danish heritage). Therefore, the word "maybe" (kanske) is pronounced "KANshuh" in Stockholm, but in my Skåne dialect, I always say "kanHWAY" (heavy with the "h")

Also, I think Stockholmers are a bit more nasally than Skånska speakers. It's actually a bit offputting when a really beautiful girl says "hej" ("hey") so far up in her nose that she sounds like a cartoon character. But then, I hear this in Skåne sometimes too (probably by displaced Stockholmers!)

I also learned a very important cultural gesture in Sweden, in relation to people from Stockholm. The rest of Sweden tends to view Stockholmers as a bit stuck up. And whereas in America, we might represent this by turning our noses in the air and raising our eyebrows in a hauty manner -- in Sweden, they run their hands through their hair in a "slicking back" motion to portray a stuck-up attitude. See, I'm learning very important cultural things here!!

So anyway, I went to Stockholm. Finally. I was actually waiting for my friend Courtney to move up there -- she studied Swedish with me in Lund over the summer and moved up to Stockholm for a job in September, so I was planning on visiting her when she got all settled in and was ready to show me around town. It was lots of fun to see Courtney (and her boyfriend Blake, too) again. Stockholm was absolutely beautiful and I think it is one of the most beautiful cities that I have been too. Stockholm likes to advertise itself as the "Venice of the North" -- as do most cities that lie anywhere near water. But Stockholm isn't like Venice very much: Venice is one island, Stockholm is 14 connected by bridges. Venice is decaying, sinking, a relic of its past glory. Stockholm is in the midst of its glory -- colorful, bright, glowing, and sprawling. Forget that Stockholm is a lot colder, and it is hands-down the more beautiful of the two cities. But maybe it's just that I'm a little biased -- I much prefer the pink, red, orange, and green six-story buildings of Stockholm to the Turkish-inspired spires and vaults of Venice. However, I can say that having family from both Stockholm and Venice is a treat and it made me look at both cities with wider eyes.

I also finally tried some pickled herring. Courtney insisted that I had to try it at least once, and she knew a place where it was good. We went to the oldest restaurant in Stockholm -- a place founded by German monks in Gamla Stan back in 1491 (for those of you who are historically challenged, that's a year before Columbus sailed the ocean blue to discover the land which would later become my country of origin. Now isn't that something?) Well, what can I say? The Swedes aren't so crazy after all, that was some delicious pickled herring! I honestly would have some more!

My favorite part of the city was, of course, the oldest part of the city: Gamla Stan (literally means "The Old City"). We also went up into Gondolen (The Gondola), which is a viewpoint in Slussen (an island neighboring Gamla Stan), where you can get a gorgeous panorama of the whole city. It was windy, and cold, but absolutely worth it. I just can't describe the sheer elegance, quaintness, and beauty of this city. I know that most people would never think to include Sweden on the Euro-Trips, and most people never even imagine themselves going anywhere as far north as Stockholm -- but seriously people! Do it! Go! I promise you it's worth it!

So here's some Swedish for you to learn:
gammal -- old
staden (shortened: stan) -- the city
två år äldre än hon -- two years older than her
Jag åkte till stockholm för första gangen! -- I went to Stockholm for the first time!