Breath of fresh air. These are quite literally the only words I have to describe my trip to Sweden over the weekend. Besides being a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of the city, I seriously cannot get over how fresh and clean and refreshing the Swedish countryside air was. I convinced a few of my friends to book this trip with me over the summer (it was 100% organized by our program) and ever since then we had been counting down the days! After two jam-packed days of adventure I can happily report that it did not disappoint. You can check out the video montage I made of the weekend here:
The trip started bright and early on Saturday morning when we boarded a bus to the ferry that would take us to Sweden. I was surprised at how quick the ferry ride was - it only took about 20 minutes! We drove off the ferry and the Swedish border control officers came onto the bus for about two seconds to 'check passports' (border control seems pretty lax here in Scandinavia) before letting us go on our way. We drove through the beautiful countryside and headed straight to a little dock for a 6 mile canoe trek down the Rönne. The rolling hills and farmland surrounding the river reminded me a lot of home and the weather was absolutely gorgeous - sunny and 60° with a little wind. My friend Jane and I were paired in a canoe together and only got turned completely around by the wind once. About halfway down the river the people from the canoe company were stationed on the river bank throwing ice cream treats into our boats! We took our time making it down to the next dock, chatting with everyone in the other canoes and enjoying our snack.
Mads and I on the ferry
Afterwards, we got back on the bus and headed to our hostel. This place was a big farmhouse that was so cute and quaint. Jane, Margaret, Emily and I got a cozy room with a view of the apple orchard and stable out back. We ate lunch and took a little nap before heading to Kullaberg National Park for a hike. The path there began as an easy walk past Himmelstorp, an eighteenth-century farmstead, but it quickly became a steep and rocky climb down to the coast. I'm so used to hiking up to a summit first so hiking downhill felt very backwards! We followed the trail all the way down to Nimis, a series of huge driftwood sculptures you can climb through and up. The sculptures are actually located in a micronation inside the park called Ladonia (the history behind the nation and sculptures is super interesting and you can read all about it here). It was super unique, and at times felt a little dangerous given how old and worn the driftwood looked, but it was definitely something I never would have known about if I hadn't gone on this trip. After the hike we headed back to the hostel for a barbecue dinner followed by a bonfire and s'mores. Everyone kept saying how they felt like the whole day was a throwback to summer camp and this was definitely the perfect way to end it. We all enjoyed a s'more (or three) before calling it a night.
view from the hostel
Himmelstorp, the old farmstead on our way to Nimis
the driftwood structures at Nimis
climbing the towers
relaxing on the rocks
The next morning started out with a traditional Scandinavian breakfast of assorted bread, cheeses, and jams. Then we each grabbed a bagged lunch and packed up the bus to head back to Kullaberg. This time the group was split into two and for the first half of the day I did an orienteering and hiking activity. We picked teams and had to go to different spots around the island to complete activities. Our first stop was to a rocky beach along the coast that was absolutely incredible. The water was so calm and the views were unreal so we accidentally spent about 45 minutes there when we only had two hours to complete the whole scavenger hunt. After that, we hiked through the woods, across a golf course, and up to a radio tower where we had to solve a few different puzzles. All around the tower were grazing sheep and cows. The scenery reminded me so much of Ireland! Next stop was down to a cave where we had to copy some knots. Then we climbed up to a lighthouse where we had to guess how far we were from other European destinations. The craziest part of the whole hike was how many different kinds of landscapes and terrains there were on one tiny island! After returning to home base we enjoyed our lunches and then geared up for the most anticipated event of the weekend: rappelling.
can you spot us?
view on our way down to the beach
some friendly sheep!
serious Ireland vibes
adventure gang
I remember seeing people rappelling when were in Maine two summers ago and thinking how fun it looked! Well, turns out it is equally fun and terrifying :) We started out easy with a 10 meter rappel down a flat rock surface just to get the hang of it. Then we climbed up a bigger mountainside for a 25 meter rappel on a more jagged cliff. When I got to the top of the bigger mountain it was SO windy and cold and it was starting to rain a little bit. There were five people in line before me to go down so the anticipation and weather conditions made it all the more difficult to convince myself that it was a good idea to go down. When it was finally my turn the guy helping us get clipped in assured me that a five year old had "just done this last week" so I had "nothing to worry about" (something tells me this is what they say to everyone who looks a tiny bit nervous to go straight down the side of a cliff with only a rope securing them). The big rappel was 1000 times scarier than the first one and it felt like I was descending for ten minutes when it probably only took two. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to have my feet on solid ground :)
ready to rappel
starting out easy
epitome of 'do something everyday that scares you'
After another full day of outdoor adventure, we headed to a cozy little cafe for what the Swedes call 'fika', the concept of gathering with those around you for coffee, cake, and good conversation. We warmed up with blankets and hot tea and enjoyed rhubarb pie with toasted almonds on top. It was truly the perfect way to end the weekend. After a quick bus trip and a final ferry ride we arrived back in Copenhagen on Sunday evening. Back to reality today with group project meetings and impending midterms, but I am so looking forward to my class trip to Berlin and Prague next week - and a lot more adventures to come!
