Safe in Sweden!

Hello all!

As most may know, there was a terrorist attack this past Friday here in London. A small bomb was set off in an underground tube but from what I understand no one was seriously harmed.

While all this was going on, I was going about my day packing because I was heading out of the country for another weekend of traveling to head to Stockholm, Sweden! So needless to say, I am completely safe, happy and healthy and was in no way harmed or affected by the incident!

With this being a heavy topic I want to share with you instead the wonderful time I had in Sweden!

All of my friends were heading off this weekend to other destinations so my one flatmate Alyssa and I decided to find the cheapest plane tickets we could find and head to that destination, and that is how Sweden came about!

We arrived late Friday night and checked into our hostel, my first hostel stay ever! But we quickly headed out because we had a reservation at Stockholm's famous Ice Bar!

Made fully of ice, the walls, the bar, even the glasses you drink out of, we sipped on a drink in our parkas and danced in a 15 degree bar! These bars are popping up more around the world but the one in Stockholm is the original so it was a great experience!

The next day we got up early and planned to spend the whole day walking and admiring the city. The streets were quiet at 9am still when we headed out for breakfast so I guess the Swedish like their Saturday mornings in bed. But we headed to Gamla Stan, or the Old Town and got breakfast at a little cafe. Right next store was the Nobel Museum where we learned the history of the Nobel prize, a topic I was not familiar with and am now really intrigued by!

Gamla Stan is on an island off the mainland that Stockholm lies on and so we headed towards the water afterwards to see the views of the Baltic Sea. The view of the waterways and the buildings and boats on the water was truly breathtaking and the weather could not have been more perfect with the sun shining all day!

We wandered between the 4 islands that branch off of the mainland all day long, finding new sights and views, and walking trails. Not knowing much about the city allowed us to do whatever we saw that interested us so at one point we ended up at a day celebration for the end of summer. There were drinks, and confetti and dancing and it was a lively scene! We found an amusement park and somehow managed to get in for free because the woman at the door found out I was from New York and loves it so much!

We flew out early Sunday morning and arrived back in London safely. Being back in the city feels just like normal, life is still moving along even with the event that occurred on Friday. I have seen some more police presence around tube stations and such but I still feel happy and blessed to be in this beautiful city. For those who reached out to check on me thank you so much and know that I am constantly aware of my surroundings and will keep myself as safe as I possibly can!

So on that note, I highly recommend Sweden for a visit if you have the chance, but also London is still an amazing city so don't stray away!

Aub

#Travel