And I’M Off to Norway

The next morning, I decided to just explore the subways of Stockholm. I heard from a few friends, how beautiful some of the stations are. Afterwards, I will be flying to Norway. To see what the next door neighbor had to offer.

A subway station in Stockholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Got on the subway, it was so clean and very quiet. Not even one person was on their phones talking or speaking to a friend. It was kind of odd to me. It reminded of my time in Munich, Germany. The subways there were really quiet too. Must be a northen European thing. It almost felt awkward to ask your friend next to you, “What stop we get off at?” I kid you not, when in Munich, she texted me the name of the station we were supposed to get off that.

The way the subway stations are built in Stockholm are a work of art. They leave the bedrock and carve around it. With the leftover rock, they paint on them like in the picture above. The ones I went to weren’t too nice. I kept trying to find solna centrum station but I got lost. It’s the one that the rock is painted red and black. It looks amazing!

The train to the airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After getting in the subway, it was time to head back to pack for my trip to Norway. I was super excited to see what Norway was all about. I defintely have to visit Stockholm again but during the summer. My time in this beautiful city was ending. The second half of my Nordic weekend getaway was just starting.

The stockholm airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Getting to the airport in stockholm is not too diffcult. It cost me about 25 dollars at the time. I wanted to take a taxi but, it was about 75 dollars from where I was staying. It was a lot faster to go by train ironically. It just made more sense to not take a taxi

At the airport, it was surprisingly empty. There were people but, in certain areas. Compared to JFK, SFO and LAX there was practically no one. I didn’t noticed my first time how much space this airport has. Just the little things you notice when you aren’t super excited to explore.

Flying over Sweden and norway photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When I got on the plane, I got lucky. My seat was taken, I was shown first hand that it’s more secure to pay that little extra to reserve your seat. I didn’t pay it because it seemed unnessary. This was around the time a man got kicked off a plane for the same situation. I kept calm and asked the flight attendant. She pointed me to a few extra seats in the back. Ensuring that I was going on this flight. I sat down and I was able to relax.

While in the air, got to see a bird’s eye view of how wonderful Norway and Sweden are during the winter. It’s has patches of snow mixed with trees. Looked really nice to me. Of course, this is coming from someone who grew up where it never snowed. I’m sure some of you are sick of it.

Walking to the gate at the Oslo airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After about 2 hours, we landed at the olso Airport. Of course, they didn’t let the plane drive to the gate. We had to get off and walk to the gate in all this cold. The moment I took one step out of the plane, a blast of cold wind hit me. It felt like I ran into a brick wall. My exploring of Norway just started and it was looking like I had to get a lot of hot chocolate.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe

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July 1, 2020 26

That good Swedish eating

Alright, when I went Sweden didn’t expect the food to be good. I was thinking about eating at 7/11 or any other convenient stores. Trying to save a few dollars. When I was here, I was told to eat Swedish meatballs and pancakes. During my time explore Stockholm at night, all I wanted was some hot chocolate.

The dark street photo courtesy of Hugo morel

Kept walking in the cold dark street on the mission of finding some hot chocolate. It was at this moment, I really felt out of place. A strong cold wind passed through my coat and pants. I had about three layers on. I was built for the tropics. What am I doing here? Then, I remember the price of the flight being so cheap. I kind of asked to be put into this situation. So, I kept thinking about a warm place like the tropics. Surprisingly, this works out well.

The sign that attracted me to the restaurant photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After about 5 minutes, which felt like hours, I saw this sign. Swedish glogg, my first impressions were Viking soda. I thought this glogg was going to be very cold. It wasn’t until I got back that I learned it was an alcoholic drink. I was freezing. So I had no choices but to go inside.

Swedish pancakes photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once inside, the atmosphere was a very “hipster.” For those who don’t know how hipster restaurants are, there is dim lighting with pop music playing in the background. Everybody was on their laptops. Kind of like a Starbucks that serves real food. I saw they had Swedish pancakes. Which, I just had to order. It felt good to be out of the cold. The waiters at the restaurant were from Ethiopia. Another reminder of the diversity of this country.

Once the Swedish pancake came, there was no chance for this Swedish dish to survive. Along with my hot chocolate, I had to regain the body heat my body let go during this night out. So, I had to eat for all the snowmen in the North pole. Most will say the pancake looks more like a kid’s dream than a meal. Still, I’m not complaining. It was really good.

The Swedish meatballs photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I had to find my way back to the hostel I was staying at. I just couldn’t keep moving with this cold. The later it got, the colder it became. There was a restaurant next to the hostel. I was told by the front desk that the restaurant has the famous Swedish meatballs. I had to try it. After a warm shower, I was ready to go to eat a real meal.

Swedish beer photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The meatballs were really good. I did not know at the time that reindeer was mixed with the meat. Never ate that type of meat. Got some local beer to drink everything down. Not much of a beer drinker. However, this was pretty good. It was great to end the night. I couldn’t wait to see what the next day had in store for me.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

June 24, 2020 13

Night time exploring around Stockholm

The sun went down and I wanted to see what the Swedish capital had to offer at night. Decided to go around at the risk of freezing. Since, it gets a lot colder at night. However, I’m in Stockholm and I don’t know when I will be back. I guess this was a yolo moment…**cringed**

Stockholm at night photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When I got outside, I was hit with a cold blast of air. The air felt like when you put your head in the freezer or by the air conditioner on a hot summer’s day. However, without the warmth when stepping away. This cold was strong and I just had to adapt to it. Which, I eventually did.

A dark street in stockholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Stockholm is very beautiful during the day. Once nightfall comes, it another level of beauty. Seeing the skyline at night was truly amazing. I couldn’t tell if it was the cold or the view. Regardless, my breath was taken away. Every major European city at night has this attractiveness that most of the world lacks. You see more flashy lights and taller buildings elsewhere. Yet; in Europe, most major cities are not like that. There’s like a classic charm here. I know i mentioned this before. It’s just what I keep noticing

Walking down one of the main roads in stockholm at night photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Walking around, I was in awe of everything. It felt like I was in the north pole. Which is not too far from here. As if Stockholm was where Santa Claus lived. I’m sure if I was a kid, it would had been a dream to travel here. It’s cool that Swedish culture has roots to Nordic culture. Which is probably why, I hoped to see elves here working with St. Nick.

The beautiful “tunnel” photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The pathways here are so beautiful. Walking down the alluring cobblestones street, I turned to my right and saw what I’ll say was a “tunnel.” Imagine walking through this every day. I’m sure it looks pretty to us but for the locals, it’s whatever. Sometimes we don’t value what is in front of us everyday.

Just outside of another main street photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Eventually, started walking further down the street. More and more stores kept appearing. All of them were advertising hot chocolate. Being distracted by the beauty, I almost forgot I was freezing. The hot chocolate ads brought me back to reality. It was time to warm up. However, my night of exploring was still not over. Couldn’t wait to see more of this Nordic city has to offer.

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.

June 17, 2020 10

Freezing in Stockholm, Sweden

Yeah, for some reason this winter I went to some really cold countries. There was a reason why the tickets were so cheap. It must had been the weather. Still, I won’t let it ruin my time. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. It was only 340 from NYC, so you know there had to be a catch.

A street outside of my hostel photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When I got to Stockholm, I was surprised that it wasn’t as cold as I expected. It felt like winter in New York City with more snow. At the beginning that’s what I thought the cold here was. Also, I was surprised to the diversity I kept seeing. It really felt like I was in Queens with all the cultures I saw. For those who don’t know, Queens in New York City has a community for almost ethnic group in the world.

A square in downtown Stockholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

It was mid-January when I was in the capital of Sweden. So there were leftover Christmas decorations. Still in shock about the diversity here. Saw Ethiopian and Iranian restaurants thinking I was in Manhattan. It’s funny how we Americans don’t realize how multicultural European cities are. In the main Nordic countries, excluding Finland, they are sometimes even more welcoming to immigrants than the usa claims it is.

A protest in stocholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Another view of the protest photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I kept exploring and somehow I ended up in a protest. I have no idea how I keep getting myself into these situations. Not trying to get caught up into what was going on, I left that area in a hurry like a kid running away from getting a vaccine. Im not trying to spending time in a Swedish jail. If I knew the local language and what the protest was about I would had stayed. However, it’s like playing russian roulette.

A Swedish bus photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The more I walked around, the more I felt the cold. Yeah, this wasn’t like NYC. The cold up here sneaks up on you. I started to feel like I was an ice cube. It’s crazy how people here are so used to the cold.

Another public bus in stockholm photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After exploring for a few hours, I had to head back into my hostel. It was way too cold for me to just walk randomly around. Still my first impressions of this swedish capital were good. Couldn’t wait to see what more this city had to offer!

Stay safe everyone and remember to wash your hands!

For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!

For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.