study at uu

Month: June 2022

Traveling: Malmö & Copenhagen – By: Aslı

16th June 2022 / / 0 Comments

Hej hej, it’s me again! Since my first blog entry was about my trip to Norway during my Erasmus exchange studies, you could guess which topic I’m going to talk about today…
Traveling!

This time it’s not too far away and partially in Sweden. For those of you who are here for a limited time only and want to see and experience as much as they can, this mini guide will hopefully be a nice contribution to your bucket list. We all know that studying abroad can be expensive and yet most of us want to have the full study abroad experience, so it is wise to set aside a little bit of money in order to get on the road aaaand travel!

Have you ever been to Malmö? It’s a popular destination so I wanted to see it first-hand. So, I went on the Internet and did my research on how to get there and, most importantly, the expenses linked to my trip.

If you are staying in Uppsala, you have two options: you either go by plane or you take the train or bus to Malmö.

There are some cheap flight tickets by RyanAir from Arlanda to Malmö airport for roughly 40 € for a roundtrip; however, do keep in mind that you need to get to Arlanda and back and from Malmö airport to Malmö city and back. RyanAir mostly departs to Malmö in the early morning hours, so busses like those from FlixBus or FlixTrain are most likely not your option, as the cheap ones depart from 11 am onwards. So, if you decide on going by plane, you will most likely need to go there by UL/SJ train or UL bus (keep in mind that you need to pay an extra fee to enter Arlanda Airport).


Your second option includes a train ride or bus ride from Uppsala to Malmö. Both will stop in Stockholm, so maybe you can have a small breakfast (depending on the time of the day of course). I decided on FlixBus as it was the cheapest and most comfortable way. 

I only had to go to Uppsala Central and then had a 1,5-hour layover in Stockholm, during which I treated myself to a nice brunch. After that, I hopped on the bus again and arrived in Malmö central station. The downside of taking the bus is the long hours. It took me roughly 12 hours, including the layover in Stockholm, to get from one central station to another. However, if you like to get mesmerized by the beautiful sceneries of Sweden, this shouldn’t be
too much of a problem for you. The round trip cost me 69€. 

However, the issue is not the transportation, it is the accommodation. Hotels can be very expensive in Malmö, and I wanted to have a decent place to stay. It was important for me to have a separate bathroom and a room to myself. If there was breakfast included, that would be a bonus, but not a must. So, after a long search on different websites, I decided on First Hotel Jörgen Kock. It was near the central station and cost 140 € for three nights.

Having the opportunity to see Copenhagen, I added a day trip, which cost me around 16 € to Copenhagen central station and back to Malmö central station (I used FlixBus again). 

I have never talked about this during my takeovers, but me and my partner do collaborations with photographers. We did some collaborations with Swedish photographers already, and we wanted to expand our portfolio a bit, so we did a collaboration with a photographer in Copenhagen. It was so much fun and super nice to get insights from a local!

Now to the fun part! What can one expect of Malmö and Copenhagen?
A lot of seagulls, delicious pastries, and the big city experience! 

If you plan to go to Copenhagen, I totally recommend going to Strøget, which is the main shopping street and has a lot of attractions. Watch out for seagulls when you’re eating, as they will try to steal your food! And of course, Nyhavn, which is the most touristy thing one can think of, but it’s so colorful and lively to be there and to take in all those impressions. 

Malmö is Sweden’s third-biggest city, so it’s different from Uppsala. You must visit Ribersborgs Kallbadhus, which has a beautiful café and an amazing view! You can also go swimming there or treat yourself to a massage – just check out their homepage. Öppen Famn is a big and cheap second-hand shop that you must see if you’re into second-hand shopping. If you’re looking for a good vegan and gluten-free fika, you must go to Bageri Leve! I mean, just look at this tasty passionfruit white chocolate cake…

If you’ve read this far, you’re more than welcome to watch the Reel I made during my stay, so you can see more of my trip. Do you feel inspired to go to Malmö or Copenhagen?

/Aslı

Exploring Visby as an Uppsala Student – By Samantha

13th June 2022 / / 0 Comments

Hej Hej! I’m Sam and I am an Uppsala student who got the awesome chance to travel to Visby in Gotland. Gotland is a beautiful island on the south of Sweden. The island has a city named Visby and that’s where Uppsala University has a campus! For my programme, they sent students of my programme to Gotland to follow lectures and seminars, but also to explore the city. It was an amazing experience and very different to Uppsala. From the gorgeous shores to the saffron flavoured desserts, let’s talk about Gotland.

So, to get to Visby it took us around six hours. I had to take a bus, two trains and the ferry. The ferry was actually very big and even had its own restaurant. The views from the ferry were also stunning, especially when arriving to Gotland!

After arriving in Visby, I dropped my stuff off at the hostel and walked a bit around the city. The first thing I noticed was the amount of sheep around the city. It’s so cute and honestly a bit fun to count how many sheep you can find throughout the city, from statues, to souvenirs, they were everywhere.

Aside from the cute sheeps another thing I noticed about Visby is that it is very hilly. My hostel was at the bottom of a hill and the city centre was at the top. Sometimes it seemed like I was climbing a mountain to get into the city, nevertheless it was worth it! The city is gorgeous and so historical. There were ruins all over the city and the architecture truly combines modern buildings with historical touches and vice versa. Sometimes it felt like walking through old viking cities. Especially when walking next to the city walls. It transports you to a whole other world back in time!

The campus was also modern with historical touches inside and out. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of the campus to show you all but trust me when I tell you the campus is really cool and has much to offer. The campus is also very close to the seaside. You can even see the shores from the library. But the days are getting longer, so I couldn’t see the sun set from the library while I was there. But Visby has many hiking trails which offer amazing views, especially of the sea. The view from the top of the city on to the shores were to die for! The ocean breeze brushing against your skin with the beautiful silhouette of the sun setting onto the open shore. These sunsets catch you in moments you do not expect them and makes Gotland truly magical.

The food at the campus was also great! The cafeteria offers meat, fish and vegan options, and a salad bar with different spices and sauces to add to your plate. The price for the food also includes coffee and tea. So, after a nice lunch at the cafeteria you’d be entirely full and satisfied. The cafeteria also had two floors where you could sit and enjoy your food. So, you’d always have somewhere to eat on the campus. The cafeteria also offers smaller cakes, sandwiches and cookies if you aren’t looking for a big lunch. Even ice cream! The cafeteria in Gotland really is awesome and has something for everyone.

AND did you know? Visby has an ice cream shop that claims to have the most ice cream flavours in Europe. They have about 300 flavours! The ice cream shop is on the way to the campus, so you can get ice cream before class, or walk to the shop after class or during the break on a hot sunny day to get some delicious ice cream. Gotland also have their own Visby beer; I tried one in a pub, and it was tasty and fresh. They also have their own berries, called Salmbär, that they use to make jam, ice cream and much more! And, if you’re ever in the mood for saffron, Gotland is obsessed with saffron. They put in pancakes, sauces and even in ice cream!

All in all, Gotland is a historical place, with lots to do, lots to see and definitely lots to eat and drink. Visby is vibrant, warm, and beautiful. From gorgeous ruins and sunset views to delicious beer, pancakes, and ice cream the island is worth a visit. And if you’re ever in the mood for more, there are many more cities in Gotland besides Visby. While I haven’t been there yet myself, I have heard they also have much to offer and will definitely be going back to Gotland soon and explore more of this gorgeous island.

/Sam