An afternoon in Malmö

Yesterday, I hopped on a train for 40 minutes and arrived in a new country, no passport necessary. The train runs between Copenhagen and Malmö, Sweden and only costs 144 kroner (about $20). The city had very few people in it, and it was nice and peaceful.








Malmö is a smaller city than Copenhagen with a similar feel. A lot of the architecture is very similar and the roads are cobbled. There is a bit more driving, though. There are also a lot of cool buildings, like the Turning Torso, which is a twisting skyscraper and is the tallest building in the Nordic countries.

Our first stop was the tourist shop, which was full of moose. Apparently moose are a big deal in Sweden. I found (but did not purchase) this gem there.













Then, we went to the castle and gardens. Unfortunately, it was closed for Midsummer's Eve so we couldn't go into the castle, but the gardens were beautiful and there was an adorable little windmill.

 


After that, we went to Saint Peter's church, which was gorgeous on the inside.

Next, we had some lunch at a Mexican street food restaurant called La Raza because the Swedish pub we wanted to go to was also closed. The food was actually pretty good though. After that, we went to a bakery called Hollandia and got some deliciously beautiful pastries to eat out on the pier. I had a blueberry tart and a slice of raspberry coconut cake. They were both indescribably divine. I have decided that the best desserts in the world come from Sweden.

Also, there was an American Store. They were very proud that they sold hot sauce. They also had ranch; I really miss ranch.













The emptiness of the city was nice because it was peaceful, but it would have been nice if more had been opened. A lesson has been learned. Always make sure you check the holidays and their relevance in a country before going on a trip there.

Tattoo culture of Copenhagen

I came to Copenhagen with the idea in my head that I may want to get my next tattoo here. Because of the canals and history with sailors, tattoos have long been engrained in the Danish culture. You see them everywhere and on all sorts of people. They are also less hidden than in the US. Arm sleeves, for example, are very common. One of the doctors who lectured at my class had a sleeve, which is something I feel you are a lot less likely to see in the States.

After visiting the tattoo exhibit in the round tower, I decided that I definitely wanted to get one here. Being in a Scandinavian country, and inspired by one of my roommates who got something similar, I decided to get an inscription in Nordic runes.

I went to Enter the Dragon Tattoo, which is about 2 blocks from my apartment. I immediately noticed that the shop was cleaner than those typically found in the States, which is really nice. The artist made sure to open the sterile packages in front of me (very important) and covered the work surfaces in plastic wrap, which is something that many shops back at home don't do. All in all, I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the shop. I think Denmark may have more regulations by the government on that regard than the US.

The work portfolio of the artists was also very impressive. They did a lot of beautiful oriental work and had a lot of shading talent. To anyone interested in ever getting work done in Copenhagen, Enter the Dragon would definitely be a place to check out.

While I was getting the tattoo, I talked to the artist about the tattoo culture in Denmark. He said that easily seen tattoos are not a problem because tattooing isn't really a taboo in Denmark. For some professional situations, you may cover them up, but on a day-to-day basis no one thinks anything of someone having a large tattoo out in the open. It does not seem to come with the same judge of character that it's often associated with in the US.

He did mention something interesting. It is technically illegal for an artist to tattoo on the hands and above the shoulders. This is because, some 200 years ago, there was a king of Denmark who loved tattoos. The law was passed to prevent him from doing anything crazy. Now, it is an antiquated and pointless law but is still around.

Anyway, here is my tattoo. It's pretty minimalistic. The runes don't spell anything specifically, but individually they have meanings. The first is kenaz, which means intellect and the mind. The second is wunjo, which means joy. The third is perthro, which stands for the uncertainties of life and also means problem solving. Overall, I am very happy with how it came out and it will serve as a wonderful reminder of my adventures here in Copenhagen.

Cafe Miao - My new infatuation

Okay, so Copenhagen has a cat cafe, guys! And it is right by where I live!


I finally decided to pay it a visit, and it was amazing! This place will probably be getting a good amount of my money.




 You have to spend at least 50 kr ($8) to get in. That isn't hard though, because the food is a bit pricey. I spent about $12 on a chicken sandwich and a cider. It tasted a bit mediocre, but it was cat-shaped. The. Food. Is. Cat-shaped.

This place is Heaven.




I think there are 8 cats. They have pictures of the cats with their names and info on the wall. Unfortunately, it was only in Danish.






 

My favorite

She reminded me of my cat

I managed to see 6 of the cats. They are all very socialized and well-fed. Their room has plenty of perches, beds, and toys, and they all seemed very happy.

The food thief

One little stinker decided to steal a piece of my chicken. Of course, they aren't allowed to be fed, so I had to wrestle it out of his mouth. He jumped onto the floor and sat there happily licking his chops, proud to have gotten a taste.

My adventure in Milano

This past weekend I had a very busy, very incredible, weekend in Milan.

I landed in Bergamo because it was a cheap flight and took a one hour bus ride to Milan's central station.

Narrow, cobbled roads of Milan

I walked from Central Station for 40 minutes to what I thought was my hostel, Ostello Bello. It turns out, my actual hostel was Ostello Bello Grande and was all the way back at Central Station! Lesson definitely learned: always triple check your reservations before you start walking.

Cute little sign in hostel's cafe

Once I got there, I found my hostel to be quite nice. It wasn't too expensive, they gave me a free welcome drink, and they had free breakfast and dinner. Most importantly, it was clean and had secure lockers. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who needs somewhere to stay in Milan.

A Botticelli painting

I visited the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, which was a large art museum that also had a collection of Da Vinci sketches, and the Bramante Sancristy, which had more of Da Vinci's sketches.

Gorgeous stained glass depiction of Dante

A tiny, hand-illustrated book

Marble sculpture with tiny detail

Outside the Bramante Sancristy

Seeing the sketches was incredible! Looking into a mind like his is just indescribably amazing. I did notice I couldn't read his handwriting despite knowing Italian. It turns out that's because he wrote everything as a mirror image!

Modern art, ladies and gentlemen

I also went to the 20th Century Art Museum (which is free if you are under 25) to enjoy some modern art and get out of the rain.




























And, of course, I visited the Duomo do Milano, which is breathtaking. It is absolutely massive, covered in sculpture on the outside, and being inside made me feel tiny.

 

Random modern art inside

The Duomo doors were gorgeous

 

I also saw the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Lots of Prada and good restaurants. There was actually a communist protest going on at one of the entrances while I was there, too!

Grilled veges

Rosemary steak

And, of course, you can't go to Italy without some fantastic food.

Salmon steak

Lemon gelato!!