scandinavia – Page 2 – That Girl Allison

Whatever You Do: Keep Your Student ID Handy (Even After Graduating)

My original ID expired a couple of years ago but for some reason my alma mater sent me a brand new one that’s valid through 2017 (thanks, guys!). Despite the fact that I am 19 in my photo and it looks nothing like me, no one ever says anything. Most people who see a lot of theatre know this already, but definitely always keep your college/grad school/whatever school student ID handy. I never understand it when people don’t have it on them.

Especially when you’re a tourist and doing lots of touristy things abroad.

I mean, really. I must’ve saved at least $100 by using my student ID to get into various castles/museums/etc during my trip.

Just hold onto your ID. Keep it in your wallet. That’s really it.

This was all of the make up that I brought to Scandinavia with me. And I never touched that eye liner (too much work and who was I trying to impress?). It doesn’t dry fast enough and gets everywhere if I’m not taking my time. (That’s what I get for purchasing $3 eyeliner, whatever.)

That make up bag is from the Flying Tiger near Madison Square Park. They’re actually Danish so I saw them all around Scandinavia. They’re just called “Tiger” abroad though.

Though truth be told, this is how much make up I usually wear every day anyways – with Burts Bees lip cream.

How To: Sleep in a Hostel

You know what I perfected while I was abroad and sleeping hostels? Just exactly how to do that.

Now you may be a heavy sleeper and have no trouble falling asleep after you’ve been awake since 8am and have walked 11 miles that day sightseeing, but I’m not. I’m a light sleeper and it blows.

So, I had to adapt.

Sometimes you get roommates who snore. Sometimes you get roommates who check in really late at night (like the German guy who came into CBP at around 2am and I gave him my best sleepy “bitch please” face before rolling over and attempting to go back to sleep). And if you have a room with more than 2 people in it, people are usually coming in and out, so there’s light.

Whatever. You’re paying like $50/night for these rooms, so you have to suck it up. Here’s how I coped:

Eye mask: I wear an mask on a nightly basis anyway and I think I was about to not bring it abroad but I’m so, so glad I did. I needed that thing. People used nightshift eye masks like bandanas and stuff, but I was glad I basically had a blackout eye mask.

Melatonin gummies: These things are the best. Who doesn’t love gummy bears? Have 2 or 3 of these (or 4) and pass out.

Ear plugs: Yeah, get these. You might have roommates who snore.

Ear buds + iPod with white noise: After my ear buds proved to be pretty ineffective, I went straight for my earbuds with an on-repeat rain track playing. It was sort of annoying to keep having to maneuver the iPod when I turned over but if it was between that or listening to my roommates snore, I’d choose the former.

I think these things are pretty key when you’re sleeping in a room with strangers. Some wine might be pretty effective too, but I’d definitely recommend at least an eye mask to start with. Happy hosteling!

Semi-normality.

I went to bed at 8pm on Monday night – I was exhausted – and woke up at 6am on Tuesday. That was awesome. I didn’t have any coffee all day either (and it was National Coffee Day – so bad). I wasn’t tired at all in the afternoon or at night. I had beaten jet lag! I went to bed on Tuesday night just before 10pm. This time I woke up around 5:45am. I wasn’t tired anymore, so I decided not to try to fight it and I got up and went down to the gym in my building. I ran 1.5 miles and then walked another .3 miles (+ 80 sit-ups). I was exhausted and called it quits.

With all of my extra time, I planned out my food for the day (1 cup greek yogurt with 2 tbsp of granola and 1/2c frozen cherries for breakfast, kale salad with chicken, cabbage, 1/3 of an avocado, and peppers for lunch, and two snacks: banana with two tbsp peanut butter and a cup of grapes) and then did some other food prep. I was a tad more tired than I’d been the previous day, but, duh, I’d run and gotten up earlier.

I broke down and had coffee today, but it’s decaf so it’s not as super caffeinated. I’m still trying to get back to my normal routine after traveling for almost two weeks. Slowly but surely.

(The above photo is apropos of nothing. It’s from my first night in Oslo. Norway has the best sunsets ever.)

Scandinavian Hostels

I’d been a fan girl of hosteling since I went to Amsterdam for the first time in 2007 with my friend Emily while we were studying abroad. We stayed at the Flying Pig hostel in the Red Light District and although Amsterdam is amazing on it’s own, the hostel added that much more to the experience. I was able to convince my cousin back in 2011 to stay in a hostel when we went to Seattle for the weekend too. Again, it was great.

So when I was aiming to do things as cheaply as possible in Scandinavia, I headed straight to the hostels section of my Scandinavia Lonely Planet book and started to look. I made two bad decisions two good decisions. Here’s what they were so can make them and avoid them:

Woodah Hostel and Yoga (Copenhagen): Located in the hip and trendy Vesterbro district, I thought the concept of this hostel sounded awesome. Yoga classes at a hostel?! But it turned out to just be one yoga class at 8am if at least 3 people signed up, which they never did, because it was at 8am, probably. The breakfast served everyone morning was fresh and delicious (fresh baked muffins, yogurt with granola and preserves, meats and cheeses). The downside to this hostel was that it was small. There were two toilets, three showers (though they did provide hair dryers, which was nice), and very limited security. You had to enter a code on the door to get into the sleeping quarters but that was pretty much it. And reception went home at 10pm so you needed to get a key if you were getting in after that. The beds were also really uncomfortable. I’d give this hostel 2 out of 5 stars.

Anker Hostel (Oslo): This was located about a five minute walk up a main-ish rode from the Centralstation. The walk was crowded for the most part. The rooms were pretty basic – though every room had it’s own bathroom, which was a big plus – though the showers were super odd, at least to me, but I got used to them. I was happy that reception was always there – probably because this hostel was way bigger – and the room doors actually closed and had locks – score! The breakfast wasn’t included, so I didn’t eat it and therefore can’t give my opinion on it. The people at reception were friendly and awesome. The only downside was that there were no lockers in the rooms. There were lockers in a locked room in the lobby but you had to pay extra for them. So I kept all of my valuables with me and always made sure to put the bag with my laundry on top of all my clean shit. I’d give this hotel 3 out of 5 stars.

City Backpackers Hostel (Stockholm): After coming from two let down hostels, this was a pretty big relief. It had an awesome lobby, lots of computers, security codes on the doors that changed daily, lots of common areas to congregate, a big kitchen, private showers and bathrooms (though not located inside the rooms), and they gave free pasta to whoever wanted it to cook in aforementioned kitchen (after walking 12+ miles for two days straight, I decided making pasta and not having to walk again sounded great). The rooms were small and basic, but they had lockers and security codes and beds so it was great. Breakfast was extra so I didn’t partake but coffee and tea was always free. I met lots of cool people here and I had a great time. 4.5 or 5 out of 5 stars.

Rivoli Hotel Jardin (Helsinki): During my first night at the Anker Hostel, I’d decided I’d had it with hostels, so I switched what seemed to be a superrrrr basic hostel in Helsinki to a hotel that I found a great price on through the Ireland Hotel.com. It was located a block from the Esplanade (basically a long green grassy area with super fancy shops and restaurants along it) and about 5 blocks from the Centralstation. The breakfast was included and it was great. They offered free tea and coffee and cookies all the time. I was so happy I booked this as my last stop. The soaps in the bathroom were lingonberry – I took many. 5 out of 5 stars.

I think I may have outgrown hostels unless I book a private room – but for that price, usually, you can get a hotel room, so it doesn’t make that much of a difference. So big thumbs up to City Backpackers Hostel in Stockholm. Leave the rest behind.

(Photos, clockwise: Woodah, City Backpackers, Rivoli Hotel Jardin, and CPB)

What I Didn’t Need For 12 Days in Europe

Above is what I brought with me to Europe. I had ordered what turned out to be a rather large duffle bag with wheels and a carrying strap, rolled all this stuff up, and put it in. The bag was maybe only 2/3 full and pretty much collapsed when I stood it up to wheel it (annoying).

I ended up bringing two tank tops, a skirt, four long sleeve tops, a flowy cardigan thing, a pair of jeans, high waisted black skinny jeans, two pairs of leggings, a scarf, a black sweater, a larger black sweater, a dress, a t-shirt, and sweatpants (I took out that flannel top at the last minute). I also brought a pair of flip flops (for the showers), walking sneakers, and a pair of Crocs.

What did I not wear? The skirt, the dress, and the flowy cardigan thing. I knew before I left my apartment that I was never going to wear the skirt but it took up almost no room, so I left it in there. The cardigan was just never going to be warm enough in Scandinavia and I never wanted to wear a dress.

The only article of clothing that I purchased on my trip was a big evergreen cowl-necked sweater at the H&M flagship store in Stockholm (there are three on that one corner), which I lived in for like, two days straight because it was cold. I also wore, basically every day, a jean jacket that I picked up the day before I left. Without that I would’ve been freezing the entire time.

More about my trip later, but in the spirit of packing as lightly as possible, if you have a hunch that you won’t wear it, leave it home.

Food Cleanse, Post-Holiday

While abroad, I subsisted mostly from carbs (mini croissants, muffins, cinnamon rolls), meat, and the occasional carrot and potato. And coffee. So much coffee. They eat a lot of meat over there. They have the occasional vegetarian option (no, I’m not a vegetarian) but mostly all meals include meat. They have a ton of Mexican and Italian restaurants over there too (what) but I did not go to Scandinavia to eat Chiptole.

So, I ate all of the meat. I ate deer, elk, and reindeer. I handed over the contents of my bank account on my first night in Helsinki for some seriously delicious reindeer. I kid, it wasn’t my whole bank account but it was probably the most expensive meal I’d had over there and it was worth every cent.

They offered salads at certain places, but it’s rather cold in those countries so I’m pretty sure anything they were serving was being shipped from thousands of miles away so I ate regionally, as much as my body may have hated it. Aside from the occasional yogurt and granola at breakfast, I ate almost entirely differently from how I eat on the regular. I went 12 days without eating peanut butter (seriously, a guy from Hawaii who was working in a shop in the Stockholm Arlanda airport said that peanut butter is very American).

Anyways, yesterday I started a week-long, self-imposed cleanse. Not a liquid cleanse because those are bullshit, but one with whole foods. I had a beet-carrot-apple juice for breakfast yesterday (okay, with coffee) and a kale salad with a little bit of grilled chicken for lunch (I was so excited for this). I broke down during the afternoon when I was very, very tired and ate the almond croissant that my dude had brought to the airport the night before incase I was hungry after 10 hours of traveling. Then I just had a piece of Ezekiel bread with almond butter on it for dinner. I wasn’t all that hungry anyway.

Hopefully I will have re-adjusted to my normal routine by the end of the week.

My steps while I’ve been in Scandinavia. I guess this is why I’ve been living off carbs while I’ve been here. Mostly croissants and cinnamon rolls. Also lots of meat, potatoes, and lingonberries.

Can anyone suggest a meal plan for detoxing after all this? No cleanses because cleanses are bullshit. I’m just looking for a meal plan.

I’ve done so much walking over the past two days and I have a huge blister on my left ankle but Copenhagen has been great.

Seeing The Little Mermaid statue today was probably the best though. I’ve loved TLM since it was released so this was a treat.

Thank you to the Danish people for knowing english so well. Without that my slightly ignorant American ass would have gotten nowhere. But really, could you have made the streets in your city more confusing? I acclimate to cities fairly well but the streets here confuse the shit out of me.

Though I did give some other tourists directions to the airport today from Central Station so that was cool.

I went a little crazy with trip prep shopping today. I went to Homegoods, Origins, and the Flying Tiger (the Danish version of Muji). Is that not the best journal for travel musings (on the right) ever? I also bought a bag from eBags which came on Friday and I’m making packing lists like a crazy person.

I booked all of my hostels tonight, so all that’s left is booking my travel from Copenhagen to Oslo, Oslo to Stockholm, and Stockholm to Helsinki. I was told I should take a train whenever possible because it’s so beautiful and I’m sure it is but a 9 hour train from Copenhagen to Oslo for $254 as opposed to an hour flight for $54 is just no comparison. I know going through airport security is a pain in the ass, but hey, at least I’ll get more stamps in my passport, right?

The train from Oslo to Stockholm is only four hours and $30 or something, so that’s fine. Then there’s the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki which is about $150 and takes like, 9 hours as well. Or a half hour flight for $50.

So, as beautiful as the countryside might be, I might fly between two of the four cities. I’ve been collecting lots of links for things to do and packing lists for when you don’t want to pack on the light side. I’ll leave those here incase any of you are going to wander soon.

If you have any packing tips or must-do’s for Copenhagen, Olso, Stockholm, Helsinki, or Tallinn. Let me know!