SPRING BREAK-Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden

These past 10 days have been so fun, reviving, and informative–it couldn’t have gone better! Grace, Camille and I hit the ground running and explored four countries–Germany, Norway, Finland, and Sweden back to back to back. Surprisingly it wasn’t exhausting and I’d say we got the most out of the trip as possible. I really couldn’t have asked for a better trip, the whole time I was really enjoying and soaking up my friends' curious, energetic, and adaptable energy. This trip could have been chaotic and stressful, but all of us had such positive attitudes that it turned out so much better than any of us could've expected! 

BERLIN, GERMANY (3/22-23)

Berlin was quite the experience and a very interesting trip. ISA gifted us with a day in Berlin, and most of us stayed an extra night. All of us were so excited to be in a new place, travel during spring break, and celebrate our lovely friend Nate’s birthday that the energy we all brought to the trip was absolutely magnetic and electric. During the day, we went to:

• Holocaust Memorial 

• Hitler’s Bunker (underground, filled with cement so we stood on top of it) 

• CheckPoint Charlie–the American Sector 

The historical sites were extremely informative and interesting, and we all appreciated the monumental areas we were in. Later that day my roommates Camille, Camila, Ava and I went to dinner at Lemke Berlin and it was so amazing. We tried traditional German beer and German sausage. Again, our energy was so full and lively and all of us were so happy to be together! That dinner really set the tone for the rest of the trip. That night we tried to get into this really exclusive club, Berghain, and got denied in less than a minute but that was expected. We met everyone at Mclarens–the How I Met Your Mother Bar–which was great. We celebrated Nate’s birthday and enjoyed each other’s company.

The next day we went to a delicious brunch spot, the Spreegold, went to the Berlin Wall and the park associated with it and shopped. The park was so nice; Camille and I sat by the water and talked for a long time. The rest of the ISA group left and those of us staying an extra night went to the hostel. The hostel was attached to this really cool bar and again, everyone's energy was immaculate. We all were on top of the world, and although we got denied from three places straight the night ended on a great note because of my wonderful friends.

OSLO, NORWAY (3/24-25)

The next day we woke up at 5 am sharp to make our Oslo, Norway flight. I was very excited to be reunited with my family and see Norway in a different light since I’ve only been in the summer. My sweet (4th-family tree is confusing) cousin Jacob picked us up from the train station and was our personal tour guide for the next few days. He might have been the worst tour guide ever because he knew literally nothing about Oslo and had to use maps to take us around. Absurd! We went to the Opera House and Library, and then Olivia’s for dinner. Jacob took us to Beer Garden with his friend and proceeded to beat us at ShuffleBoard the rest of the night. Naturally, Grace was great at it, while Camille and I learned we have strengths in other areas. It was a pleasant evening.

The next morning we took the train up to the Rosesletta Rose Castle and met up with the rest of my family–Inger Lise, Björn, Henrick, and Shashti. The Rosesletta Rose Castle was a WW2 memorial up in the mountains; it was snowing and perfect. Being reunited with my family was so refreshing and special. It felt so natural and not forced because I actively went out of my way to see them and spend time with them. I also enjoyed that it was just me and not the rest of my family because I got to know my Norwegian family on a more personal level than what I had been used to. We all got dinner together and Björn showed me old photos of him, my mom, grandparents and aunt when they were my age. I really enjoyed learning more about my family's past and looking at the photos he had. Even though I only saw my family for a short period of time, I’m very thankful I got to see them and it inspired me to put in more effort to get to know them–maybe I’ll even pick up Norwegian! Oslo was reviving, and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

HELSINKI, FINLAND (3/26-3/27)

Helsinki, Finland–finally! For some reason coming abroad, Finland was the top place I wanted to see. I loved how random it seemed to me, because who knows anything about Finland? I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn’t at all what I thought it would be. But my assumptions were correct–random it was. We landed and saw basically all the notable things in the whole city within an hour. We went to a market and immediately tried Finland’s known dish, Salmon Soup, and that was amazing. It started snowing again and all of the coast was frozen over. We went to Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki Cathedral, St. Johns, and the National Library. We tried traditional Riisipiirakka, a rice dish, at a local café and befriended the barista. Later we went to the best hostel I’ve ever stayed at, napped, and got burgers for dinner. The city was very small but cool, and it definitely didn’t need more than one day to see all the best areas.

The next day was my favorite part of the whole trip. We got breakfast and took the bus to the Nuuksio National Park. The National Park was perfect–there was snow everywhere, rocks, a little ropes course, and a beautiful overlook. We hiked up and did riddles the whole time, which Camille and Grace never actually solved, and sat up on the lookout for a long time. We all found separate rocks and journaled silently. I meditated and just soaked up the nature that was around me. I love all the cities I’ve seen, but I’ve really missed nature so that was perfect and very much needed. 

After the hike Camille and I sprinted through the streets of Helsinki to make our sauna appointment. We went to Löyly, a spa with three public saunas, and a dock that overlooks the Baltic Sea. The saunas were insane–the people had no fear and steamed them all up so much. I’ve never been so hot it felt like my skin was burning off. We swam in the Baltic Sea which was very difficult. Since the whole thing was pretty much iced over, we had to find areas that we could dip in, so we were literally walking on water on ice to find a spot. It was awesome. After the saunas we got all-you-can-eat-sushi and split a bottle of wine. Somehow we ended up at the mall, and us three were just giggling and beep-bopping around. It was very fun. 

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (3/28-3/31)

The next day we hit our last spot–Stockholm, Sweden. We went to the Gast cafe, eating yet again an Eggs Benedict, and then went to the ABBA museum. We were singing the whole time while learning about their background. The museum had their history, along with all the costumes they performed in, Mama Mia sections, and what they each did after the band split up. It was so magical and perfect. We walked around some more, and went to a German Church and City Hall. Things were going great until we got to our hostel. It was literally an underground prison cell–an old guy was sleeping in my bed, and there was blood on this girl's sheets. As nice as it was, we decided it would be best to move to another location, and that became a running joke the rest of the trip. After we figured out that situation we went to this amazing Indian restaurant. I’ve really been trying to build tolerance to spice and Camille and Grace have been really accommodating to that. Thanks guys! We ended the night at South Side Pub and played American trivia. As some of the only Americans in there, we were by far probably the worst group. The questions were so stupid, they were about things like the Olympics and the Nobel Prize. How are we, or Americans in general, supposed to know all of that random crap! But nonetheless, it was super fun. 

On Friday we went to Greasy Spoon for breakfast (which we proceeded to get two more times) and went to Skansen Park. We were expecting to just see some animals and walk around, but man did we get our money's worth. There were seals, goats, cows, snakes, rats, fish, monkeys, and so many more random animals. It felt like I was in a fairytale land like Shrek. We explored for a long time and tried the most amazing donuts I’ve ever had. Grace and I had to go back a second time to get more; they were so addicting. Afterwards, we shopped around, grabbed some Thai food and hung out in the hotel room for the rest of the night. We each pulled up our houses, high schools and colleges on Google Earth which I really liked. It made me get to know my friends a little better! 

Our last day in Stockholm was great. We went to the Drottningholms Slott Palace and admired the architecture and marble. The weather was very nice so we journaled on the Palace lawn for a long time. We went to another burger place for dinner and a pub for dessert. The guitarist was a funky guy from Florida and I really enjoyed talking to him. We asked him to give us advice and he just told us to learn as much as we can. He played all the songs we requested and just sang and enjoyed each other's company. 

Overall this spring break was an 11/10. I wanted to explore the Scandinavian countries so badly before I left for Europe, and having accomplished that meant so much to me. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be back in Sweden or Finland, so I’m happy I was able to experience them with the little time I was there. Again, the people make the place because Grace and Camille offered such vivacious and curious energy that really made the trip. I’m very thankful I got this opportunity. If you read this far I’m proud of you and I love you! Abroad has been so amazing to me, thanks for taking the time to care:)

Maya Kollme 4/1/24