Nobody likes a Brussel pout

What: speedpost
Where: hotel in bordeaux, france
Why: no laptop
How: stolen from a friend
When: at Brussels midi railstation

Travel route so far (highlights and photos to be added):

Copenhagen, Denmark
Highlights: my friend and I got a 'insiders' guided tour of the parliment, including old nordic cuisine lunch. Pigs head? Nom nom nom. Also some funky alternative stores. Unlike Sweden there is somewhat an emphasis on spices. Swedens idea of hot sauce on a kebab is the garlic version of the Swedish mystery white sauce.

Personal tourguide! the insiders look.

Artist designed funky room.

Amsterdam, Netherlands + Rotterdam
Funfact: according to one of the barstaff that had previously worked in the red light district, 70% of clients are from the UK, I cluding people from booze cruises.
Highlights: beautiful city, friendly barstaff, Anne Frank museum, relatively safe feel, pancakes with cheese.

Houses with some serious differential settlement.

Pancake with cheese. Killing two Dutch birdswith one stone (mouthful)

Brussels, Belgium
Highlights: waffles, very cheap beer and middle eastern food (flat breads, sweats, lamb kofta), nice city tourbus
Lowlights: getting my day bag stolen when I left it with a friend, he got distracted by one person, while the partner in crime stole it from behind him, still not a fan of Belgian Chocolate.

One of the biggest and most beautiful places I have seen. Place for law.

Plain waffles where amazing.

Amazing cheap food.

The Atomium structure

 Paris, France
Highlights: iconic buildings, walkable city, french onion soup, croissants, cheese.
Lowlights: customer service at some places.

Caen(Normandy region), France
Highlights: crazy busdriver ragging on us for fun. Seeing white sand and sunshine.
Lowlights: spending 4hrs in whoop whoop and $80 on a taxi due to a friends google mapping mistake...


Bordeaux, France
Highlights: wine tasting,

Lyle learning the art of weighing your own fresh produce before taking it to the cash register.

Montpellier, France
Highlights: more wine

Barcelona, Spain
Highlights: deserves a couple of days of walking. Goudy's creative architecture, city views from the hills. Salmon and spinach quiche.
Lowlights: being secretly sprayed with womens makeup upon arrival then having two suss strangers try to clean us. Attempted robbery I would believe.

 

Goudy's amazing buildings, Left: hotel, Right: Church.

Supermarket

Tapas and Sangria

Amazing view after a nice steep walk from the city to the fort

 Another beautiful view in Spain.

Flares for New Years Eve

Some Spanish country side

Malaga, Spain
Highlights: Paella, sugary goodness.

Seafood Paella

Lisbon, Portugal
Highlighs: Portugese tarts with cinnamon, seafood & lingerie shopping

Simple (sea)food, done well. Nom nom nom.

It's all east from here!
Off to Munich, Germany(flight stopover visiting a friend)
Then to Siberia

Sisters and yellow snow

So I finally saw it snowing! I had to ask some friends what snowing sounded like as I wasn't sure how to define hail from snow... I was soooo excited, one of my German friends was over at the time, and thought I was retarded getting all excited. So far this December it has only snowed twice with it melting by the next day.

My first real (but wet) snow

So a little snow before Christmas made me happy. :). Here is a Christmas film made by a friend/groupmate from my software engineering class. Very funny and professional.
http://www.dragonawardnewtalent.com/en-us/filmview/tomten-santa-clause/

Left: Spicey christmas coke (out sells cocacola at xmas time), Middle: University Xmas Party, Right: Giant Xmas tree surrounding the giant-drop ride at the amusement park Liseberg.

Finally went to the Liseberg 'Christmas Markets'. Pretty lame except for the reindeer pitabread and kanel (cinnamon) chocolate.

My sister arrived for some travels. Sadly it rained for her for a whole week, and the first day the winds were so bad they had to close the bridge due to high winds, and the tunnel due to flooding. To warm up we had some yummy indian dinner at a friends house.

Awesome Indian dinner made by a guy friend, dal, aloo gobi, raita.

Also did some travelling around the city, even the sun made an appearance.

Left: What looks like an old container ship converted into a floating carpark, Right: view from Göteborgs giant wheel

After my university work finished headed up to Kiruna. 22hrs by train, but well worth the trip. We snowmobiled to and from the Icehotel. I managed to tip ours into a big pile of soft snow... luckily only egos where damaged. It was a relativley warm winter with temperatures around -2 degrees and only 30cm of snow. Being North of the Artic Circle this is amazingly warm weather for December.

All photos at Ice Hotel, except bottom right at our accommodation in Kiruna.

Fun Facts about Kiruna-

# Worlds largest underground mine (Iron Ore), going to relocate the city because of these activities.

# Approx. 1 person every year dies by driving a snowmobile onto thin ice then drowns (usually drunk, going home)

# The icehotel is made with artificial snow, due to its insulating properties and reflection of sunlight, compared to ice which is harder to mould, doesn't insulate and melts faster.

So sad to leave Sweden today, but time to see some more of Europe, then head home for the SUN!!!

Nakey, observatory

So, the visit to the local space observatory was pretty weird. When we went it was raining and where then told that only on 20%  of days there is clear sky... I should've made the connection! But what was great was having some traditional food, including the typical meatballs and herring, along with some new additions such as an anchovy potato bake and a sweet spicey bread. Also got to talk to some old Swedish man who had much interest in Swedens military ect. Was interested to find out the abundance of weapons that Sweden has produced in the past. I think they said that they directed funds away from nuclear to planes, so at one stage had one of the biggest airforces in the world. Crazy when you consider Sweden is only 10million.

Found out that the student union actually has TWO sauna / residential properties by the lake. The Woodfired one I have posted about before, and a smaller electric double room sauna which we got to ourselves this time. The accommodation was really nice with 20beds, lots of couches, wifi, fireplace and great cooking facilities. Cost less than $200 a night to rent. If only it wasn't so rural I'd live there, :P. Nakey sauna was nice. but nakey swimming in Australia is a lot nicer, as it isn't 4degrees.

Hopefully some snow in the next week when my sister comes to join me! Can't wait to explore the Christmas markets with her and show her the city.