After the usual morning ritual today, I hit the streets of Gamla Stan determined not to get lost and to have a fun, exciting day. I am happy to report back to you all that I did not get lost once and since I had accidentally explored the majority of downtown yesterday, I recognized a lot of buildings and landmarks I would not have otherwise noticed.
I sketched, watched the changing of the guard outside the royal palace, drank coffee, journaled, came back to the hostel for a bite to eat, went out again and saw a very odd street show (pictures and video below) complete with contortionists and bellydancers, and sat talking with two dorm mates at the hostel.
Serena-26, from Norway- is darling. I really enjoyed her company this afternoon. She's fun, relaxed, and blunt and enjoys her two cats (Sylvester and Champu). We talked about tattoos, piercings, and food.... and she even helped me with learning some Swedish.
Sultan- from Uzbekistan- just turned 21 today and wears an Armani bracelet. He's dark skinned and very polite. He enlightened me on the workings of the Uzbekistani government, police and even talked about Russia. He also told me that his mother smashed his iPod when she got mad at him for listening to music instead of listening to her. He told me that I look like Scarlett Johansson, so he's pretty cool in my book.
After they left, I went out and sat in the sun, watching the boats come and go in the harbor. While sitting, I decided to make a list of random things have been observed or that have happened to me- here's my list (in no particular order)
1. Sultan asked me for 'ear sticks' this morning, which... to find out... meant Q-tips
2. A random Asian woman pretended to bonk me in the head with an inflatable hammer today.
3. I found individually wrapped sugar cubes today- luxury.
4. Hardly anyone is obsessed with their smart phones- maybe 5% of people I see each day are either on the phone or using it.
5. So far, I have been told I look Swedish or Russian.
6. Yesterday, while on the metro, I fell backwards when it took off and had to be caught by a guy behind me.
7. For dinner tonight, I had spaghetti with scrambled eggs mixed in it. Sounds gross, but it was cheap.
8. I met a German girl named Victoria that, when told that I was on an art trip, looked at me like I was scum on the bottom of a shoe and quickly dismissed herself from the conversation.
9. No one carries water bottles with them.
10. I have four large blisters on my feet.
Here's some photos from today:
My computer isn't working very well tonight, so I can't post as many pictures as I would like. More to come when technology isn't such a pain. xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment