What's blue and yellow with ice all over?

STOCKHOLM! I'm still recovering from my whirlwind weekend in the Swedish capital, where I spent 3 days visiting my best friend from home. The city definitely lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe -- and I'm not just talking about the architecture! A lot of people thought I was nuts to go up to Scandinavia before May, and while it was pretty cold (hovering around the freezing mark), the sun decided to show up on my last day, which made for some pretty fantastic photos.
This is the few from the esplanade of Stockholm's City Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held every year. I'll add the rest of my (nearly 300) photos to my Photobucket site.

Swedes are also pretty hip, and are behind some of the most well known brands on the planet. On the island of Sodermalm, the trendiest of the city's 14 islands, we found a Weekday (a boutique of the company that created Cheap Monday jeans) as well as the Stockholm branch of the London-based vintage store Beyond Retro and many cozy cafés.

Stockholm's Old Town, Gamla Stan, is gorgeous, with small, winding cobblestone streets leading to the former Royal Palace. One of the things I loved about the city is that each building is different from the one next to it, creating a really beautiful setting for island hopping.

I am also really grateful for having been able to spend time with some real live Swedes. My friend's host family was super friendly and welcoming -- and fed me really well!


Now that the trip is over, I'm really starting to come to grips with how little time I have left here in Europe. Talking to my dad last night, he pointed out that this is probably my last major trip alone. We're preparing for our 10 day tour of Morocco next month during the Easter break, and I am so excited!