Visiting Thomas and the 16th p53 workshop in Stockholm

After Doreen's wedding party (15.06.), I drove to Frankfurt airport in the morning. From their, Franzi went to Hamburg with my car and I flew to Stockholm for the 16th p53 workshop and to visit Thomas. On my arrival I was quickly reminded that almost everything in Sweden is payed by credit card, such as the bus :) Thomas picked me up from the bus stop and showed me his comfy flat in Bergshamra including a guest room dedicated to me only :P
I started early morning for the conference which took place at the Waterfront Congress Center. A very nice location... maybe a bit too big for our conference of ~400 scientists. During the days I visited the conference, while Thomas and Nadine were working... at evening Thomas and I went out for some beers with his friends from university and watched games of the football world cup :D Although it was about midsummer in Stockholm, it was cold after my arrival. While in Germany they proclaimed the hottest weekend since ages, Swede's press was pronouncing the coldest midsummer ever... lucky me... always when I visit Sweden it is cold such as in November 2011 and March 2010. If at all, July until September might be the nice months in Sweden^^ One of the highlights of the conference was a dinner in the city hall of Stockholm, where usually the Nobel Laureates dine every year.
Franzi joined us for midsummer (20.06.). We visited a traditional Swedish midsummer event... though, it is rather a holiday for families instead of partying as I hoped it would be :P On the way back we walked past Ulriksdal Palaca. At the evening we had BBQ dinner with some friends of Thomas. The next day (21.06.) we went sightseeing, as it was Franzi's first time to Stockholm. Starting with a visit of the city hall. Then a walk to the palace, where we watched a guard exchange, and through the old center of Gamla Stan. Further walking past the beautiful museums until Skansen. There we entered the ABBA museum, which turned out to be a lot of fun! Mexican dinner in Södermalm and an evening walk across Slussterassen. A creat tourist day in Stockholm... solely missed warm weather :P The next morning (22.06.) we just had a walk at Brunnsviken lake in Bergshamra before Franzi and I caught our flight back to Germany.

Exploring Swedish midsummer...

traditional Swedish clothing at midsummer fest

Group picture at Stockholms landmark :)

Group picture at the top of Slussterassen

Visiting Tobias in Sweden: Linköping, Berg, St.Anna, Norrköping, Uppsala, Stockholm

Ben and I decided to pay Tobi a visit during his Erasmus semester in Linköping, Sweden. On 08.11. I visited Julia in Berlin. A dinner followed by a walk through most of Berlin was a pleasant way to get into holiday feeling. The next morning (09.11.) I started early to catch my flight from Berlin Schönefeld to Skavsta, Sweden. At 11am I arrived in Skavsta and enjoyed the morning sun during I was waiting for the bus to Linköping. After Tobi picked me up from the Bus station, we joined one of his lectures. At the evening Tobi introduced me to his Erasmus friends, some from Chemnitz, and we enjoyed dinner and some beer together. Later at night Ben arrived and we enjoyed some good self grown herbs together to celebrate the reunion :P
The next day (10.11.) Tobi showed us the sluices at Berg, which connect the lakes in Sweden. A great sunny day, that's how Sweden can be :D We then continued to the stockholm-archipelago (Schären) near St.Anna. One of the most quiet places I've seen so far. Once all of us were quiet, there was nothing to hear. Until suddenly Tobi risked to slip into the ocean... good to have some entertainer with us all the time :P After the Schären we visited Norrköping.
For dinner we met with his Erasmus friends again: Matthias, Isabelle, Alexandra, Verena and others who I didn't manage to keep their names^^
And we finally got to meet Tobias' Swedish girlfriend Elsa :)
After some amazing dinner made by Matthias, we enjoyed some heavy packed Bob Marley cigarette and had some great laughs before we went to a local students club by bicycle. What a trip! Stoned+drunk... my bike was a tiny pink one, made for school girls in 4th grade possibly. In front of me I saw Ben using all of the 4m wide way... and even more, when he crushed into the undergrowth of the forest several times. A ride I wont forget for long :P
At the club we got even more drunk and the ride back was an agony.
The next day (11.11.) we went to Uppsala and stayed with Hanne from CS. She took us on a pubcrawl with her fromer fellow arabistic students. The pubcrawl was especially funny with contests like camel race (Tobi won!), belly dance (we didn't take part :P) and muslim singing (Ben took the chance to present his singer voice^^). We ended in a nightclub and Hanne endured us the whole evening/night.
Next day (12.11.) she invited us to stay at her parents place in Stockholm. We met her parents in their super comfy flat during a family party. After coffee, self made cookies and some chats we went to explore Stockholm. At night we joined with Hanne again to enjoy a party at a Rock/Metal club on Gamla Stan. The next morning (13.11.), when the party stopped,  I went to pick up my luggage from the locker at central station to catch the bus towards my flight. Shock! Stockholm's central station is closed from 0:15 am to 5:00 am... very unlucky if you placed your luggage there :( so I had to leave Sweden without my luggage+tickets... but luckily got home without paying extra^^
An exhausting trip which provides long lasting memories :D

Ben and I at sluices near Berg

Norrköping

Stockholm: Gamla Stan at night

Stockholm - freezing^^

Just finished my trip through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and right away back on the road (or the plane^^).
We (Tobias+Felicitas, Robin, Danny and I... as well as 5 of my fellow students) went to Stockholm by plane, on 23.03. :) Well, I had just come back from SouthEastAsia and was happy that in Germany we already had 15-20°C... it felt like going from summer back to spring... but suddenly we arrived in Stockholm and just before leaving the plane, Tobias told me: "You know it is minus degree here? Looking forward to it, huh?"... I: "What? I thought it is quite same temperature like home, I've got no jacket!"... :D unlucky me... it was -5 to +5°C during our days in Stockholm :P Tobias organized a couchsurfing host for himself, Felicitas and me. Robin and Danny slept in a hostel. Our host, Jonas, was very generous, unluckily he didn't have much time... so he simply left the key of his flat to us.
As we arrived after midnight we were super lucky that Jonas picked us up^^
On the next morning we met up with Robin and Danny at Tyska Kyrkan (church) and started exploring the city :D A charming place with very friendly people and kinda everyone speaks english, luck us :) First we walked around Gamla Stan seeing the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) and Slottskyrkan. Then we went along the coast to the Vasamuseet (museum) to see the old ship wreck and reasons why it sunk^^ Then we went to see the Radshuset. Anyways, by foot is one of the best ways to explore a city :D On the evening we had a drink and met with Jonas and some of his friends.
The next day (25.03.) we visited the modern museum (moderna museet), where we met my fellow students and the norcid museum (nordiska museet). Then we went through the park behind and saw a cemetery. Later in the evening we met up with my fellow students and had a drink south of Gamla Stan. The next day we got back home^^

freezing, but charming as well :)

Royal Palace

Fun with statues and Radshuset

wicked^^

Nice place, luckily noone can spot I was in Asia just before^^

Nordic museum