Island Getaway

As much as I've complained about the bureaucratic nonsense and inanity surrounding European administrative systems in general, specifically that of the University of Gothenburg, the way that classes are arranged is pretty smart. Classes are generally taken one at a time; I'm taking Environmental Economics until the end of October, and will then start Global Studies in the beginning of November. Linguistics is a semester-long class, but it's only two times a month. This means that, barring my Swedish course two nights a week, I have class only three times a week, and I'm done by noon each day. Glorious, right? It's great because you're not bombarded with assignments and readings for five classes, and you can really concentrate on what you're being taught; even better, exams are staggered, so you only have one to prepare for at a time. It also means that I'm completely free on Mondays and Wednesdays; this Monday, I decided to take advantage of this classlessness by heading to Gothenburg's southern archipelago.

Gothenburg is located on the western coast of Sweden, and is dotted with rocky islands both to the north and the south. While the northern islands are great destinations for summer vacationers, the southern islands are perfect for day trippers. Västtrafik, the public transportation provider in western Sweden, even offers a free ferry to the archipelago with your tram pass. I was originally aiming to go to Brännö, which has a local history museum that looked super heady, but after an hour tram ride to Salthomen, a 50 minute wait for the ferry, and another 20+ minutes on the ferry, I abandoned ship (AHAHAHHA I crack myself up) and disembarked at Styrsö, a mainly residential island.

The island was so idyllic, and a perfect getaway after a weekend of afterworking, partying, etc. There wasn't too much to do, per se (there was a group of old people playing boule but that was about it), but it was still nice to walk around and explore the outer edges of Gothenburg. I took a mini hike to the top of the island:

I'm king of the world!

Also, the signs of autumn were all around:

the leaves are changing here already!

it took a lot of will power not to snag an apple from the apple grove

Everything here, though, was super quaint and cute. I loved it.

Also had a delicious lunch at a little cafe on the northern edge of the island. Adorable, right? As you can see, there's a blanket draped over the chair, which is typical at Swedish bars, restaurants, and cafes. Last night we went out for cider, and everyone was dressed up in their gray skinny jeans, button down shirts, white chucks, blazers...and oversized fleece blankets.