Rollin' With the Punches: The opposite of Hej

It's been the best last two days in Stockholm. Like borderline perfect. I don't know how it's possible to be so ready to go home yet so sad to leave at the same time. That's what I'm feeling for sure.

SO yesterday, I got to sleep in a little bit (we didn't have to be ready till 11), so I woke up and went for a leisurely (and I mean leisurely) run along the water. On my way back to the boat, I stumbled upon a grocery store that has ended up being my favorite yet. It had a flippin moving walkway to take you up to the second level, too legit. And it had lots of Swedish chocolate (which KLAPROCK be prepared, you're all getting it as souvenirs). Then came the best part of the trip so far, the boat ride. You're probably thinking "what's so special, you're living on a boat?" but this wasn't just any boat, it was some sort of cool sightseeing/lunch cruise/island tour boat. The boat went an hourish out to an island (where people could get off if the wanted), then back to where it left from. We ate lunch on the boat and it was a Swedish smorgasbord with everything you can think of. I miraculously managed to not accidentally eat any pickled herring so it was a success for sure. And then came the dessert buffet, yes dessert buffet. Anyone that knows me can guess how that went...The weather was beautimous too, like seriously perfect, no words can describe it! After the boat ride we had free time so some of us went and hung out on a cafe along the water for awhile. Stockholm is basically like Lake Ouachita on steroids because everywhere is surrounded by islands so its like the lake smack dab in the middle of the city. I even got to take a little cat nap on the grassy bank, once again-perfection. The group I was with all thought we knew where we were meeting for dinner but whoops, WE DIDN'T! Thankfully we happened to see the group through the window when were walking down the street or else we would have stayed lost for quite awhile.

The weather stayed perfect for the last day too. First up was the ABBA museum. I had been kind of museumed out so I wasn't exactly looking forward to it but it was SO fun!! There were all kinds of interactive things like music videos and singing. The cool part was that once you scanned your ticket for the interactive things, you can log onto the website with your ticket number, it saves all your "performances." We even got the professors to bust out their favorite ABBA songs. After that, free time was on the agenda. A few of us went and had a nice little lunch outside before I split off to pick up some last minute things. I felt really comfortable finding my way around and I didn't even mind being by myself. It was a teeny bit nice to be able to do all the things I wanted to do at my super fast shopping pace! I headed back to the boat for a little bit then I went to wander around the Sodermalm district. It's right up the hill behind our boat, so it was that I could explore but still be close to where I knew. I even went thrift store shopping (with $20 in my pocket). Then came the rain...thankfully I had my umbrella because I got caught in a freaking downpour. The group met for dinner at the same place we ate the first night in Stockholm, O'Connells. Not my favorite food but it was free so that's good! Of course we HAD to get ice cream on the last night (just like every night). I stuck to my guns and continued my different flavor every night tradition. I couldn't tell you what it was called but it was YUM! The taxis are coming at 6:15 (AM) tomorrow so the whole group is just taking it easy and hanging out tonight.

This trip really has been spectacular and I'm so beyond thankful I've had this opportunity. I'm ready to be home but I know the second I get back home, I'll just want to come right back=)