TRAVEL | vienna

It's been a while, but I think I'm finally jumping back into this project again. There's still a few more cities from my 2015 trip I'd still like to share. Hopefully I'll finish up editing the photos from the other cities soon (stay tuned for Budapest, Salzburg, Munich, Barcelona, and Lisboa) so I can get started on my book!

So, since it's been so long since the actual trip, I don't have much to say about my time in Vienna. I just remember I was glad to get out of Sweden as it was getting too dark and too cold for me to handle.

Most of the stay was dominated by the walking tour of the filming locations for Before Sunrise (one of my favourite films), and I also met up with some friends I had met in Amsterdam and Antwerp.



Alt & Neu, the record store where Jesse and Celine listened to { Kath Bloom }.
Now that I've been studying graphic design, I have an immense appreciation for
beautiful typography. Just look at that--so lovely!

This was { Trzesniewski }, a Polish spot famous for their little open faced sandwiches.

There was over a dozen different sandwiches featuring a variety of chopped/minced stuff.
You can choose ones with mushrooms, anchovies, egg, or minced sweet gherkins (too many
combos to list here) and each one is was a delight. Definitely a place worth stopping by for
some good, fast, and cheap food.

I would recommend Kleines Cafe even if you weren't a fan of Before Sunrise (location of the

fortune telling scene btw). The cafe is located in a quiet little courtyard a little ways away from
the busier shopping streets. I thought it was a nice place to stop for a coffee and a little bite to
eat. One thing is that this place is not so great for non-smokers. I couldn't sit inside or else
I'd come out wheezing.

TRAVEL | stockholm

So much for getting my act together and finishing up the series before 2016 ended. Oh well, I'm still going to get these posted and sorted for the zines. I want to get those completed and printed soon as I'll be graduating later this year.

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All I really remember about Stockholm was it was freezing. And since it was too cold to do too much sight seeing, I spent most of my days drinking coffee and eating cinnamon buns (Kanelbullar).

TRAVEL | gothenburg

Finally getting back to uploading photos from last year. I almost considered stopping these posts altogether since it doesn't seem to make sense to upload something from so long ago. But then I decided to just go along with it anyways. Maybe I'll write less since these memories aren't fresh in my head anymore but I'm still pretty happy with how the photos came out, so I'll write whatever I can remember.

To be honest I had never thought about visiting Gothenberg. But after meeting my good friend Linda in Hong Kong a few months prior to my trip, who also happens to be from Gothenberg, I thought I'd take a few days to visit her and the city on my way from Copenhagen to Stockholm. It was a good plan. But the ironic twist to the story is that Linda ended up securing a internship in Hong Kong the exact months I was abroad. By the time I found out, the tickets were already bought, and my booking at the hostel was secured so I ended up setting off to Gothenburg anyways haha.

I actually did very little while I was there. I remember it being rainy and very cold, so the weather kept me inside, and when I was out I mostly spent my time strolling around the city in the mornings and enjoying { fika } in the afternoons. It was the perfect break from the chaos of all the traveling.

 

TRAVEL | copenhagen

It's weird to take a month long hiatus from the blog and then jump back into it as if nothing has changed. Reason for my absence is due to this quarter's overwhelming amount of school work. On one hand the busy schedule was just what I needed after a long break abroad, while on the other hand it leaves me really little time for personal projects.

Back to Copenhagen!

I had never learned to appreciate the sunlight and warmth until very recently. I had only been in Copenhagen a few days before I realised my mood was  effected by the weather. It rained almost the whole time! Usually I'm all about the rain, but rain with the piercing cold of the wind wasn't exactly something I'm used to. I would get very lethargic during cold gloomy days, but on the other hand, it's all the more exciting when the sun finally comes out. Back in California, you end up losing that appreciation for sunshine, where the weather is so "perfect"the days start blending together. Which, by the way, was one of the reasons why I left. I remember my first year out of University, that year just felt like one very long, very boring day...

Despite the lousy weather I had such a blast in Copenhagen. As a graphic designer (in-training), I've always had an affinity towards Scandinavian minimalism and now I was basically headed straight to the source!

I remember being nervous about my budget in Scandinavia. Back in Berlin I could easily live on 20 euros a day, but in Copenhagen it was a completely different story (little did I know it was going to get even worse in Stockholm). However, that didn't stop me from exploring the gastronomy scene in the city. I've always wanted to try Smørrebrød, traditional Danish open faced sandwiches, and after a whole morning of scouting on Yelp I, and a two of my hostel mates, found ourselves heading towards { Torvehallerne }. There we found a huge selection of Smørrebrød at { Hallernes Smørrebrød }. Now that it's been months since my visit I've forgotten what I ordered. But I suppose you can guesss from the photo.

Verdict? It was pretty tasty. We ended up sitting outside because the indoor seating was completely full, which is a shame because I would've liked to enjoy my sandwich in a more comfortable setting. Secondly, I was surprised that everything was slightly pickled; even the fried (baked?) trout/fish thing had a slight sweet tang to every bite. 

I encountered some hiccups along the way regarding lodging. I had originally checked into a hostel in the center of town, which was great at first because I made really good friends there. But it turned out to be a party hostel and halfway through it completely burnt me out. So one morning I checked out, hopped on a bus, and moved across town to { Sleep in Heaven Hostel } in Nørrebro.

Turned out it was one of the best decisions I've ever made because Sleep in Heaven was amazing. I loved my room, the common area, and the sleepy neighborhood. Waking up to Nørrebro every morning was such a treat, which makes me wish that I'd stayed longer.

My usual hostel set up. Here you see my handy quick-dry towel can double as a curtain.

I woke up really early one afternoon and hopped on a train to Humlebæk to visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. They're famous for their permanent Kusama exhibition and people from all over the world visit this museum for her Gleaming Lights of the Souls installation. 

I was in New York in 2013 when she was exhibiting her I Who Have Arrived In Heaven exhibition. I remember the line to get into Gagosian Gallery wrapped around the building and Kelly and I weren't prepared to wait 2 hours in mid-December NYC weather for a 45 second show. 

I hope I'll have another chance to visit Copenhagen again soon. Preferably when it's warmer. I hear the city is pretty amazing in the summer ;)