Adventure Trip in Sweden

Last weekend I went on an adventure trip to Sweden, that was planned through my study abroad program, DIS.  We got on the bus at 7:15, took the ferry over to Sweden, and went straight to our first activity; canoeing down the Rönne Å (a river in Sweden).  The canoeing took about 2 and a half hours and was beautiful but a little too long (my arm muscles were starting to feel like jello!).  I then gladly got back on the bus and we drove to our hostel that was basically everything opposite of what I had expected a hostel to be like.  It was an extremely large house with a beautiful property surrounding it.  Sarina (my roommate, who also happened to be on the trip) and I managed to get a double room, which was really nice! The owners of the hostel were an older couple and they had prepared us lunch which was a delicious soup/stew with fresh bread.  

Inside one of the Nimis passage ways.

We then took a hike to see Nimis which is an area on the Swedish Coast where an artist, Lars Vilks, has built driftwood sculptures along the shore. The sculptures and towers were crazy looking, and we were allowed to climb all over them. It seemed like an accident waiting to happen...but was fun in the moment! They had warned us that it would be a "tricky" hike to get there - and they weren't lying when our hike to get back to our bus was practically vertical!!! We headed back to our hostel and they started preparing dinner, which was being cooked over an outdoor bonfire. There was a volleyball net set up on the property and a bunch of us played volleyball while waiting for dinner to be ready. We all ate outside and there was a beautiful pink sunset. After dessert, we all gathered inside, where we had eaten lunch earlier in the day, to play cards and other games that I haven't played in years. It reminded me a lot of sleep away camp, and it was a very "hyggeligt" time. "Hyggeligt" means cozy in Danish, and is one of the best compliments you can give a Danish host. They all love putting out candles and making an inside environment warm and inviting.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hostel, received our lunch bags for the afternoon, and headed to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve. We were split up into two groups. My group went rappelling off of the cliffs first, and in addition to being an awesome experience, it was the most unbelievable view.  
Afterwards we took our lunch bags to an open area to sit and eat. Random fact: I found out that high fructose corn syrup can not be used in food in Europe, so even Twix bars are healthier here!...and we all agreed that you can actually taste a little bit of a difference. When we finished lunch the two groups switched activities, so now my group did "orienteering" which was kind of like a scavenger hunt. We were given 5 locations to go to around the nature reserve, and at each location we had instructions for what to do when we got there. By going around to each activity we were able to explore different areas and witness some more amazing views overlooking the water. (More pictures are posted on Facebook) Afterwards we got back on the bus and our leaders surprised us when we headed to Flickorna Lundgren, a bakery that has been around for about 80 years in Sweden. The King used to go there for the Vanilla Hearts, which is a soft cookie like heart with vanilla creme in the center. They served us coffee, tea, Weinerbrød and, of course, the vanilla hearts. They were delicious and a very welcome treat after a long day of activities. We walked around the grounds for a bit afterwards and then headed back on the bus to go home.
Overall I could not have asked for a better weekend and was completely exhausted upon arriving back to my Kollegium. It was the first of many trips I will be taking this semester, and a great way to start off my travels!