This morning, we had an early start in order to catch our
7:40 train to Uppsala. The train ride was a brief forty-five minutes, but
consisted of naps and the beautiful Swedish countryside flying by. Upon
arriving, we were greeted by Helen, an administrator at SLU. Helen escorted us
to the SLU campus in our first transit by car while being in Scandinavia.
During the car ride, Helen gave us a quick description of what we were driving
by and the general layout and character of Uppsala. At SLU, we first visited
the landscape architecture studios and were guided by two teachers there, Bruno
and Lotta.
During our tour, first year students were frantically
working on their projects that were due in a few short hours. While talking to
the first year students, we found that their program is quite a bit different
than the landscape architecture program at K-State. The students mostly work
8-5 and go home afterwards. If they work late at studio, security guards kick
them out of the building by midnight and lock the studio doors. After visiting
the studios, we visited the landscape architecture administration building
where we chatted with a few professors and practicing landscape architects over
coffee and cookies. We then returned to the studios to view a few projects
completed by fourth-year students for their planting design class. Next, we
took a detour to our lunch through newly constructed garden plots surrounding a
pond where landscape architecture students can view different species of
plants. At lunch, we ate with faculty and students at a restaurant on campus.
This restaurant was in a newly-renovated barn that was originally built in the
1800’s. Here, we learned about Swedish customs and life in Sweden in general.
Once we were done with lunch, our new friends showed us what
we could visit in Uppsala and from there we said our goodbyes. Our guide,
Helen, dropped us off at the castle in Uppsala where we had spectacular views
of the Royal Gardens, the church in Uppsala, and the entire city. We walked
around the castle and through the Royal Gardens before making our way to an
impressive cathedral of grandeur. This church is the final resting place of
what appeared to be many dignitaries and members of royal families.
Our next stop was the Linnemuseet, the garden of the father
of botany. Linne was responsible for creating the system by which we classify
genus species of plants. The garden was quite charming. After this, we
separated and explored the majestic town of Uppsala before meeting back at the
train station for our 5:00 train back to Stockholm.
Next after a much needed
nap, we headed to dinner where we ate at a small outdoor café while listening
to a live jazz band that was playing in front of a large crowd in the park. We
ended the night with a brief walk around the neighborhood surrounding our hotel
before returning to our rooms for much needed rest. More tomorrow as we tour
Hammarby Sjostad!
Kristy & Alyssa
