Allhelgonadagen - All Holy Day

As most of the world has a tradition for remembering and celebrating the lives of the dead, it is not surprising to find a day here in Sweden. Which was celebrated on November 3rd this year. I am still getting a grasp on the holidays here, as this day is not quite the same as All Saints Day but it is a separate day that is celebrated the Saturday after October 31st. While November 1st is always All Saints Day. This day is All Holy Day. On this day people go to the cemeteries to light candles on their loved ones graves or light a candle in the memory of family members that passed.

We went to Skogskyrkogården, which is just south of the city Stockholm. This cemetery is a UNESCO site, and was founded in the early 1900's. The goal of the site was to build and design a cemetery that would blend both nature and architecture together. So, it appeared that it was in a natural setting and would not take away from the natural beauty of the area. I have to agree it was well done. Some graves are nestled within the forest and it feels so serene and peaceful.

 Now for the good part... pictures!

↢↢

↢↢

↢↢

↢↢

↢↢

Read More

Jena, Germany

So, in mid-Sept I went to Jena, Germany. What a gorgeous little town. It is a couple hours south of Berlin. We traveled by train to there and it was not too bad, on the way back we took a bus. This was cheaper and direct, and travel time was similar so I would probably take the bus again if I were headed to this town again. This town does have a university and it has the feel of a university town.

I did receive a semi-culture shock as I am not used to carrying cash or at least not much. Many places in this part of Germany did not accept cards, only cash. This included sit-down restaurants. We stayed at this hotel called- Gasthof Zur Schweiz. Which was extremely cosy and inviting. They also had a breakfast buffet that was included into the cost. Well worth it, I think. It was also in walking distance to the old city and wall.

A little bit of quintessential Germany

A view of the same street, where you can see a little of the original city wall, a bit of the German facades and the modern building with 28 floors.

A set of views of Jena from the highest tower (27th floor)

Part of the old city wall

A tower original city wall

A gnome fountain

Beautiful German facade

I did want to show this castle we saw on the train ride to Jena from Berlin. It now houses a burger restaurant. Talk about some views when you're biting into your burger and fries.

Read More