Travel award reports so cold, I've never been there!'. So we wrapped up warm and flew out for four days. On arrival, everything was covered with snow. It was so different to anything I had experienced before. The town itself was almost deserted and the buildings were so brightly coloured, compared to the white snow. It felt like a scene from a fairy tale! We visited Abisko National Park, the most beautiful park I have ever seen, with snow-covered hills and valleys, enormous frozen lakes, and partly frozen waterfalls. We spent a lot of the time simply sitting and gazing at the natural wonders. The Swedish students had got one thing right however – it was very cold! Overall I had an amazing experience in Sweden – I believe I have learnt a huge amount – both medical and cultural. It amazed me how vastly different areas of the same country can be, and how small Wales feels in comparison! These experiences will remain with me forever.
Swedish students were very friendly and taught us how to make saffron buns (a Christmas-time staple), drink glögg, and fed us a smörgåsbord which had some strange foods that I had never heard of before, and some typical Swedish dishes, such as herring and meatballs. I also visited Gothenburg and Stockholm – two very interesting (and very different) cities. Gothenburg had beautiful architecture and a very laid back, alternative vibe. It was a big contrast to the bustling city of Stockholm where I very much felt like a foreigner beside the stereotypically beautiful, tall, blonde-haired men and women around me! During our visit, some of the other students and I decided to experience the very North of Sweden. After much research, we chose to venture to Kiruna, located within the Arctic circle. When we told the Swedish students where we were going, many of them laughed saying 'It's
Brightly coloured houses against white snow, in the town of Kiruna (Sweden)
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