Ok, here I go:

Sweden was great. There was a festival going on in Vasteras, where I got to
hang out with a bunch of Kajsa's international friends, which was cool. That
is the one thing lacking in my program...it's mainly kids from the states,
while at her school I got to talk to people from France, Spain, Japan, etc.
Still, I plan to travel here and will go out of my way to meet people from all
over.

We also got to spend a day in Stockholm, which just might still be my favorite
European city so far, especially in Gamla Stan, the old section of town. It's
just amazing there...the city is actually a network of interconnected islands,
so everything is on the water and when the sun sets it's just gorgeous.

London rocked. Our hostel was crazy, with people running in and out at all
hours of the night, and one of the best rock bars I've been to right there in
the basement. We were really only there for two full days, but we still
managed to see Kensington Gardens, Royal Albert Hall,
Westminster/Parliament/Big Ben, Measure For Measure at the Globe Theatre, the
Sherlock Holmes house, Covent Garden, and eat a lot of great food. Covent
Garden is still my favorite area, but really I loved it all more than I
remembered. The play we saw was the best Shakespeare I've ever seen, and
really, let's be honest, I'm a huge Engligh nerd and have seen a lot of
Shakespeare.

But really the best was one night when Kajsa and I were walking home to the
hostel. We were beat and looking forward to calling it an early night, when we
hear some live music playing over somewhere in Hyde Park. As we get closer, I
start to recognize it, and then start running when I realize that the voice
belongs to Anthony Kiedis and the group is none other than the Red Hot Chilli
Peppers. There was a spot on one side of the boarded-up outdoor venue where
you could feel the music while watching a huge screen that peeked over one of
the inside walls. We gathered in the grass there with a bunch of Londoners to
watch what I imagine was an expensive and sold out concert for free. At the
end we tried to storm the gates, but were herded back out soon after. I can't
even describe it though, the band played forever, and the sky was kinda cloudy
stormy, a perfect backdrop for them. It was unbelievably beautiful.

Dublin has been amazing as well. The first night we saw the best Counting Crows
show I've seen yet, where we stood right up against the stage. We also
explored the city a lot, which is a mix of beautiful old buildings and hectic
urban spaces. And it's extremely rowdy and dressy at night. We have been
through a couple museums, seen some beautiful sites in the moutains near the
city, and gotten to know a lot of cool people. The program reception was
great, and I've already been to a pub with traditional music and dancing, where
everyone from 19 to 69 drinks too much Guinness and gets crazy. Kajsa ledt
back for Sweden and then Chicago last night,and classes start Monday
(tomorrow), so til then I'm just relaxing. The next six and a half weeks
should be incredible.

So take care all and talk toyou soon.

:o) Kristin