When I went to Sweden

Overall, I'm glad I chose Denmark. I didn't go to Stockholm, but the cities I was in in Sweden did not find the cities as cosy or cultural. I went with my Sociology class and we explored mosques and ghettos in Malmo and Gothenborg.

This was the first thing we did in Sweden. It is a mosque on the outskirts of Malmo. There is a public primary school here where they teach Islam. Although I found the mosque to have a privileged point of view, the director told us that the mosque tries to interpret the Koran with modernity in mind and says they require their 1000 members to leave their sects and affiliations at the door.

This is the turning torso, the most famous building in Sweden. We got a perfect view of it from the park in the downtown.

A windmill from the same park.

This was on top of a casino.

This is supposed to be the castle in Malmo. Although we didnt come at it from the front, it was overall a pretty disappointing castle. However the body of water from the forefront of the castle is the moat.

In Malmo, we visited a ghetto called Rosengård. It was actually a very nice area but called a ghetto because it has cheap housing and is where quite a few immigrants live. In Sweden, each area of the city has their own area coordinators whose jobs are to organize events and work to make each neighborhood a better place. The Varda office in this picture was supposed to be one stop help for all the individuals living in the area. If you needed support or any type of help or information this office could get you what you needed.

In Gothenborg we visited the museum of world culture. There was an exhibition going on called where in the world. It was a photo submission exhibition. The portraits above were beautiful and strange. There was also a world map with photos from everywhere. I got my photo with Russia, obviously.

The museum also had a spot where you could write on a wall. It was a space where they were testing out what type of exhibitions people responded to and liked the most. I wrote this on the wall.

These are the Gothenborg University and castle respectively. (The castles in Copenhagen are much cooler!)

Historical Danmark!

Denmark has a rich and long and rich history. Queen Margarethe II (the current queen) can trace her lineage back to Gorm the Old (c. 936-958), the first King of Denmark. Gorm the old and his son Harold the Bluetooth unified and christianized Denmark. They were also the last viking kings.
Below are some photos from the national museum, Roskilde Viking Museum, and Roskilde Cathedral where all the kings and queens are buried.

The National Museum:

At the National Museum of Denmark they have tried to recreate, in drawings, the details of the original pieces. 

This is an Aurochs, a kind of medieval cow. They were exterminated by humans around the 17th century.

These are some of the first Iron Age swords!

A real viking helmet, they did actually look like they are depicted.

A lovely Rune stone. 

The Viking Museum:

This is what the inside of a viking ship might have looked like. Can you spot the polar bear?

These ships have been "excavated" from the Roskilde Fjord (pictured behind the long ship). They have taken all the pieces they have found and tried to reconstruct the ships. Also pictured above is a ship in pieces with it's miniature replica as well. Until recently it was the largest ship ever found at 33 meters.

Roskilde Cathedral:

This room was absolutely marvelous. It was painted top to bottom and had two unbelievably detailed crypts in it. 

This piece was made by Christian IV. You can tell because his cipher C4 is prominently displayed all over it. 

This is the royal palace Amalienborg where the Queen, the Crown Prince, and a few other royal relatives still live today!