January 19
Today I will never forget, it was like being in a movie. I had to pinch myself every few minutes to make sure I was actually living! We went to the island, Branno, which is in the southern part of Gothenburg’s archipelago with just over 800 inhabitants. Different to the other islands, it has relied on farming, piloting boats and shipping as its main sources of income.
First, we had to get there. We took the tram for about 40 minutes than had to take a packed bus to the ferry’s. On the ferry, my friends and I stood in the back and just took in the breathtaking view. It was a beautiful day, the high was in the 40s so we Midwesterners thought that was a nice heat wave. Some thought we were crazy for not wearing jackets, but we loved taking in some sun and relaxing!
Here are the crazies that I’m stuck with for the next 12 days. We were all so excited to check out the rocks and houses on the island. Most of us have never been to Europe so the entire experience is once in a lifetime.
Once on the island, we all ventured out to Susie’s cove. Susie is JJ’s wife and she found a really special place for us to go and have lunch from past years. Below are a few pictures of our walk to the cove and of the cove. It was a hidden rock cove that overlooked the beautiful island formations. After, we walked around and checked out the island more. One thing that I noticed is there are no cars on the island. They all drive around on electronic bikes, scooters, or skate. The ferry is the only way of them getting to any other land. I’m not sure if I could live there but it was so cool to see. The houses were also gorgeous and so different than in America. We also met so many nice people on our walks. I met people from South Africa, Italy, Germany, and Sweden and had so many great conversations with them. Everyone here is SO NICE!
We obviously knew today was the perfect opportunity to take some really cool pictures. Shoutout Cam and Jackson for being our photographers for the day. (Side note-I risked my life climbing some of the rocks for pictures but it was totally worth it).
Jackson taking a picture of Cam taking a picture of Sam and I, yeah we’re pretty creative when it comes to pictures.
Jackson took this incredible picture as we took the ferry back to the mainland during sunset. I, along with Cam, Sam, and Nicole got beverages like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to enjoy as we watched the sunset and enjoyed our ride back.
When we got back, we were STARVING. We went to Carlson’s Garage which is up on my food blog and it was incredible. We also stopped at the Espresso House (which is like the Swedish Starbucks) and we got juice shots. We’re all trying to stay healthy! But this has been my favorite day so far and it’s only our 2nd full day. I can’t believe we have been here for only two days, I don’t even remember America. I absolutely love it here! The people I have met are so sweet, we’re all really enjoying ourselves, everyone on the trip are all very nice and fun to hangout with, and we always have something to do. I think the past 3 days I have gotten a total of 10 hours of sleep, but I keep saying “we’re only in Sweden once!” We are trying to squeeze in as much as we can!
Daily Reflection
- I love meeting new people from other parts of the world
- I am very clumsy when it comes to rock climbing or really just standing
- I hate meatballs in America but love them here
Ashley's Trip to Sweden 
Thank you Ashley! Loved hearing about your island trip!! The pictures are wonderful! Looks like you’re having a super fun time!! Thinking about you!!
LikeLike