Moving to Sweden


The Iron Boy in Gamla Stan (Järnpojke)
Hej! If you didn't know already, I've moved to Sweden to start a PhD at Stockholm Universitet, studying a Norwegian glacier using geophysics. 
After years of swearing I'd never do a PhD, I was emailed about this opportunity to use my geophysics to study the geology around glaciers and I couldn't say no!
Over the next 4-5 years I plan to keep you updated with what I'm up to as I explore Scandinavia and (hopefully!) gain a PhD while I'm at it. I'll try to post on a monthly basis to give an overview of what's been going on.

Woods riddled with paths running down to the waterfront.

 On Friday 20th April, 2018, Mum and Tom dropped me at Heathrow (Dad was flying back from Singapore) to set off on my Swedish adventure. 
For the first month I am staying in an AirBnB with a lovely couple, Annette (Swedish) and Antonio (Cuban), to the south of Stockholm in an area called Årsta. This is until a little studio is available near the university, which I should be calling home from mid May.

 My room has everything I could ask for, including a well stocked fridge, and overlooks a park which backs onto the woods (shown to the right). I've discovered that this area has a lot of young families and a strong community feel. 
A typical picture of Gamla Stan from my free walking tour.

 I've been blessed with fantastic weather to start my stay, yesterday I head into the city centre to do some exploring, try out a couple of cafes and go on the Old Town free walking tour. I'd highly recommend this to anyone visiting Stockholm; our guide was informative and fun and gave us a good overview of Stockholm's history. The main fact I took away is that pretty much all of Sweden's Kings have been Karl or Gustav, if in doubt pick one and you'll have a 50% chance of being right! 
After the tour I walked back along the waterfront (there's a lot of it as Stockholm is situated on a group of islands) to my AirBnB, stopping off for provisions along the way and balking at the prices of food here. 
Deer two minutes from my place, not at all phased by me.

After dinner I went for a quick stroll around the woods and came across a couple of deer and some hare, totally unphased by my presence. 
Today I've had a chilled day, wandering around the local area, getting lost on tiny paths to what felt like the middle of nowhere and getting things ready for the beginning of my PhD tomorrow. 
From my few days in this new city I've already grown a soft spot for the place; Stockholm has all the amenities, buzz and culture of a modern capital while also being filled with beautiful old buildings, vast amounts of water and easy access to nature. 
Let's hope the studies live up to the joys of this great city!

Comments

  1. Steve WattsApril 22, 2018 at 1:22 PM

    Fantastisk! Great to be reading your first Stockholm blog! Am feeling so proud of my wonderful niece 😊 and very nostalgic, seeing these photos of one of my very favourite places in the world!
    Lycka till för din försten dag i Universitet, Hannah.
    Puss och kram, Steve xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 24, 2018 at 10:29 AM

    It sounds idyllic. Not a bad place to spend a few years! Well done and all the best from us all. Bi, Chris, Peter and Sam xxxx

    ReplyDelete

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