The Vegan House

On a gray weekend in March of 2019, I went to the "House of Vegan" for the first time. Expected to meet a bunch of vegan chefs and to have lunch. However, i did not expect a live DJ, several shops with extremely friendly staff, Philly "cheesesteaks", and a guy chopping sugar canes with a machete for squeeze fresh juice from them.

This place is open every weekend, with different personnel coming in with their kiosk every week. I had a jackfruit taco, some "lamb" curry, and some of that fresh-pressed cane juice. Although some asked me if I was vegan (i'm not), i felt right at home with everyone. Everyone was very welcoming and inviting, and everything looked incredible.

The prices may vary, you can find some dumplings for £3, sides for a similar price, and most main meals for £8 or so. Definitely come down to Liverpool Street and check it out sometime for yourself!

Wandering Lost

It is often times very easy to get lost in Copenhagen. There is so much to see and do, and it extends throughout all of the very flat and wide city. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to walk or drive through “Thunder Mountain”, the highest point in Denmark just outside city limits. It’s an impressive 200 meters or so above sea level, and easy to miss.

Instead, I chose to seek out a wander through the forests and cemeteries around. Assistens cemetery and the nearby King’s Garden were filled with vibrance and life, even in the middle of January. They were fairly monotonous, so I didn’t spend a whole lot of time there.

Vestre Cemetery has the famous “tree tunnel” of Copenhagen, and after wandering through this massive kilometre-long cemetery, I finally found it. The resulting photo? Priceless.

The botanical garden in Copenhagen also houses the historic Rosenborg castle, which has burned down several times but is still used for important royal and political meetings to this day when not utilized for tour groups.

Following all of this wandering, I checked out the Absalon statue and the Little Mermaid statues, amazing German spectacles from centuries gone by. This was just after spending a few hours seeing the religious and historical artwork within the walls of Thordvaldsens museum and David’s Collection.

My day would not have been complete without touring around Christianshavn in the afternoon, followed by meeting with some hostel members and going to Christiania (Freetown) inside of Denmark.

Christianshavn was built on shallow and uneven land and prone to flooding, but was built during a housing crisis to encourage young families to move to Denmark. After several landslides (which caused several houses to now look like they’re “dancing” and “leaning”), an economic landslide also ensured, and houses here are now cheaper than ever. Some of these buildings still house retired fisherman, and one of them was home to Captain Thundershield of Norway (whom saved the country of Denmark in many military conflicts).

Christiania is a kilometre-long stretch of shops, bars, and marijuana stalls that consider themselves to be “adjunct” from the rest of the European Union. A bunch of old factories were converted into homeless housing, and now, there’s lots of reggae music, trashcan fires, and life here. Simply said, you have to check it out for yourself.

Another thing I did on another day was explore the local parks of Kastrup, have a smorgasbord (Danish buffet), walk around Kastillet, and see various old buildings along the canals and in Nyhavn. Copenhagen is a must see for any like-minded adventurer!

Homecoming

"I swear that I've gotta get out of here."

Jim Crocher sang these words after moving from the quiet Pennsylvanian countryside to the big apple. In my case, however, my New York was London. Even if Pennsylvania didn't necessarily feel homelike to me for many many years... it sure felt good to be back after being away for so long.

I arrived at 7PM on a Thursday, straight from the polar vortex of central Sweden.

I sat next to and Icelandic professor of Nordic languages on one plane, and next to an American vegetarian traveler much like myself on the other flight. I watched through all of Back to the Future and “Ready Player One”, and enjoyed very good conversations on the way home. I was beautifully surprised to see my mother again for the first time in four months, and I would soon come to learn was that I have grown closer to my family since leaving the country.

However, when I got home, a very strange feeling swept over me. I knew that I was back in my mom's house, yes, and I made it home for Christmas, but yet I'm only felt like a visitor. Pennsylvania no longer felt much like home even though I spent the first 23 years of my life there. 

But so, I realized, as I was seeing my good friends again for the first time in several months, but it was almost as though nothing had changed and I had never left. But yet, I was calling a foreign country home for the next two years of my life. But the only thing that mattered is that in this moment, I was at home, where I was meant to be.

The Goat Rodeo

When things started getting chaotic, my cousin liked to say that things were turning into a goat Rodeo. Awkwardly enough, it was a very fitting table because he owned one of the last genetic offsprings of pure Swedish goats, insofar that he had the largest farm of them in the world. Things really started getting chaotic when I was trying to figure out how I was getting to and from places in northern Sweden.

My second morning in Bjästa, I met a liberal Christian pastor and talked to him about anything and everything. 

Visiting the kids at school, learning lessons in Swedish, having cultural studies for the first time in 12 years, and the homecooked feast that they had for lunch were the highlights of my daytime activities.

Later that night, in town, I noticed kids opening and drinking a six pack of beer just outside of the local ICA market. I shirked it off and went to Sibylla, a Nordic fast food restaurant, and got some more fast food.

My travels in Sweden were definitely crazy, but even with the goat rodeo that had occurred for some of the trip, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what a Swedish school system looks like in the small-town countryside.