November 29-December 11, 2023.

Stockholm, Sweden. After the sunny Mediterranean, I wanted something different. Christmas markets and coziness called me. The first stop was Stockholm, Sweden. It was snowy, got dark around 3pm and the hostel was perfect. The hostel was ideal for cold weather. You had to take your shoes off when you entered, there was free tea and coffee all day, you could curl up with a blanket on one of the multiple couches, they had a sauna, and you could borrow ice skates!

I had a lot of fun using the TooGoodToGo app in Stockholm. Food was expensive and I wanted to try as much as possible. TooGoodToGo allows restaurants and bakeries to list meals or bags of goodies that would otherwise be wasted. I used it to explore neighborhoods I would not normally visit as a tourist and try delicious food.

On the overnight bus from Stockholm to Copenhagen, I got two seats to myself and actually slept a little! I arrived to a cold, damp city and forced myself to attend a city walking tour to stay awake. I visited a few museums mostly because it was too cold outside.

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Next, it was time to fly to Gdansk, Poland. I had visited Poland on my first round the world trip and really enjoyed Krakow. One of my good friends is Polish and her mother’s cooking is unforgettable. Thankfully, I had time to really dive into Poland and visit a few cities this visit. I got an AirBnb in Gdansk and enjoyed living a local life for 4 days. The old town is so beautiful and the Christmas markets very lively.

I took a bus through the Polish countryside to Warsaw, Poland. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about such a big city but I loved it. The parks and small milk bars (old communist era subsidized cafeterias) gave it such a unique vibe. It snowed multiple days which made everything look prettier.

I finished my Polish adventure in Poznan. It was any easy train from Warsaw and serviced by low cost airlines making it a perfect last stop. Its a small university town. It felt unique. Check out the crochet Christmas tree. I also went hot chocolate tasting in Poznan. Yum!

There is so much more of Poland to explore. I find Poland to be such a nice European country to visit. The food is simple yet delicious, the people are kind yet not overly friendly, there are tons of historic city centers and small towns to explore, and there is so much history. I’d love to visit the mountains in the south someday!

I flew back to the US via Madrid to be with my family for Christmas. Another extended trip/ sabbatical had come to an end and it was time to go back to work. I’d camped in a national park in Tanzania, hikes hundreds of miles in Spain, slept in the dessert in Morocco, cruised the Mediterranean, went ice skating in Sweden and really lived life. I still question how this became my life and I am so grateful for it. Thanks for coming along for the journey 🙂