1. 2 years ago 

   STOCKHOLM
   
   My time in Germany was over - nearly three months, an unlimited amount of experiences, and far too much wurst for one little boy - and I was out, done. But another adventure was beginning of course, as these days there’s always something new waiting around each corner. A day of travel and quiet reflection awaited me as I headed north (in late October no less), through Copenhagen toward Stockholm, Sweden.
   
   Having about a week left on my 90 days visa-free in Europe, an old friend of mine from a number of years back was generous enough to let me stay with him in Sweden’s capital. It proved to be seven days of a much-needed mental and emotional break, time spent enjoying Stockholm and feeling much like a kid again.
   
   So we soaked in some culture, a lot of football, fooled around, smiled, laughed, and basked in all that Stockholm had to offer. Definitely a very cool city, Stockholm - my friend Lukas I think heard me refer to the Swedish capital’s “small-town mentality” one too many times, but I stand by that observation.
   
   Can’t say I ever felt like I was in a big European capital, but there were a multitude of unique and interesting districts which always had a moderate amount of people about (neither crowded nor empty), and always something to do everywhere. Expensive town, but absolutely beautiful. I can’t thank my Swedish friends enough for their hospitality, and I certainly felt well-rested and ready for the next stage to come in Buenos Aires.
   
   So I’ve decided that it’s probably more efficient, and more conducive to proper viewing, to break up Flickr slideshows into representations of smaller, more condensed events. To that end here are four relatively short slideshows highlighting some of my adventures in Scandinavia.
   
   From Germany to Stockholm
   OK, the pictures really only detail the train trip from Hamburg to Copenhagen (I flew into Stockholm from there), but there’s some interesting stuff nonetheless. The train got ferried across the sea from Germany into Denmark, so all the passengers had to get off the train and hang around on the boat wondering what’s going on and why they had to leave their bags in the hull of the ship. A bit awkward since no one, myself included, knew about this ferry system, but it was certainly worth it to get some fresh, freezing air, and take some pictures out on the deck of the boat.
   
   Sunday in Stockholm - Football & Tennis
   Lukas had a big day planned for me my first full day in Stockholm. First up was the most heated rivalry in all of Swedish football - AIK v Hammarby, for local Stockholm bragging rights of course. Lukas and I obviously live and breathe AIK, who needed a win to stay firmly in the title race with only three games remaining, and with a win would nearly condemn Hammarby to relegation. It was a terrific game with the spectacle of AIK’s “Black Army” supporters club and their opposites over on Hammarby’s side, and despite Hammarby’s leveler AIK snatched the win with a late goal. The place went mental.
   
   Afterwards off to the Stockholm Open, where Marcos Baghdatis - the man, the legend, the large gut - claimed victory over the Belgian Rochus. Cool venue though, and nice to be indoors, but I can’t say the tennis was particularly impressive. No worries, great day.
   
   Monday - Tourist Day!
   On Monday morning Lukas and I wandered around Stockholm for a bit, with the camera of course, taking in some of the wonderful autumn scenery and fresh air along the channel. I can’t say I’ve really ever seen autumn colors like this before in the States, especially Los Angeles, but I suppose I’ve never lived through an autumn in the Northeast. We met up with Lukas’ mother and his friend Fredrik and walked about in ‘Old Town’ Stockholm, a very quaint touristy district. Of course everyone very enthusiastically pointed out to me the smallest street in Stockholm, but I’m still not sure what all the fuss is about it.
   
   From there we enjoyed the view of Stockholm’s robust and industrial skyline (note sarcasm), and afterwards Lukas and I went to the largest internet cafe in Europe, which is apparently where Swedes spend their winters, playing computer games revolving around Middle Earth and dragons and Call of Duty. Dinner and bowling followed, so all and all a lovely evening hanging out with some interesting people - not a care in the world.
   
   Last Day in Stockholm
   Well the camera didn’t make it out to play most of the week, seeing as I was a little too relaxed and care-free, but I did want to capture the beautiful, albeit cold weather we had on Friday. We basically saw a few touristy places, which I would like to think the camera captured all too well, and we were lucky enough to be able to see the City Hall where the Nobel Prize dinner is held every year in December. And the view from behind the City Hall was spectacular as I’m sure you can see. And that evening, for the first time in three months, I played some tennis - and I looked good. Real good. But that was all she wrote - Goodbye Stockholm, hello Buenos Aires.

2. Notes

So I, Sean Kesluk, left Los Angeles for a 6 month adventure abroad in Europe and South America. After a few weeks studying the Deutsch in Freiburg, Germany, it's two months up north in Hamburg working for the city's Jewish community center. After a brief foray into Sweden, I'll head South to Buenos Aires for some Spanish classes and volunteer work in a La Boca soup kitchen. After that it's back home to the States and national service with AmeriCorps NCCC. With a month of training at the VA medical campus in Perry Point, MD, it 's off to Baltimore for my first project, two months working for The Samaritan Women, a non-profit renovating a hundred-year-old mansion to use as a transitional home for women in recovery from heroin addiction and human trafficking, in addition to expanding a farm/urban garden to distribute produce to soup kitchens, shelters, and those in nutritional poverty. The second project will see us down in New Orleans, LA doing post-Katrina work with The Phoenix of New Orleans, a non-profit which renovates homes for Lower Mid-City homeowners who can't afford to do so.

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