As an exchange student at Uppsala University, Student Nations are a godsend…read more They serve as social club sort of things that all students at Uppsala University join (unless they really don't want to). There are 13 of these nations to choose from in Uppsala. Joining one gives you access to all of them for that semester, but with special discounts at your own. Most of the nations have a pub that serves dinner, clubs every few weeks, and things like social dance, theater groups, and bands. Kalmar also has a clothes exchange, a club where you share your favorite music, and vegetarian food at their pub. They also have a nice fika on Sundays that is outside on nice Spring days. You'll get the most out of Uppsala's Nations if you're a student. If you're just stopping by, you'll need a friend who goes to Uppsala University to get you a somewhat pricey pass for the Uppsala Nations. If not, you probably won't be able to get into their pub, but you _might_ be able to sneak into fika.

Uppsala Slott/Uppsala Castle is a 16th century royal castle in Uppsala. We visited last week when…read morewe were in Uppsala for the day. The castle is home to a couple of museums - the Uppsala Art Museum and the Vasaborgen ("Vasa Fortress"), a museum in the ruins of the original foundation of the 1549 royal apartments. We didn't visit the museums, but we did climb up the hill to the castle and walked around its perimeter. I took a lot of photos of the castle and of the views from the castle. It's a great viewpoint of the whole city, so even if you don't have time to or interest in visiting the museums in the castle, it's worth a visit!

Sigtuna is famous for a few things (being arguably the oldest town in Sweden, having more…read morerunestones than anywhere else in the world, its church ruins), but one reason is certainly Stora Gatan, its remarkably well-preserved main street (which still runs down its original route). It couldn't be more charming. The storefronts are colorful and cute, and if you're in Sigtuna, you just have to take a stroll down this beautiful pedestrian street. Stop for an ice cream or lunch or shop at any of its boutique stores and bakeries...! There's a lot to do and see on Stora Gatan, and it's honestly as cute as button.

Sigtuna was founded in AD 980 by Erik the Victorious, making it Sweden's oldest town. It's famous…read morefor its remarkably well-preserved main street - 'Stora Gatan' - which still runs along its original route, its church ruins, and for having more runestones than anywhere else in Sweden, and the rest of the world. So we decided to spend our last morning in Sweden in Sigtuna (since it's only a 15 minute or so drive to Stockholm airport from Sigtuna). A walk past several of the church ruins was definitely on my to do list while we were in town. We started at St. Olof's, then walked over to St. Lars, and ended at St. Per's. St. Olof's and St. Lars' were built in the early 12th century, but St. Per's was built at the end of the Viking Age in the late 11th century, making the St. Per's ruins one of Sweden's oldest stone buildings. St. Per's has been preserved in a similar manner to St. Olof's - there are arches to walk under and chambers to walk through. It's incredible to stand at a place that old, that has stood for so many centuries. Don't miss the runestone at the site as well. Don't miss this remarkable site if you're exploring Sigtuna.

These ruins are quite interesting to view, even though they are currently fenced off due to safety…read moreconcerns. The outline of the structure is still quite apparent. The majesty of the building is not hard to imagine as the immense stone facade must have been impressive, especially at a time when stone construction was rare. If you are in Sigtuna, it is worth a stroll to this site to get a look.

Sigtuna was founded in AD 980 by Erik the Victorious, making it Sweden's oldest town. It's famous…read morefor its remarkably well-preserved main street - 'Stora Gatan' - which still runs along its original route, its church ruins, and for having more runestones than anywhere else in Sweden, and the rest of the world. So we decided to spend our last morning in Sweden in Sigtuna (since it's only a 15 minute or so drive to Stockholm airport from Sigtuna). A walk past several of the church ruins was definitely on my to do list while we were in town. We started at St. Olof's and then walked over to St. Lars. Like St. Olof's, St. Lars' was built in the early 12th century, but St. Lars has been the least preserved/restored of the three church ruins we visited. But that's what made visiting Sigtuna special - you can see ruins in various stages of ... ruination? Preservation? There are reasons to preserve, restore, and leave alone. And St. Lars being the least preserved/restored gives such an impression of age. It's impossible to forget you're standing at a site that was built in the 12th century when you see what's left of St. Lars. Don't miss it on your walk to the church ruins of Sigtuna. There might not be as much to see, but that's actually why it's worth a stop.

Sigtuna was founded in AD 980 by Erik the Victorious, making it Sweden's oldest town. It's famous…read morefor its remarkably well-preserved main street - 'Stora Gatan' - which still runs along its original route, its church ruins, and for having more runestones than anywhere else in Sweden, and the rest of the world. So we decided to spend our last morning in Sweden in Sigtuna (since it's only a 15 minute or so drive to Stockholm airport from Sigtuna). A walk past several of the church ruins was definitely on my to do list while we were in town. We started at St. Olof's. It was built in the early 12th century, but the ruins here have been best preserved and maintained (compared to the other church ruins in town). That means you'll see some modern touches, meant to preserve the integrity of the structure so it can be enjoyed for years to come. A modern church has been built just next to the ruins, and a cemetery spans the grounds of both the modern church and the church ruins. It's peaceful here and beautiful to see the skies through the ruins of St. Olof's. Well worth a visit if you visit Sigtuna.