Svalbard Synopsis

Hey guys!  So since it's been over a week since I was in Svalbard, I figured it was about time to write about it.  I probably can't give a good overview of it anymore, so you can check out this blog: http://eucenterillinois-abroad.blogspot.se/ instead.  This is where people from my class post about each day, so they're really detailed.  You'll have to sort through some other guy's blog too, but most of the posts are from us.  My favorite part of the trip was probably the glacier hike (shown on the right), even though I loved it all!  I'm planning on going back to the Arctic when I retire so that I can see an actual polar bear.

Since we got back, I've pretty much just been relaxing since Svalbard was so intense.  We have to write papers in groups of 3 that are 7000-7500 words.  I finished my part at about 2,200 words a couple days ago, so I'm free of that until we write the conclusion.  On Wednesday, a group of us went to Drottningholm, the palace where the royal family actually lives when they are in Stockholm.  We didn't pay to get a tour of the inside, but the grounds were HUGE so there was lots to look at for free.  It was a very beautiful place and I would imagine it would be a nice place to live except for the crazy amounts of tourists.  I wonder what it was like there before the tourists...Here's a picture of me in the garden at Drottningholm.

Yesterday I was going to head for Barcelona for the remainder of the trip, but unfortunately my travel buddy got really sick, and we ended up not going.  I guess I'll just have to come back to Europe another time!  For now, I'm enjoying the time that I have left with the people who are still here.  Today we are planning on going to see the Olympic Stadium from the 1912 Olympics, find a beach in the city, and then watch the opening ceremony later tonight.