Tea Time!

As I near graduation I've decided that I'm not going to become another stressed out American. In Europe they don't even consider "serious" jobs until their 25 or 26 so I shouldn't either. I'm 21 and in Sweden most guys are starting their first year of college. I remember my "partner" at my first gasque was shocked when he found out I was ending school as he was beginning. Don't worry I don't plan on panhandling downtown but I won't let my happiness succumb to my ambition. I'm going to follow the Europeans and learn to enjoy breaks.

One country that does breaks tastefully well is England. I don't know if afternoon tea originated in England but they've made it an english tradition known around the world. Their menu can consist of more substantial foods such as tea sandwiches and desserts or only sweet treats. If your looking for the latter than I recommend a trip to Miette to stock your party. They have cookies, cakes, cupcakes, macaroons and other delicious treats. Any time I take a trip to the ferry building farmer's market I make a pit stop by Miette and pick up some goodies. Last time I picked up these walnut shortbread cookies that were the perfect mix of sugar and butter. They have crunch but crumble and are the perfect addition to a cup of tea. I couldn't taste the walnut but I barely noticed and it didn't bother me. They have other flavorings that would complement specific teas and the ladies that work at the store are friendly and helpful. They often comment that their cupcakes are better than Kara's cupcakes (another SF fav) so I think next time I'll pick up one those.

www.miette.com

VALBORG!

After living in Europe for 9 months I can say without a doubt, that the Europeans party harder than the Americans. Depending on the part of Europe one is in will also determine their party schedule. In Barcelona, dinner is late, followed by a siesta and then arriving at the club somewhere between 2-3 a.m. and dancing until the sun rises. In Amsterdam the schedule is similar to Americans, pre-gaming between 9-11 arriving soon after and dancing till 2. But the Scandinavian countries are unique. I never felt like more of an alcoholic until I moved to Sweden. To combat the dark, cold winter the Swedes start drinking around 5 or 6 depending on how depressing the weather is that day and dancing between 9 to 1 at the club. As the cold fades and the days become longer this changes a bit but it doesn't officially change until Valborg!

Valborg? Walpurgis, in English, is celebrated every April 30th as the arrival of Spring. What if the weather does not resemble Spring? Well then you have even more of a reason to drink! Valborg is a three day fest that involves Kvalborg, Valborg, and a national hangover the day after. May 1st is a national holiday in Sweden because EVERYONE in Sweden drinks on Valborg. Nowhere is this more evident then in Uppsala where the largest Valborg celebration takes place. As parents walk down the street they push the stroller with one hand and drink an Öl with the other and toast other families that have a champagne picnic at 9 a.m. Yep that's right, Valborg is an early celebration.

Uppsala is separated by the Fyrisån and during Valborg students ride rafts they've made down it. It is one of the highlights of Valborg and forces everyone to wake up...still drunk..and trek down to the river at 8 a.m. to find a spot and start their Champagne breakfast/picnic. Breakfast consists of pannkakor, crackers, salmon, cheese, nutella, and loads of fresh fruit. Each person also drinks an entire bottle of champagne or beer if you prefer. This means that your now intoxicated enough to stand in line for a champagnegallop. But you have to be careful because being too intoxicated could cause you to fall and get crushed by the towering Swedes. The champagnegallop is an outdoor party with loud music where you buy at least two bottles of Champage, one to spray and one to drink. It's outrageously fun and by the end of it your ready for your afternoon nap. Everyone goes home and naps for about two hours before they wake up and start getting ready to go to the nations or parties in their buildings. They then party till around 4 a.m. and sleep or fika the next day. To sum it up..It's the highlight of my year abroad.

Naturally my fellow Uppsalaites and I celebrated re-created Valborg in RoPo for another day of drunken-ness. For Kvalborg we went to Yacht club and danced the night away. We woke up with hangovers and got rid of those by drinking champagne. For our champagne breakfast we made pancakes, and had a Swedish lunch of meatballs and potatoes with lingonberry jam. Swedish meatballs are amazing and have a rich flavor to them that tastes great with the jam. The first time I ever ate Swedish meatballs in Sweden was in Ikea (ironic?) but I ate homemade ones that tasted similar to the Ikea ones. I've never tried to make them myself because Ikea sells frozen ones, but if your up to the challenge then give it a shot. I recommend trying the meatballs at any American Ikea just for the experience but they give you mashed potatoes instead of the traditional boiled potatoes, very depressing. Anyways enjoy the rest of spring and be thankful that you never experience weather that makes you drink to celebrate the end of this.

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/63/4f/b1/the-botanical-gardens.jpg

p.s. thats during the daytime