Schubert Octet Concert

Tonight, we performed the Schubert Octet at the Museum of Sketches. We didn't get a chance to have a sound check, so the first few measures were exciting! The hall was a really great place to play in, with a big sound. The group had so much energy, which made the performance more fun. It was so great to perform chamber music again!

More Spring Activities!

This morning, I went to the AF building (the student union) to get tickets to the Lunda Karnevalen! The Lunda Karnecalen is a huge carnival that happens every 4 years here in Lund. There are rides, shows, food, and outdoor concerts. I stood in line for over two hours with some friends to get my three day unlimited pass as well as some other tickets to various events.
After getting the tickets we went to the botanical gardens again and watched the ducks.
The fountain in the center of campus is fully functional now!

Tonight I got a little spontaneous and decided to buzz my hair now that the weather is a little warmer. Well, my clippers stopped working about three minutes in (after I had started on the top of my head), so I had to finish the job with only scissors! It's a little uneven in the back, and much shorter than I intended, but it'll grow back!

Springtime in Lund!

Spring has arrived in Lund! Over the weekend I went to Sunday brunch with a few friends, and then we took a walk through the botanical gardens. Here are some pictures I took on that walk.
Flowers are just starting to bloom in the gardens, as well as all around the city. The campus has become new and beautiful. There are flowers all along the walkways and the grass is becoming more and more green.
I've had a lot more free time this half of the semester, which has been really nice. The extra time has given me a lot more time to work on my Swedish, as well as practice more! I have a chamber music concert this Monday. We're playing Schubert's Octet, and it's coming along really well. We have one last rehearsal before the concert and I'm really excited to play my first concert in Sweden!
Even with the warmer weather, we've had some bouts of cold. The past two nights it actually snowed! And it was pouring rain when I woke up this morning. But it seems to always blow over by noon and then it's sunny for the majority of the day.

Day in Lund/ Opera in Copenhagen

We spent a day in Lund, and we visited all the places my parents wanted to see. We went to Lundagard Conditori where we had coffee and pastries, as well as the Kulturen Museum. The museum has exhibits about artifacts found in and around Lund, as well as a mock medieval town with building from the 1500-1800's. We had originally thought that the town part of the museum was closed, but it turns out that it was open! We got to walk all around around, and inside some of the houses.
Many of the doorways were much shorter than modern houses, like the one below, which was a house from the late 1800's.


On the last full day that my parents and sister were here, I had class in the morning so they all went to Copenhagen to see the city before I met up with them later. After my class I went to Copenhagen, but because of delays, I got there almost an hour late. We got tickets (all for 200DKK, which is about $30...which is less than it costs to go to the movies...) to see "The Rake's Progress".
The performance was amazing, and the set was fantastic! I had never seen the opera before, and it was a great production.
My dad
Again, we convinced my mom to come to the edge for a picture...
After the opera, we took a bus back to Copenhagen Central Station and caught a train to Malmö. Unfortunately, because it was so late we had to wait for 45mins to get a connection to Lund. We finally made it back to Lund around 1:15am. We said goodbye at the train station, my parents and sister got a taxi back to the hotel, and I walked back to my dorm.

Family Day Trip to Helsingborg and Helsingör

I got up one morning to go out and have breakfast at the hotel with my parents and sister. After breakfast we took the train up to Helsingborg. We lucked out in terms of weather- sunny and clear skies.
Spring!
Up by the tower in Helsingborg....

Dad and Iris with a dragon....
We took the ferry Helsingör, and my mom was a little wary of being close to the water....(see ablove)
... but we convinced her to get close for a picture!
pensively looking out at the water....

In Helsingör we went to the church and monastery I went to with my archeology class. We had lunch at a nice outdoor cafe on a little square. After lunch, we walked around the shopping area for a while before getting back on the ferry. We took the train back to Lund in time for me to make it to rehearsal on time.

More from the Family Visit

I showed my parents around the campus the day after Easter, and it was really beautiful. The flowers are just starting to bloom (see picture below), and everything is blooming. We also went to Malmö for the afternoon, and it was a lot of fun despite the rain.

Iris and me on the streets of Lund.
In Malmö we walked around for the afternoon, and found a shop called Design Torget that my dad had wanted to visit.
My mom wanted to join in the statue parade....

My Family is Here!!! Easter DInner!

This past Saturday morning, I got up early and made the trip to Copenhagen airport to pick up my parents and my sister. It was really great to see them! Getting to their hotel also gave me a reason to figure out the bus system here in Lund (that was the first time I'd ever taken a bus here...). Their first day here we dropped off their luggage at the hotel and then went back to Lund and walked around for a bit and had lunch at my favorite falafel place.
This morning was Easter and we went to the Lund Cathedral for the morning service. It was fun seeing the service in Swedish- even if we couldn't quite understand most of what was being said. I was happy to get to hear the organ and the choir in the huge cathedral! It was cold and rainy, and somehow my dad ended up with the pink umbrella (see top photo).... which was funny.

After the service, we went and had coffee at a coffee shop near by and waited out the rain a bit. Then we went to the grocery store and bought stuff to make an Easter dinner! We came back to my dorm (again- I figured out which bus to take... it only took three months...) and made an awesome dinner. We had chicken baked with garlic and butter, mashed potatoes, and sauteed zucchini.
It was a great afternoon, cooking and hanging out in my kitchen. Since it was Easter, there was only a few people left on the corridor, so we pretty much had the kitchen to ourselves. My sister started many card games to pass the time while we waited for the chicken to finish baking.
playing cards...
Deviled Eggs!!! Made with coarse grain mustard, which was a nice change to a classic!

We look very Eastery don't you think?

mmmm... awesome dinner!!


Post dinner napping was very necessary after such a great meal.... (my sister was sleeping on the couch.... somehow I was left out of this napping party).