The lake Malaren is situated between two cities: Vasteras and Eskilstuna. In that aspect, it's like European and Asian side of Istanbul, with Bosphorus sea in the middle. The university takes it's name from Lake Malaren, --> Malardalen = the hill by the lake. The university has two interconnected campuses in both cities. From Vasteras, we can take the free shuttles to Eskilstuna, and also vice versa. You can check Wikipedia for further details about the city.
Having arrived at this city from a metropolitan city like Istanbul (16m population for those who don't have the slightest idea how big it is), I get the feeling that Vasteras is a ghost town. Shops usually close around 5-6 pm, and after 9 pm, the streets are totally deserted. I took a walk around the city the other day at 11 pm and I ran into only 3 human beings. In Istanbul streets are always crowded and the night life never stops. Having mentioned the night life, here in Vasteras, there are several night clubs. Like we always do here, we have to memorize when the clubs close, and on which days they are open. Our favorite club so far is "Pluto" (Party on wednesdays, fridays and saturdays, and before 11pm, the entrance is free with our university ID, or it'll be 100 swedish kronas, which is around 11 euros)..
Here are some facts I'd like to remark to:
- Sweden is way too expensive. Do not even compare the prices with what we have in Istanbul. The cheapest pint of beer in a club starts from 5 euros. Eating out is also expensive (McDonalds here is the most budget-friendly one. Though, just to give you an idea for comparison, a big mac menu is 65 kronas, and yes that is 7 euros). We usually buy some pasta, sauce, cheese, milk etc from the supermarket and cook individually or in groups.
- Yes, Swedish girls are so pretty. But they're way too shy and cold. That's something typical to Swedish people I guess. When you ask for directions in the city center, or just in case you need help with something, they will gladly help you, with a smiling face, but they make you feel like they are just nice to you because a foreigner and they want to be done with you as soon as possible. Life is so pale here, Swedish people are not really outgoing, and this makes you sick after a while. Ahh I'm missing the Turkish hospitality every now and then. The sincerity of Istanbulians' is something this place lacks, seriously!
- Is it really that cold in Sweden? Yes it is. I had no idea about what to expect of the weather here. After all, it barely drops below 5C in Istanbul (Fun fact: I had my first snow of the winter here in Sweden), and I could not imagine how cold some -10, -15 degrees might be. The lowest temperature we've witnessed since our arrival is -12 I think. That day I had a 15 mins walk outside and it was more than enough to freeze my brains. People prefer staying indoors for that reason. Usually it's around -5 here in Vasteras, and it's ok. Make sure you bring along your thickest pieces of clothing, just in case.
- Is it really that cold in Sweden? Yes it is. I had no idea about what to expect of the weather here. After all, it barely drops below 5C in Istanbul (Fun fact: I had my first snow of the winter here in Sweden), and I could not imagine how cold some -10, -15 degrees might be. The lowest temperature we've witnessed since our arrival is -12 I think. That day I had a 15 mins walk outside and it was more than enough to freeze my brains. People prefer staying indoors for that reason. Usually it's around -5 here in Vasteras, and it's ok. Make sure you bring along your thickest pieces of clothing, just in case.
Some captions from the city center:
That's the cathedral which is the symbol of the city. Some Swedish king is said to have a tomb in it. The tomb was not designed properly in the first place, and they had to chop off the king's feet in order to fit him in, and they placed them right next to him. That sounds horrible!
World's first H&M store is in Vasteras:
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