Bjerreds Saltsjöbad, Brunnsbo, and the last Cathedral time

This past week has gone WAY too quickly. There are now only six days until I am back in Denver. This week wasn't terribly eventful, besides that we all tried multiple nights to go out, and most of the time didn't end up leaving the house. It was Anubhav's birthday on Tuesday, so we had a small celebration and surprised him with cake and presents.

So happy :)

On Saturday we all went to Brunnsbo for a party, but again by the time we thought to head to a nation it was way too late. It was really nice to have some quality time with everyone though.

Sorry for stealing your cookies Regina

New best friends..

The most exciting thing this week was going to the sauna on Sunday. I wasn't especially excited to go - I knew it would be nice and relaxing, but I didn't think it would be anything special. 

We took the bus on Sunday morning to a little town called Bjarred, just outside of Lund. It was a very rainy day out, and when we got off the bus we realized we didn't actually know how to get to the sauna. We took a guess and followed a group of girls who had gotten off at the same stop. Luckily they were going to the sauna too, and it was only about a ten minute walk. 

As soon as we reached the coast the view was breathtaking. The sauna was located in a little building that could only be reached by a 500m long pier. 

The view of the pier from the sauna

By the time we reached the sauna, it felt like we were in the middle of the ocean. There was a restaurant with delicious looking brunch in the building as well, but it cost 290kr (almost $30) so we opted for only the sauna. We stripped down in the changing rooms, then ran outside from the changing room to the sauna in our towels. The sauna itself was the most relaxing place I have ever experienced. There were large windows looking out to the sea and all you could hear was the sound of the waves. 

If you didn't know how the building was situated, it looks like the room is level with the ocean. There were two other women in the sauna as well, but they didn't stay the whole time we were there. They were extremely friendly and one of them was a big enthusiast of running into the ocean, despite the protests of her friend.  

We stayed in the heat for a long time, then decided to take a dip in the ocean. This involved running outside, dropping our towels, and sprinting for the stairs. The water was 6ºC (42ºF). In other words, it was UNBELIEVABLY cold. The first time we ran in, we spent some time outside first, which was a mistake. The second time, we ran straight from the sauna to the stairs. I, of course, tripped at the bottom and ended up unintentionally neck deep in the freezing water. Each time we ran into the water, we would dash giddily back to the sauna. We all felt funny but great after the rush of adrenaline. 

I think this picture was supposed to be of Öresund Bridge, but it also shows the stairs down into the sea. This is the boy's side of the sauna so ours was a bit different.

Treacherous.

The funniest part of our time at the sauna was the little deck on top of the building that housed the sauna. There was a ladder that you could climb to reach the deck, which had a bench and an amazing view of the sea. I didn't take the picture below, but it will illustrate what I'm talking about. The deck is on top of the building on the very far left. When you got to the point on the ladder where you were above the barriers below (which served to block the view of naked people from the clothed families eating in the restaurant), you were basically climbing a ladder in a towel in front of these gigantic windows. We navigated the ladder with our towels blowing dangerously in the wind, then turned around to see numerous families watching as they ate brunch. I'm pretty sure I flashed them at least once thanks to the wind. It was hilariously awful.  

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The entire experience was unbelievably relaxing, hilarious, and exactly what I needed this last weekend here in Sweden. We left the sauna feeling refreshed and happy.  

Today Kate and I sat and talked in the cathedral for the last time. It's crazy to think that between the second day in Lund, when we first sat in the cathedral and talked, and now that we've become such good friends. I will miss cathedral time and so many other things about Lund, but I'm so grateful for it all and for the friends I've met here like Kate :)

I'll save the sad, sappy stuff for next week when I will be in the United States again! For now I'm going to go enjoy this last week with all of my amazing friends here in this beautiful country.