Exchange in Uppsala - Part 2: Arriving in Uppsala
This post is the part of a series regarding my exchange semester in Uppsala, Sweden 🇸🇪
You can find all posts here:
Second day on the night train
Waking up on the night train was an interesting experience. I didn't get much sleep because I went to bed late at around 2:30 in the morning. I had been busy writing yesterday's post. However, my sleep was further interrupted when the other passengers in our compartment needed to depart the train in Malmö at 6:00. Afterwards, I continued sleeping for two additional hours and then got some breakfast from the staff on board. They served a roll with some jam, butter, and a cup of tea. After the breakfast, I enjoyed some time together with Freddy searching for the next connecting train towards Uppsala.
Stockholm Central
Once we arrived at Stockholm Central, it wasn't possible to catch the train we initially booked. Hence, the SJ personnel advised us to take the next train, which was scheduled about an hour later. Meanwhile, we took the opportunity to do another photo shoot with Freddy. This time, he posed in front of the Stockholm Central sign:
However, we noticed another train from Mälartåg that was departing earlier. Unfortunately, our ticket was not valid for that train as it was operated by a different company. We tried booking a new ticket a few minutes before departure through the app, but that wasn't possible either. In the end, we decided to board the train without a valid ticket and during the ride we were lucky as there was no ticket inspection in our car. Surprisingly, the train had modern cars with a great number of power sockets, reading lights, and plenty of space for luggage. It turned out to be a better choice than taking the recommended SJ train, which had older cars.
Of course, this train was also delayed by 20 minutes when we arrived at Uppsala. I guess not one train on your entire journey was on time. But Freddy enjoyed the nice train car:
Uppsala Central
Upon arriving in Uppsala, we were greeted by the main station, which looked pretty new and well-maintained, unlike Stockholm Central. We only saw platform 18 of Stockholm Central, but it gave us some 80th vibes because of ancient passenger information displays and a pretty old platform design in general.
From Uppsala Central, we found a direct bus connection to Fogsta, a district in the west of Uppsala.
Arrival at the corridor
After arriving in Flogsta, the key pickup process was quite easy. I just had to show them my ID card and they handed over the keys to my room. The flat itself is shared between twelve tenants and has a spacious, shared kitchen with a dining table and a chill-out area equipped with two couches. The walls of the apartment are adorned with writings and pictures left by previous tenants, telling their stories. It gives the place a unique character. Currently, we are the only ones in the corridor.
Wall design in the shared space
Getting into the room, we were pleased to find that it is about 19 square meters in size. Additionally, there is a bathroom with a private toilet and shower, as well as a small hallway with closets for storing stuff. The room is furnished with a desk, office chair, and a bed. However, there was no pillow or blanket provided, so we would need to buy them soon at IKEA. The room also has a small bookshelf on the wall and a Kallax shelf, along with a desk lamp and a large free-standing lamp.
As we settled into the apartment, we took care of some practicalities. I installed my own Wi-Fi router since we needed it to connect to the internet. Moreover, I brought some other stuff with me like my monitor, keyboard and mouse. After the first day in the room, my setup looks like this:
We also learned that windows in Sweden cannot be opened in the tilt position. Unfortunately, you have to open the window completely to let fresh air in. Moreover, we discovered that recycling here is taken very seriously, with numerous bins available for different types of waste.
Grocery shopping at ICA
To stock up on groceries, we found a small grocery store nearby within a five-minute walk. It has a decent selection of vegetarian options, and what caught our attention is the yellow price label that can be used for comparing prices between different sizes or similar products. We noticed that packages in Sweden are generally larger than what we're used to in Germany. For example, flour comes in 2kg packages, cheese in 1kg packages, eggs in packs of 30, and even toilet paper was sold in bundles of 30 rolls. Additionally, we found that the checkout process allows the customer to take extra time for packing due to the presence of two conveyor belts. These belts were swapped after each customer to provide the extra time.
Plans for tomorrow
Looking ahead to tomorrow, we have some exciting plans. We'll be visiting downtown to explore the old town and its historic charm. We're also looking forward to visiting the botanic garden and Uppsala Castle. Additionally, we'll make a trip to IKEA to purchase the items we need, including pillows and blankets. It's going to be an eventful day!