Scenes of a City

So we decided to put up a picture post so people can get an idea of what Uppsala looks like. Here's a picture of the church from the river. There are two things that dominate the skyline and you can see from about anywhere in the city and that is the church and the castle.

Here's one of the stained glass windows that overlooks the courtyard of the church. This picture was taken from the backside of the church.

Here's the other major stained glass window. It's really tall and really ornate. I know you can't really tell from the outside but inside the church it really is quite something. I always feel funny about taking pictures inside a church even though other people do. I don't know, it's not like I'm a religious person but there is something sanctimonious about being inside one that I feel like it's bad karma to do so.

This is a picture of the side door. We found out later that this is a Lutheran church so we are guessing that the light grey statue between the doors could be Luther himself. It's hard to tell in this picture but in the dark grey arches above the door are little guys that we think are saints maybe? Inside the door here was a cool wood statue of skeletons on a cross but like I said before, I feel weird taking pictures inside.

Here's a cool Gothic gargoyle/drain spout at the main entrance.

I like cool pictures where the building looks really tall. It was a pretty nice day out, even though it was drizzling when we left the flat.

This is a good picture of the church taken from the castle. It looks alot like the old Gothic Catholic churches, including the little display/tombs that line the inside, but there was no big altar in the middle or cross hanging up.

Here's a picture of the river, not the prettiest of angles. This is where we took the picture of the church at the top of the post. Look how grey the sky is here. Also notice all the bicycles along the rail. There are thousands of bikes in the city, but crime must not be a factor because most of them
are not attached to anything, but have locks just on the back tires. I guess people just don't come in and grab them and walk off. It's the little differences you know?

This is one of the newer buildings in the city. The Uppsala Kongress och Konsert hall. We'll get closer picture of it later. It's also pretty cool at night.

This is a picture of the castle. It's kind of plain compared to some of the other castles in Europe, but it is pretty big and there is a fountain out front. I bet the pink color comes from the pink granite they have everywhere around here. That's what the gravel is they use for traction in the winter. This is taken from the botanical garden in front of the castle.

This is taken from the main square. In this building is an Irish pub where we will be for St. Paddy's day. The pub takes up the second floor with apartments above that. The police are here because they were watching a rally that was taking place. It was the second one we saw within two days. Not sure what this one was about but the one we saw the night before was a pro-Palestine march. That may have been the first time we've been nervous about being Americans here because one of the banners people were holding said something about the USA and the middle east.

Another building from the central square which is called Stora Torget. The bottom of this building had a restaurant in it but is vacant now. I'm not sure what else is in it but it has a statue holding the scales of justice in its hand.

Another building at Stora Torget. The bottom floor is a Swedish fast food/burger place. The website on the building is for lawyers, or advocats, and I'm guessing that is what the yellow offices are. CiS Swedish cultural fact#18: For your fries you can choose from a variety of dipping sauces including salsa, curry, ketchup, and Bearnaise among other things. Usually for 5 krowns. Yummy.

Another building at Stora Torget. This one is for a bank. Notice the orange banners that are hanging up. This is to promote the upcoming Bandy National Championship games being played here this weekend. Bandy is like ice hockey with a ball, but on a rink the size of a soccer pitch, eleven guys a side, and the goalie/keeper doesn't get a stick but has to use his hands. So other than that, it's exactly the same. It's kind of a big deal around here. We're going to go and get some pictures. Stay tuned true believers.

The most modern building in Stora Torget. This one has a department store and a grocery inside. That is a bus stop in front. Compare the sky here with it in the picture of the front of the church. The day definitely improved. Also notice that most of the people in these pictures are wearing black. It's is very popular here, along with skinny jeans, and boots worn over them. Crazy. Jamila, I think you would fit right in.