Ice hockey in Uppsala

I just got home from my first ever ice hockey game, and I enjoyed so much I needed to write this post right away.

So we went to the ice rink (Gränby Ishall or Gränbyhallen) where I skate (I'm doing some basic ice skating there), and we witnessed this awesome sport (I had only watched it once before, from a TV!). Where I come from, we only have roller hockey or field hockey (no ice, remember?), and they are both quite important and interesting disciplines, but ice hockey is a lot more fun to watch! For starters, the speeeeeeeeed! And the fights!!!

Just as a heads up, and from what I have learned during the game, ice hockey games generally consist of three periods of twenty minutes each, the clock running only when the puck is in play. The teams change ends for the second period, again for the third period, and again at the start of each overtime that is played. I cannot say anything about the rules because it was IMPOSSIBLE to see and learn anything but, in general, all infractions of the rules lead to game stoppages, and the game is then restarted with a crazy face off. Want to know more? Let's go to Wikipedia...

Well, so the game faced Almtuna IS (from Uppsala) against Rögle BK (from Ängelholm), and it was the last game of the season (I think) from the second highest league of ice hockey in Sweden (HockeyAllsvenskan). BTW, the final result was 5-3 (2-0/0-3/3-0) for Almtuna and all goals were scored on our side/end of the rink! =D

Hiking trails through Uppsala: Gula Stigen or The Yellow Trail

Uppsala can feel quite small if you are used to live in big cities, but it can also feel very fresh, natural, and free. The city is surrounded by fields and forests and, therefore, there are a lot of opportunities in terms of outdoors activities. "Low level" hiking (of course, almost no hills here!) is one of them, and today I'm going to talk about the Gula Stigen trail.

"Gula Stigen is a hiking trail of about 10 kilometres long, running from the Studenternas sports stadium via Kronparken, Rosendalsfältet, Ultuna hagar, Gottsundagipen, and Vårdsätra Forest, to Skarholmen. It was created as a skiing and hiking trail back in the 1930’s. What is unique about this trail is that runs through an almost continuous green belt in the middle of an urban environment. The trail’s surroundings include broadleaf groves, old pine forests, arable land, and pastures. This means that you can enjoy a rich variety of countryside. The terrain is occasionally slightly hilly, with boulders and roots, but there are also easily accessible stretches in the northern part of the trail that are suitable for disabled persons" (from Uppsala Kommun).

It is an easy hike, although it can be quite tricky if done during the winter months, as ice and snow cover the path and it becomes slippery. In these case, you are never too careful! That is also one of the reasons it took so long to do it. I think it can take about 1h 30m, more or less, in spring or summer conditions.

Some pictures I took the other day (February 21, 2015):

Path through the forests

Espai creatiu: pinta la teva pròpia ceràmica

Doncs no sé jo si existeixen llocs així per Barcelona, o Catalunya,... però el primer cop que vaig entrar a Creative Space em vaig quedar bocabadada. Sí, sí, 5 minuts en silenci, mentre admirava la sala d'aquest local i absorbia cada imatge i sensació que em transmetia. Exageració? Sí, pot ser. Però per a mi això és com un temple.

Aquest espai creatiu permet pintar el teu propi joc de ceràmica. Tasses, tasses de cafè, de tè, tasses més grans, tasses més petites, bols, bols més grans i més petits, plats, plats quadrats, rodons, allargats, grans, petits, plans, plats sopers, petites escultures, safates, enciameres, gerres, etc. Tot el que es vulgui i més.