My ten day excursion to Scandinavia is over and I'm back in the full swing of things in Versailles. But the trip was absolutely great. Going to Norway was a wonderful way to begin the trip after a stressful week of midterms. We drove through the fjords and saw beautiful landscapes. On the other hand, we drove through the fjords, in a small two wheel drive Opel Aster. The drive was somewhat scary on the tops of the glacial mountains, but we made it safe and sound. I guess its good thing I was raised on a stick shift in Minnesota. We spent most of our time though in the Scandinavian cities. Due to Norway's strong currency and high standard of living, Oslo and Bergen were quite expensive, but consequently also very clean and pretty. And if you hear otherwise, the Vikings never left, they're still there. The natives are all blond, tall and broadly built; somewhat intimidating. We were only in Stockholm for two days, but we still were able to do quite a lot. The city is built on islands and is absolutely gorgeous with the changing leaves and small accumulations of snow. We spent the most time in Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki has had a very strong architectural history within just the last 2 decades making it a fun place for a group of architectural students to visit. Most of the city is relatively new compared to most European cities and as a result has established a reputation for its modern architecture. So we visited quite a few sites of architectural interest. While I was in Helsinki I also saw the new motion picture Marie Antoinette. The movie was filmed in Versailles and is obviously about Marie Antoinette. Although the plot is somewhat dry and entirely predicted, as it is based on historical events, I would highly recommend the film, if not only just to see where I'm living right now minus some of the courtly extravagances. I took a lot of pictures, but as the travel break incorporated numerous sketching assignments, I also have several sketches. The sketchbooks are currently under review, but I hope to get the sketches on my online portfolio in the next few weeks. So keep your eyes peeled.