I spent a Saturday in mid-October in Uppsala, Sweden, a city about an hour north of Stockholm by train. This article is a quick intro to Uppsala as well as a few of my observations as a foreigner.
Uppsala is Sweden’s fourth largest city with over 172,000 people, but it sure didn’t feel that way!
Prior to going, I wasn’t aware of this, but after walking around a bit, it felt really small. I was able to walk to all the major attractions, have lunch, as well as take a bus to Gamla Uppsala (the old town) in as little as 4 hours.
The city hosts the oldest university in all of Scandinavia, Uppsala University. It was founded in 1477, and of notable interest is that the Celsius scale was invented there! Very cool!
I walked around the campus, the main building, and even managed to venture into the library (as well as its reading room, which by the way felt like the quietest place on earth!).
Quick fact: Scandinavia consists of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Many folks assume Finland and Iceland are Scandinavian, but they aren’t. All five countries are considered Nordic, but only 3 are Scandinavian, which is defined as belonging to the Scandinavian Peninsula.
I didn’t go on a professional tour, instead choosing to meander about the city. I suppose you could say I just allowed fate to take me to where it always intended. 😉
Below are a few of the more interesting places and pictures I took while there. There’s certainly a lot more to Uppsala so if you get a chance, do go see this beautiful Swedish city.
Pictures of Uppsala, Sweden (in October)
Uppsala Castle
Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Botanical Gardens
Gamla Uppsala – the Mounds
