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  • James 9:19 PM on 09/03/2010 Permalink | Reply  

    Sveriges största hemlighet 

    Millesgarden

    Millesgarden

    Sweden’s biggest secret is just how beautiful the place is at this time of the year.

    A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the weather map and getting really worried.

    The temperatures had been below zero since the beginning of December.

    But since I’ve arrived, with one or two exceptions, the weather has been really wonderful. Although the temperatures remain low, there are blue skies, and the sun shining on your face can make you feel really fantastic.

    And today was a good example of how great that can be.

    I went to Millesgården, a sculpture garden in the northern part of Stockholm.

    It’s a garden and museum based around the works of a Swedish sculptor who was heavily influenced by classic sculpture from Rome.

    That some of these works reflect the Nazi aesthetic of the time, and the sculptor’s own personal political views, is a little uncomfortable to say the least.

    But his works are interesting, and he was, apparently one of Rodin’s assistants in France, which you can clearly see in his style.

    During summer, the garden is very popular, especially with all of the fountains. But today, the place was all but deserted, aside from myself and one other bloke.

    Thus, I was lucky enough to have a couple of hours walking around the garden, and to look closely at the works, without the distraction of other people closeby.

    “It’s so good to have all the works to yourself”, one of the guides said to me as we chatted. She added, quite correctly, seeing the sculptures in the snow, also gave them a “magical quality”.

    Mostly though, the white background from the snow, really helps the works stand out more. And you can really look at them without the distraction of so many other colours you see in summer.

    This is Sweden’s biggest secret: it’s a beautiful, uncrowded place at this time of the year, where the Swedes go about their business of being Swedes.

    They don’t instantly assume you’ll speak English. In fact, the opposite.

    It was a beautiful day sitting in the sun, relaxing, and enjoying life.

    After last night’s extravaganza, and dancing to schlager, it’s a quiet night in for me, catching up on blogging, emails and so on.

     

  • James 11:53 PM on 08/03/2010 Permalink | Reply  

    Alltid säga ja 

    Schlager band plays at Victorias

    Schlager band plays at Victorias

    It was a day of conversation openers, where a number of people introduced themselves to me.

    Admittedly, the first two were a salesman for the local version of “The Big Issue” and a woman trying to sign me up to support Amnesty International.

    And the third was the guide for Skyview, the ride that takes you up to the top of Globen (the concert and sports arena).

    But the fourth was a genuine conversation started, and proof positive that you should always say yes.

    The ride on Skyview to the top of Globen is excellent by the way.

    It must be only a few hundred metres in the air, but since Stockhcolm is such a low-level development city, that’s really all you need to have a good view around the place.

    And today there was more to be seen, as the skies were blue, and you could see well into the distance.

    Closer to hand, there were a bunch of blokes who were removing the snow and ice from the top of Globen. It was fascinating to watch them go about their work, and to see them held there by what appeared to be only a reasonably thin rope.

    The tour guide, by the way, was originally from Portugal, and came to Stockholm to study.

    “So why do you speak Swedish?”, he asked me. And I told him about my long-interest in Swedish culture. And then he said, “ABBA were very popular in Australia. Weren’t they?” He saw right through me.

    The fourth person to say hello to me today was a young bloke sitting on a chair not far from me at Torget, a gay bar in Gamla Stan.

    “Cheers”, he said, as he looked over at me holding up his glass. And of course, I responded with “skol”.

    Over the next couple of hours we chatted, mostly about music and film, and enjoyed each other’s company very much.

    As the night appeared to be drawing to an end, he asked if I wanted to join him, going to a schlager bar called Victoria’s (I think) on Kungstradgarden.

    It was then I remembered some wonderful advice given to me by a colleague before my last overseas trip. “Always say yes”, she advised me, and it was great advice then, and great advice now.

    It was a really nice bar with a really nice vibe. And best of all, they had a GREAT band playing schlager. The two male lead singers really knew how to entertain the crowd, and obviously LOVE the songs they sing.

    The night ended at about when the band finished, and we caught the night bus back in the same direction.

    We’re Facebook friends now, of course.

    Alltid säga ja = always say yes.

     

    • JudgeG 10:44 PM on 09/03/2010 Permalink | Reply

      The story/photo about the removing of snow from Globen has – after a gazillion years – finally made me want to go to Stockholm in winter. I am enthralled by it. You just don’t think of things like this happening. Yoda, if you’re reading this, fire up the credit card….let’s go to Sweden!

  • James 11:00 PM on 07/03/2010 Permalink | Reply  

    Jag söker rocks 

    Rock carvings sign in Norrkoping, carvings under snow

    Rock carvings sign in Norrkoping, carvings under snow

    As a town, I’m not sure Norrköping has all that many “tourist attractions”. That may explain why the tourist office was closed today. Yes, there are lakes and forrests, and lots of activities for outdoor. And yes, there are a few museums. But when it comes to attractions which you might introduce with “Sweden’s only…” or “Sweden’s biggest…” you might be struggling. That said, the town does have ancient Viking rock carvings which I set out in search of today.

    But not until I’d had breakfast and watched a little bit of sunday morning television. I was hoping for a Simpsons marathon, but ended up with a combination of religious programs, sport, children’s programs, and a couple of highly sexual short films. Yes, really.

    When it all became too much for me, I headed off for a walk around the city. I wandered down to the town’s shipping area, hoping for some interesting historic buildings or at least some pretty sights and was disappointed. Yesterday’s analogy about Norrköping being a bit like Newcastle or Wollongng was verified this morning as I wandered around a largely industrial area.

    “Where WAS everyone?”, I wondered to myself, until I remembered I was in a country town. Thus, everyone was at the shopping mall. As you might imagine, the shopping malls in Norrköping are a little like every other shopping mall in the world. It was as if Frank Lowy had come to this town and left his mark here as well. There’s nothing especially spectacular about the shopping on offer in Norrköping, though I did buy a new beanie from H&M at the bargain price of $8.00. This one fits a little better than the one I got the other day.

    And then for lunch I wandered into yet another English pub. “How do you say this in English?”, I asked the girl behind the counter. For a moment she had to think and then responded with “It’s moose”. “Oh yes, I’ll have that”, I told her. It was reasonably tasty, with a hamburger beef quality, and was accompanied by potatoes, lingon, and that rather odd looking, though very tasty brown gravy you most commonly associate with Swedish meat balls.

    And yes, I know what you’re saying. Another English pub. Yes, that’s three at my latest count. I wonder what happened here that’s led to this? Did they all happen at once? Is it part of an expansion by these chain pubs? Or did locals decide they were a good idea? I’m guessing it’s the former, more than the latter. Oh, and the other thing Norrköping has too many of is pizza restaurants. Just about every restaurant in the main part of town seems to serve pizza.

    So just when I was feeling a little disappointed that Norrköping was like any other town in the world, I picked up a tourist map from the aforementioned tourist bureau (you push a button and they’re dispensed from a machine), and started to wander around.

    There are some great buildings to see, especially down by the river, reflecting the town’s industrial past. There’s one scene, in particular, that looks like something out of the industrial revolution with large mills dominating the landscape.

    And then, on my path hoping to find the Viking carvings, I wandered through a wonderful landscape that was, not surprisingly, dominated by snow. But along the way, you pass the church yard which, once again, reflects the town’s cultural diversity with a significant Jewish component. You also pass a crematorium, a mini-golf course, and, as you wander down by the river, you also see ducks, people doing cross-country ski-ing, and families walking about with their children.

    For quite some time this afternoon I was really enjoying the moment as I walked maybe 3 or 4km towards the rock carvings. There was absolute peace, aside from the occasional swish-swish sound of someone ski-ing past. And I loved watching the ducks, and walking the people walking their dogs. I had really no idea how far it was until I got to see the rock carvings, so I just enjoyed the walk for all that it could offer. I remembered, this was a holiday, a time for relaxation, as well as a time for enjoying all that Sweden has to offer.

    And then finally I saw a sign which indicated he rock carvings were only 400 metres away. So I walked and looked and enjoyed the moment, until finally I saw a sign which told people these were significant carvings, and there were prohibitions in place, such as lighting fires.

    “But where were the carvings?”, I thought to myself, and quickly realised they were under about six feet of snow. It was then I started to giggle, realising the long walk had been for nothing. Obviously I need to come back in summer if I want to see the rock carvings. Even the rock carving museum was closed.

    Still, it was a very pleasant afternoon, and one which I enjoyed very much.

    Unfortunately, walking through all of the snow, I got my feet wet, and as I was walking home I started to get a little worried. My toes starting to feel beyond cold. And by the time I got home, they were borderline numb. So as soon as I arrived home I hopped straight in the shower, hoping to warm up. I also went to bed for a while, as they were still quite cold. I was genuinely worried about the risk of frost-bite. But, thankfully, it wasn’t to be, thanks largely to the recovery action I took in hopping in bed and having an afternoon nap.

    Upon waking, I had a bite to eat and began watching last night’s Melodifestivalen which, I missed live, due to attending the Helen Sjoholm concert. There was a real buzz for me watching the show on Swedish TV, and not via a download or DVD. I’m disappointed Alcazar didn’t make it through, especially since Jessica Andersson’s song and performance were so incredibly boring and predictable. I’m also disappointed Orsa Spellman didn’t make it through either, also defeated by Jessica Andersson. But it’s good that Pernilla Wahlgren made it through.

    On Friday night, I’m heading off to the dress rehearsal for next weekend’s final at Globen and can’t wait.

    I’m hoping I won’t be disappointed as I was today in not getting to see the Viking rock carvings. I’m sure I won’t.

     

    • jif 10:07 PM on 08/03/2010 Permalink | Reply

      Next time you get numb from the cold, remember that you should never warm up a cold bodypart with anything over 40-42 degrees celsius. So be careful with the warm showers. Warming up to quick can cause damage. As can rubbing, never ever rub on cold skin, it will also cause more damage. Just so you know!

      • James 12:16 PM on 09/03/2010 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks. That is great advice. I am sure it will continue to come in useful.

        • jif 10:20 PM on 09/03/2010 Permalink | Reply

          Hopefully not, but you never know..! And thank you for a very nice blog, it is really nice and interesting to read about Sweden and Stockholm from another perspective (than my own, living here)!

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