ballgowns...

The Gold Hall in Stockholms Stadshuset (City Hall),

where the Nobel Prize is celebrated. 

This room of real gold made me want to don a ball gown and dance

Standing on the smallest street in Gamla Stan, Stockholm

My (great-cousin) Solveig also standing there.

She's one class lady

The smallest street in Gamla Stan

20 minutes to sink a ship...

Stockholm by night

Stockholm at midnight, if you can believe it

my third cousin, Johanna, walking to the lake to go swimming

a super-typical Swedish lunch

herring, salmon, yogurt, salad, eggs...

seriously-swedish part 2

bread, butter, and cheese

wandering around the royal family's backyard. 

Drottninghalm Palace

Drottninhalm Palace

kind of a failure of a ship

history makes it cool

The Vasa

Loreen in Stockholm

Loreen in Stockholm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5qURKt4maw

'Euphoria'

Love this song, love her

rooftops and sunshine corners...

so, what have I been up to? More importantly what have you been up to? I thought I'd at least ask before I go into another long self-centered rambling of my own goings-on. so...

Two days ago I visited one of my cousins, Solveig, who lives a little southwest of Stockholm. I am convinced everyone in Sweden must have giant windows that provide stunning views of a lake, rolling hills of grass, and boulders. I have yet to be proven wrong. After visiting with her, her husband, and her daughters (all of whom are absolutely wonderful. I love this family like nothing else), Solveig and I drove over to Drottninghalm Slott ("Queen's Islet Palace") where the Swedish royal family lives. We walked around their giant backyard of a garden and ate a delicious, nutritious, wholly Swedish picnic on the rollings, grassy hills (see! Even the royal family has this view!) We talked about traveling and family--both our own and the Swedish royal family.

Yesterday I enjoyed a quiet day, reading books, drinking coffee, and then visiting my third-cousin's elementary school to see an exhibition of his third grade artwork. Woo! It brought back memories of my own elementary school experiences. Plus, it was interesting to compare swedish and american schools.

And today, I visited Fotografiska, the photography museum here in Stockholm, which was showing an interesting exhibition by Helena Blomqvist. Greg Schreck, you would love this photographer. I enjoyed lunch in their cafe which overlooks the city (yes, even the photography museem has giant windows and fabulous views of lakes and hills). I walked around Gamla Stan, sitting to enjoy a cup of coffee in a little cafe before meeting Solveig to take a ferry across to the Vasa Museum.

Now, if most of you are like myself, you have no idea why the Vasa Museum is worth visiting. I shall enlighten you. The Vasa was a Swedish warship built in the 1620s for the Swedish king for his current war. The Vasa was built to be one of the most impressive, intimidating, and striking warships of its time with exorbitant amounts of color, ornamentation, and canons. The Swedish king was a bit of a canon maniac. Unfortunately, however, this ship became famous not because of what it could do, but what it could not do. Being built disproportionately-too tall and not wide enough- it sank in the Stockholm harbor 20 minutes into its first voyage. 333 years after it sank, it was finally recovered and brought to the surface once more, and now sits in the most visited museum in Scandinavia.

After visiting the Vasa museum, Solveig brought me to an adorable, outdoor cafe with delectable tomato soup (seriously delicious!). This cafe is hidden away in a little corner of sunshine near the Vasa Museet and one would not know it is there if you didn't know where to go. We then wandered through Ostermalm, one of the more posh neighborhoods of Stockholm with its large homes and picturesque streets. We visited the CulturalHuset and then (and here comes the goooood part) we happened upon a main square in the shopping districts of Stockholm where Loreen was about to perform!

Now, again, if you have no idea why this moment is significant, let me enlighten you. Recently, Loreen, a Swede, won the EuroVision Song Contest with her song 'Euphoria', representing her country. The EuroVision Song Contest is like a continent-wide American Idol, but better, more nationalistic, and so fantastic. I was able to watch the contest on tv, and I saw Sweden win. Swedes have been talking of little else since that fateful/glorious day, last Saturday. Well, having flown back from Baku, where the concert was held, Loreen arrived in Sweden yesterday, and Stockholm today where she performed her song for all of us from a rooftop. So. much. fun.

Truly, America, Sweden has something we can (and should and must) embrace, and her name is Loreen (pronounced Lo-ray-awn).

Solveig, Lasse, and I will be going to visit the Stockholm City Hall tomorrow (Nobel Prize anyone?), and we are planning of searching out where I can buy Loreen's cd. I shall bring her back to the States with me because I am determined to spread her goodness. Love you all!

my favorite corners of Stockholm...

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

view from my bedroom window

sunset over Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Stockholm Public Library

Stockholm Public Library

I've found my version of Belle's library from Beauty and the Beast

Stockholm Public Library

I could live here

Lady Susan in the Stockholm Public Library

Gustav Vasa Church

Stockholm

an amazing outdoor market

Stockholm Sweden

at a famous crossroads

Stockholm, Sweden

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

I am spoiled...

Today was beautiful. I woke up to sunshine, warmth, and the sound of the gentle water brushing the shore outside my window. I slowly had breakfast, sipping coffee, eating a soft boiled egg with caviar (in honor of you, min morfar), and gazing out the window toward Gamla Stan and cruise ships sailing into port nearby. I lazily got ready, walked out the front door, and took a bus into the middle of the city. Wandering around I did some shopping (and bought David, my brother the most amazing gift of all time!!) Stopping to enjoy a cup of coffee, I sat at a table outside a cafe, watching stylish Swedes of all kind walk by, going about their lives. Wandering over to Gamla Stan, I walked through narrow, cobblestone streets photographing the mundane, ordinary, the little details that may be overlooked. Later, I enjoyed another cup of coffee in a small cafe beside of the busy walking/shopping promenades that tourists frequent. This time I enjoyed watching groups of people from all over the world--with their backpacks safely facing forward, their large camera slung over one shoulder (of which I am sometimes guilty), their multifold city maps, and their looks of excitement to visit the swedish restaurant offering real swedish steak and potatoes, as advertised in bold english signs--meander past my table. (As an aside, I do not want to appear aloof or haughty, or somehow better than other tourists. I fully recognize that I am a tourist and a plainly obvious/ignorant/typical one at that! I just find tourist culture/dress/customs to be interesting, even across borders or national boundaries). As a second aside, I think I would like to assert that it seems universally true that if you do not speak the native language people are bound to speak to you much louder, with greater annunciation as if they are speaking a dull-witted child.

Back to my lovely day, after wandering around Gamla Stan, I eventually took a bus back to the apartment. I sat on the sun-drenched balcony until Ylva and Janne's children and grandchildren arrived for a chicken dinner. I officially love these people, one of these sons has a wife who is from Colombia. They met and lived in London for several years, and have now returned to live and work in Stockholm. I cannot say how jealous I am of their two sons who at less than 10 years old are both trilingual. TRILINGUAL. How many people do you know are seriously competent in three languages? English, Spanish, and Swedish. I know two of those languages and truly wish I could claim all three. What was even cooler, while I enjoyed dinner, I was sitting next to this part of the family and loved that the conversation easily flowed between all three languages. Coolest dinner conversation (pertaining to chicken, potatoes, and batman) that I have ever been a part of. Another highlight of dinner was when I was asked by one of these, my third cousins, which came first, sheep or people? I guessed sheep.

Tomorrow I look foward to going for a run (if I write that in this blog, hopefully I'll feel compelled enough to actually do it), go to the Stockholm Globe (like the London Eye) where one is in a ball of glass that is a part of a giant ferris wheel of sorts, which will provide a fantastic view of the city. And to conclude tomorrow's exciting events, the evening will provide the finals for the EUROVISION SONG CONTEST!!! If you have no idea what I am talking about, see yesterday's blog post. You won't be disappointed.

Love you all

disco and plastic trumpets...

I am sitting through one of the most interesting cultural experiences of my life. It's called the Eurovision Song Contest, during which captive audiences spread all across Europe sit expectantly in front of their tv's waiting for their country to wow the rest of Europe. This seriously all-inclusive contest, with groups from Belarus, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, and Malta, allows one group from every country to perform a song, over the course of two days, with one eventual winner. This contest, experiencing its 56th year, first came to my attention and collided with my ignorant conscience in the middle of a Justin Bieber-like concert being performed in the middle of Tivoli during my visit to Copenhagen. A song was performed that shook the crowd and evoked such excitement in those all around me that I had to know what was happening. I was told that the Danish band who had won the Eurovision Song Contest last year was performing their winning song. Until that moment, I've never seen such nationalistic, excited Danes in my life. And then I arrived in Stockholm where I was excitedly told that this years contest would be performed on tv this very week!!

And so here I sit watching each country passionately perform. And I'm speechless. There are no words to adequately describe what I am seeing. I have never heard so many different languages, so many english accents, so many passionate facial expressions, mullets, or break-dancing men in decorative skirts and thick eyeliner who utilize fake plastic trumpets to the beat of a ukrainian song sung in english inviting the crowd to 'be my guest!' Seriously, do you think you could find the words to truly describe this experience??

All I know is that American Idol has got a thing or two to learn before it has reached the big time...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSQdnvzV8CE
(I don't even know what he's saying and I love this song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_F6H6--FrU
(reinforcing my speechlessness)

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/baku-2012
(for a further education)

eyes...

ok, I know it's a small accomplishment...not even worth exciting notice for some, but I must say that I am rather proud of myself for having eaten at one time an entire fish and at another dinner a whole bunch of chilled shrimp, all so fresh from the Baltic Sea beside me that they still had their eyes. I know fresh seafood is a treat. It has all tasted absolutely delicious. But like I said, I am rather proud of myself for eating without comment while these delectable delicacies stared at me while I picked them apart to eat...just sayin

Stockholm...

Crossing from Denmark (behind me) back to Sweden

Irene and I

We take ourselves very seriously

The fam

Stellan, Irene, David, and I

a typical swedish breakfast

Ylva, Ulla-Britt, Solveig, Hellevi, and Torbjorn looking over our giant family tree

the fam in Stockholm

Me, Torbjorn, Ulla-Britt, Hellevi, Lars, Solveig, and Janne

The fam, take 2

Torbjorn, Ulla-Britt, Hellevi, Lars, Solveig, Ylva, and Janne

sunset over Stockholm and the view from the balcony of my current residence

(and where I am sitting this morning posting these photos!)

copenhagen, denmark...

one very popular lady

Copenhagen, Denmark

copenhagen

outdoor antique market

copyright David Jade

the Royal Library

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

a bunch of Danes rocking out in Tivoli

tangled...

-I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?
-It will be.
-And what if it is? What do I do then?
-Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream. 

I woke up this morning to my last morning in Hannabad, Sweden and I started to think about this quote from Tangled. As I wandered down the dirt road to Morfars stuga, and as I sat on his front porch listening to melodic birds and enjoying the sun on my face I suddenly realized I have dreamt of this moment for my entire life. Coming to Sweden and standing in places where my family members have stood for a hundred years has always been this elevated dream of mine, this goal placed up on a pedestal. Traveling to Sweden would be the ultimate trip, the once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.

And now here I am. And it is perfect.

And as I began to think, that because of this amazing adventure that I am able to experience, I was almost sad to consider what could possibly arise to fill the space where that nearly unattainable life goal had been. I don´t regret coming to Sweden. I will never regret that I am here. But what will I do when I come back to America? I wasn´t sure, but as I sat on his porch, I was again reminded of Tangled. I get to hold on to this trip, these people, and the memories that I will have for a lifetime. But more than that...I get to also go find a new dream. Life sometimes gives us beautiful moments, moments that could not be made any better. Living one dream and considering what new dreams I will get to create--all while sitting on the porch of morfars stuga--is one of a thousand beautiful moments I am soaking up here, along with the sunshine, in Sweden.

let me be your travel guide...

If ever you go to Copenhagen, I would suggest going here....

 

Tivoli Gardens!!
Københavns Rådhus (Town Hall)
Strøget
The Round Tower!
Amagertorv
Lousiana Museum of Modern Art
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Slotsplads
Thorvaldsens Museum
Thorvaldsens Plads Antikmarked (outdoor antique market)
Christian IVS Bryghus
The Black Diamond / The Royal Library!
Christiania!!
Amager University area (new city buildings)
Copenhagen Metro
Central Station
Canal Tours Copenhagen
Nyhavn (definitely eat dinner outside in the evening here!)
Skuespilhuset
Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Slotsplads
Amaliehaven
The Little Mermaid
Langeliniepromenaden
The Kings Garden
Botalical Garden
Torvehallerne
Frederiksberg Gardens!
Ikea!

random things...

Random things I am super glad I have done thus far on this trip...

1. crawled into and took a brief nap in an IKEA bed in Denmark
2. learned that there are Swedes who were avid Full House fans
3. ordered completely in Swedish in a cafe
4. ate a danish with coffee in Denmark
5. laughed so hard I cried
6. ...then got the hiccups repeatedly
7. saw a movie poster in Sweden for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8. learned that its the little things like white socks that can make you stick out like a sore thumb in Europe...people in Denmark and Sweden evidently do not wear white socks because they do not match one´s shoes
9. sat by the sea and listened to the waves

Copenhagen...

What an amazing city is Copenhagen! Seriously...if you haven´t been here before, jump on a plane, any plane and find your way here. After two incredibly full days of biking around this city I can´t quite say that I was suprised by what I found here in Denmark because, to be honest, I think I instinctively try to refrain from forming too many preconceived assumptions about places I am going to visit, but I fell in love with all that I saw. Traveling has taught me that other cities and countries and cultures will always surprise me. And I like to be surprised.

I arrived in Copenhagen on thursday and right after dropping everything in the hostel, my new friend/cousin of slightly more distant relations, David, and I borrowed bikes and started riding all over the city. (If you´re going to visit this city, go around in the evening when the Danish wander the city rather than during the day when the tourists do!) I´ve got this to say for Copenhagen, and Denmark in general, they have a huge appreciation and respect for their bike riders! The entire city (of about 1.5 million people) is set up to encourage bike riding. Between the road and the sidewalk there is always a lane for bikes. There are separate street lights for bikes, and rules of the road for bikes. Riding around Copenhagen was faster than walking--I was able to see so much in just two short days--yet it´s slow enough that you can look around and see what is going on all around you. If I could I would transport Denmark´s bike system to Chicago!

Ok, now that I´ve spent way too many words raving just about bike riding, how can I possibly begin to sum up the rest of an amazing weekend trip? Here goes. I loved the surprise sunny weather we were blessed with, the creative way Danes can mix mediums and styles in their architecture that balances the extremely old with a futuristic new (Katherine, you would looove this city!), I loved the outdoor market where I bought strawberries and loaves of bread and cheese, and then I loved cycling over to the King´s Garden (one of countless, stunning parks scattered all throughout the city, surrounded by cobblestone streets and watched over by ancient castles) where I sat and drank a local beer, had a picnic, and discussed sociopolitical systems found around the world. I loved Tivoli, the world´s oldest theme park that hasn´t changed in the last hundred years, and, with its charm and amazing food, is still a great place for wandering, riding rollercoasters, and watching people from Denmark and all over the world. I loved seeing the city from the seat of a bicycle, from the top of a ferris wheel, from the tall ´Round Tower´ that provides a beautiful view of Copenhagen from above, and from the windows of local coffee shops found late at night while cycling down side streets. I loved watching the pride and joy in thousands of Danish faces as they sang along to ´Wings of Love´--an incredibly nationalistic song--at a rock concert one night. I loved walking through Christiania and considering how this part of the city, a freetown, has persisted despite official resistance, and what it can tell us about humanity.

I love how much my family laughs. Even if those bursts of laughter arise from long conversations of swedish not quite intelligible to my ear, I love being around these wonderful people who I know love having me here and by whom I adore being shown Sweden and Denmark.

stream of consciousness...

May 16th. I keep having to count forward from saturday, May 12th to remind myself what day it is. Up until now today I have enjoyed a rather exciting day of normalcy. Large gray rainclouds bring gentle but constant rain. Driving over to Markaryd brought visits to the grocery store, bakery, bookstore, watch shop, and library in the town. Coffee has become one of my best friends as I continue to work through jet lag. Even after incredibly long days, evenings are always a little bit easier than waking up around 8 or 9, which I thought about today is basically like waking up at 2 a.m. eastern time every day. Slowly I am shifting over to Swedish time. Having a watch will hopefully also help. I can also tell that I am beginning to pick up little bits of Swedish here and there. Because so much of the swedish language seems to utilize the long ´a´ sound, more often than not this spills into my english and I simply start talking in english with a funny british-type accent. During lunch I got a little reminder of home while I ate cereal and ´christmas porridge´ when, while we listened to the radio, Fun.´s ´We Are Young´ started to play and I got really excited. I actually know that song! Wow, this might be the most random stream of unrelated thoughts ever typed together on one page. Well, if you were smart maybe you stopped reading long before the end of this blog post. Happy Wednesday! Off to Kopenhamn tomorrow.

kyrka...

Markaryd Kyrka

 

 I got to walk up above the sanctuary ceiling and the roof! Actually pitch black, couldn´t see a thing!

After many wooden ladders and small openings in ceilings I was treated with amazing views from up in the bell/clock tower of Markaryd Kyrka

I was able to see some amazing objects, all that remains from the original wooden Markaryd Kyrka that was built in the 12th century and burnt down when struck by lightening in the 1850s

Mig morfars morfars och mormors grave. My grandfather´s grandfather and grandmother´s grave. Family!

Peter Johan Svensson (mig morfars morfar)

Anna Ulrika Svensson (mig morfars mormor)

Day three. Today I visited Markaryd Kyrka where I climbed so many steep ladders up through small wooden openings up into the bell and clock tower and up to the top windows which provided amazing vistas of the surrounding church yard and area. I walked along rows upon rows of gravestones, many of them family members. I visited my grandfather´s grandfather and mother´s grave. I ate a soft-boiled egg, but wasn´t quite brave enough to try it with caviar. Overall it has been a lovely day. Skyping with my mother and considering going to sleep, I am excited to go visit more of Markaryd, the bookstore there, and other sights in the area tomorrow. (Sarah, I hope your first day of work went soo well!)