First things first: it's Annandagpåsk, which literally translates as "another day of Easter", which I think is delightful. In Sweden they take the Monday off as well. I don't know why, but it's nice.
A few weeks ago I decided I wouldn't let a four-day weekend go to waste and just sit around the house, so I booked a quick trip to Stockholm to hit up some places I'd neglected before - specifically Fotografiska. I had a fairly nice time. But first, a few quick photos from Delsjön, my local forest:
See all those "waves"? They weren't there a few weeks ago when we visited - the ice was completely solid and very thick. Temperatures have been consistently above freezing! So the ice is melting. All the same, I was surprised to find it was still frozen over. I guess once a lake freezes like this it doesn't want to let go.
Puddles on the ice.
So then, Stockholm. Thursday night I bundled myself from work into a train into a little hostel in Stockholm's Gamla Stan (old town). It was really nice to be in the old town - at night it's very quiet and in the morning none of the shops are open so none of the tourists are about and it's quite lovely to walk around.
For whatever reason I took a ton of verticals so my apologies for all the scrolling you must now do.
One thing that struck me on this trip was a number of Swedish things I now take for granted. For instance, every toilet paper roll in Sweden is covered by this little metal hinged contraption that holds the roll in place and provides a convenient lever for ripping off the paper. In the hostel, every time I went into a bathroom, that cover had been flipped up - the other hostel residents apparently uninterested or ignorant of how it works. I also noticed several people standing around waiting for a bathroom that was not locked. I could tell it was not locked because the little lock bit was white (instead of red). I've been here long enough that much of this stuff is really self-evident to me and it's weird to notice other people having trouble with it.
As in most of my travels, the majority of my time was spent just literally wandering around. I did a couple of walking tours, a tiny bit of shopping, saw a movie (I, Tonya). But mostly just walking around.
Traveling hasn't made me as excited in recent years as in the past. Maybe because I've been able to do it so much more frequently. Or maybe I'm just going through a weird life phase. Or maybe none of the above and I'm just a mopey person.
I went to Skogskyrkogården because it's a UNESCO listed site. Honestly, I didn't think all that much of the place and I don't really know how it's of uncomparable benefit to humanity. I had had in mind the idea that George and I might try to see
all of the UNESCO sites, but after this latest lackluster one, I think I'll just put that aside. Anyway, it was a nice cemetery and all...
I also have been reading the Stevie Nicks (unsanctioned) biography and been getting really into Fleetwood Mac. This is relevant because I was listening to Fleetwood Mac as I was strolling around this cemetery and just getting really down. I maybe need more uplifting media.
There's a thing in Sweden where people don't leave flowers on the graves themselves but in these other central locations. At the cemetery by our house, for instance, there's a designated place to leave flowers and things for dead loved ones. That way the groundskeepers don't have to go around and pick up all the dead flowers - they can just maintain one little spot. It's eminently practical (and very Swedish).
I don't know why, but there were dozens of tombstones in this back area of the cemetery.
I don't mean to be such a bummer, guys. I'm fine, I think. Just being a little honest here instead of all sunshine and roses.
Anyway, the Stockholm subway has tons of really cool art. I had bought a 24-hour pass so I used it to tromp around and see some of the stations downtown.
Fotografiska was pretty cool. I liked one of the exhibitions a lot: Christian Tagliavini. He makes these elaborate setups and then photographs them. He carves things, 3D prints stuff, sews, does intricate paper work, then makes it look like Renaissance paintings. Really cool.
They also had an exhibition of Ellen von Unwerth's work. It was a huge collection of extremely beautiful women doing sexy things. And it made me feel like a prude because... and maybe I'm just getting old ... but I'm finding all of that really boring. How hard is it to make a beautiful, thin woman visually appealing to people? It's extremely easy, let me tell you. Are beautiful women more interesting? I just don't think so. And I feel like we see the same kind of woman all the time - young, extremely thin, usually white. It's just the same thing over and over and over again. And this was a warehouse-size exhibition of that repetition. I kept looking for some kind of feminist message or for just...
something to be said - about women, about femininity, about gender. But there was nothing - just a lot of half-naked women looking beautiful. Maybe I'm just a prude, I don't know.
That was pretty much it! Next trip is back to the states in six weeks. I'll get to see David's house and eat all the things (Tex Mex!) and generally be back immersed in the English language. People who live in DC, make some plans with me. It will be warm (by God!) so hopefully I'll be chipper again.
