Johan, the Receptionist at the Clarion Hotel
Pytt i Panna and a Swedish Lager
The Repainted Dalarna Horse on Skansen
The Original Dalarna Horse On Skansen That Benny and Björn Posed WithIt took such a long time for me to figure things out with the computer this morning and then to type my entry that I was not ready to leave the hotel before 11:00. When I did, I borrowed a paraply (umbrella) from the front desk. It will be different not having glorious sunshine today as we did for the past two days. I never had expected to be tanned from my trip to Stockholm, but that is precisely what has happened. My face is a glowing red, tanned but not burned.
I started off my journey with a quick trip to Åhléns, the department store next door to the hotel. I was hoping to find a light jacka (jacket) I could wear, but I could not find anything. The thing is that wearing a leather jacket with a backpack on your shoulders is perhaps playing the fashion victim, and I have been walking around in a simple t-shirt all the time. Today promised to be cooler, and I wanted something warmer. (Troy, you were right: I should have bought that jacket thing at Eddy Bauer...) Anyway, by the time I exited the building, the sun had come out and it turned out to be a warmish day.
I took the subway from near the Clarion hotel to the Slussen station (the one Lisbeth Salander gets attacked in in the first Millennium novel). When I got outside, it was about 11:30 a.m. then, and I thought maybe I would try to find the restaurant that the hotel found for me that serves kroppkakor, the Swedish answer to Acadian poutines râpées. Johan, the very cute young receptionist at the hotel, had recommended a restaurant that serves them and he had located the restaurant and marked it on my map near the Slussen subway station. It was called Blomgrens Chark. I started walking down the street he had marked for me, looking for number 90. The problem was that number 90 was not where he had located it. I kept walking, walking, walking looking for the restaurant. I finally found it, located well south of where Johan had marked it. It was so far south, in fact, that I had completely left Slussen, two subway stations north of my hotel, and was now south west of my hotel. (And my feet, especially my baby toes, were killing me.) In the window, a sign saying that kroppkakor season has now ended, and the restaurant is now closed until August.
So, I walked to the nearest subway station, Zinkensdamm, and, since it was now well past noon, I thought I would take the subway to Gamla Stan and try my luck there. Kroppkakor are definitely a rarity! One person who worked in a small shop on Gamla Stan suggested I try a restaurant near the coast, but when I got there, there were none on the menu. I noticed this restaurant was very posh: there was a waiter inside dressed in 18th century clothes with a powdered wig, and the menu in the window recommended the beef steak for 50 dollars Canadian. So I gave up my search for this elusive meal today and ended up in a small pub in Gamla Stan for lunch around 1:00 p.m. I asked the waiter if he could recommend a good Swedish öl (beer), preferably a lager. He suggested Falcon, which was quite good. For my meal, I ordered what was touted as a traditional Swedish dish, pytt i panna. This was a sort of Swedish hash: chopped meat and potatoes, served with a fried egg sunny side up on top, and a side of beets. I found it quite to my liking and it went well with the beer. For dessert, I had the chokladtårte med vanilijglass och grädde (chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream).
I decided that I would walk from Gamla Stan and go to Skeppsholmen to visit the Modernamuseum. As I made my way towards that island, I noticed a small crowd of people in front of a large ship. When I enquired what was going on, I was told that it was a Danish ship, and people thought that some celebrities, perhaps the Danish royal family, had arrived for the wedding tomorrow.
Continuing onward, I came to the makeshift IKEA display for Love 2010. There wasn´t much inside, but I did take a few photos of the displays, including one featuring a whole bunch of heart pillows with arms. Just outside this tent, on the opposite shore near the Grand Hotel, a bunch of photojournalists were cordoned off, positioned in front of the hotel, waiting to photograph God knows which celebrity who is in town for the wedding. The crowd of onlookers outside seemed genuinely intrigued by it all. Still I walked on.
I crossed the bron to Skeppsholmen and arrived in front of the Modernamuseum at 2:15, only to discover that because of the royal wedding this weekend, they closed at 2:00 today. So, I had to find a Plan B. For the time being, I had another quick look at Mono Studios (and noticed today that it is also the homebase of Stefan Lindé, Agnetha´s PR person). I continued onward and decided to have a quick look at a small island on the southern coast of Skeppsholmen called Kastellholmen. Near the bridge to this island, a small group of Stockholmers dressed in traditional costumes were playing folk music on a small stage.
It was on Kastellholmen that I realized there were ferries operating out of Skeppsholmen, and as the pass I bought is good for both subways and ferries, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Djurgården. The trip was exceedingly quick: I was on the island after about 5 minutes, whereas it would have taken me well over a half hour to walk there! I hadn´t quite decided where I was going yet. It was a toss up between Gröna Lund (the amusement park), the Vasa Museum (a museum devoted to a huge shipwrecked ship from the 1600s that was salvaged in the 19th century) or Skansen (the world´s oldest reconstituted historical village). I decided to visit the last one. When I got to the gate at 3:15, I was told that Skansen takes a good two hours to visit (Hans had told me three). The park itself was open until 8:00, but the buildings close and the people who portray the villagers in period costumes stop work at 5:00. I thought I would at least have a quick look around, and if interested, I could always return. Skansen ended up being an incredible experience, from the little I had time to see. Even if I skipped the zoo with its displays of Swedish animals (the Swedish animal of the month being the reindeer), I still saw many wonderful sights and took several photographs: small Swedish cottages with thatched roofs, a harmonica player in period dress, a splendid garden (Troy, you would love it here!), a stately manor house and two beautifully-painted, authentic Viking runestones from the 11th century. I noticed a large Dalarna horse sculpture in a sandbox beside a small one, and I wondered whether this horse just might be the one that Benny and Björn posed on in an early photo shoot. Lo and behold, it sure was, according to my ABBA guide. It was exciting to take a picture of it.
While I had my guide book out, I noticed that Julius Kronbergs ateliej (artist Julius Kronberg´s workshop) is located on Skansen. Inside is the display of paintings that appear on the front cover of ABBA´s "The Visitors" album. I definitely wanted a closer look. According to the guide, the building is not often open, but the curious visitor can usually arrange to have a look inside by asking the people who work at Skansen. So, I came upon two groundskeepers and asked if I could be let in. They suggested I see the information centre about this, and they said that if I were lucky, I might get to go in. So, my heart racing, and feeling completely elated, I made my way to the information centre, with the beginnings of thunder growling in the distance. When I got there, I explained that I had come from Canada, that this trip for me was my own ABBA Love 2010, and that it would mean so much to me to see this workshop. She consulted a schedule and then informed me that the building is closed until August. "Not even a little peek?", I persisted. No, sorry. So I went back outside now in the pouring rain, with the umbrella the hotel lent me, and found some shelter on a bench under an awning. My first thought, which I repeated out loud to myself was "I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry". My second thought, an angry one, was that if I had waited until my actual birthday to visit Sweden, then I could have eaten kroppkakor, seen Julius Kronbergs ateliej and seen the China theatre. My third thought was: I will have to tell Troy that when we come to Sweden together, we will have to come to Skansen then. (After all, I have to have some things left that I will not have done yet). I don´t think I have ever worked through grief so quickly in my life!
I made my way through the downpour outside the main grounds. There was no point in staying as the main buildings would close soon and the staff were getting ready to leave. If it is nice this coming week, perhaps I can return for a more proper visit. I stopped for a soft ice cream in Gröna Lund before taking the ferry back to Slussen. From there, a quick subway trip to the hotel.
I was greeted at the front desk of the hotel by Johan, who was absolutely beaming to see me. "Hej, Maurice, how great to see you again, my good friend. How are you doing?" I guess names don´t matter... I told him all about my kroppkakor misadventure, and he said he was really embarrassed. He found another spot, and said that he could call there before I go tomorrow to make sure they have them on-hand. I said I had another question, and he excused himself a minute. He came back, apologizing, saying he needed nicotine, so he brought back some snus, like chewing tobacco placed in a tea-bag-like pouch and placed above the gums. (Neil had warned me about this noxious substance). Johan offered me some, but I declined. Anyway, turns out the weather tomorrow for the wedding might be good after all. And it seems like most museums are open tomorrow, so I might take in a museum tomorrow before the wedding procession through the city. Hans has told me that he will be on Birger Jarls gatan for the procession. He will be representing his work, so he will carry a large flag of the Swedish Red Cross. (When he and I started chatting about two years ago, he was working in Elfenbenskusta (Ivory Coast) in Africa. So, I might try to go see him during the procession tomorrow.
So, it is now about 7:40 p.m. and I am feeling hungry, and tired. I am thinking of having dinner, perhaps at the hotel, and then an early night. If I can leave the hotel early tomorrow morning, I can make the most of my day. It will be the Royal Wedding, and Stockholmers are excited. I am told that even Prince Charles and Camilla are in town. And I am guessing that Frida, who happens to be a close friend of Queen Sylvia, might also be here as well.
Anyway, I am off...
M.
I started off my journey with a quick trip to Åhléns, the department store next door to the hotel. I was hoping to find a light jacka (jacket) I could wear, but I could not find anything. The thing is that wearing a leather jacket with a backpack on your shoulders is perhaps playing the fashion victim, and I have been walking around in a simple t-shirt all the time. Today promised to be cooler, and I wanted something warmer. (Troy, you were right: I should have bought that jacket thing at Eddy Bauer...) Anyway, by the time I exited the building, the sun had come out and it turned out to be a warmish day.
I took the subway from near the Clarion hotel to the Slussen station (the one Lisbeth Salander gets attacked in in the first Millennium novel). When I got outside, it was about 11:30 a.m. then, and I thought maybe I would try to find the restaurant that the hotel found for me that serves kroppkakor, the Swedish answer to Acadian poutines râpées. Johan, the very cute young receptionist at the hotel, had recommended a restaurant that serves them and he had located the restaurant and marked it on my map near the Slussen subway station. It was called Blomgrens Chark. I started walking down the street he had marked for me, looking for number 90. The problem was that number 90 was not where he had located it. I kept walking, walking, walking looking for the restaurant. I finally found it, located well south of where Johan had marked it. It was so far south, in fact, that I had completely left Slussen, two subway stations north of my hotel, and was now south west of my hotel. (And my feet, especially my baby toes, were killing me.) In the window, a sign saying that kroppkakor season has now ended, and the restaurant is now closed until August.
So, I walked to the nearest subway station, Zinkensdamm, and, since it was now well past noon, I thought I would take the subway to Gamla Stan and try my luck there. Kroppkakor are definitely a rarity! One person who worked in a small shop on Gamla Stan suggested I try a restaurant near the coast, but when I got there, there were none on the menu. I noticed this restaurant was very posh: there was a waiter inside dressed in 18th century clothes with a powdered wig, and the menu in the window recommended the beef steak for 50 dollars Canadian. So I gave up my search for this elusive meal today and ended up in a small pub in Gamla Stan for lunch around 1:00 p.m. I asked the waiter if he could recommend a good Swedish öl (beer), preferably a lager. He suggested Falcon, which was quite good. For my meal, I ordered what was touted as a traditional Swedish dish, pytt i panna. This was a sort of Swedish hash: chopped meat and potatoes, served with a fried egg sunny side up on top, and a side of beets. I found it quite to my liking and it went well with the beer. For dessert, I had the chokladtårte med vanilijglass och grädde (chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream).
I decided that I would walk from Gamla Stan and go to Skeppsholmen to visit the Modernamuseum. As I made my way towards that island, I noticed a small crowd of people in front of a large ship. When I enquired what was going on, I was told that it was a Danish ship, and people thought that some celebrities, perhaps the Danish royal family, had arrived for the wedding tomorrow.
Continuing onward, I came to the makeshift IKEA display for Love 2010. There wasn´t much inside, but I did take a few photos of the displays, including one featuring a whole bunch of heart pillows with arms. Just outside this tent, on the opposite shore near the Grand Hotel, a bunch of photojournalists were cordoned off, positioned in front of the hotel, waiting to photograph God knows which celebrity who is in town for the wedding. The crowd of onlookers outside seemed genuinely intrigued by it all. Still I walked on.
I crossed the bron to Skeppsholmen and arrived in front of the Modernamuseum at 2:15, only to discover that because of the royal wedding this weekend, they closed at 2:00 today. So, I had to find a Plan B. For the time being, I had another quick look at Mono Studios (and noticed today that it is also the homebase of Stefan Lindé, Agnetha´s PR person). I continued onward and decided to have a quick look at a small island on the southern coast of Skeppsholmen called Kastellholmen. Near the bridge to this island, a small group of Stockholmers dressed in traditional costumes were playing folk music on a small stage.
It was on Kastellholmen that I realized there were ferries operating out of Skeppsholmen, and as the pass I bought is good for both subways and ferries, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Djurgården. The trip was exceedingly quick: I was on the island after about 5 minutes, whereas it would have taken me well over a half hour to walk there! I hadn´t quite decided where I was going yet. It was a toss up between Gröna Lund (the amusement park), the Vasa Museum (a museum devoted to a huge shipwrecked ship from the 1600s that was salvaged in the 19th century) or Skansen (the world´s oldest reconstituted historical village). I decided to visit the last one. When I got to the gate at 3:15, I was told that Skansen takes a good two hours to visit (Hans had told me three). The park itself was open until 8:00, but the buildings close and the people who portray the villagers in period costumes stop work at 5:00. I thought I would at least have a quick look around, and if interested, I could always return. Skansen ended up being an incredible experience, from the little I had time to see. Even if I skipped the zoo with its displays of Swedish animals (the Swedish animal of the month being the reindeer), I still saw many wonderful sights and took several photographs: small Swedish cottages with thatched roofs, a harmonica player in period dress, a splendid garden (Troy, you would love it here!), a stately manor house and two beautifully-painted, authentic Viking runestones from the 11th century. I noticed a large Dalarna horse sculpture in a sandbox beside a small one, and I wondered whether this horse just might be the one that Benny and Björn posed on in an early photo shoot. Lo and behold, it sure was, according to my ABBA guide. It was exciting to take a picture of it.
While I had my guide book out, I noticed that Julius Kronbergs ateliej (artist Julius Kronberg´s workshop) is located on Skansen. Inside is the display of paintings that appear on the front cover of ABBA´s "The Visitors" album. I definitely wanted a closer look. According to the guide, the building is not often open, but the curious visitor can usually arrange to have a look inside by asking the people who work at Skansen. So, I came upon two groundskeepers and asked if I could be let in. They suggested I see the information centre about this, and they said that if I were lucky, I might get to go in. So, my heart racing, and feeling completely elated, I made my way to the information centre, with the beginnings of thunder growling in the distance. When I got there, I explained that I had come from Canada, that this trip for me was my own ABBA Love 2010, and that it would mean so much to me to see this workshop. She consulted a schedule and then informed me that the building is closed until August. "Not even a little peek?", I persisted. No, sorry. So I went back outside now in the pouring rain, with the umbrella the hotel lent me, and found some shelter on a bench under an awning. My first thought, which I repeated out loud to myself was "I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry". My second thought, an angry one, was that if I had waited until my actual birthday to visit Sweden, then I could have eaten kroppkakor, seen Julius Kronbergs ateliej and seen the China theatre. My third thought was: I will have to tell Troy that when we come to Sweden together, we will have to come to Skansen then. (After all, I have to have some things left that I will not have done yet). I don´t think I have ever worked through grief so quickly in my life!
I made my way through the downpour outside the main grounds. There was no point in staying as the main buildings would close soon and the staff were getting ready to leave. If it is nice this coming week, perhaps I can return for a more proper visit. I stopped for a soft ice cream in Gröna Lund before taking the ferry back to Slussen. From there, a quick subway trip to the hotel.
I was greeted at the front desk of the hotel by Johan, who was absolutely beaming to see me. "Hej, Maurice, how great to see you again, my good friend. How are you doing?" I guess names don´t matter... I told him all about my kroppkakor misadventure, and he said he was really embarrassed. He found another spot, and said that he could call there before I go tomorrow to make sure they have them on-hand. I said I had another question, and he excused himself a minute. He came back, apologizing, saying he needed nicotine, so he brought back some snus, like chewing tobacco placed in a tea-bag-like pouch and placed above the gums. (Neil had warned me about this noxious substance). Johan offered me some, but I declined. Anyway, turns out the weather tomorrow for the wedding might be good after all. And it seems like most museums are open tomorrow, so I might take in a museum tomorrow before the wedding procession through the city. Hans has told me that he will be on Birger Jarls gatan for the procession. He will be representing his work, so he will carry a large flag of the Swedish Red Cross. (When he and I started chatting about two years ago, he was working in Elfenbenskusta (Ivory Coast) in Africa. So, I might try to go see him during the procession tomorrow.
So, it is now about 7:40 p.m. and I am feeling hungry, and tired. I am thinking of having dinner, perhaps at the hotel, and then an early night. If I can leave the hotel early tomorrow morning, I can make the most of my day. It will be the Royal Wedding, and Stockholmers are excited. I am told that even Prince Charles and Camilla are in town. And I am guessing that Frida, who happens to be a close friend of Queen Sylvia, might also be here as well.
Anyway, I am off...
M.
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