My Feet Visiting the Site Where Prime Minister Olof Palme was fatally shot
Mono Music Studios on Skeppsholmen
Görel Hanser, PR person for all four former members of ABBA
Agnetha and Frida in Period Costume at Kungligaoperahuset, the night before the royal wedding in 1976
One of the lobbies of the Kungligaoperahuset
Hans at the Kungligaoperahuset
Me at the Kungligaoperahuset, severely tanned, too busy sucking in my gut to smile...Today´s heading is an old Agnetha song title from 1975.
After I left the hotel yesterday, I used my subway pass to get to Central Station to decide what to do from there. I was pretty sure I might want to visit the Modernamuseum on the island of Skeppsholmen. When I arrived at my destination, I instinctively set off on foot, convinced (as always) that I was retracing my steps from the previous day. Alas! this was not the case, and instead of heading east, I was actually heading west towards the island of Kungsholmen. When I was pretty sure that I was off track, I took out my map and had a good look at where I was. It turns out that I was actually near the spot where Prime Minister Olof Palme was gunned down in 1986, so I went to have a look at the corner of Sveavägen and Tunnelgatan. There was a memorial plaque there, so I took a picture of it. Last night, when I was reviewing the photos I had taken during the day, I saw that I also took a photo of my feet in that shot...
I made my way south, hoping that I would eventually reach my destination, all the while, listening to the best of Agnetha Fältskog on my iPod. On my route, I came upon a tourist information bureau, and I thought I would go in because so far, I have only seen one. When I went in, it took me about thirty seconds to realize that it was the same one I had been to before! I wondered how this could be, because the last time it was situated right next to Central Station, and this time I had walked a very, very long time and was only now next to the subway station!
I only stayed in the tourist information office long enough to take a picture of the display they put together to promote the tour of the sites related to the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson. (I absolutely loved reading these three novels in the months leading up to my trip to Stockholm.)
It was a nice, warm, sunshiny day so I made the most of it by walking slowly around the city. I eventually found my way to the bron (bridge) that leads to the island of Skeppsholmen. Despite what I wrote yesterday, I discovered I had actually never been to Skeppsholmen! The stage where "Carmina Burana" was performed was actually called Skeppsholmen because it overlooks the island. So, with my trusty map in hand, I explored this new ö (island). I found the Modernamuseum fairly quickly, but when I hauled out my ABBA Guide to Stockholm, I realized there were other ABBA related things to see on this island. The main one was Mono Studios, founded by Benny Andersson and his public relations person, Görel Hanser, who does all the publicity for each of the former ABBA members. It was in this studio that Benny worked on all of his solo projects and those of the Benny Andersson Orkestra (BAO!). According to my guide, he usually works in his studio most weekdays from 10:00 to 5:00. I thought I had a good idea of the layout of the island, so I intended to head to the southern shore. It was very frustrating because I couldn´t find any house numbers on any of the buildings. When I was fairly convinced that I was lost, I asked some passers-by if they knew where I was, and they pointed to the northernmost coast of the island on my map. I couldn´t help but burst out laughing. With my new bearings in mind, I easily made my way south and found Mono Music Studios at 1:00 p.m. There was a large grassy area beside the building where people were just lying down, sunning themselves, having picnics, smoking or drinking, so I sat myself down next to the studios. There were plenty of BMWs in the parking lot and lights on in the studio, and it was all I could do to tear myself away from the building and not spend the day in the hope of seeing Benny who might or might not be in that day. I took a few pictures of the building, the grassy knoll and even the sign for the parking lot for Mono Music Studios. I then got up to stretch, and the front door opened. A young man came out, got into his car and drove off. I wondered if perhaps this might be Ludwig Andersson, Benny´s youngest son (28 years old) who is also a recording artist, but I couldn´t tell. Immediately afterwards the door swung open and I recognized Görel Hanser herself! ABBA had recorded a special limited edition song for her 30th birthday in 1979, called "Sång til Görel", and here she was in the flesh. She looked at me for a while, then proceeded towards her car. When I was sure she couldn´t see me, I took a picture of her from the back. (I didn´t want to intimidate her or anything). I figured that was enough stalking for the day, and I left the premises around 1:20.
I made my way along the coast back to the bridge to the mainland. I fugured I would have to be back at my hotel early this evening so that I could meet up with Hans to go to the opera. If this were the case, and it was almost 2:00, and it was such a fabulous, sunshiny day, I would forego the museum today. All the while I was listening to Benny´s 1989 album on my iPod.
When I came to the head of the island, I saw a man who was selling majs (corn on the cob, pronounced like the English word mice). So, I stopped and had an ear... Speaking of ear, the linguist in me was really interested in the observation I made today: there might be a link between öra (ear) and höra (to hear). I marvelled at the fact that there might also be a connection between the English words as well (ear/hear), and then I also wondered if there was a link between the French words ouïr and oreille...
After my corn, I went shopping in Gamla Stan. I was looking for a place to eat, because I hadn´t yet had lunch (aside from the corn on the cob). I found Troy´s gift! It had taken me all this time to find it! Talk about mission impossible! I walked around Gamla Stan for a while, and then figured I would check the time for the opera tonight before heading back to my hotel. I found the Kungligaoperahuset (the Royal Opera House) nearby, and discovered that the opera was at 6:00 p.m. That would give me plenty of time to take the subway, change and have a quick bite to eat before the opera. I got to my hotel around 4:15 and ordered a burger at the hotel bistro, the restaurant not yet being open. In the meantime, I went looking for a lint brush for my pants. I was very proud of myself for being able to do all of this in Swedish: "Jag har katthår på mina byxor. Finns det någånting jag kan bruka?" (I have cat hair on my pants. Is there anything I can use?) The receptionist found me a brush, and I dressed for the opera: nice purple dress shirt, purple and turquoise tie, black dress pants, and dress shoes. I thought I looked pretty decent for a tourist. I had my expensive burger, fries and cola, and Hans arrived just before 5:00. He thought I was pretty well-dressed, especially since he had his biking clothes on (jeans with rolled cuffs, t-shirt and biking helmet). Oh well, I thought, I´ll be a little overdressed.
We walked all the way from the hotel to the opera house, a good thirty minute walk. I told Hans he was my little oasis of French in Stockholm. We got to the opera house, and I saw that people dressed in whatever style suited them (pardon the pun), so I was not the only one in dress shirt and tie, but we were in the minority. The opera house was absolutely stunning! I took several pictures. It was in the Kungligaoperahuset that King Gustav was assassinated in 1792 (not the 1600s as I wrote in a previous post). It was also here that ABBA, dressed in period dresses with cage crinolines, performed "Dancing Queen" in 1976 for the new Queen of Sweden, Silvia Sommerlath, the night before the royal wedding.
As I was sitting there, I suddenly thought about subtitles. In Ottawa, I have seen operas performed in French, German, Italian and even Russian, but each time I have had my choice of reading French or English subtitles. In New York City, when I saw Mozart´s "Abduction from the Seraglio" performed in German, I had my choice of English, French, German and Spanish subtitles. I asked Hans what language the subtitles would be in. "Well, the opera is sung in Italian with Swedish subtitles". Well, I thought, this should be very interesting! Hans reassured me by saying that it would be written Swedish, so I would understand that much better.
The opera was very interesting, but I was very tired, having been up since 6:30 in the morning. Despite my best efforts, I felt my eyes close at the end of every line that was being sung, and I couldn´t concentrate very well on the action on stage. The music was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn´t help but think that Puccini must have written this around the same time as "La bohème" because they echo one another perfectly.
At the first intermission, I knew I needed caffeine. We headed towards the small café, and I asked Hans if I could get him anything. He asked me to sit down instead. He pulled out his backpack and took out äpplekakor (apple cakes) for us, as well as a thermos of coffee. It was just what the doctor ordered, and I was able to follow the rest of the opera fairly well. It was an interesting experience. Whenever I would not be able to follow the Swedish, I would listen to the Italian and try to make sense of it by using my knowledge of French and Spanish. It really appealed to me, and I was surprised to find myself thinking that I should have been a linguist.
"Vissi d´arte" and "E lucevan le stelle" were both performed magnificently, and I had tears in my eyes for the latter aria.
Hans said he was so moved, he had to have a drink somewhere to calm down again from the emotion of the opera. We went to Torget again, the same little café/restaurant we had been to before with his friends Sigbjörn and Patrik. Here I had a glass of rosé and Hans had a glass of red wine while I showed him the pictures I have taken so far. Hans would have liked to see a picture of Troy because I speak about him so much, but I didn´t have one with me. We talked about the opera and watched a special news report on the wide screen TV recounting the life of Crown Princess Victoria who is getting married on Saturday. Hans suggested that on Saturday night, after the wedding, we meet up for a drink at a Viking bear bar in Södermalm. That should be interesting.
I took the subway back to the hotel while Hans biked back to his place. I got in just before 11:00, but I was so exhausted I didn´t bother writing anything in my blog. Instead I crashed. I woke up at 8:00 this morning, had breakfast (love the pancakes here with Canadian maple syrup on them), and then tried to use the computers in the business centre which are all down again this morning. So they have put me here, at a terminal at the front desk on the main floor. I am more than a little conspicuous here, the only one without a uniform, standing here typing in my James Bond t-shirt. Anyway, it is now time for me to gather my things and venture out into this dreadfully overcast day. They are calling for rain for the Royal Wedding tomorrow, which the Swedes here in the hotel say is a sign of good luck. Hans was inclined to disagree: "It might be good luck for the people who work at the hotel, but not for regular Swedes."
Ha en trevlig dag!
(Have a great day!)
M.
After I left the hotel yesterday, I used my subway pass to get to Central Station to decide what to do from there. I was pretty sure I might want to visit the Modernamuseum on the island of Skeppsholmen. When I arrived at my destination, I instinctively set off on foot, convinced (as always) that I was retracing my steps from the previous day. Alas! this was not the case, and instead of heading east, I was actually heading west towards the island of Kungsholmen. When I was pretty sure that I was off track, I took out my map and had a good look at where I was. It turns out that I was actually near the spot where Prime Minister Olof Palme was gunned down in 1986, so I went to have a look at the corner of Sveavägen and Tunnelgatan. There was a memorial plaque there, so I took a picture of it. Last night, when I was reviewing the photos I had taken during the day, I saw that I also took a photo of my feet in that shot...
I made my way south, hoping that I would eventually reach my destination, all the while, listening to the best of Agnetha Fältskog on my iPod. On my route, I came upon a tourist information bureau, and I thought I would go in because so far, I have only seen one. When I went in, it took me about thirty seconds to realize that it was the same one I had been to before! I wondered how this could be, because the last time it was situated right next to Central Station, and this time I had walked a very, very long time and was only now next to the subway station!
I only stayed in the tourist information office long enough to take a picture of the display they put together to promote the tour of the sites related to the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson. (I absolutely loved reading these three novels in the months leading up to my trip to Stockholm.)
It was a nice, warm, sunshiny day so I made the most of it by walking slowly around the city. I eventually found my way to the bron (bridge) that leads to the island of Skeppsholmen. Despite what I wrote yesterday, I discovered I had actually never been to Skeppsholmen! The stage where "Carmina Burana" was performed was actually called Skeppsholmen because it overlooks the island. So, with my trusty map in hand, I explored this new ö (island). I found the Modernamuseum fairly quickly, but when I hauled out my ABBA Guide to Stockholm, I realized there were other ABBA related things to see on this island. The main one was Mono Studios, founded by Benny Andersson and his public relations person, Görel Hanser, who does all the publicity for each of the former ABBA members. It was in this studio that Benny worked on all of his solo projects and those of the Benny Andersson Orkestra (BAO!). According to my guide, he usually works in his studio most weekdays from 10:00 to 5:00. I thought I had a good idea of the layout of the island, so I intended to head to the southern shore. It was very frustrating because I couldn´t find any house numbers on any of the buildings. When I was fairly convinced that I was lost, I asked some passers-by if they knew where I was, and they pointed to the northernmost coast of the island on my map. I couldn´t help but burst out laughing. With my new bearings in mind, I easily made my way south and found Mono Music Studios at 1:00 p.m. There was a large grassy area beside the building where people were just lying down, sunning themselves, having picnics, smoking or drinking, so I sat myself down next to the studios. There were plenty of BMWs in the parking lot and lights on in the studio, and it was all I could do to tear myself away from the building and not spend the day in the hope of seeing Benny who might or might not be in that day. I took a few pictures of the building, the grassy knoll and even the sign for the parking lot for Mono Music Studios. I then got up to stretch, and the front door opened. A young man came out, got into his car and drove off. I wondered if perhaps this might be Ludwig Andersson, Benny´s youngest son (28 years old) who is also a recording artist, but I couldn´t tell. Immediately afterwards the door swung open and I recognized Görel Hanser herself! ABBA had recorded a special limited edition song for her 30th birthday in 1979, called "Sång til Görel", and here she was in the flesh. She looked at me for a while, then proceeded towards her car. When I was sure she couldn´t see me, I took a picture of her from the back. (I didn´t want to intimidate her or anything). I figured that was enough stalking for the day, and I left the premises around 1:20.
I made my way along the coast back to the bridge to the mainland. I fugured I would have to be back at my hotel early this evening so that I could meet up with Hans to go to the opera. If this were the case, and it was almost 2:00, and it was such a fabulous, sunshiny day, I would forego the museum today. All the while I was listening to Benny´s 1989 album on my iPod.
When I came to the head of the island, I saw a man who was selling majs (corn on the cob, pronounced like the English word mice). So, I stopped and had an ear... Speaking of ear, the linguist in me was really interested in the observation I made today: there might be a link between öra (ear) and höra (to hear). I marvelled at the fact that there might also be a connection between the English words as well (ear/hear), and then I also wondered if there was a link between the French words ouïr and oreille...
After my corn, I went shopping in Gamla Stan. I was looking for a place to eat, because I hadn´t yet had lunch (aside from the corn on the cob). I found Troy´s gift! It had taken me all this time to find it! Talk about mission impossible! I walked around Gamla Stan for a while, and then figured I would check the time for the opera tonight before heading back to my hotel. I found the Kungligaoperahuset (the Royal Opera House) nearby, and discovered that the opera was at 6:00 p.m. That would give me plenty of time to take the subway, change and have a quick bite to eat before the opera. I got to my hotel around 4:15 and ordered a burger at the hotel bistro, the restaurant not yet being open. In the meantime, I went looking for a lint brush for my pants. I was very proud of myself for being able to do all of this in Swedish: "Jag har katthår på mina byxor. Finns det någånting jag kan bruka?" (I have cat hair on my pants. Is there anything I can use?) The receptionist found me a brush, and I dressed for the opera: nice purple dress shirt, purple and turquoise tie, black dress pants, and dress shoes. I thought I looked pretty decent for a tourist. I had my expensive burger, fries and cola, and Hans arrived just before 5:00. He thought I was pretty well-dressed, especially since he had his biking clothes on (jeans with rolled cuffs, t-shirt and biking helmet). Oh well, I thought, I´ll be a little overdressed.
We walked all the way from the hotel to the opera house, a good thirty minute walk. I told Hans he was my little oasis of French in Stockholm. We got to the opera house, and I saw that people dressed in whatever style suited them (pardon the pun), so I was not the only one in dress shirt and tie, but we were in the minority. The opera house was absolutely stunning! I took several pictures. It was in the Kungligaoperahuset that King Gustav was assassinated in 1792 (not the 1600s as I wrote in a previous post). It was also here that ABBA, dressed in period dresses with cage crinolines, performed "Dancing Queen" in 1976 for the new Queen of Sweden, Silvia Sommerlath, the night before the royal wedding.
As I was sitting there, I suddenly thought about subtitles. In Ottawa, I have seen operas performed in French, German, Italian and even Russian, but each time I have had my choice of reading French or English subtitles. In New York City, when I saw Mozart´s "Abduction from the Seraglio" performed in German, I had my choice of English, French, German and Spanish subtitles. I asked Hans what language the subtitles would be in. "Well, the opera is sung in Italian with Swedish subtitles". Well, I thought, this should be very interesting! Hans reassured me by saying that it would be written Swedish, so I would understand that much better.
The opera was very interesting, but I was very tired, having been up since 6:30 in the morning. Despite my best efforts, I felt my eyes close at the end of every line that was being sung, and I couldn´t concentrate very well on the action on stage. The music was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn´t help but think that Puccini must have written this around the same time as "La bohème" because they echo one another perfectly.
At the first intermission, I knew I needed caffeine. We headed towards the small café, and I asked Hans if I could get him anything. He asked me to sit down instead. He pulled out his backpack and took out äpplekakor (apple cakes) for us, as well as a thermos of coffee. It was just what the doctor ordered, and I was able to follow the rest of the opera fairly well. It was an interesting experience. Whenever I would not be able to follow the Swedish, I would listen to the Italian and try to make sense of it by using my knowledge of French and Spanish. It really appealed to me, and I was surprised to find myself thinking that I should have been a linguist.
"Vissi d´arte" and "E lucevan le stelle" were both performed magnificently, and I had tears in my eyes for the latter aria.
Hans said he was so moved, he had to have a drink somewhere to calm down again from the emotion of the opera. We went to Torget again, the same little café/restaurant we had been to before with his friends Sigbjörn and Patrik. Here I had a glass of rosé and Hans had a glass of red wine while I showed him the pictures I have taken so far. Hans would have liked to see a picture of Troy because I speak about him so much, but I didn´t have one with me. We talked about the opera and watched a special news report on the wide screen TV recounting the life of Crown Princess Victoria who is getting married on Saturday. Hans suggested that on Saturday night, after the wedding, we meet up for a drink at a Viking bear bar in Södermalm. That should be interesting.
I took the subway back to the hotel while Hans biked back to his place. I got in just before 11:00, but I was so exhausted I didn´t bother writing anything in my blog. Instead I crashed. I woke up at 8:00 this morning, had breakfast (love the pancakes here with Canadian maple syrup on them), and then tried to use the computers in the business centre which are all down again this morning. So they have put me here, at a terminal at the front desk on the main floor. I am more than a little conspicuous here, the only one without a uniform, standing here typing in my James Bond t-shirt. Anyway, it is now time for me to gather my things and venture out into this dreadfully overcast day. They are calling for rain for the Royal Wedding tomorrow, which the Swedes here in the hotel say is a sign of good luck. Hans was inclined to disagree: "It might be good luck for the people who work at the hotel, but not for regular Swedes."
Ha en trevlig dag!
(Have a great day!)
M.
So a cell phone with a GPS built in is really what you need!! I can't wait to see all the pictures, especially all the ones of your feet!!LOL Miss ya.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear the the opera was everything you hoped it to be!! Another one of those things you can check off in your "must do before I am 50 list" LOL.
ReplyDeleteA viking bear bar! OMG, that will be something different!! And after the royal wedding! Wonder how many will be dressed up as princesses?? Bet you buy one of those Horned Helmets with braids after that experience. LOL