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This is the year I turn 40, and for a few years now, I have thought that going to Sweden would be a great way to celebrate this milestone. I have had an ongoing love affair with Swedish culture for most of my life, and as I prepare to travel, I thought it would be a good idea to provide some context for this trip.
Discovering Sweden
When I was 9, I remember watching the television special "ABBA in Switzerland" on CBC TV. I had, of course, heard about the group from my friends at school, and I was eager to watch the special because I really liked the band. I remember using a small tape recorder and putting it up to the speaker so that I could at least have an audio recording of the special, and I remember thinking it would be great if someone invented a machine that would allow me to capture the image as well. (This was back in 1979). I fell in love with the winsome foursome back then, the four Swedes who spoke heavily-accented English and sang such cheerful songs. (As a sidebar, Kate Bush sang her song "Wow" on this special, and I would eventually develop a soft spot for her as well, particularly after her 1985 release, "Hounds of Love", but I digress...) All was going well with the special and with my recording until the band was about to lipsync "Chiquitita". Then, we lost the CBC signal and only got a snowy set. I waited minutes for the signal to return, and finally, broke down in tears. "Chiquitita" was my favourite song of theirs at the time (even though I thought it was called "Chiquitita Chiquityto"), and I was crestfallen that I wouldn't get a recording of it then. A few weeks later, my Mom surprised me during a shopping trip at Sears. When we got home, she told me to sit in the living room while she fiddled with my surprise in the kitchen. She put the needle on the record and "Chiquitita" started playing in the house. She had got me ABBA's Greatest Hits volume 2, my first ABBA album.
Discovering Sweden
When I was 9, I remember watching the television special "ABBA in Switzerland" on CBC TV. I had, of course, heard about the group from my friends at school, and I was eager to watch the special because I really liked the band. I remember using a small tape recorder and putting it up to the speaker so that I could at least have an audio recording of the special, and I remember thinking it would be great if someone invented a machine that would allow me to capture the image as well. (This was back in 1979). I fell in love with the winsome foursome back then, the four Swedes who spoke heavily-accented English and sang such cheerful songs. (As a sidebar, Kate Bush sang her song "Wow" on this special, and I would eventually develop a soft spot for her as well, particularly after her 1985 release, "Hounds of Love", but I digress...) All was going well with the special and with my recording until the band was about to lipsync "Chiquitita". Then, we lost the CBC signal and only got a snowy set. I waited minutes for the signal to return, and finally, broke down in tears. "Chiquitita" was my favourite song of theirs at the time (even though I thought it was called "Chiquitita Chiquityto"), and I was crestfallen that I wouldn't get a recording of it then. A few weeks later, my Mom surprised me during a shopping trip at Sears. When we got home, she told me to sit in the living room while she fiddled with my surprise in the kitchen. She put the needle on the record and "Chiquitita" started playing in the house. She had got me ABBA's Greatest Hits volume 2, my first ABBA album.
I quickly became a huge fan of the group and in due time, was able to get all of their recordings. I remember when I was about 10 years old, I consulted a Funk & Wagnalls atlas we had at home to look at a map of Sweden, ABBA's home country. I studied it for hours, looking at places like Malmö, Göteborg, Stockholm... I eventually produced a hand drawn map of the country, which I coloured brown, with the lakes and rivers in blue, and I pasted it onto a green cardboard background with an orange frame, decorated with stars. It hung on my wall throughout my childhood.
ABBA told the world they were taking a break in 1982, and I waited in vain for their next recording. In the meantime, I got the solo projects that each member was working on: the Agnetha Fältskog albums "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (1983), "Eyes of a Woman" (1985), and "I Stand Alone" (1987); the Frida recordings "Something's Going On" (1982) and "Shine" (1984); and eventually the Benny-Björn musical "Chess" (1985). Things were certainly quiet on the ABBA front in the late 80s, and it wasn't until 1993 that I was treated to previously unreleased material from the "More ABBA Gold" CD. Two years later, I heard ABBA sing in their own language for the first time. They released a few Swedish language tracks on a box set: "Hej! gamle man" and "Honey Honey". I began a fascination with the language I was hearing and wondered what the lyrics meant...
In 1997, I went to Paris for the first time, and had a thrilling experience: I walked into a FNAC record shop, and found several ABBA-related recordings I knew nothing about! These included a complete Swedish album by Frida ("Djupa andetag" from 1996) and Agnetha's greatest hits album, "Tio år med Agnetha" from 1979. More than ever, I was determined to figure out what they were singing about.
Shortly after I moved to Gatineau in 1998, I contacted the Swedish embassy and they put me in touch with a Swedish-language tutor. For nine months, I studied Swedish intensively with Kerstin (pronounced "Sheshtin"). I have always had a flair for languages (I speak French and English fluently, and I picked up a lot of Spanish at university and during a 5-week stay in Nicaragua in 1992). I found the Swedish tongue fascinating, with many words borrowed from the French (tråtoar, toalet, calson), and many words nearly identical to their English counterparts (hand, syster, ägg, kne). I kept up with my Swedish language lessons until Kerstin left for Portugal in 2000.
It was while learning Swedish that I started renting Swedish-language movies on VHS at the Elgin Street Video Station in Ottawa. I liked renting original Swedish movies so that I could practice my listening skills. It was in this context that I discovered the films of Ingmar Bergman. Incidentally, it was while watching Bergman's film of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" -- "Trollflöjten" -- that I fell in love with opera. But my favourite Bergman movie to this day remains "Autumn Sonata", or in Swedish, "Höstsonaten".
It was also around this time that I decided to read the four Emigrant novels by Vilhelm Möberg (in English). These books tell the story of Kristina and her husband Karl-Oskar who leave their home in Sweden to emigrate to America in the 1850s. The story formed the basis for the Benny-Björn musical "Kristina från Duvemala", released in 1996. Just last fall, I was in New York City with my friend Neil and got to see the world-premiere production of the English-language version of "Kristina" at Carnegie Hall. It was thrilling to get to see Benny and Björn in the audience.
Apart from ABBA and ABBA-related things, I have also cherished many things with an association to Sweden: the Swedish Chef from the Muppet show, Pippi Longstocking, Ace of Base, the Cardigans, Europe and their one hit single "The Final Countdown", Alcazar, vikings, IKEA, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, Swedish meatballs, Absolut vodka, August Strindberg, Jussi Björling, Rose Nyland née Lindström from "The Golden Girls"...
Sweden seemed like the perfect destination for a celebration.
Getting Ready to Go
When I was planning my trip, I first thought that going to Sweden for my actual birthday in September would be very cool, but several people, including my friend Hans from Stockholm (with whom I have been chatting in Swedish for over two years), dissuaded me from going that time of year. They all said that the time around the summer solstice is the perfect time to go to experience the midnight sun. The city that time of year, as Agnetha points out, is really "a summer night city". I really wanted to time my trip so that I could catch an opera in Stockholm, and "Tosca", which I have never seen, happened to be planned for mid-summer. But what really clinched it was the fact that the Swedish Crown Princess is getting married that time of year. A Royal Wedding seems like the perfect occasion to visit the city! So, I planned my trip for that time of year and started making arrangements for my trip.
The inital plan was for me to fly to Stockholm via Brussels or even Amsterdam so that I could meet up with my good friend Nick, but the travel agent proposed a very cool itinerary for a marvellous price. I ended up choosing to fly to Sweden on Air Iceland, with a stop-over in Reykjavik. When I learned that Iceland was on my itinerary, I asked the travel agent to extend my stay there so I could see the country. I booked my tickets in February, and then watched with growing nervousness the prolonged eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano. Things now seem to have calmed (fingers crossed) and air traffic is no longer disrupted (touch wood).
Iceland
I don't have much knowledge of Iceland, but from what I have heard it is breath-taking, dreadfully expensive, and a culinary disaster... We shall see. I will be in the country for barely three days at the tail-end of my trip. I know Iceland through my year-long social studies research project in grade 8, my fascination with vikings, and my love of Björk. Not much to go by, but I am looking forward to discovering the land, its culture and its people... (but I might want to stick to the local Pizza Hut...)
Last-Minute Preparations
ABBA told the world they were taking a break in 1982, and I waited in vain for their next recording. In the meantime, I got the solo projects that each member was working on: the Agnetha Fältskog albums "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (1983), "Eyes of a Woman" (1985), and "I Stand Alone" (1987); the Frida recordings "Something's Going On" (1982) and "Shine" (1984); and eventually the Benny-Björn musical "Chess" (1985). Things were certainly quiet on the ABBA front in the late 80s, and it wasn't until 1993 that I was treated to previously unreleased material from the "More ABBA Gold" CD. Two years later, I heard ABBA sing in their own language for the first time. They released a few Swedish language tracks on a box set: "Hej! gamle man" and "Honey Honey". I began a fascination with the language I was hearing and wondered what the lyrics meant...
In 1997, I went to Paris for the first time, and had a thrilling experience: I walked into a FNAC record shop, and found several ABBA-related recordings I knew nothing about! These included a complete Swedish album by Frida ("Djupa andetag" from 1996) and Agnetha's greatest hits album, "Tio år med Agnetha" from 1979. More than ever, I was determined to figure out what they were singing about.
Shortly after I moved to Gatineau in 1998, I contacted the Swedish embassy and they put me in touch with a Swedish-language tutor. For nine months, I studied Swedish intensively with Kerstin (pronounced "Sheshtin"). I have always had a flair for languages (I speak French and English fluently, and I picked up a lot of Spanish at university and during a 5-week stay in Nicaragua in 1992). I found the Swedish tongue fascinating, with many words borrowed from the French (tråtoar, toalet, calson), and many words nearly identical to their English counterparts (hand, syster, ägg, kne). I kept up with my Swedish language lessons until Kerstin left for Portugal in 2000.
It was while learning Swedish that I started renting Swedish-language movies on VHS at the Elgin Street Video Station in Ottawa. I liked renting original Swedish movies so that I could practice my listening skills. It was in this context that I discovered the films of Ingmar Bergman. Incidentally, it was while watching Bergman's film of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" -- "Trollflöjten" -- that I fell in love with opera. But my favourite Bergman movie to this day remains "Autumn Sonata", or in Swedish, "Höstsonaten".
It was also around this time that I decided to read the four Emigrant novels by Vilhelm Möberg (in English). These books tell the story of Kristina and her husband Karl-Oskar who leave their home in Sweden to emigrate to America in the 1850s. The story formed the basis for the Benny-Björn musical "Kristina från Duvemala", released in 1996. Just last fall, I was in New York City with my friend Neil and got to see the world-premiere production of the English-language version of "Kristina" at Carnegie Hall. It was thrilling to get to see Benny and Björn in the audience.
Apart from ABBA and ABBA-related things, I have also cherished many things with an association to Sweden: the Swedish Chef from the Muppet show, Pippi Longstocking, Ace of Base, the Cardigans, Europe and their one hit single "The Final Countdown", Alcazar, vikings, IKEA, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, Swedish meatballs, Absolut vodka, August Strindberg, Jussi Björling, Rose Nyland née Lindström from "The Golden Girls"...
Sweden seemed like the perfect destination for a celebration.
Getting Ready to Go
When I was planning my trip, I first thought that going to Sweden for my actual birthday in September would be very cool, but several people, including my friend Hans from Stockholm (with whom I have been chatting in Swedish for over two years), dissuaded me from going that time of year. They all said that the time around the summer solstice is the perfect time to go to experience the midnight sun. The city that time of year, as Agnetha points out, is really "a summer night city". I really wanted to time my trip so that I could catch an opera in Stockholm, and "Tosca", which I have never seen, happened to be planned for mid-summer. But what really clinched it was the fact that the Swedish Crown Princess is getting married that time of year. A Royal Wedding seems like the perfect occasion to visit the city! So, I planned my trip for that time of year and started making arrangements for my trip.
The inital plan was for me to fly to Stockholm via Brussels or even Amsterdam so that I could meet up with my good friend Nick, but the travel agent proposed a very cool itinerary for a marvellous price. I ended up choosing to fly to Sweden on Air Iceland, with a stop-over in Reykjavik. When I learned that Iceland was on my itinerary, I asked the travel agent to extend my stay there so I could see the country. I booked my tickets in February, and then watched with growing nervousness the prolonged eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano. Things now seem to have calmed (fingers crossed) and air traffic is no longer disrupted (touch wood).
Iceland
I don't have much knowledge of Iceland, but from what I have heard it is breath-taking, dreadfully expensive, and a culinary disaster... We shall see. I will be in the country for barely three days at the tail-end of my trip. I know Iceland through my year-long social studies research project in grade 8, my fascination with vikings, and my love of Björk. Not much to go by, but I am looking forward to discovering the land, its culture and its people... (but I might want to stick to the local Pizza Hut...)
Last-Minute Preparations
My boyfriend Troy has been a God-send in helping me prepare for my trip. I was quite nervous two weeks ahead of my trip because there was so much left for me to do, and I wasn't sure I would have time to do it all. But I somehow managed to get things done, and I even learned how to use this blog and operate the digital camera that Troy is lending me for my trip. And he has taken tomorrow off to be with me as I prepare to go.
Things certainly were going according to plan until 6 June 2010, the Sunday evening before my trip. I had just come back from seeing "The Prince of Persia" at the cinema with Troy, and he was showing me how to use his camera when the phone rang. My Mom was calling me to let me know that she, my Dad and a small group of people they fish with in New Brunswick had won the top prize in the Loto 6/49 draw on Saturday. Sixteen people were sharing $12.3 million dollars. I was floored. My Dad then informed me that he will be paying off my mortgage and my line of credit, and he told me that I should not worry about money on my trip. Although I had set aside more than enough money for a two-week trip -- I had been saving up for this since 2007 -- the thought that I have suddenly become very comfortable has not yet sunk in... In fact, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, expecting someone to tell me that it really didn't happen. The lottery win happened 21 years to the day my maternal grandmother, Mélendée Richard née Cormier, died.
So this is the context for what promises to be a wonderful trip. I will try my best to keep this blog going, and will try to produce shorter posts in the future. My thanks to everyone reading my adventures.
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