59 North | Travel, Food, Music, Art, Culture

So long icebergs!

April 22, 2013

Iceberg bird.

Boat-side ice view.

Last weekend, there was still a good number of icebergs floating around town. This past weekend, as in yesterday, it was glorious and sunny. No sign of those icebergs. So I am going out on a limb and saying goodbye to winter. Goodbye to ice. Hej då. Adios. Ciao. See you next year.

OK, I’m not stupid. I’m enough of a realist to know that it’s likely we will get snow again. But I am hopeful that we are done with the ice. So I am calling this my personal requiem to winter…

Watching the ice melt.

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Ready to bloom

April 18, 2013

in Stockholm,Stockholm weather,Sweden,what to see in Stockholm

Boxes of red hyacinth remind me that spring will come to Stockholm.

When walking by Mälarpaviljongen on Kungsholmen recently, I saw gardeners planting bulbs in wooden crates. I loved how the bulbs looked in the burlap-lined crates. It felt like such a portent of the spring to come. So far, I’ve only seen crocus blooming. The grass is still brown and trees aren’t budding yet. But, I have not worn my winter coat for the last two days. That has not happened since October. It was such a great feeling. Even though it did rain most all day and I was kind of cold in my spring jacket.

Perhaps the surest sign that spring is on the way? All the gravel on the sidewalks on my street have been cleaned of the gravel. No more dirty boots and gravel in the house. Love that!

And purple blooms too.

Tulips. All photos © copyright Sandra Carpenter 2013.

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Art gallery in the archipelago = a dream of a combination

April 14, 2013

in Art, architecture, music, film & books,Stockholm,Stockholm museums,Stockholm's archipelago

Sculptures by Cosima von Buren sit in front of paintings by Paul Gernes at Artipelag.

And here Cosima's mushrooms sit in front of more of Paul's paintings.

I’d been wanting to get to Artipelag since it first opened almost a year ago, but somehow never found the time. At the end of March, Robert and I finally went. We wanted to take the boat from town, but as the jetty by the gallery was still frozen in, that wasn’t an option. So instead we took the bus to the musuem, which is just outside of town in Hålludden and right on the water overlooking Baggensfjärden.

More of Gernes' art in the front lobby.

I couldn't resist doing a little reflection photo.

The first floor cafe at Artipelag.

The name Artipelag was created as a combination of art, activities and archipelago. I love the idea of that. The building is amazing and takes full advantage of the views over the pines, rocks and water. There’s a boardwalk trail you can take just outside the back of the museum that goes through the woods to the water. And there are several outdoor spaces to hang out, including a rooftop terrace. Since everything was still frozen solid when we were there on March 29, we walked out on the ice.

A walk on the ice.

This buckle in the ice was so beautiful, but it made me nervous as well.

This will be a great spot to have lunch and a glass of wine.

Many of the pieces in the museum, such as the vase here, are available for sale in the gift shop.

Like MONA in Australia, I like the concept of putting art in a natural setting and then being able to get to it via boat or car. But unlike MONA, Artipelag does not have a permanent collection–it’s a gallery space. So while the space is huge and could handle a lot of art, it feels a bit empty. That said, wow. It’s definitely worth taking the boat out and spending an afternoon there both inside and out. I’m thinking that when warm weather comes, sitting outside the gallery will be a perfect spot to have a glass of wine.

Just outside of Artipelag.

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Voices of Stockholm

April 13, 2013

in Living in Sweden,Stockholm,what to see in Stockholm

Stockholm photo for BBC travel by Lola Akinmade Åkerström.

Stockholm photo for BBC travel © Lola Akinmade Åkerström.

My friend Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a brilliant photographer, writer and fellow Stockholmer. She recently had an article in BBC Travel called Voices of Stockholm, Sweden where she talked to locals and had them share some of their favorite places around town. I was one of the people she talked to and I got to chat about two of my spots, including Monteliusvägen and Fotografiska.

Find out what I had to say in the article and check out Lola’s photos along with it. And be sure to see Lola’s own web site at Geotraveler’s niche. She has some drop-dead gorgeous photos of the northern lights there.

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Lights, camera, action: watching a talk-show taping in Stockholm

April 12, 2013

in Art, architecture, music, film & books,Stockholm

Getting told what would happen during the taping and how we were to behave. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos during the show.

Thanks to my friend Carmen, I got to attend the taping of the talk show Skavlan yesterday. Guests included chef Jamie Oliver, Swedish pop star Håkan Hellström and Norwegian singer Maria Mena. Also on the show was American Damien Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, who spent 18 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Damien was on the show with his wife Lorri who he met and married while in prison.

The guest mix was interesting to say the least. Add to that the host Fredrik Skavlan is Norwegian and the guests were from Sweden, Norway, England and the US, and you really get a unique combination.

After being let onto the set for the show, we were all squeezed into our seats and then given light-hearted instructions on how to behave, including how and when to clap. It was the last show of the season, so the atmosphere was energetic. Håkan was first and seemed to be a fairly understated and easy-going guy. Jamie was next and I have to say that I liked him a lot more than I thought I would. He interacted with everyone and got a lot of laughs as he described his life and also his latest book.

Maria sang her latest hit song, titled F*** You. It was written as an angry response to a fan’s comments about her weight, so this song had some big attitude. And then there was the interview with Damian, which was thought provoking, poignant and disturbing all at once. The show ended on an upbeat note with Håkan singing a song from his new album “Det kommer aldrig va över för mig” (It will never be over for me).

The Skavlan show will be aired tonight at 9, so check it out if you are in Stockholm. And look out for me: I am sitting in the front row!

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Spring in Stockholm: what it’s like so far

April 9, 2013

in Life as an expat,Stockholm

Feeding the ducks on Lake Mälaren. Notice that the ice really is starting to melt.

By the calendar at least, it’s been a few weeks since the season has turned to spring. What that has meant so far in Stockholm: snow flurries, often bright blue skies, lots of sun, outdoor seating has opened back up, people are sunbathing everywhere and I even saw some crocus peeking through the snow on Saturday. The high temperature is predicted to be 3 degrees C tomorrow. Sunrise: 5:53 am. Sunset: 19:47.

So temperatures are warming up just a tiny little bit, but the days are getting longer and longer.

And I offer this little story as evidence that the longer days are affecting people in all sorts of strange ways: I was having lunch at a local cafe and went up to get glasses of water for my friend and I. On the way, I ran into a coworker and had a chat with him. In English. As I turned to go back to my table, a woman somewhere around 70 jumped out of her seat and blocked my way.

In Swedish, she said: “You can’t go through here.”

In Swedish, I replied back: But I must. I need to get back to my seat.”

“Ah, but YOU are not from Sweden,” she countered in a strong voice as if that obviously was the reason why I could not go back to my table.

“No, I’m not Swedish. But I live here. And I would like to go back to my seat now,” I said, still using Swedish.

“Oh, good for you. There you go!” And then she laughed and got out of my way.

As for me, I have no idea about what that was all about. I’ll just call it spring fever…

So, what’s spring like where you are? The pictures here were all taken Sunday on Kungsholmen in central Stockholm.

Sun worshipping on Sunday.

Ice fishing on Mälaren.

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Split personality: sunshine & snow in Stockholm

April 8, 2013

in Living in Sweden,Stockholm

That's me in the snow there. Somewhere.

Snow!

Spring wants to come to Stockholm. But winter keeps holding on. While we were out for a walk on Sunday, the weather changed from blue sky and sun to snow and back again. Over and over. Like every 10 minutes. It was crazy. While I loved it, a lot of friends were not so happy.

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Sunday morning breakfast, American style

April 7, 2013

in An American in Europe,Stockholm

American-style pancakes, with berries.

And with maple syrup. Yum.

As far back as I can remember, Sunday mornings meant having a leisurely breakfast and classical music on the stereo. Instead of the usual Cheerios or Captain Crunch, Mom would make pancakes, eggs or French toast, biscuits, sausage, bacon. (We wouldn’t have them all at once, of course.)

And Dad would play classical music on the stereo while periodically asking me or my brothers for help with the crossword puzzle: “What’s the name of the knitting woman in a Tale of Two Cities. Seven letters. Third letter is an f. May end in E.” If I didn’t respond quickly, he would good-naturedly grumble: “What kind of education are they giving you anyway?”

This morning, big fluffy snowflakes were falling, so pancakes seemed like a good idea. Of course, we put on some classical music. And as we ate them with maple syrup, suddenly, even though I now live more than 4,000 miles from my hometown, I felt like a kid again.

We even had Canadian maple syrup. Yum.

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Easter Sunday: palm trees & ice

April 1, 2013

in Living in Sweden,Stockholm,Stockholm restaurants,Sweden

Outside at Loopen: overlooking the frozen Liljeholmsviken.

The snowy deck.

Yesterday afternoon, we went out for a walk around Södermalm and then stopped for a drink outside at Loopen. The weather was sunny and not that cold–OK, it was 4 degrees C or about 35 F.

It was great to be outside. And I loved the contrast of the frozen bay and the palm trees (fake, of course.)

Check out Loopen in warmer weather as well.

UPDATE: And to see what else we did on Easter, check out this post from James O’Brien.

Enjoying a glass of wine.

Just before Robert walked here with wine in hand, someone slipped and fell in the snow. Luckily, the kid was about 4, in a snowsuit and thought it was funny.

Studying the ice at Liljeholmsviken.

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A traditional Swedish Easter: feathers, witches and beer

March 28, 2013

in Cultural differences,Living abroad,Living in Sweden,Stockholm,Swedish traditions

Easter feathers at my local florist.

What is it about other cultures’ traditions that makes them seem so much more interesting than your own? From my very first days of living in Stockholm, I’ve been charmed by all the unique-to-me Swedish traditions. They just seem so much more quaint than the ones I grew up with, although I do admit that I am still a big fan of American Halloween. And Thanksgiving too. But I digress.

As I was coming home from work today, all the little Easter witches were out. And for the last few weeks, the feather branches have been for sale as well. Then at the grocery tonight, I made sure to go ahead and buy some of the Easter godis or candies. Because I know that if I make the mistake of waiting much longer, they will all be gone and I will have no chocolate, marzipan or almond eggs.

While I was at it, I got some Påskmust too. Must is sort of like a sweeter tasting version of root beer and is typically served up at Christmas, when it’s called Julmust or Christmas must, but also at Easter or Påsk. Now I just need to get some Påsköl or Easter beer.