We'll Always Have Gotland: The Movie

Here's a 3.5 minute video of our time in Gotland. We hope you enjoy it as time goes by, and we did ask Sam to play it again.

We'll Always Have Gotland

Following our five day visit to the Swedish island of Gotland, we can now co-opt Bogart’s great line in the closing scene of Casablanca; “We’ll always have Gotland.” Gotland, which lies about 50 miles off the east coast of Sweden in the Baltic Sea, was for us a magical place, beginning with a 50 minute bus ride and a three hour cruise to get there. It invited us to be absorbed by its beauty, charm and history, reaching as far back as the Stone Age. Here, the Vikings are the new kids on the block.

Kerstin, Helen & Lars

The trip to Gotland came about from Helen’s friendship with Kerstin, whom she met in the gym facilities near our apartment. Kerstin (pronounced SHEARS tin), who was born and raised on Gotland, is a marvelous person in all ways imaginable. She has been married to Lars, who is also a marvelous individual in every way, for nearly 40 years. Together they made possible our Gotland odyssey as well as opening a window for us to better understand Swedish life.

For dessert one night we enjoyed a cake in honor of Lars’s name day. Who knew? Another day we were positively delighted with Kerstin’s and Lars’s rendition of Helan Gå, a traditional Swedish drinking song as we hoisted our glasses of Schnapps in a ritual toast customary when eating herring. As Lars noted, his father faithfully combined the consumption of Schnapps with herring. Some customs are just worth preserving. Another dinner conversation had us mimicking the opening tune to Bonanza, only to have Kerstin and Lars join in.  

Sitting Area in our Cottage

We slept in a small summer cottage adjacent to the larger cottage that Kerstin’s parents had left her.  The cottages are a one minute walk through wind-blown pine trees and sea grass to where the waters of the Baltic Sea lap against the shore.

With Lars at the wheel of their car, we toured the northern bays and inlets of Gotland.  We climbed among the limestone pillars left behind where water once covered what is now dry land.  

We toured only a handful of the 92 churches on the island and marveled at the endeavors of the island inhabitants in the 13^th century of raising structures to worship Jesus. Along the way we also admired some of the local handiwork of Kristen’s father, an international stone cutter.

We spent some time in Visby, a walled medieval city and UNESCO World Heritage site.  The old part of Visby, inside the original city walls, is a charming city of narrow streets and historic buildings.  Our visit had the added pleasure of coinciding with a weeklong medieval festival.  In the US we have enjoyed visiting a Renaissance Festival with its various reminders of far-off places in a distant time. 

In Visby the event may have replicated a distant time, but once upon a time, street jesters, selling woolen items and the roasting of whole lambs on open fires were local events.  Our American sensibilities just have a hard time associating the ground on which we walked with the footsteps of people who walked the same streets in the 1200’s. 

We enjoyed a Sunday service in Visby’s domkirka (cathedral) St. Maria, built in 1225.  The service was mostly in Swedish with a bit of Latin mixed in to commemorate the medieval festival in Visby.  Regardless of language, we considered the experience a gift of spiritual renewal. Amen and amen!

Pride in Many Forms

Saturday’s bright sunshine and blue skies created the beautiful setting for Stockholm’s rainbow-colored Gay Pride Parade yesterday.  Started in 1998, this event has grown to become one of Stockholm’s (and Scandinavia’s) largest annual festivals.  It is estimated that 500,000 people lined the streets to watch energized parade marchers dance, sing, sometimes flaunt, but mostly stand with pride and in solidarity with one another.

In 2009, Sweden adopted a gender-neutral law on marriage.  Unlike predictions of the “downfall of western culture as we know it” which emanates from some quarters of our US homeland, Swedish society remains orderly and well adjusted.  We have also become familiar with the term “sambo” in which couples enter into committed relationships, some with children, without acquiring a marriage license.  Suffice it to say, the culture is different here.

Many marching in the parade, however, were keen to highlight that the freedoms of personal choice they have achieved are not universally accessible. 

The wedding dress-clad woman on a huge motorcycle carrying a “To Russia with Love” sign was playful, but poignant.   More to the point were marchers with black tape across their mouths carrying a banner reading, “Marching for those who can’t.” Their march supported many whose sexual orientation continues to this day to hold their lives in precarious jeopardy.  The bearded “iman” with the hangman’s noose wrapped around a women’s neck with a waist banner that read only “Iran” told a complete picture.

 

There was also complete gaiety (pun intended).  Music boomed from parade vehicles and people danced with abandon.  Rainbow clad parents pushed baby carriages and parents of gay children were not far behind.

Of course, no Gay Pride Parade is complete without its spectacles.  Brightly colored hair, guys in drag, outlandish costumes, body painted, glitter-enhanced bodies, high heels and thought provoking banners, “Make Love Not CO2” all comingled with ease and continuity.

Gay Rights are Human Rights

Other groups with banners included “Gay Doctors”, “GayPoliser (police)”, “Kyrkan på Pride (Church with Pride)” and “GayScouterna (Scouts)”.  American pride swelled for us as representatives from our U.S. Embassy marched past with a banner reading, “Gay Rights are Human Rights.”

As we said, things are different here.

We have included a short two-minute video of the day’s events.  Enjoy.

Nordic Museum

Sweden's National Cultural Museum

The Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum) is a towering and imposing building  that we’ve walked past many times. “We need to go there” would bring nods of agreement, but we never did visit the museum, that is, until this weekend. 

Completed in 1907 this cathedral-like building contains wide-ranging collections covering Swedish culture from home furnishing, fashion, educational trends and table settings through the centuries (really) to our favorite exhibit, a condensed re-telling of Swedish traditions.

Sweden’s western cultural traditions have been readily recognizable to us.  Christmas, for example, comes with expected rites such as decorated trees, shopping and gift giving.  Lucia, on the other hand, celebrated on 13 December, was a bit of a surprise.  Google cleared up many of our questions about this celebration of a young 4^th century martyred Christian with a choir of white-robed girls lead by one wearing a crown of candles and a red sash.  The Nordiska Museet display put the tradition into complete context and explained in the origin of stjärngossar (star boys); young boys wearing cone-shaped hats decorated with golden stars who now join in the choir procession.

Dancing around the Midsommar pole

The timing of travel plans has caused us to miss celebrating Midsommar, the raucous summer solstice welcoming of long, sunlit days and long, languid vacations to the archipelago. The museum exhibit, however, gave us vicarious pleasure regarding this widely celebrated holiday.

We learned that birthdays are often celebrated with the raising of the Swedish flag.  We now better appreciate the flag-hoisting motivation of our Swedish friend Michael on the king’s birthday; clearly a mixture of national pride and tradition. 

Witches come out on Walpurgis Night

Having centuries of folklore and traditions wrapped up in tidy displays with an accompanying audio guide was worth the Kr. 90 ($13) price of admission (the audio was free).  We recommend to anyone who is beginning a long-term Swedish adventure to visit this permanent exhibit for a quick immersion into Swedish customs. The sight of semlor pastries in store windows and blazing bonfires on Walpurgis Night will instantly be understood.

About the table settings exhibit: we thought that would be boring, but found the display an interesting tour through centuries of Swedish development.  Sweden’s time of Baltic Sea dominance in the 17^th century gave rise to a form of conspicuous consumption rendered in sumptuous meals and opulent table settings, complete with servants.  Take that, you McMansion owners.

It was another great adventure day in Stockholm.  During our hour long walk home we remarked how lucky we are to live in this beautiful and charming city.  We now feel a bit more “at home” knowing some of the rhythms that fill the lives of our neighbors.

 

Stockholm When You’re Seven

After a year in Stockholm we felt as though we had achieved a pretty good understanding of the environs of our new hometown.  Well, that was until our seven-year old grandchild arrived for a two-week visit.

Accompanied by his Aunt Karen, Devin arrived last week after a long fight from Atlanta, Georgia.  Exercising grandmotherly authority, Helen organized the two-week calendar of events for the visit with a simple formula, “For the first three days, we go where I decide.  Afterwards, Devin and Karen each get to choose venues and adventures.”  What a great deal!

Devin at History Museum

In the first few days, there was a boat ride among the islands of Stockholm, a visit to the Natural History Museum and a visit to the Vasa Museum.  Then Stockholm came alive through the eyes of a seven year old.

A trip to Skansen, the world’s first outdoor museum, was a day of fun playing on a snake slide, having a chargrilled hamburger lunch and more fun climbing on the Spider Web at the playground.  The moose was also way cool. 

An early evening clown show performed by a professional clown of 35 years from America along with his Swedish girlfriend was more fun then we expected.  But the day at Stockholm’s renowned amusement park, Gröna Lund, was a scream…really!

Helen & Devin on Skyview

Other adventures included a ride on SkyView that takes one on the outside of the huge Globe sports arena just south of our apartment.  There was also a visit to see the changing of the guard at the royal palace, an evening visit to the Nobel Museum and opportunities to roll down a grassy hill or play on the apartment playground.

And just to confirm that there was a seven-year old in charge, we had lunch at McDonalds, several visits to the video store (Harry Potter, Shark boy and Lava girl) and a request to have “breakfast for dinner” inclusive of cereal, scrambled eggs and bacon that was honored.

Jay and Devin put together a three-minute video of some of the highlights of Devin’s two-week visit. 

Rosendals Trädgård

Saturday was a picture perfect day of sunshine and mild summer temperatures, so we pulled out the bikes and rode to Djurgården.  Originally designed as a royal hunting preserve in the 16^th century, Djurgården remains a wooded parkland as well as home to amusement parks, museums, walking trails and gardens.   

Djurgården, which is about an hour’s walk from our apartment, has remained something of an undiscovered area in our Stockholm adventure.  So with pedal power at our disposal and with no specific destination in mind we just headed out to explore this island woodland.

Near Gröna Lund Entrance

We pedaled past Gröna Lund, the island’s large amusement park, and savored the funnel cake-like atmosphere that accompanies any seaside amusement park, regardless of location.  Think Jersey shore boardwalk gaiety, only in Swedish.

We continued on the paved roadways before turning onto gravel walking and cycling paths into the island’s interior.  It was then that we discovered another Stockholm gem, Rosendals Trädgård (botanical garden).

The Orangery and Flower Beds

In the 19^th century, the Swedish royals developed the area around Rosendals Trädgård into an English-like park.  In 1848, King Oscar I built an orangery, a building to grow fruit trees and exotic plants and palms.  The early history of the garden, not surprisingly, includes helping farmers plant and grow orchards of fruit trees.

Picnickers enjoying the grassy orchard

Rosendals Trädgård is still a working botanical garden, but appears now to cater more to the wine sipping, cheese munching crowd than farmers clad in overalls. A large grassy area filled with benches and picnic tables shaded by apple trees provides a delightful sitting area to enjoy either a purchased or carried picnic. The gently sloped approach to the old orangery is no longer filled with laboring farmers, but a rose garden populated with giggling children and doting grandparents. 

Hothouse Tomatoes

The working history of the garden, however, is seen in the preservation of several multi-purpose glass hot houses.  One glass hot house was filled with a well-tended tomato crop.  Another offered seed choices primarily for urbanites seeking vegetable and flower options for their small gardens or apartment balcony flower boxes.  Yet another offered latte options and a table display with an array of pastries.  Working comes in many forms.

Greenhouse cafe

Pears Grown Inside Bottles

We browsed the wares in these glass houses, but passed on lingering for a meal.  We mounted our bikes and continued our island tour.

Another beautiful day and another great “find” to add to our Swedish adventure.

Visit Home and Back

A short pause was placed on our blogging in June due to our vacation travels from Sweden back to the US.  We are now back in Stockholm and are providing a quick summary of our wanderings in the States.

Family Reunion

We timed our travel primarily to attend the yearly family reunion so we could celebrate Jay’s Mom’s 90^th birthday.  

Mom's sister Ginny, Mom and Ellen

Four generations - Oldest & youngest

We had cake, sang Happy Birthday and marveled at the sight of generations mingling with the family matriarch.   

We also gave Midge a birthday gift of a day of yard work.  Her mind is still sharp, but her body is no longer willing to participate in the stooping and pulling needed to beat back Mother Nature’s desire to grow weeds in flower beds.  Our restoration of a pachysandra bed around the stump of an apple tree that once provided shade and climbing joy for Jay and his brother Keith was greeted with hugs and an unending stream of “thank you’s.”  We were glad we could give her a present she truly wanted.

Home Sweet Home

After four days in New Jersey we headed to our home in Roswell, Georgia.   Here we had an opportunity to give our kids hugs and extend our many thanks to them for taking care of our two dogs and two cats.  It was nice to be back among family and friends and have our pets follow us from room to room reconnecting with us as though we had never been gone.

We conducted our own battles with Mother Nature regarding her weed growing and branch dropping habits, but it was nice to be back puttering about in our own yard. 

Choir members at UUCA

There were also several breakfasts and lunches where we had chances catch up with friends.  We happily accepted the many hugs at church on Sunday.  When asked, “Are you back?” we replied we still have a year to go on our Swedish adventure.

Even Janice, our friendly cashier at our local Kroger greeted us with a warm Southern “Hey!” and noted that she had not seen us for a while.  We shared our story about living in Stockholm.  As we finished purchasing our groceries for a family dinner she bid us safe journeys adding, “You two live a storybook life.” 

On Sunday at a family dinner, all our kids and grandson were with us and we held a combined celebration of Jay’s birthday, Sean’s birthday and Father’s Day.

On Monday bags were re-packed.  Supplies of vitamins, peanut butter, lotion and other day-to-day products that are just so expensive in Stockholm were strategically placed in our luggage, pushing our airline weight limits to the max. 

Many hours later, we opened our apartment door and were greeted by Millie, our landlord’s cat, who lives with us. She follows us about…but it’s just not the same.