Icelandair lost the little suitcase which meant that US border officials had no agricultural products to scrutinize, and neither will the Canadians, but I will need to fill out a claim once I reach Toronto. However, everything else went as planned all the way from Gavle to Boston where I am now. It is quite remarkable how easily one flits across the globe these days, and with a minimum of paperwork.
I know about the pollution of the planes and the big gas usage and huge carbon footprint, but being with family is important. Yesterday Richard and I spent most of the day making cookies, but that is the stuff of life and real relationships. Bit funny to go to Sweden to do it, but very satisfying.
So, I don't plan to stop.
Friday 4 November 2011
Gavle -- a LOVEly place
Richard said it: "I love our little town", and he is certainly right that it is a lovely place to live.
I love the river running through it. Boats don't come up very far from the sea any more, but the waterway, nicely banked with stones and concrete walls, lends a gentleness to the centre of town as it divides the two older commercial areas. It means there are people fishing and open green spaces in the bustle. And in three weeks, the famous goat will stand there, watched by online viewers all over the world.
I love the old and the new, side by side, and sometimes, one inside the other. A very modern walking/cycling system (with appropriate visual and audio signals) leads the people-powered transit safely over old plazas, under railways, and into new developments along the waterfront. The city workers in their high-vis green overalls blow the leaves in the park between the two upscale old merchant streets, and then the mighty leaf sweeper picks them up.
I love the bakeries, yes, I am coming to appreciate the cardamom in the cinnamon rolls. It turns out it was the viking treasure brought back from India! And there are so many other fine breads (love the Epi sourdough apricot rye) and swedish cakes -- even princess torte under the layer of lime green fondant is a culinary delight.
I love the shopping. A friendly "hay, hay" will greet you in a grocery store, clothes shop, outdoor store, home decor spot, or whatever. And there is no snickering when an old lady points to something because she can't express herself in swedish. Or, there is a whole flood of swedish greeting and when you admit you don't understand anything, they switch effortlessly to english and carry on.
I love the subtle differences. Cookie sheets are the rack in the oven and thanks to the special non-stick sheets, one set of cookies gets pulled off the sheet and another onto the sheet, making even a little apartment oven, an efficient baking experience. Heated towel bars -- oh my! Bicycles accepted by the motorists. Serious recycling with different bins for weights of paper and types of plastic. Very little Sunday shopping and reduced shopping hours to help out the little retailers.
I love the heather in the planters. Fall and winter are still garden seasons, just with different species.
I love the lights everywhere. We lost daylight savings time last weekend and so it starts to get dark about 3:30 pm -- and they lose about 5 minutes of daylight each day! But already people and businesses are putting out lanterns or candles outside at their doors. Most curtains don't get drawn so you can see lights on in apartments and houses and they are left on even if the people are out. Last evening at the outdoor facility -- like a conservation area run by a company who has a lodge and cabins and maintains trails, there was a lovely lit walking path through the woods so that the area is used even in the dark times.
I love the cheese. The same lodge that has the lit paths, has a restaurant which was fabulous. Lobster pizza appetizer -- super, veal tenderloin with chanterelles -- amazing, dessert buffet of mini samplers -- innovative and delicious , but the highlight for me was the cheese buffet. There were 6 very different local cheeses with accompaniments of fruit, nuts and crisp breads -- WOW, and even the presentation (you served yourself onto slate tiles) was fantastic. Must remember to put the chunk of Vasterbottensost) into the suitcase.
I love the weather -- we had a great week, were not rained on. It was warm and still enough that even with the 93% humidity, walking was a great way to get around and see all the details on buildings and bridges.
And most importantly, I love that Richard and Jennie are so happy here!
I love the river running through it. Boats don't come up very far from the sea any more, but the waterway, nicely banked with stones and concrete walls, lends a gentleness to the centre of town as it divides the two older commercial areas. It means there are people fishing and open green spaces in the bustle. And in three weeks, the famous goat will stand there, watched by online viewers all over the world.
I love the old and the new, side by side, and sometimes, one inside the other. A very modern walking/cycling system (with appropriate visual and audio signals) leads the people-powered transit safely over old plazas, under railways, and into new developments along the waterfront. The city workers in their high-vis green overalls blow the leaves in the park between the two upscale old merchant streets, and then the mighty leaf sweeper picks them up.
I love the bakeries, yes, I am coming to appreciate the cardamom in the cinnamon rolls. It turns out it was the viking treasure brought back from India! And there are so many other fine breads (love the Epi sourdough apricot rye) and swedish cakes -- even princess torte under the layer of lime green fondant is a culinary delight.
I love the shopping. A friendly "hay, hay" will greet you in a grocery store, clothes shop, outdoor store, home decor spot, or whatever. And there is no snickering when an old lady points to something because she can't express herself in swedish. Or, there is a whole flood of swedish greeting and when you admit you don't understand anything, they switch effortlessly to english and carry on.
I love the subtle differences. Cookie sheets are the rack in the oven and thanks to the special non-stick sheets, one set of cookies gets pulled off the sheet and another onto the sheet, making even a little apartment oven, an efficient baking experience. Heated towel bars -- oh my! Bicycles accepted by the motorists. Serious recycling with different bins for weights of paper and types of plastic. Very little Sunday shopping and reduced shopping hours to help out the little retailers.
I love the heather in the planters. Fall and winter are still garden seasons, just with different species.
I love the lights everywhere. We lost daylight savings time last weekend and so it starts to get dark about 3:30 pm -- and they lose about 5 minutes of daylight each day! But already people and businesses are putting out lanterns or candles outside at their doors. Most curtains don't get drawn so you can see lights on in apartments and houses and they are left on even if the people are out. Last evening at the outdoor facility -- like a conservation area run by a company who has a lodge and cabins and maintains trails, there was a lovely lit walking path through the woods so that the area is used even in the dark times.
I love the cheese. The same lodge that has the lit paths, has a restaurant which was fabulous. Lobster pizza appetizer -- super, veal tenderloin with chanterelles -- amazing, dessert buffet of mini samplers -- innovative and delicious , but the highlight for me was the cheese buffet. There were 6 very different local cheeses with accompaniments of fruit, nuts and crisp breads -- WOW, and even the presentation (you served yourself onto slate tiles) was fantastic. Must remember to put the chunk of Vasterbottensost) into the suitcase.
I love the weather -- we had a great week, were not rained on. It was warm and still enough that even with the 93% humidity, walking was a great way to get around and see all the details on buildings and bridges.
And most importantly, I love that Richard and Jennie are so happy here!
Tuesday 1 November 2011
The Stuff of History
It was a dark and stormy night -- no, just an overcast morning, but that was just right for two tourists in the historic city of Uppsala. This area has been a popular place for quite some time -- Vikings lived here in the 7th century and left boat graves for later generations to dig up and analyse. Very decent of those old Norsemen to think of us struggling to learn about them, so they left dishes and jewelry and animals and dog collars and weapons all neatly arranged in a boat and then covered it up to preserve it. How considerate! And how wonderful that there is a group of people hanging around there who delight in digging up stuff--they even went to Egypt to do it.
As you can guess, Richard and I loved the Gustavianum Museum with many of the treasures collected by the oldest university in all Scandanavia -- 1477. They seem to have had a serious group of chemists and physicists walk down those halls, including Linnae of the classification of life. You know those old movies where all the med students are sitting in a steep-sloped room watching a dissection -- well, it happened here. And a civilized place it is, influencing the whole of the city which is clean, dignified, traditional in restaurant and hotel styling, and filled with cyclists. It has a lovely gothic church of protestant persuasion, so quite stark in its decor. There are plenty of parks and gardens and paths which would be much more impressive in warm weather -- make a note to self!
But we were off to Gavle by late afternoon and sped through the countryside. It is a short walk from the train station to Richard and Jennie's apartment, but you are put to the test carrying your suitcase up the 3 flights of circular stairs. Checked out one of Richard's favourite supermarkets for supper -- korv and a dish with an impossible-to-remember name but made of potatoes and sardines -yum!
Richard and Jennie have done some redecorating since I was here last year and the place looks lovely. With some strategic placement of shelving, they have modified a large living room into a semi-divided space which can be used more efficiently. They also have a fantastic piece of art in the front hall which inspires me. Must see what can be done!
As you can guess, Richard and I loved the Gustavianum Museum with many of the treasures collected by the oldest university in all Scandanavia -- 1477. They seem to have had a serious group of chemists and physicists walk down those halls, including Linnae of the classification of life. You know those old movies where all the med students are sitting in a steep-sloped room watching a dissection -- well, it happened here. And a civilized place it is, influencing the whole of the city which is clean, dignified, traditional in restaurant and hotel styling, and filled with cyclists. It has a lovely gothic church of protestant persuasion, so quite stark in its decor. There are plenty of parks and gardens and paths which would be much more impressive in warm weather -- make a note to self!
But we were off to Gavle by late afternoon and sped through the countryside. It is a short walk from the train station to Richard and Jennie's apartment, but you are put to the test carrying your suitcase up the 3 flights of circular stairs. Checked out one of Richard's favourite supermarkets for supper -- korv and a dish with an impossible-to-remember name but made of potatoes and sardines -yum!
Richard and Jennie have done some redecorating since I was here last year and the place looks lovely. With some strategic placement of shelving, they have modified a large living room into a semi-divided space which can be used more efficiently. They also have a fantastic piece of art in the front hall which inspires me. Must see what can be done!
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