Sweden: 80 & On to Stockholm

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CELEBRATING 80!

Josh flanked by Michel and the Chief Penguin

Our friend Josh, a Welshman, came to Sweden more than 50 years ago after studying at Oxford University.  He became a professor at Uppsala University and never left.  Josh and the Chief Penguin collaborated on battery research projects over the years.  In honor of his 80th birthday and his long and fruitful career, colleagues and others organized the celebration we attended.  We enjoyed an elaborate dinner with plenty of toasts and stories about Josh one night.

The next day was an all-day scientific symposium of talks by his friends and former students from England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S.  It took place at the Angstrom Laboratory on the university campus. The talks were enlivened with anecdotes and photos fleshing out Josh’s big personality, his warmth and kindness, and his dedication to having fun together as well as doing science.  One Japanese scientist, a lone female in her research group at home, came to work with Josh in the1990’s, bringing her three young children with her.  Josh located a preschool for the kids, and he and his wife hosted them at their home at Christmastime.

 I sat in on the symposium, and in addition to hearing much more about beta alumina and sodium ion batteries, more fully appreciated Josh’s formative impact on his PhD students and their careers.  It was also an opportunity for me to re-connect with French, British, and Swedish scientists I had met or hosted in our Swarthmore home decades ago.

ON TO STOCKHOLM

Uppsala’s train station is modern and a model of efficiency.  Our hotel was just across the street so we were able to easily drag our luggage over, buy our tickets at the convenience store, and board the 10:44 train.   The train left at precisely 10:44, made one stop, and arrived in the Stockholm central station 35 minutes later—the fast and expensive train, not really, just slightly more than the commuter one!

We got a taxi to our hotel, Villa Dagmar, and had just learned that even though it was before noon, our room was ready!  At that point, the transaction halted as the hotel’s fire alarm went off.  The desk staff proceeded to investigate the security panel; an announcement came over the loudspeaker; several people, not many, exited the front door; and eventually the alarm stopped. A man looking to be kitchen staff and wearing an apron appeared briefly.  Had he or someone else burned the toast?

Typical park scene complete with bikes
Local or visitor?

EXPLORING & DINING

The hotel is very comfortable and quiet.  After lunch in the adjacent food hall, we explored the neighboring streets, noted the many boats in the inlet, and wandered in a small park.    For dinner, we opted for The Garden restaurant in the courtyard. 

Dining with friends

Our tasty meal was to the tune of blaring loud music midst a crowd of attractive young Swedes enjoying their Friday evening out.  Thankfully, our room above has triple pane windows and nary a sound or note was heard when we retired.

Breakfast is included with the room, and we presented ourselves at the dining room at 7:30, the weekend opening time.  A buffet of fruits, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, meats and cheeses, and the like was on offer along with a printed menu of cooked dishes. We made ourselves plates from the buffet and looked around and looked around, but we could see no bread or rolls, staples of Swedish cuisine. 

I inquired if there was bread, only to be told that there is a bakery on the floor below, and the bread was stuck in the lift!  The staff expected the issue to be resolved in about 15 minutes; did we want a hot dish in the meantime?  The Chief Penguin ordered and enjoyed a lovely ham and cheese omelette. 

Eventually, someone delivered me a piece of toast.  And then, some delectable croissants and dainty cinnamon rolls appeared on the buffet.  Problem solved.  In the meantime, at least three different staff checked on us, asking if everything was alright and did we want anything else.  An adventure at breakfast with excellent pastries and omelette and brewed tea (no tea bags!).  I think we’ll stay for another day or two!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Sweden: Dining Around

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EATING OUT IN UPPSALA AND STOCKHOLM

One does not expect a northern country like Sweden to offer outside dining, but it does. Here in Uppsala, there are many sidewalk cafes and glassed-in cafes, some overlooking the river and others just on ordinary streets. Most have heat lamps, extending both the dining hours and the days on which it is possible to eat outdoors.

Iberico, Uppsala

Entrance to Iberico

Set alongside the river, Iberico is a tapas restaurant that serves in a café space in pleasant weather and across the street indoors the rest of the time.  The Chief Penguin discovered this gem, and we were delighted with what we ordered. From a plate of three different hams to shrimps in chili ginger oil, to patatas bravas, and lovely patron peppers sprinkled with salt, to a bomba filled with minced lamb and in a Swedish twist, a bit of truffle, everything was delicious!  Add in some Spanish wine and you have a tasty light meal.

 We liked this restaurant so much, we returned for a light meal after lunch in Stockholm.  We enjoyed the three Iberico hams a second time, the padron peppers, and this time the cheese platter complete with Marcona almonds, small toasts, and mini wedges of cantaloupe. 

Our waiter, a young man who grew up in Moldova, was the youngest son in his family who got “blamed’ for everything. He lived for some years in Dubai, but tiring of the noise and bustle there, moved to Uppsala. He was charming and engaging, adding to our dining pleasure on both occasions.

Saluhallen, Uppsala

Fish counter, Saluhallen

Saluhallen is an elegant food hall.  Not overly large, it is divided into sections and counters devoted to one food group or another.  A lovely selection of cheeses in one case, fish and shrimp preparations at another counter, beef and other meats at another, and fancy pastries at yet another.  You can order items to take home or sit nearby or at tables in a separate attractive light-filled area with big windows.  We didn’t eat or buy here, just wandered through, salivating all the way, promising ourselves a return visit.

Operabaren, Stockholm

Housed in the Royal Swedish Opera House complex, Operabaren is the little sister to Operakallaren, a one Michelin star restaurant also here.  Coming by train from Uppsala (about 45 minutes), we met our friends from Los Angeles.  It’s a small comfortable space with lots of wood and both traditional and elegant in feel.  White tablecloths and white linen napkins, for sure, and all male servers.  The menu is mostly traditional Swedish cuisine, beautifully plated.

Swedish shrimp sandwich

I had the half open face shrimp sandwich as my starter, while the Chief Penguin indulged in herring with little round potatoes. 

Herring and potatoes

For mains, we both ordered Swedish meatballs.  They were little balls in a rich sauce accompanied by puréed potatoes, lingonberries, and pickled cucumber slices.  A perfect rendition of this classic dish! 

Swedish meatballs!

Our friends tucked into a beef and potato entrée and gravlax with potatoes on the side.  Dessert was a buttercream meringue confection for the CP, raspberry sorbet for me, and a cheese plate for the others. 

Meringue confection

It was leisurely meal where we caught up with each others’ lives over the past several decades.

OF NOTE

Street with Hanging lampshades

Smedsgrand Street

I fell in love with the hanging lamp shade lights on Smedsgrand Street in Uppsala.  The shades are large and colorfully patterned and almost all different.  I noted only one pattern that was repeated.  I was curious about them and Googled, but was unable to find any information about them or why and when they were installed. 

TRAIN STATION

Uppsala Train Station

The Uppsala train station is a striking long building.  It is modern, with good signage, and is meticulously clean! Finding where to buy a train ticket, however, is almost impossible.  No signs or obvious ticket machines or service counter.  Finally, the Chief Penguin entered a convenience store to ask.  The helpful man there told him he sells the tickets, and he provided useful details on the schedule and travel times. We later bought tickets from him. Friends told us you can buy tickets online, but we haven’t tried that.

This station also includes an upscale restaurant, a café and a grill.  The restaurant is a separate enterprise from the station management. 

Note: Header photo by the river and all other photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Sweden: Uppsala Botanical Garden & Food

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THE LINNAEUS GARDEN

Path in the Linnaeus Garden

This morning was cool with bright sun to start.  We headed for the garden with stops along the way to take photos of the cathedral and other sites under blue skies.  It was cloudy and very windy later on.

A professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala University, Carl Linnaeus (1707-1748) created a new system of classification for plants and then later animals.  His naming system is used all over the world, including at the California Academy of Sciences where I initially worked in its research library. 

The Linnaeus Garden, known as the Uppsala University Botanical Garden, was originally planned in 1655 by Olof Rudbeck and even in that day was a noted botanical garden in Europe.  A catastrophic fire in Uppsala in 1702 destroyed much of the garden, but when Linnaeus arrived as a young botanist,  he had free rein to rehabilitate it and created his sexual classification system for plants. 

Tall hollyhocks

The first garden became too small, and Linnaeus’ son and one of his fans convinced the king to donate the gardens of Uppsala Castle to the university.  These grounds soon became a park and it wasn’t until 1917 that the Swedish Linnaeus Society, using Carl Linnaeus’ descriptions and lists of plants, recreated the garden mostly as it had been in 1745.  Today it includes only the 1,000+ species cultivated in Linnaeus’ time and is once again part of the university.

Annuals in the garden

Annuals and biennials in the Annual Parterre are arranged in 44 beds in narrow rows.  They are not closely cropped or confined.   Rather, many are very tall or spread out often overlapping with the next variety. 

Monkey hut

In his day, Linnaeus included some exotic animals in the garden: parrots, goldfish, a tame raccoon, and several monkeys. To accommodate the latter, there are a series of monkey houses or huts atop poles. Attached to each pole is an iron rod and while the monkeys were chained to the pole, they could exit their huts and scamper up and down the rod.

Wire monkeys over the street

DINING IN UPPSALA—ETHNIC VARIETY

O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub

O’Neill’s is our friend’s favorite pub, and we enjoyed dinner here on our first night.  The Chief Penguin and I ordered lightly, chicken club sandwich for me and seared king prawns for him, while Josh, who hadn’t eaten much all day, had the braised lamb shank with root vegetables.  The guys enjoyed a local beer, while I sampled a local cider.  All perfect for this long first day!

Ristorante Villa Romana

Classic Swedish salmon & potatoes

Lunch today was at a small Italian restaurant, Villa Romana. The menu has pizzas and the expected pasta dishes such as bucatini carbonara and lasagna, but each with a Swedish twist.  This being Sweden, you can also order a classic dish of salmon with dill over white potatoes.  You order at the counter and it’s delivered to your table.  This menu item included bread, salad, and coffee.  Having just arrived, we ordered the salmon and potatoes which was a hearty portion meant to easily carry us through the rest of the day! 

Lindvall’s Kaffe

Elaborate cakes and cookies

Given the plethora of bakeries, I thought I should include this neighborhood konditori where we purchased some filled cookies (citron and chocolate) and two berry tarts to take away.  Lindvall’s cases were filled with lots of temptations for dessert or breakfast, and these were a tasty addition to our afternoon tea break. 

Note: All photos including header photo of a sunflower variety ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Return to Sweden: Uppsala

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THE PAST

In the 1980’s and 90’s, the Chief Penguin made many trips to Sweden and Denmark for conferences and collaborations with scientific colleagues.  Uppsala was one of the places visited most often and Josh, a professor at the university, became both a research partner and a personal friend.  In June 1984, we both visited when the university awarded CP an honorary doctorate.   It was almost summer solstice, it never seemed to get dark, and the degree ceremony was capped with a white tie gala that evening. 

Site of the 1984 ceremonies

In 1991, our son and I with CP began and ended a cruise to Helsinki and St. Petersburg with time in Uppsala. This year we are back again to join friends and his university colleagues in celebrating Josh’s 80th birthday.

Uppsala is an old city and its public research university dates to the 15th century. It’s the oldest university in Sweden and in Scandinavia.

Spires of Uppsala Cathedral

Dominating the city skyline is Uppsala Cathedral, the national church of Sweden in the Lutheran tradition.  And running through the center of the city is the Fyris River.

TODAY’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Bicycles, bridges, and bakeries.  These three things struck me as we took a long walk this afternoon to get acclimated. For its more than 40,000 students, bicycles are a primary means of getting around, along with the occasional battery-operated scooters.  Since the Fyris River runs through town, there are a number of historic and pretty bridges linking the two sides.

River view from one of the many bridges

 Swedes, like Danes, enjoy pastry, and cafes and bakeries can be found on almost every street.  The restaurant dining scene is also remarkably cosmopolitan with Thai, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Indian fare on offer besides the local specialties.

I also like the historic architecture, facades in colors reminiscent of Rome: apricot, golden yellow, burnt sienna, and orange.  Attractive in summer, but especially welcome in the darker days of winter when sunlight is scarce. 

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)