Tag: Stockholm

Sweden: Stockholm on Foot

JWF 2 Comments

CAPITAL CITY

View toward the Grand Hotel, Stockholm

Stockholm is Sweden’s capital and largest city and is made up of numerous islands.  The city with a population of around one million is located at the juncture between a lake and an arm of the Baltic Sea.  Here, you are never far from water, and bridges and overpasses link some of the islands, making much of the city walkable.  Stockholm was founded in 1252 and officially recognized as the capital in 1436.  This was before Stockholm was fully liberated from the Danes in 1523. Today, Stockholm is a thriving center of commerce, industry, and culture, including the royal opera, philharmonic orchestra, and royal theater.

CITY PARKS

Berzelius Park

Berzelius with pigeon

As we wandered around exploring, we enjoyed several green spaces.  Berzelius Park is small with a statue of Jacob Berzelius (1779-1848), one of the fathers of modern chemistry, in the center.  Orange and yellow zinnias surround the statue while an outer ring of benches provides seating for contemplation.    

Enjoying the park

Kungstradgarden

Namaste Indian Festival booth

Kungstradgarden or King’s Garden is a large park in central Sweden.  Called by the locals, Kungsan, it is the site of friendly gatherings and festivals.  We admired the fountains, observed the locals, and wandered through the Indian cultural festival, Namaste Stkhlm.

Yoga in the park
Contemplating next move?

We were there as the festival was being set up and then again in the afternoon when it was a bustling scene of live music, colorful booths, and the tempting smells of Indian food.  We also watched a yoga class and noted a chess game in progress.

GAMLA STAN

Royal Place
Guard at his palace post
Nobel Prize Museum

Gamla Stan or Old Town was the original nucleus of the city of Stockholm.  It’s made up of three islands connected by bridges and overpasses.  Here one finds the Royal Palace, the Parliament building, and the German church among others. Also a museum devoted to the Nobel Prize. The Chief Penguin and I were fortunate to host a dinner in San Francisco for Nobel Prize winners from California several years ago; the head of this museum was in attendance.

Swedish Parliament

 Many of the buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries and are impressive and large with colorful facades.

Lively square, Gamla Stan
Love these buildings!
In front of oldest bank building

 We walked up and down and around in this section taking lots of photos and then stopping for lunch at one of the many sidewalk cafes.  The Chief Penguin sampled the schnitzel with a local lager, while I ordered a Caesar salad with marinated chicken, a dish that seems to be on menus around the world.  This rendition had some bits of bacon and a few cherry tomatoes along with the requisite Parmesan and romaine lettuce.

Note: Header photo is of Storkyrkan, oldest church in Stockholm. All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Sweden: 80 & On to Stockholm

JWF 1 Comment

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.)