Tag: Uppsala

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.)