From Lego to Noir

Wednesday morning, we explored the local shops and met a lovely clothing designer who works with linen in a knit form. She had some beautiful knit linen shawls and only recently opened her store. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about linen from her and seeing genuine enthusiasm for her craft. We happened upon the militia on parade with the horses for the changing of the guard outside the Palace. Thursday is Ascension Day which is a national holiday and all government offices are closed. Jon and Lucas met up with us at the Historica, the History Museum of Sweden. The museum was laid out in a challenging way to tour. Not surprisingly, we got lost going in and coming out, and it was tricky to get around, especially with a stroller, but we loved the ingenuity in how they displayed the history. With everyone in our group's food intolerances we haven't experimented too much with local food but  yesterday we got adventurous and tried the food from Cafe Schweitzer which we highly ...

The men in my life indulged me yesterday so we went to tour The Abba Museum. It's an interactive experience and we had some fun! Even Lucas got in on the action. This was one museum where he didn't have to be too quiet.  David (reluctantly) and I (enthusiastically) did an audio recording of "Waterloo" and David, Lucas and I had a stage portrait taken. Remind me when we return, and if you're keen for an amusing experience with bad vocals, we can pass along the files. David and Lucas won't be giving up their day jobs and I won't be coming out of retirement. David quickly absented himself from the last room of the museum to be sure he didn't end up on stage for the karaoke experience. Since we were close by, we went to Junibacken  for lunch. Swedish Meatballs again, and Jon and Lucas and I had fun playing inside Junibacken. Lucas seems to have a future in cooking and grocery stores as they are his favourite activities. We also got to enjoy a lively chil...

It was another noir kind of day, not a surprise on this trip. David, Jon, Lucas and I checked out the Photography Museum this morning, called Fotografiska. It was a part of the downtown that we hadn't been to yet and there was lots of construction and development taking place around the museum. It looked like they were digging a tunnel for a new transit system and the blasting wasn't far away. This is the part of Stockholm where the Viking Cruise Line ships dock at so there was lots to see including a Swedish navy frigate.  The photography museum was interesting, to quote a favourite saying of David's mother. It was extremely contemporary but there was a great portraiture exhibit by Vincent Peters of current Hollywood celebrities, a photographer who prefers the style of the fifties. They were all great images. There was also an exhibit of stunning blue photographs from remote locations by Scarlett Hooft Graafland making her own statement on political issues.  It wa...

Another cold, windy and rainy day here in Stockholm but as I write this, the sun is starting to shine. We took the tram again and this time it successfully took us all the way to our destination.  We toured the Vasa Museum today. This is home to the "Vasa", a ship that sunk near Stockholm in the 1600s and was raised from the sea floor 333 years later. It was an amazing recovery and restoration effort and quite the story to see how it transpired. They managed to keep 98% of the ship in its original form. These photos are pretty dark, as was the museum. If you're not into photos of an old ship, pass by today's post. We stopped in to Junibacken for lunch today. This is a children's museum that focuses on the author Barbro Lindgren. The restaurant caters to children, with a mostly healthy, and extensive menu. Swedish meatballs were our order of the day and a big hit with our toddler (and the adults too). It's amazing how much English is spoken here. So much so...