UPPSALA

Aug 31st - Sept 1st 2020

Stockholm Central Station.
 

The Central Railway station is modern, efficient and connects the rail system to the Metro (tunelbana). Several floors are underground and all well signposted. The statue outside is of Nils Ericsson, the engineer who developed the rail and canal systems. Not to be confused with Lars Ericsson the 19th century founder of the telephones organisation. 

Anyway, onwards by train to Uppsala, a city about 80km north of Stockholm.

Below: The interior of the double-decker train I took. The rail prices were comparatively cheap, £6 equivalent to Uppsala (about the only things in this country which are) and comfortable with lots of luggage room, tables and an excellent quick and free internet service.

This new crappy new Google Blogger system does not seemingly allow me to  write down the side of photos, so can only 'head or tail' them, therefore much space wasted. Hey ho!

Below: A cunning device which allows a wheelchair or wonky person to board the train and, by pushing a button, elevate the platform to get up the stairs, then rotate to wheel or stagger off. Very clever.

I think I have, by accident, just discovered how to write down the side of a photo. I doubt I will be able to replicate so making the most of it here.

It was a comfortable 40 min journey up north to Uppsala. The countryside is flat and densely forested. 

Below: The railway station at Uppsala. Another smart and shiny station.

Uppsala is a university city (40,000 students). It was/is considered the historical and spiritual heart of the country. It is a jolly city with lots of bars, restaurants and hotels;  presumably to cater for the licentious studentry. Actually, although the schools are all fully operational, university students are at present at home studying, or not, on the internet. It is divided north/south by the river Fyris. Laid out in a grid pattern it is easy to navigate and most things of interest are within easy walking distance. As with everywhere in this country this place is immaculately clean and tidy. I stayed the night at the CityStay Hotel which is central, comfortable and reasonably priced.

  

The University is one of the oldest and most esteemed in the world. I'm not sure what for; parties? The main university building is quite grand but used mainly for ceremonial occasions, with a few lecture halls, now deserted other than security guards. The city is scattered with outlying 'departments'.

Right: The magnificent entry hall.

On the first floor gallery there are several rather rude statues. I can only enter them in a long list below because this stupid 'new improved' system will not allow me to write alongside. 

Presumably they represent a politically correct 'diverse' theme, albeit very 'white'. They all have remarkably small willies, or perhaps I am blessed, but I don't think so.

Below: The gay boy.

Right: The flasher. Not sure what he is so proud of!

Left: The 'one armed' streaker.

Right: The child abductor

Gosh, I seem to be, on occasions, able to get text on the side, but not sure how I'm doing it.

Nearby is the Carolina Rediviva Bibliotek, the University library and museum. It is a large building with squillions of books (unsurprisingly) and some reading rooms which appeared reasonably well attended (below).........

......together with a museum housing ancient manuscripts and maps including illuminated Ethiopian texts and the first book ever printed in Sweden, which I'm sure is a real bodice-ripper. The star of the show is the Codex Argentus (AD 250) aka the Silver Bible (below) which is written in gold and silver ink on purple vellum. The most complete existing document written in the Gothic language (in which I am not entirely fluent).

Below: The Gothic Cathedral, Domkyrka, which dominates the city. Apparently it is Scandinavia's largest church. It is 119m (390 ft)  high.

As mentioned, I'm not really 'into' these grandiose and opulent houses of worship, but went in to have a look anyway. (at least it was free entry and beginning to rain!) 

No effort or expense was spared here. There are lots of little 'chapels' running down both sides dedicated to such luminaries as Gustav Vasa (the first King and after whom the ill-fated warship was named), and Carl von Linné (or Linnaeus) an eminent 18th century Uppsala biologist, zoologist, physician and, for all I know, record breaking pole-vaulter. His name features widely around this city.

Above: It certainly has an impressive 'pulpit" from which, no doubt, the God-fearing congregation were suitably damned for their sins.

There is, what looked like, an interesting place opposite; the Gustavian Museum, which advertised lots of weird and wonderful exhibits ie. stuffed animals and ancient oddities, including the 'anatomical theatre' where executed prisoners were dissected.

Unfortunately it was closed for renovations.

Then on to Uppsala Slott, the Castle, which sits on high ground overlooking the city. Another remnant of Gustav Vasa's reign in the 16th century. It burnt down in 1702, but rebuilt. It supposedly houses the State Rooms, but now is just offices and the main part closed to tourists (at least while I was here).

There are turrets at either end, and this is the back view. (I've accidently done it again and got text down the side!). Too long to get it all in one shot. One of the turrets is open to the public and houses a 'conceptual art' gallery on 4 floors. Again, free admission........

.....with some rather weird 'artworks', such as this portryal of 'Hell'..........

.......plus other strange exhibits with little information of what they represented.

Right: A gorilla in fishnet stockings?

Below: A rather poor representation of someone sitting on the window-ledge.

Then on through the Linnean Gardens which run down from the front of the castle.  They grow, according to my guide book, 10,000 plant species, and I certainly didn't bother to count them. There is a Tropical Greenhouse to one side (closed, 'cos I got there too late) and what looked like an interesting museum the 'Museum of Evolutions' nearby. Closed on Monday's, which day it was.

Right: The Linnean Gardens. There is a big house at the end, but I couldn't find out what it's purpose was. Maybe where the gardener lives.

It had now started to piss down with rain so back to the centre of town where I found the mandatory Irish Bar to dry off in.......

.......O'Connor's bar where I was served by a charming and very pretty (non-Irish) colleen. She took this photo so that's why she's not in it.

That was my day in Uppsala. Nothing terribly exciting but interesting enough and I got a feel for the place. No students and few tourists so it was all very quiet. I expect it is very different when it's humming. A decent supper and a quiet evening spent.

On by train tomorrow to the town of Tällberg, in the middle of the country, on Lake Siljan. Toot toot!