FINALE STOCKHOLM AND HOME

 7th Sept 2020

Farewell Sweeeden.

I had half a day left to find something else to see and amuse myself with, so decided to visit the Skyview, or Ericsson Globe, near the Globum Metro in the southern end of the city. Entry SEK 120 (£10). I'm always keen to go up things.

Left: This is it. Not entirely sure what else is inside the building but there is a track up the outside on which runs a 'gondola' or 'pod' to the top.

Right: A full pod at the top. As you can see this is a previous photo taken in the winter.

Left: My photo on the way up. I was the only passenger.

Right: Panoramic view from the top. Looking north over the city there is surprisingly little of note to identify. The problem is that Stockholm is flat, surrounded by forest and lakes and few tall buildings to penetrate the horizon.

Left: Adjacent to the south is the Tele2 Arena, a stadium which hosts (in normal times) big football matches and pop concerts. It is a bit like the O2 Arena in London.

There is pleasant café nearby for lunch which I took advantage of.

Right: A typical river view on the way back to the city centre.

Back to the hotel, packed up and headed for the airport. 

The previous evening I had been sent an e-mail by British Airways telling me to fill in a long (5 pages) and very intrusive form before checking in (on-line) with all my future contact details, phone numbers and probably inside leg measurements, because at that time Sweden was on the Brit Government's Covid 'black-list'. It reminded me that I would have to 'self-isolate' for 14 days on returning to UK (subsequently rescinded). It took a fair bit of time but I was warned that if I didn't do it I would be subject to big delays, and possibly fines, on arrival at Heathrow. Phew! So I did.

It was such an efficient rail service from the Central Station to the airport I arrived early and had time for a bit of scran and wander around. As previously, none of the airport staff suffered the indignity of wearing 'snot rag' face masks, but of course many tourists did (even if not required).

Right: ....As per this paranoid lunatic (tourist) who was dressed in some form of HAZMAT suit! I think many people still genuinely belive we are in the throws of a hostile Nuclear, Biological and Chemical attack. Pathetic really. The Swedes would laugh at him/her/it.

On arrival at Heathrow, amongst a large crowd from various countries, I went into the passport/immigration arrivals hall. I had merely to slap my passport onto the scanner and walk out. Nobody was in the slightest interested in where I had come from or any 'form' I may, or may not, have filled in. All this form filling and 'isolation' rubbish is, as I discovered, a load of complete bullshit! So many of these British covid 'rules' seem entirely illogical and instigated more for PR effect than any sensible reason.

Right: A photo I forgot. A jolly Swedish dog called 'Frodo' which I encountered in Stockholm. 

Left: ...and finally, from Heathrow, make of this what you will........!

I must say Sweeeeden (or Sverige, which sounds like a horse-feed), and it's seemingly total normality, was a real breath of fresh air. Long may it continue. As of now a great place to escape the daft rules and social restrictions in UK.

I hope to be off again in the near future to do a bit of research in a country I have never visited before. Stand-by for more 

BACK TO STOCKHOLM

 5th - 6th Sept 2020

The front of the Royal Palace (before present building works)

Back to Stockholm by train (via Borlänge and Gävle) and returned to the excellent, and relatively inexpensive, Queen's Hotel on Drottningsggaten. Great location in the city centre and highly recommended.

Next visit was to the Royal Palace, or Kungliga Slottet in the local lingo, on the northern end of Gamla Stan. This was built on the ruins of the old Tre Konor castle which burnt down in 1697 (bedpan fire apparently after explosive schnapps induced fart) and rebuilt by 1751. I was told it has 608 rooms, some of them very grand. It is still very much in use for Royal receptions and the accommodation of choice for visiting dignitaries and possibly the world's largest castle still used for it's original purpose (I read).

I, and a small crowd, arrived in good time to see the much heralded 'Changing of the Guard' at 12.15pm on the parade ground in front of the Palace. The frontage of the building was covered by scaffolding and plastic sheeting which rather ruined the effect. At 12.00pm bus-loads of soldiers arrived and we expected a good show.

As it turned out the ceremony was a bit of a damp squib due, presumably, to military 'social-distancing' rules. It consisted of a mere seven strong contingent led by a soldier with a very squeaky voice. I just caught it but several of the onlookers were still waiting at the far end of the courtyard and saw even less.

Entry cost 180 Krone, and there were several floors open to the public. I was here for ages but will only bore you with a small selection of pics.

Right: The Grand Staircase, or one of them...there were several.

Left: The decadent Karl X1 gallery, inspired by the Versailles' Hall of Mirrors.

Right: A showcase displaying all the Swedish 'Orders of Whathaveyou'. The Premier Order is the Order of the Seraphim.

Left: Queen Kristina's silver throne in the Hall of State. It is indeed made of solid silver. I'm surprised Anders Zorn (see previous blog) didn't get one. Maybe he did!

The rest of the Hall of State was given over to a large display of ancient and modern rugs. Rugs! Rather boring in my opinion.

Left: This gallery is used as the State Dining Room for 'formal' Dinners. 

Right: The table set for supper. They probably borrowed the silverware from Anders Zorn!

....for a few of the neighbours who dropped in for a bite to eat. I hope those flunkies kept the wine glasses topped up.

Right: I was told this 'commode' was made in Russia and is famous and extremely valuable. I thought a commode was where you relieved yourself if you were a bit wonky and couldn't get to the loo.

Left: There were lots of fine uniforms on display. Mostly worn by various 'Gustavs' I expect.

Right: The Royal Bedchamber. Prince Charles and Camilla kipped here when on a state visit a year ago. It doesn't look very cosy, but I was told it is laid out rather differently when they have guests staying. 

While in this room I bumped into a charming lady guide who gave me a full run-down on the Swedish Royal history. I couldn't stop her waxing lyrical for about 40 mins. As I failed to make notes I have forgotten most of the details but it involved lots of Gustavs (Gustav 111 shot in 1792 at a fancy dress ball...probably, big mistake, went as a deer), Napoleon and a rather Machiavellian chap called Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte who was a French General and adviser/mate of Napoleon who went on to become King of Sweden. He  sounded rather like the Napoleonic version of Dominic Cummings. You can look it all up on Wikipedia if interested.

There were lots more rooms, stately halls and exhibits, but I think that is enough to send you to sleep. I missed out on the Museum of Tre Konor (13th century fixtures and fittings), the Royal Treasury and Gustav 111's Antikmuseum. 

Next on into the Royal Armoury which is housed in a large cellar beneath the Palace...and free entry! Can't think why as all other museums seem to charge the earth, but I wasn't complaining. This is divided into two. One half devoted to uniforms throughout the ages and the other to Royal carriages;

Left: Some fighting men from the 13th century. I can't think how they moved let alone fought. I don't expect they were much good on the assault course and highly susceptible to strong magnets.

This museum was in semi-darkness (like many others) so flash needed which did not make for good pics.

Right: Likewise this knight on horseback, carrying a lot of 'over-weight'. An easy target for armour-piercing bullets or someone sneaking up behind them, and useless in heavy going.

Left: The uniform of some rather poncey outfit such as King Gustav's Royal Household Gay Guards. 

Right: Another well armoured knight in a skirt. Apart from being in a very uncomfortable and top-heavy outfit, do you think they realised they looked absolute prats?

The Royal carriage collection, again in semi-darkness, included about 10 elaborate 'horse and cart' exhibits. I made a list of their names but may not have got them in the correct order. Left: The Queen's Brussels Carriage (1780). I think.

Right: The Coronation Coach (1696). I have photos of all these, including the Austrian Sleigh (a horse-drawn toboggan) presented  by the Austrian Empress Marie-Theresia to King Gustav 111 in 1777.

Left: There were even models of the nags that pulled them.........

Right: ....including this poor creature, pulling the sleigh, which hopefully never saw itself in a mirror. I dread to think what piss-taking it had to endure from its fellow cart pullers. Poofter!

That was most of what I did (culture-wise) on my second last day...apart from some shopping and a bit of expensive pub crawling. One more half-day to enjoy in this delightful city before returning to the indignities of UK.

MORA

 3rd - 4th Sept 2020

The big Dala Horse (Dalahäst) in Mora.

It was a 30 minute train ride from Tällberg to Mora at the northern end of Lake Siljan. There are two railway stations in Mora, and I got off at the main one which was, irritatingly, much further from where I was to stay than the other one. I had booked in to a guest house on the west side of town. A one mile walk. They are a very trusting people, the Swedes. I was the only guest and was texted with the codes to get into the front door and for the room key cabinet. The house was impeccably clean with a fully equipped kitchen, sitting room and bedrooms. Effectively I just helped myself and was never visited by the owners; I simply put the key back in the cabinet when I left. For all they knew I could have been hosting a wild drug-fuelled orgy, trashed the place, nicked all the kit and done a runner....which, of course, I didn't.

Left: A smaller Dalahäst. They come in all sizes (2" up to the 40' job featured at the top) and the region (Dalarna is famous for these originating from before the 17th century). They are emblematic of Sweden and popular souvenirs. They are often given to visiting dignitaries whom I'm sure are very grateful.

The town is famous for the revolutionary Gustav Vasa who, in 1520, arrived here and stood in front of the local population to try to whip up a rebellion against the ruling Danish regime. The locals booed him and 'gave him the finger' (they had probably been on the pop, for which, until a recent clampdown, the Swedes were famous). He was forced to do a runner (on skis) to the border.

After he left, and the town had sobered up, they reconsidered and a couple of locals set off in pursuit of him and finally overtook him in Sälen, 90km away, brought him back and he, and they, saw off the Danes and changed Swedish history. He became King Gustav 1. Right: His statue standing where he addressed his, initially, bolshy countrymen..

This led to another event for which Mora is famous; the Vasaloppet ski race which is held on the first Sunday in March. It has attracted up to 15,000 competitors for the 90 km race from Sälen to Mora. 

Left: The finish line in Mora.

Right: Not my photo of course, but a snap of the skiiers in the fiercely competitive race.

Left:  An actual finish at Mora.

Right: A statue of a competitor near the finish line.

Left: Behind which is the Vasaloppsmuseet (museum) which I was hoping to visit. It was closed. Probably due to lack of tourists. What a bugger, and I don't know what was on display. Lots of skiis, bobble hats and photos presumably.

Right: The Mora Kyrka, ouside of which is a statue of St George and the Dragon. It is not clear what the connection is.

For lunch I found a pleasant bar/restaurant nearby  called 'The Pub'. This had a buffet which was very good value and the like of which I had used in Uppsala. OK, the beer was expensive but there was a delicious array of food and you could help yourself non-stop for about £8 (equivalent). Much recommended should you be visiting Mora.

Then on to the Zorn Museum. Anders Zorn (1860-1920), born in Mora, was a famous and very successful Swedish artist. I had never heard of him before. He started painting in watercolours but moved on to oils, etchings and sculptures.

He was very fat.

There were videos of him riding horses which presumably developed bad backs.

He initially specialised in painting portraits of European aristocracy and wealthy patrons, making a fortune doing so. He was much in demand and travelled widely between Sweden, Italy, Spain, America and settled for a time in London. Right: A typical example of his work of some posh bint.

He was a very prolific artist and this museum contains a large quantity of his paintings, etchings and small sculptures. Left: A jolly picture of a Turkish oarsman.

In the latter part of his career he took to painting nudes. He had presumably earned enough money and got bored of painting finely dressed aristocratic ladies. This example here (right) was of a maid at the Waldorf Astoria in New York where he was staying at the time and whom he had presuaded (or bribed) to undress. Good room-service. Can you imagine the fuss if someone tried that nowadays! Still, I expect the young lady did well out of it.

He spent a lot of money  on buying silver Left: Part of his collection in the museum.There were another two walls of it. It must have kept someone (his wife?) busy cleaning it all. I expect she was exasperated by his obsession : "Oh bloody hell, Anders my little schnitzel, not another  goddam silver dinner service!".

Right: His studio in the garden of his house in Mora.

It was pouring with rain after my visit here and apart from wandering around the shops there was little else to do that I could find. After a visit to the Systembolaget to buy a reasonably priced bottle of wine and a supermarket to buy food, I retired to my guest-house. 

Left: A popular Swedesh dish; a very large sausage called Falukorv. I must confess I never tried it.

 Right: This young lady has eaten too many of them by the look of it

That's it for Mora. Back to Stockholm tomorrow. Toot toot.

TÄLLBERG

 1st - 3rd Sept 2020

View over Lake Siljan

There were two train changes (on time) from Uppsala to Tällberg, at Gävle and Borlänge. Departure 9.00am and arrived Tällberg at 1.30pm. It was a pleasant enough journey through flat countryside with scenery of trees, and more trees, with the occasional lake. It is a about 200km north-west of Uppsala.

I was informed that the train stopped at the (unmanned) station in Tällberg, which it did, but was not aware that Tällberg is a 'village' spread out over a large area. There was a 2km walk, towing suitcase, from station to the so-called centre where I had booked in at the Åkerblads Hotel. Good excercise I suppose.

Left: The Lake Siljan region. Tällberg east end, Mora at the north end. The lake is about 40km long (I will try to stick to 'km' rather than 'miles' 'cos that is the data I was given). This is in the 'county' of Dalarna. An interesting area within a large surrounding 'rim' with the lake at its centre, caused by a 52km diameter meteor impact, the largest in Europe, 377 million years ago. Bet that shook up a few nesting dinosaurs.

The Åkerblads is a lovely hotel. Right: My bedroom which had a sitting-room attached. Are you interested? Anyway it was very comfortable and not unfeasably expensive, even though more than I would normally have paid.

Left: It had a spa with swimming pool of which I made no use, plus a Pool table on which I had a little practice.

Right: Plus a very smart restaurant, both inside and outside. That was seriously expensive. I lived on the supplies I had bought in a supermarket in Uppsala! Mean as muck, and I am not a 'foody'. Picnic supper in sitting-room.

PS. I have a greedy and economic habit of nicking stuff from the buffet breakfast (price included) and stashing it away for future use throughout the day. It does me fine.

The Tällberg area is obviously a countryside getaway for the well-heeled. It is a beautiful forested area with many holiday chalets spaced out over a large area near the lake. There are no groceries (OK, one supermarket near the railway station) or bars/pubs but several very upmarket hotels. The nearest Systembolaget oasis (ie affordable booze supply) is in Rätttvik, the neighbouring town. It is the sort of place for a romantic weekend with lots of lovely walks. The lakeside itself has boats and a 'glamping' area. It invites swimming, if you are prepared to freeze your bollocks off in the arctic temperature water which presumably the hardy Swedes enjoy, but I certainly don't.

Left: Boats on the lake.

One point of interest around this area was the total lack of birds, other than magpies. Not even seagulls etc. Lots of magpies but little else. Maybe the dreaded magpie is responsible for this as they eat eggs from nests. Rather a pity.

Right: A typical holiday home. They are all well spaced out for privacy and these two buildings are both part of one property. It was interesting to note that all the houses or chalets are painted the same red colour. This is historical and partly due to that meteorite which threw up a lot of minerals and ore; a lot of it consisting of stuff (copper and iron?) which they used to make red paint. The tradition has continued. Like the old Ford Model-T car, it came in any colour provided it was black.

Left: One of the swanky hotels, Green Hotel, which sits on some high ground overlooking the lake.

Right: I dropped in here for a refreshing beer. Great views over the lake.

Left: The female staff in all the hotels wore this rather attractive style of national dress (in different colours). They were all so cheerful, charming, helpful and polite. I found it most impressive. 

Right: The Dala Horse (Dalahäst). I was just about to discover them. They are ubiquitous in this part of the world. They originated centuries ago, from this area, with the pastime of carving wood and the horse was considered a natural subject. They are now considered as a favourite souvenir of Sweden. More about them to follow.

My short visit to Tällberg was a pleasant diversion but, for a solo traveller, not exactly inspiring and, apart from wandering around admiring the views, not a lot to do. It caters for those who wish to 'get away from it all' and enjoy a relaxing time in tranquil, pleasant and picturesque surroundings. Not exactly, indeed almost the exact opposite, from the debauched Pat Pong or Pattaya settings in Thailand!

On tomorrow by train around the lake to Mora, the most notable town in the area. Must remember to swipe a good supply of rations from the excellent breakfast buffet.