The Dangerous Paths of Leksand

Swenglish

Swastika countered on bus upholstery.

In the bus ride to Leksand, the driver said through a microphone: "I beg you, take your seatbelts, it is a law here in Sweden to take them."

Sveriges Nationaldag

National Day of Sweden last June 6. Dat yellow cross flag be everywhere in Stockholm.

Stockholm in the Summertime

Public art.

Ah, Sweden. Where things decompose very slowly, where comparatively few people (to someone raised in chaos) roam the streets, where bars close at 2AM, where the food is creamy, people are polite, and the train is always on time.


Ingmar Bergman Festival outdoor installation. Big hand.

I have a love for Stockholm that is contrary to my warmth-loving constitution, because I love both its walkability and its people. I find the latter to be quite crazy on the inside.


Hook.


Random bathroom.


A thermometer outside the hotel room window. Truly a novelty.


Wallpaper.


Green Party exhibit at the Central Station.


Their former Mayo Uno protest site.

Death by Creamy Dessert

Swedes like their berries and cream. The former grow wild in the many forests, while the latter is due to their long-standing relationship with cows.


Slices of ice cream (yes) and some berries with panna cotta.


Cloudberry pie with accompanying bowl of cream.


Cheese cake with some berries and cream yet again.

Wooden Cards

One of our hotels had magnetic room cards made of thin wood instead of plastic. I realize this may look like some kind of advertisement, but it is pretty cool.

Härnösand

Oh.

Sweden is not exempt from creepy empty towns and suburbs. My last time around was in a few big cities and pretty rural areas, so I was a bit shocked to be situated in some sprawling, Lidl-fed areas.


Movie set.

Härnösand is, in all fairness, a beautiful town. But the buildings seem extra stark and eerie with the general lack of people. It seems like large movie set, where nothing is actually produced locally, except for the activity at customer service centers. People I spoke to talked of an exodus towards surrounding cities, as well as a reliance on institutional guests who are staying in the town.


Old photo of the harbor town.

You can catch a live webcast of its town square here.


Where are the people?


A gift!

Swedish Retro

Retro.

I realized upon last night's dinner how much nostalgia is stirred in me by being in a Swedish dining hall. I was seeing a mirror of the effects on American sensibilities during the 70s and 80s, when they were possibly influenced by a wave of popular travels to the more northern European countries.


A sizzling dish of creamed potatoes and stuff.


And beside me, a dish swimming in some kind of gravy.

In a pre-Mediterranean-food-ubiquity era, sizzling plates and creamy potato dishes ruled the "gourmet" scene, and rounded, caramel-colored wood was the norm.


Space-saving strangeness.