Day 80: Music to my ears

Day one of the Stockholm Folk Festival at Hesselby Slott drew to close for me a couple of hours ago with a great blues trio (two Americans and a Swede, mandolin, guitar and harmonica) who sang blue grass blues, both old time and original. The party continued for everyone else and as I stood on the subway platform 3/4 of a kilometer away, I could hear the fabulous Latin band that was playing on the main stage.

It was truly terrific to spend the day immersed in music. My favorite (although not the best musically by a long shot) was UFIS (Ung folkmusik i Stockholm), a group of 20 or so youngsters playing authentic Swedish folk tunes on fiddle, cello, guitar and horns. They were inspired and inspiring. It made me so happy to see youngsters who were interested in making this kind of music together. And it turns out that they'd been playing as a group for fewer than 48 hours! Their performance was the culmination of a course that began at Hesselby Slott on the day before the festival. Amazing what they were able to achieve in such a short time.

If you're in town tomorrow, you should stop by. Tomorrow's line-up looks very promising. Here is a link to the schedule: http://hesselbyslottstockholmfolkfestival.se/program-2

And here is UFIS:

Day 79: Art isn't easy...

...but it sure can be fun...and funny. On a stroll through Södermalm showing a dear friend some of my favorite haunts, we came across this display at 125 Kvadrat

We both stopped and laughed and seeing the photo now brings a smile to my face. So whimsical.

Day 78: A spoonful of sugar...

Mary Poppins has nothing on me today. I woke up this morning from a rather anxiety-filled dream, the kind where things are just beyond your grasp and nothing you do goes right. That's why it felt extra good to have someplace to go and someone to meet. At the Central Station in Stockholm, I almost missed my bus to Uppsala but fortunately, thanks to a very helpful and efficient information clerk, I got to the right gate just moments before the bus was to leave.

It was a pleasant enough ride part of which I spent on the phone helping someone I know with a press release for a line of jewelry that she is launching. The bus arrived a bit ahead of schedule which gave me enough time to catch the earlier bus to Alunda where I was to spend the day hanging out with and helping a friend continue her major reorganizing/cleaning project.

Today we "attacked" her girls' bedrooms. What a great sense of satisfaction it is to see a room take shape from mild chaos to sparkling clean and orderly. To top it all off, I got a delicious meal in the bargain and the opportunity to engage with two pretty adorable cats.

I will sleep well tonight, with a smile on my face imagining the delight of my friend's two daughters when they come home from their vacation on Monday.

Day 77: Show biz

A few weeks ago, an acquaintance suggested I might be interested in volunteering at a folk musical festival that will take place in August at a palace on the outskirts of Stockholm. It seemed like a good idea at the time so I sent off an e-mail to the volunteer coordinator offering my services.

An information meeting for all volunteers was organized for today and, frankly, I was no longer as enthused. Still, I take my commitments seriously so off I went on the long-ish subway trip out to the palace in Hässelby.  What a beautiful setting! And what a great line-up of artists!

More than that, it was just plain fun to be in the swing of pre-production mayhem. I've always enjoyed being in on the backstage happenings of cultural events, in particular theater, and it's been a long time since I've been part of that scene. The festival promises to be a fantastic musical happening (how could it not me in this beautiful setting?) and I am looking forward to adding my contribution to making the magic happen.

Now if only the weather will cooperate...

Day 76: Snap, crackle, pop

Naprapathy is the greatest. Next to massage.

What is naprapathy you ask? Many people ask me this, especially non-Scandinavians. The word, and the practice, originate in Czechoslovakia (when there still was a Czechoslovakia) and stem from the Czech náprava (correction) from napravit (to correct). Naprapathy combines chiropractics with manipulating/ massaging muscles. Apparently, the practice is most popular in Scandinavia which explains why basically none of my friends outside of Sweden have ever heard of it.

There is something I find hugely satisfying about having my joints cracked. This goes beyond knuckles which I crack regularly myself. The naprapath cracked my spine joints last week and I can still recreate the tremendous sense of relief and relaxation that resulted. So I was very happy indeed to read up on cracking and to discover that the notion that cracking your joints is not good for you is just an old wives tale.

Looking forward to another session next week!

Day 75: Seat with a view

Many things to be happy about today. Found a great new recipe online which I served for lunch today and which also solved the question of what to serve at a dinner party I'm having in two weeks' time. Had almost all the ingredients at home and found the remaining few easily at the local market. Honored guests arrived a bit late enabling me to finish cooking, set the table and clean the counter tops at a leisurely pace.

The weather cooperated and we had dessert out in the garden. My brightest smile was brought on by the view because a) it was amusing and b) it is testament to the wonderful neighbors in my building and how comfortable we all feel with each other. To wit:

Day 74: Aliyah

Today I was honored to be called up for an aliyah at the synagogue where I attended a baby naming ceremony for 4-month-old Norah. For the uninitiated, an aliyah is part of the Shabbat services. On Shabbat (Saturday) mornings, a weekly section of the Torah (bible) is read, selected so that the entire Pentateuch is read consecutively each year. First, the Magbiah lifts and displays the Torah's Hebrew text for all to see. A synagogue official, called a gabbai, then calls up several people, in turn, to be honored with an aliyah wherein the honoree recites a blessing over the Torah, between each verse.

In front of the Torah scrolls reciting the traditional blessing

Being afforded this honor was a mitzvah (act of human kindness) in more ways than one and I am both happy and grateful to Norah's parents for thinking of me. I am not in the least bit religious and have not set foot in a synagogue for Shabbat services in more years than I care to remember. It was touching and surprising to me that I remembered a number of the blessings and prayers that are part of the ritual. They reside somewhere deep inside me, in an ancient ancient part of my soul. They trigger a sense of belonging and authenticity in a way that few other experiences do. It's not really about their content...although I do know the language and can tell you what they mean. For me, it's about the sounds and rhythms and melodies all of which feel organic. They resonate throughout my body and evoke a spirituality that goes beyond believing, beyond faith.

I am happy to have this inner place to return to again and again, despite the long lapses of time in between.

Day 73: Game on

Another senior moment...wrote this last night, got distracted by the Olympics and forgot to post. Yikes!

May I just say that GPS is the greatest! This is especially true for people like me who are, let's just say, directionally challenged. Or who, in plain English, get lost going around the block. Today, it helped me make my way from the commuter train station to a friend's house in a neighborhood I've never visited before. What really impressed me is the fact that it showed me the way via a network of paths that do not even have street names. Now that's exact!

But I digress...

The long-ish trip was well worthwhile as the payoff was an afternoon and evening of playing board games. If you've been following these posts or know me even a little, then you know that this is one of my favorite activities and always makes me happy. We played Trivial Pursuit today which, in addition to being informative, was also quite comical as this was the 1984 edition...i.e. almost 30(!) years old. You know, when there still was a Soviet Union. It's always interesting to see what people have or have not heard of and what I myself can and cannot remember. Wonder what it would be like to play a more recent version of this game?

On its way home to me even as I write is Scattegories which I really look forward to playing at the next Board Games afternoon, a week from tomorrow. What's your favorite board game? I need some good tips (preferably including a brief description)!

Day 72: It's all in who you know...

OMG...forgot to post this yesterday. Senior moment. :-))

What I didn't forget, however, is the wonder of Årstahavsbad where I spent the afternoon yesterday basking in the sun. Many Swedes have a sommarstuga (summerhouse or cottage really) somewhere out in the country or the archipelago, to which they can escape beginning in the spring and stretching into the fall on a good year. The sommarstuga is many a Swede's pride and joy, often passed down from generation to generation, the source of many a childhood memory.

In principle, this is a superb idea. In practice, it involves quite a bit of maintenance work for which I have neither the talent nor the inclination. Thus, I am so very grateful to my friends who have such a stuga and who open their summer homes to visitors. Among my favorites (people as well as stugor :-)) is at Årstahavsbad, a summerhouse area that was established in 1929 as a "social experiment" aimed at providing large city families with an opportunity to spend time out in the country. To top it all off, you can get there by public transportation!

As you step off the bus and walk up the hill, this is the view that greets you, complete with the Maypole left over from midsummer:

I spent a lovely afternoon basking in the sun and returned home refreshed and suntanned. :-))
 

Day 71: Three reasons for happy

Short and sweet today:

1.  Spontaneous outing courtesy of a great friend to the outlet store of one of my favorite clothing designers, Gudrun Sjödén.

2. Nothing bought at said store :-)

3. Successful trip to the library to swap The Girl Who Fell from the Sky for The Girl Who Fell from the Sky. No, it's not a typo. There are two, one by Simon Mower and another by Heidi W. Durrow. Last week I borrowed the wrong one. Today, I got the right one.

Day 70: Making friends

My newest friend

He's round and pudgy and almost one year old. We do not speak a common language and he looks at me suspiciously as he clings to his oma (grandmother) for a long, long time. I maintain some distance and begin a game of peek-a-boo. He's not buying it. 


A while later, I join him on the floor where he has just started playing with a set of interlocking cardboard boxes. My strategy is to build a tower, sure that he will delight in knocking it down. I've been here before :-) Up goes the tower. Wham and down it goes. I shake my head and build it up again. Slam, bang...down again. And up again. His little arm swings wide and, just inches from its target, it happens. He starts shaking his head and laughing. Shaking his head just like I was shaking mine. 


Just a moment later, he crawls over and climbs up into my lap, examining the polka dots on my top. He'd grab my glasses too if he could but I've been around this block before and head him off at the pass. "You surely have a special gift with kids," says his oma. Yup, and they have their way with me. Everybody's happy! 

Day 69: Recognition

On Mondays, I volunteer as a language host at the Stockholm Language Exchange Group helping newcomers with their Swedish. It is enormous fun and brings back memories of my efforts to master the language during first year in Sweden. In the group today was a fellow from Switzerland who is here on a long vacation...three months...and decided to take advantage of the opportunity and learn the language. He arrived seven weeks ago and has already mastered enough Swedish to carry on a reasonable conversation about a book he recently read. Impressive.

Another participant is a young woman from France who told that she was glad to be in my group again because she thought it was so good the last time. You bet that made me happy :-)

God natt allihop...vi hörs igen imorgon!

Day 68: The hills are alive...

Some friends are back in town. They lived here for three years while he was on job assignment and then they moved back to the U.S. When that happens, I always figure that we will only ever see each other again when I visit them. Lo and behold, they came back to visit us first! It's of course a true testament to what a wonderful place Sweden is.

There was a dinner party in their honor this evening and I was so very happy to be invited. It was a good time...great food, interesting company and lively conversation. To top it all off, the host plays the guitar and was gracious enough to lead a sing-along. There were enough songs that enough of us knew to make that possible. My greatest surprise came when the woman sitting to my right began singing a song from one of my all time favorite Broadway musicals, A Little Night Music. A rare event indeed. I hasten to add that it was not "Send in the Clowns," the most well-known song from that musical. It turns out that she, like me, knows the entire score and we had a grand old time in our little corner of the table.

Not the first, nor the last, time that singing has made me happy.

Day 67: Årstaviken

Today a friend from NY was in town for the afternoon on break from Herräng Dance Camp. She brought the lovely weather with her...sunny and warm with just a bit of a breeze. The perfect day for a long walk along Årstaviken where sunbathers, swimmers and cyclists were also out enjoying summer.

My friend was amazed that the water is safe for bathing. She was also impressed by the gardening plots that run all along Årstaviken where city folk plant flowers and vegetables and fruits to enjoy throughout the spring, summer and fall. As we headed up to street level to continue to my place, she was surprised by how close to a major thoroughfare this oasis is situated and how close to where I live. Yup, I am too; surprised and delighted :-)

Snapped some shots of the flowers along Årstaviken...enjoy!

Day 66: Loaning

Only recently did I discover that the public library system in Stockholm has a rather wide selection of books in English. I joined an American book club a few years back and had been buying my books online or electronically. It never occurred to me to look for the books in the library. I don't remember what made me think of it for the May book but I do remember how delighted I was to find the book in the library.

The icing on the cake is visiting the library to fetch the book. Stockholms Stadsbiblioteket (City Library) is an architectural wonder. The library was designed by Gunnar Asplund and boasts a collection of 700,000 books. It is an impressive building with a breathtaking rotunda. As you climb the steps into the rotunda your gaze is met by a large circular set of bookshelves that are mesmerizing. Visiting the library is a treat both for the eye and the mind. 

And now to this month's book.

Day 65: Nothing turns to something

As much as I love lazy days, I know I'm much happier on days when I have someplace to be, something to do and someone(s) to do it with. This is especially true when it's at somebody else's initiative or comes by surprise.

My morning ritual (coffee and a round of RummiKub online) was over and I'd already caught up my WordFeud games when I looked at the clock. 8:16. AM. The day stretched long ahead with no plans and, in fact, nothing of any significance on the master To Do list. I sat right down and finally edited and posted the photos from my vacation with the Sweeties (you can see them, with commentary, here :::link). That done, it was back to lazying around and more WordFeud. Cesar Millán is always good for an hour; other than that it's slim pickings on TV. Well, you're getting the picture.

"So," I thought. "Better plan something for tomorrow. One lazy day in a row is sufficient :-))." Off I sent a message to a friend I have not seen for some months, suggesting a walk for today or tomorrow. One thing led to another and as it turned out I'm off to dinner and the theater with him this evening. It's a production I've had on my radar; an acquaintance of mine is in it. And a restaurant I like but eat at only occasionally. All in all, a promising combination.

Have a great evening (or day, depending on your time zone) everyone!

Day 64: "Into the woods...

...and down the dell, the path is long, I know it well. Into the woods and who can tell what's waiting on the journey." --Stephen Sondheim.

Today's journey, on one of the few truly summery days we've had this year, took me past this beautiful scene.

A lake, a lawn and many sunbathers. One of the wonderful things about living in Stockholm is how close you are to sites and sights like this one. When one of my friends suggested a walk, I jumped at the opportunity. I took the subway to her house (13 minutes) and we set off. Less than 10 yards from her front door, we entered the woods. One hour and five kilometers later, we were back at her place, happy, sweaty and pleased with ourselves. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Day 63: Calm before dinner

The table is set.

The chicken's in the oven.

Dessert is done and in the freezer.

Guests arrive in half an hour and preparations are done, done, done!

Love days like this when I have all the time in the world and dinner guests to look forward to. It's a great opportunity to try out new recipes and I'm lucky to have friends who are adventurous eaters willing to try new things.

And now, some elderberry soda and a good book before the guests are here. Bon appetit all!

Day 62: Honored guest

I have a new friend. She is nine years old and proudly made her way to visit today all on her own. She doesn't live all that far away, but still, it was an accomplishment. She's bright, curious, multilingual and likes playing cards. In fact, she taught me a fun new card game today.


It's amazing to find someone in Sweden who does not need to be taught RummiKub, a card game played with tiles which I learned as a kid from my Aunt Giza. Some of my fondest memories are of playing on her terrace, with her and her tile playing friends who were all in their 60s when I was a kid.

Sitting across the table playing today, I felt like I was playing with my younger self. It was eerie. And beautiful. I hope that this is the first of many visits from my young friend. She's promised to take me for a bike ride too. Now all I have to do is borrow a bicycle! Any volunteers?

Day 61: Auld acquaintance

My idea of a perfect day: Slept late. Straightened out. Showered. Dressed. Ate. And then I welcomed eight strangers (and three friends) into my home for an afternoon of board games, conversation, snacks and more. We began at 2 PM and the first time I looked at the clock it was 9:10 PM. Wow.

Off I sent them and 10 minutes later the place was back in order...I just adore having a dishwasher.

What really put a smile on my face, though, was the e-mail waiting in my inbox. Yesterday, I'd tracked down what I hoped was the daughter of a person very near and dear to my heart. A man now in his late 80s and whom I've known since 1982. Thirty years. We'd kept in touch long after I moved to Sweden and I would visit him every time I was in NY. A few years ago, for health reasons, he stopped wanting to meet. We kept up by phone and e-mail until his hearing deteriorated and he no longer felt comfortable taking phone calls. For the past year or more, I was no longer getting replies to my mails and began fearing the worst.

I found this man's daughter via the internet naturally. She is teaching at a university and her faculty profile page lists an e-mail address. So, off I sent a mail, apologizing for the intrusion and explaining who I was and why I was writing. This evening, I received her reply. Her father is alive and doing fine. A stone was lifted from my heart and deep sense of gratitude and relief swept through me.