November 4, 2010
Adventure #39
As my number of Swedish friends has continued to grow over the past few years in Budapest, I developed a theory that Scandinavians were slowly and politely beginning to take over Hungary's capital, in what I have dubbed the "Swedish Invasion." However, after a recent trip to their headquarters in Stockholm, I am convinced of two things - 1) If the Swedes did take over Budapest, the city would become impeccably dressed and infinitely cleaner - all positive things. 2) The coup will probably never actually happen, because it would be hard to convince most Swedes to ever leave their beautiful home.
Even after only three days in Stockholm, I was not eager to get back to Budapest. It was so easy to get used to sidewalks so clean that people didn't even put construction materials or lawn trimming directly on the sidewalk - they used special biodegradable bags, and I loved seeing lakes or the sea where ever I went.
I went to Stockholm to visit Zsofi, who was visiting her parents who live there. She went to high school in Sweden, so I had always heard wonderful stories about the city from her, so of course she made a perfect tour guide. We walked all over the city, which is comprised of 14 connected islands. I especially enjoyed seeing the old town, the royal palace and The City Hall of Stockholm - where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each year. Plus, I totally lucked out in the weather department - it was sunny every day, so I will always think of Stockholm as a chilly, glowing city, rather than a gray urbane destination as it is during much of the winter.
We also went to the modern art museum and the Vasa Museum, which is a hotly contested tourist spot in Zsofi's household. Her mother thinks visiting it is "a waste of money" and "it's a museum for boys." Her father thinks it is a must-see stop for anyone in the city. While Zsofi tends to side with her mom, I convinced her to give it another go with me. The Vasa Museum encompasses a huge ship by the same name, which is an enormous 17th-century vessel that sunk minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628.
It was pulled out of Stockholm's sea 333 years later and remains the only fully intact ship from the era. After growing up with a pirate-crazed sister, I have seen my fair share of Captain Hook-style battles, so I loved seeing a ship in person and imaging all the swashbuckling that could occur on its deck. What was most impressive, and what probably led to its design flaws, is all its ornate embellishments. There is hardly a surface that doesn't have a carving or adornment, including an impressive lion at its bow. My only complaint is that you can't go inside of the ship, although they did recreate the deck in a neighboring exhibit, so you could pretend you were inside. Thus, I am definitely with Zsofi's dad in this debate.
Over the weekend, Zsofi's dad drove us on their family tour of homes, so I could see all the cute houses Zsofi used to live in, and we made a stop at a charming seaside town called Waxholm, which is were we walked down to the water in the picture above. The whole trip was very relaxing and pleasant - but nothing so warmed my heart (besides my time with Zsofi, of course) as seeing Christmas trolls everywhere I went. These are simply amazing:
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