When I last wrote, two days ago, we were on a train from Oslo to Stockholm. I will now write a bit about arriving in Stockholm. Norway and Sweden until 1905 were united. Together they occupy somewhat of a peninsula. Norway occupies the entire west and north coasts. Sweden occupies the entire western coast. Norway is cold, snowy, icy, fjords, fishermen, oilmen, craggy, frontier. Sweden is green pastures, forests, sunshine, blond hair, blue eyes. So when the train driver announced that we had reached the border, it was already apparent as the landscape was very un-Norwegian-icy-fjord-like.
From the train station we took a cab to The Grand Hotel. At the front entrance we were met by several polite, helpful, impeccably groomed, attractive porters in formal uniforms. Their outstanding service made clear that we had arrived at a special place.
After checking in and settling into our rooms we went for a short walk around the exterior of the Royal Palace which is the summer home of the Royal Family and a short walk across the bridge from the hotel. The Palace guards wear bright blue uniforms, shiny silver helmets and carry 19th-Century bayonets with gleaming pointed blades. They are constantly marching from one place to another, in and out of various entrances and they all appear to in their early-twenties.
Later we met in the hotel bar. It occupies much of the second floor in the front of the hotel. It's wall of windows overlook the waterfront, the Royal Palace and the Opera House. It's a great place to hang out. Overall, the hotel and the neighborhood have a palpable sense of affluence.
For dinner we walked across the street to the Royal Opera House and ate in the lesser of their three restaurants which was still opulent and elegant.
TUESDAY, May 5, 2009. We visited the Vasa Museum, dropped our laundry off at a fluff and fold, greeted Roland Kato on his arrival to Stockholm and and finished the day with dinner at Den Gyldene Freden. Here are a few details about the above.
The Vasa Museum houses a gigantic, four-masted, elaborately carved wooden war ship that was first launched from the Royal Palace in 1628 in a grand ceremony attended by the king. When the first wind hit the sails the ship tilted perilously. When the second wind hit the sails the ship tilted more and tipped over. It sank only twenty minutes after setting sail. It sat unseen, underwater, in the harbor mud from 1628 until 1961 when it was raised, restored and the museum was built around it. It is in spectacular condition and is decorated with 700 beautifully carved wooden statues. There is a somber and respectful exhibit of some of the unidentified skeletons of twenty or so crew members who died in the sinking.
Our restaurant for dinner was built in 1720 and is currently owned by the Nobel Institute who, it is said, meets downstairs in the cavern (where we sat) to discuss candidates for the Nobel prizes.
WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2009. Okay, now that I have brought us up to date I will return to our boat ride to Drottningholm.
We have arrived at the Drottningholm Palace situated directly on the river bank. We are here not to see the palace or the Chinese pavilion or the gardens, but to see the Court Theater. It was built in 1766. In 1850 or so after the King died--he loved theater and had a relentless schedule of performances staged for his pleasure--it was closed for about 120 years of mourning. Around 1930 it was visited by a theater scholar who is responsible for putting it back in service. Because of it's long closure, it is in a remarkable state of preservation. Almost everything--the paint, the wall paper, the chandeliers, the mechanical scenery (which you can witness on youtube.com), the floorboards--is original back to 1766. It was a special experience sitting in the dimly lit theater appreciating the antique patina of the theater and imagining the sounds and site of performances past.
We returned to Stockholm and took the City Hall tour conveniently located at the boat dock. The interiors are beyond opulent. One banquet room, the ceiling maybe 40 feet high, is entirely covered in 23.5 karat gold mosaic tiles laid by craftsmen from Ravenna. In that room, the Nobel Laureates dance after being celebrated and fed with 1200 others in an adjacent room that while not gold is in it's way just as beautiful. It is difficult to describe these sites without using lots of superlatives, but there are so many exceptionally beautiful sites.
Dinner on this night was comparable to last night in it's ambiance, but the food (apricot-glazed duck, herring in lingonberries, etc.) was even better.
And then......to bed.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
This link to YouTube visits a video that demonstrates the ingenious mechanical workings of the Drotningholms Slottsteater:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRUdoKfPvo
Incidentally, the rectangular box shown in the video rocking up and down portrays the sound of thunder.