First Week in Stockholm

*Videos Added!

We knew coming into Stockholm that it would be our busiest time in the whole tour, but I didn't expect to not only be seeing lots of things, but seeing really interesting things and meeting really important people as well. In my last blog we had just arrived at af Chapman, and I had taken a little walk around the city center. Since then, not only have I done a little more than walk around, I've been able to see some great historic museums and landmarks, meet some very important people, and experience some unique activities.

Wednesday was probably our most planned out day yet. After breakfast, we strolled over to Riksdagen, the Swedish national parliament. Unlike the United States, Sweden is a unicameral parliamentary system, meaning that they have proportionally elected representatives from all over Sweden that is headed by a prime minister in the governing collation (or party, if the party is big enough), and all the legislation is passed by one body of legislators (unlike the House of Representatives and Senate in the United States). We got to see the taxation committee in session on the floor when we got there. Lennart Sacredeus, our professor and MP for the Christian Democratic party here in Sweden, spoke at the meeting that was held in the main chamber, and I took a video of a section below. Also, with only 17 members present out of 347, you can see how many vacant chairs there were around Lennart as he was preparing his speech. the subject of the day was tax levels and civic registration numbers. Needless to say, the most interesting part was that Lennart was talking.

After that, we had a short lesson with Lennart in a building down the street in Gamla Stan, and ten we were off to a meeting with the major donor for this trip, Anders Wall. His organization gives to cultural and scientific organizations and scholars throughout Sweden, and his generous donation to our program made it financially possible for many of us to come to Sweden, and has let us see some of the more interesting things we would otherwise not be able to. He has a wikipedia article, if you wish to learn more about his self-made business and philanthropic life. Unfortunately, he was not feeling very well, and since he is up in his years, he didn't want to risk not being able to travel this weekend and we didn't get to meet him. However, we did get to talk with Tom Young from Gustavus and Anders Wall's partner for his philanthropic exploits, which was a rewarding time. As a group we talked about what this program has become to mean to us over the past two months, and it was fascinating how much even our notions of this trip have changed since we first started talking about it a few months back. I would not have expected the kind of newness and excitement every day brings here, nor how exotic traveling in a country like Sweden can be.

After that we made a trip to the Nobel Museum (I told you Wednesday was packed). Talk about interesting information! There were two rooms for features on laureates and their accomplishments, everything from trinkets to papers and other artifacts from virtually every winner, lovely little factoids about how the prize has developed over the years and the controversies surrounding it, and there was also a really informative exhibit about freedom of speech. Having written a few editorials in the Gustavian Weekly this past fall about freedom of speech and its place in a college environment (which developed as so called 'bias incidents' occurred with greater number and force--but this is a whole different discussion), I had fresh in my mind much the the theory and practice behind both the freedoms and restrictions on speech. The exhibit itself featured historical dissenters, people who have stood against their country or society to publish the truth, to modern events concerning the 'leaking' of government information in the US, and even the publishing of video games like Grand Theift Auto that have made us question to what extent does a game become a reality, especially for the young and/or impressionable. With a brief introduction from the president of the organization (a great honor to hear his, as he called it, lecture), it was a great intellectually-stimulating experience for all of us.

Thursday, we had the morning to ourselves, and an afternoon with the Parliament. Not to be outdone by Wednesday, Thursday proved to be an equally awesome day. Dr. Lisa Heldke, my philosophy advisor at Gustavus, thought it would be a good idea to see the National Museum that morning, and I joined her. After a walk around Kungsplats and the national library, and a brief stop at Berzeleus park, (apparently the museum opened an hour later than we thought) we got to see the national collection on display just 100 meters from af Chapman. The exhibit showing was a collection of Pre-Raphelites, both paintings and early photographs from 1840-1870. In itself the exhibit was interesting- Preraphelite art usually has vibrant color and meticulous detail, if not a little fictionalized/ idealized in subject- the information with the exhibit made it feel like we were both discovering more about the artists and the artwork. One artist painted a lot of another artist, they got married, he started cheating on her with one of his models, the wife got TB, she died, then (almost) all he painted was different versions of her... and this was just one of the storylines. One of the most interesting works was a photograph that had a 2.5 hour exposure, which made the image itself both so clear it seemed to move, yet also quite stark and forboding. Of course, the museum had other work- from a collections of Rembrant, Monet, Manet, Ceanne, and Renoir, to Swedish and other nordic artists were interesting in their own right. The Greek-Orthodox child in me went nuts over the Icon exhibit, and my Russian skills came in use when reading them. There was also a design exhibit and a textile exhibit... if I write about this any more I wont write about Friday so I will just continue now, but know I had a great time.

The other really interesting part of Thursday was our time spent at the Parliament. There was a voting session, and we were to see Lennart and 300 other delegates vote. We all got special security badges and sat in the Riksdag chamber, and something really weird happened: they voted. Not just once, not just twice, but at least 6 times. Every time, it was by the same majority (185-180), and each bill only took about a minute. We sat there while the speaker would tell the specifics about the bill, PM Friedrich Reinfelt would say a few words, the speaker would say something again, and she'd open the voting, two committees would stand up and sit down quickly, and then the board would light up in about 2 seconds. All in all, there was no debate, no stalling, no yelling, no asking for the floor- it was like watching a well-informed machine make ikea products. I have a video of one entire bill being passed, it's not quite entertaining, but the novelty was worth recording. Do you think we'd actually see change from Washington if our congress worked like this?

After that, Lennart took us on a tour of the Riksdag and the building he works in. We saw the chambers for the tax committee, the actual Riksdag floor, paintings of the king as the 4 old classes of Swedish Parliament (Religious, Farmer, Noblility, Merchant) that all reside in the old treasury building, and we also got to see an old legislative chamber, central hall, social hall, portraits of former PMs, which are in the Riksdag building itself. After touring the grand meeting room and library, it made me feel like I should consider move here and become a MP (because under Swedish law, I could).

Friday, probably upset with how cool Thursday turned out to be, switched to high gear and really pulled out all the stops. We began our day with a private tour of the castle here in Stockholm. That alone should be cool enough, but we got a one-hour orientation by the Master of the Realm, who's official duty is to manage the crown's bureaucracy. Basically anything that goes through the castle has to pass through or under him; in Ron Burgundy's words, he's a pretty big deal. As a side note, even technical difficulties still occur in the castle: his PowerPoint wasn't loaded on the computer login he was using, so we had a brief delay before he began. After learning all about what the king actually does, and the function he actually serves in the constitutional monarchy, we got a guided tour of the grand King and Queen's apartment. The rooms were astounding. The castle, originally built in the early 1100s, but has since been burned down and re-built, has a Versailles style to it, that is to say that it's basically symmetrical down to the detail, and guilded down to the last detail. Big reception rooms, guard rooms, dining halls, even rooms where the King used to change in front of an audience; the opulence and quality of it all was overwhelming. All of the decoration told a story too; for instance, the king's bedroom featured a spring theme, following the story of Alexander the Great's exploits and life, with things adorning the walls and ceiling frame that 'fell out' of the painting. Although mostly unused for official royal affairs, it was interesting to hear that the dancing room had been used during the millennium celebration and was transformed into a modern dance club. Again, there is so much more to tell, but the time is not with me to do so. Following the changing of the guard (see movie below), we had a break for lunch.

Following lunch, we got quite an amazing tour of the Swedish academy. Only a maximum of 18 people can be members of the Swedish academy, and their responsibilities are many: preserving and developing the Swedish language, translating literature into Swedish, but probably most notably, awarding the Nobel prize in Literature. We were explained the long and complicated process for selecting a winner, but I was blown away by the continual nature of it. Apparently, as soon as the winner is announced, they begin to send out letters seeking recommendations for the next year's winner. Don't think you can send your own in though- only a select few can get the Academy's authorization to present a nomination. Not even Venezuela's parliament has been successful in nominating an author. We got to see the famous door through which the permanent secretary announces the winner each year, sit in the chairs the academy sits in when they make decisions, and also walk through the library, which featured many pictures of past winners (which is where those pictures of random people have been coming from).

The day was not nearly done: we still had the tour of the old church to go. Probably the most recognizable person we met all day (at Gustavus especially), Åke Bonnier, Dean of the Cathedral, gave us the grand tour. Now, if that name is familiar, it might be because Åke Bonnier has recently joined the board at Gustavus. He is currently being considered for the Bishop of the Church of Sweden. The church itself is a historical one, with records showing its existence for over 700 years. The art on the inside comes from the 15th-18th century, and includes some two-story tall depictions of heaven and hell saved from the burning castle in 1697. Their are various tombstones, some as historic as Gustav II Adolf, and a massive organ to boot. After the tour of the inside, we bravely climbed the steeple with stairs of brick and wood from a very long time ago. We passed under the huge church bells (they rang while we were at the top of the tower) and through a rather odd scene from a smithy that used to reside at the top of the church spire. Once we climbed out at the top, the icy wind hit us hard. While I was taking the video below, my hard hat flies off, almost off the roof. Still, the view was amazing, one I expect almost no Swedes have seen. We could see out over the river to our boat, the Riksdag proper, basically any and all historical buildings and monuments around the center of Stockholm. It truly was a sight to behold.

That evening, we made our way to Åke Bonnier's house, where he and his wife had prepared quite the fancy meal for us. We had salmon, couscous salad, chicken, pasta salad, home made bread, brie... too many things to remember! And for dessert, we had the most spectacular chocolate cake ever- it tasted like fudge, tort, moose, chocolaty goodness... yummy! It's been so long since I had food like that, especially chocolate! Coffee featured some family cookies, which were also delicious. Beyond the marvelous dinner, the conversation and stories were really entertaining. The Bonnier family has a very rich history here in Sweden, with historical notables going far back in the family line. The house was also something wonderful in itself, with whimsical paintings from the post-impressionist period, a bronze of Åke's father, and other paintings and pictures from Stockholm and Sweden in general. I'm glad I asked so many questions about the art, because I got to learn a lot about the family's history as well. Today, when I was at the museum of modern art, I looked for the Bonnier name, and found some cubist paintings that had been donated by the family, which were a treat to look at and know a little more behind how they ended up in their current home. After a great night, we all headed back together on the subway, throwing snowballs down at each other made from the newly fallen wet snow.

Well, I'd write about today, but I'm getting quite tired of having to listen to these French men behind me, saying 'look at these stupid americans... Nip-Tuck!' while they are draining a bottle of Jack Daniels. Maybe if they didn't have Marlboro Cigarettes sticking out of their jackets, I'd think of them as making a silly generalization, instead of embodying the stereotypical frenchman (not to mention the irony). You should see their clothes. I went to the Modern Museum of art today, as well as the Nordiska Museum (for only a little while- too much museum-ing, even for me) and I'm looking forward to dinner. Hello to everyone back home! I can tell you, you're lucky to have even a day over 40, even if you're just as cold as we are now. Spring will come soon! Yay!