UK & Europe '24 Day 15 - Fotografiska, Archipelago cruise and lots of walking
Our little piggy trotters are throbbing at the end of a busy day today. We've covered some miles, which is a really easy thing to do here with so much to do and see. We hopped on a train this morning, in the right direction, and landed in Central Stockholm where we walked up through the shopping mall and found a local bakery. The coffee was good and the bagels were stellar at the Muffin Bakery, and best of all, they don't have a web site, so all the delicious treats inside are for those in the know, or those who happen to walk past by chance. The local construction workers, however seemed happy with the coffee from the 7/11 across the road.
We still had a couple of hours before we were due at Fotografiska over in Sodermalm, so we window shopped for an hour or so (the shops don't open until 10am here so our bank account was safe, for now). The mall is long and there are plenty of displays to distract you along the way, and we earmarked a couple of places to come back to as we made our way to the metro and hopped aboard to Slussen. I don't know whether it's the city's layout, or the knowledge at the back of your mind it's spread across fourteen islands, but places in Stockholm never feel as far away as they look on the map. The walk from Slussen station to Fotografiska wasn't an example of this due to lots of construction happening in the area. We walked down the wrong side of the sprawling bus terminal and cheated death by crossing it before being approached by one of the friendly construction workers who told us were we could safely cross... the point to which we were headed. For a moment in time, we were those tourists. At last, the museum building rose from the distance and we soon passed the large sculpture of a reclining head and through the doors of the museum.
Being able to see works on display we wouldn't ordinarily see in Australia is a great privilege. Art is a very subjective thing when viewing it, and one person's OMG moment is easily another's WTF experience. Cindy Sherman's latest work is the first gallery we entered and the time and effort she has put into this work is mind boggling. Cindy's background is photography, self portraiture to be more precise, but this latest work is called Tapestries, because she has transformed a range of selfies into tapestries that are as wide as we are tall, and possibly twice our height. The materials and textures in these pieces bring out much more detail that the original low-resolution photos, some of which were snapped on apps like snapchat, allowing the artist to experiment with gender, shape and form. There is a selfie booth on the same level, but a German lady was having way too much fun with it for us to have a chance to play. Bless her and her synthesised Beetlejuice head. The displays that followed on this level explored the history of the selfie, which took off in the painting world after the invention of the mirror in the 1500's, then first saw light in the photographic world in 1838.
Up one level was an installation I'm certain many art teachers would comment on as interesting. Eli Eli's Oceanic Feelings is the artists exploration of being water, or more specifically, being contained inside a suit she made that she filed with water. Look, I'm not going to pretend to understand it, but there are videos of her struggle as she comes to the realisation that we all leak. The suit certainly did, and her epiphany it there for all to admire. Jeff Cowen's Berlin Works was an interesting expression of the photographic medium with samples of his silver gelatin prints whose photographic style are in the realm of abstract artistry. The most striking exhibit in the museum was Human featuring twelve photographer's works from Pri Pictet, the aware for photography and sustainability. As you admire the beauty contained in these photo series, it's hard not to, and only right to acknowledge the magnitude of sorrow and loss in the images. Photos of Inuit people whose icy climates are disappearing, and with them their way of life, or the Andean people people whose land has been gauged for precious metals, poisoning their waterways and killing off villages. It's surreal to think this is how their ways of living will be preserved. Photographically. Because there seems to be no hope of preserving the actual landscape or the cultures within them as multinational corporations continue to mow it all down. One photo series was particularly beautiful in which the photographer captured people who had experienced trauma and pierced the photos so light shone from behind, symbolising the hope that come from post-traumatic growth.
With our internal culture vultures satisfied, we dared one more level to the cafe and partook in Fika. Fika is a Swedish tradition. Basically it's having a coffee and a snack, but in Swedish style there's a smorgasbord or delights to be had, and the view from the top across the Baltic Sea to Gamla Stan in one direction and Grona Lund is stunning. It's little wonder the couple that came in after us tried to wrangle our spot from us, pleading their case with the concierge. Such a pity we took our time to soak it all in.
Our Archipelago was due to leave for another four hours, so we burned some calories wandering through the now open shopping area. Fear not, because we easily re-added those calories on the way. We picked up a few nice little items and stopped off in the old town for some refreshments in one of the squares. An unmarked police four wheel drive crept surreptitiously by, preceded by what looked like a scout on a scooter, and I'd like to think it was one, several, or all of the ABBA members being shuttled to the nearby palace to receive their Order ofnVasa medals from the King. Maybe is was the Ukraine president, who is also in town at the moment. Maybe it was just the local police taking a shortcut.
We thought we were near the wharf, and our Get Your Guide app told us we were, yet Google Maps confirmed we had a good twenty minute walk ahead of us, so we headed towards the shoreline and followed it towards our destination, then crossed through another little pocket of the city before finding the bay our boat was leaving from, and walked right around to the other side of that to wait for it. As it turned out, the water level was low today and we had to double back from berth 15 to berth 10. The American lady nearby was unimpressed and in the throes of arguing with the boat crew by the time we got there, holding up everyone else who just wanted to get on board and enjoy the sightseeing cruise. With a reminder that she was holding up the line and a well deserved eye roll from the crew member as we made our way on board, the American lady darted upstairs to claim her position in an already crowded space. I overheard the crew member telling her that if she waited until the boat started moving, she could sit in a seat at the bow of the boat. Impatient, she scooted off, so Chris and I ended up with the best view on the boat.
Stockholm is built on fourteen islands, which are part of a larger archipelago of thirty thousand. We didn't see all of them today, but the ninety minute cruise took in a good many outside of Stockholm's footprint. We passed a sculpture, God Our Father, on the Rainbow, by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, from which stream of water completes the arch of the metaphorical rainbow. Boat owners seem to like sailing under it to get sprayed, and why wouldn't you on a warm day?
Heading west was a bit breezy, but it was a nice respite from the heat of the sun, and just as the breeze was getting a little bit cool, we headed west again and the breeze disappeared, so we warmed up again fairly quickly. In Stockholm there's a large elegant structure that looks a lot like a palace facing the water. It's not a palace or even the home of a media magnate. It's a nursing home. Built for Stockholm's elderly to enjoy their twilight years.
Further along the archipelago is a cluster of red huts now used for summer accommodation, but originally built in the 1920's to house struggling women. The huts are converted crates that were used to deliver cars to Stockholm and rather than see them destroyed, an enterprising woman decided to take them and make the the small dwellings that still stand today.
The turning point for the cruise was a channel where, several hundred years ago, the Swedes stopped the Russians from invading their city after Sweden's King refused to form an alliance with Russia. Consequently, Russia made their way down the Swedish coast, razing communities along the way, but were defeated before they could reach Stockholm. Sweden is probably still not in favour with Russia as it currently pays host to Ukraine's President, the Ukraine flag flying next to the Swedish flag outside the Swedish parliament building. Other points of interest heading back into Stockholm were the Three Crowns building, currently being converted into apartments, Grona Lund and Kastellet Stockholm.
The cruise was a great way to spend the second part of our day, and even gifted us a few cooling splashes from the Baltic sea as we sailed past the many islands. We even passed a couple of cruise ships, one of them headed for Helsinki.
Dinner afterwards was melt-in-your mouth Italian food at Cucina Povera just around the corner in Odenplan. When you stay here, make sure you go there. They pack people in pretty tightly, and it's easy to see why. The well balanced flavours danced on our palates, adding to our piggy bank of energy for tomorrow's walk through Skansen. We walked a few more metres up the street to check out some more grand architecture before calling it a day... it's time to give our little piggy trotters some rest.
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