The Knight and the Maiden

If it hadn't been for those hellish blisters I acquired that day - since the only shoes I thought was well worn enough to wear with the weather that day, turned out to not agree with my feet who still cried summer and open shoes - it was indeed a very pleasant little outing at Djurgården, again.

I'm embarrassed to admit this was actually the first time I went with the heritage tramway Djurgårdslinjen, which was withdrawn in 1967, but restored in 1991 *well, what's 16 years in the long run...*. It was quite lovely, sort of puffing away through the streets feeling like an excited child again -

which makes me think of what a good friend said when we discussed ageing and reaching certain dreaded landmarks. It's not the possible wrinkles, grey hairs, wibbly-wobbly bits that come with age - because frankly most of us are distinctly so much more interesting, experienced, fascinating and alluring now than when at mere 20 - that's scary, it's the thoughts of "where did all those years go?".

Even if they've been jampacked with all sorts of interesting, happy, sad, dramatic, traumatic, evolving, mindblowing things. And then she said "I never knew I'd still feel this childish, that I'd still be a giggly, silly, wimpish girl inside" - but hey, that's just it, one of life's gifts, something to be really grateful for, that we've been able to hold on to many of those more or less endearing childish qualities! That they can co-exist side by side with the qualities than make us grown ups, that we can appreciate really geeky happenings, that we can laugh at the corniest things.

Myself, I have this really, probably, silly thing I like to do when winter comes, or at least the first frost. Which must definitely be done when noone's around, and when the mission - which can be impossible at times - is done leaves me all giggly, jazzed up and excited. And of course, it's a top secret mission, not to be revealed...

Long by the way... -

The end station for Djurgårdslinjen is at Waldemarsudde - which is an art museum situated in the former home of painter Prince Eugen, and very well worth a visit all year around for its many interesting exhibitions and lovely garden. I've heard that they have a nice café too, one which I've actually never screened *imagine that!* - and from there we thought it would be a breeze to take a short walk to the destination for the day, the Thielska Gallery.

Um, let's just say that we'd grossly misjudged the distance and the comfortableness of our shoes... No breeze whatsoever, if you don't count the lovely sceneries, the weather and the lack of crowds.

Just below the impressive building of the Manilla deaf school we found heaps of trees in a field just brimming with ripen grey pears demanding to be picked. Alas, we couldn't get a single one down... And I still dream of taking some baskets and canes and with brute force get some to come home with me. Such an unbelievable waste not to use all that fruit!

When we finally reached the gallery, we sort of dragged ourselves through the gate, up the stairs, moaning and whining, and first of all relaxing in the small café Bankiren's badrum (The Banker's bathroom, and that's just what it once was) - where we had these simple, but tasty cheesesandwiches and a delicious carrotcake - and after that enjoying the exhibition. Me barefooted...

At Thielska also one of my favourite ever paintings hangs, Riddaren och jungfrun (The Knight and the Maiden) by Richard Bergh - I've been fascinated by it ever since we once upon a time had to, what we thought then, really endure visits to museums in school -, it's just so fairytaleish lovely, detailed and with a very special light to it. Even if they have sort of desecrate the whole experience of it with placing it in a more obscure place now...

Overall I do think Thielska is one of the loveliest museums around in Stockholm, there are so many intriguing smaller paintings and sculptures to be found in almost every little corner. The top floor rooms really offer grand views over Stockholm as well as a wonderfully adorned ceiling. And it's just such a tranquil place, the perfect place for contemplation. Do visit!