Briefly Chocolate

It's been quite a busy week for me, with lots of nice outings and happenings. Too little of sleeping - something both I and my little grey ones enjoy and need to have in order to avoid grumpiness, not to mention getting a serious case of wittiness reduction - and more than a lot of shank's pony using *gee ha*.

Right now I'm feeling completely worn out, but in a very satisfied, pleased way. Some nice Friday night dinner - and for well-deserved dessert some of that delicious chocolate I bought at the annual Chocolate Festival today, open all weekend if you happen to be interested, not that it was all that well worth visiting, but... -, feet up, curling up in the sofa before I crash into bed - this weekend will most probably only be spent pottering about in house and garden, cuddling with kittens *little do they know what awaits them...* and relaxing. And just maybe a bit of semi-coherent blogging...

And of course - Congratulations to IPCC and Al Gore for winning the Nobel Peace Prize!

The Chocolate Factory Park

Just outside Stockholm, in the suburb of Sundbyberg, there once was a chocolate factory. The Marabou chocolate factory. The production has since moved to the suburb of Upplands Väsby, but it was in Sundbyberg the story of the once very Swedish chocolate brand began.

Yes, a very Swedish chocolate - and really the loveliest thing you could indulge in with a glass or two of cold milk when I was a child... - but the founder was actually Norwegian. And he obviously believed that in order to make the best chocolate you had to have a good, inspirational work environment thus creating the recreational Marabou park.

The park was designed and laid out on a hectare of land beside the chocolate factory during a period of 18 years and was opened to the public in 1955. It's not only a vast stretching and beautiful park, it also holds an admirable sculpture collection.

The park is sort of a very well kept secret for most stockholmers I suppose. Myself I hadn't heard of it until a few years ago. And I never got around to visit until earlier this summer. It was really an oasis - even though there were some sinister looking statues lurking around there... - a lush, green, undulating, vast area somehow hidden yet very public.

My favourite findings in the park was the huge green lawn that seemed to continue for miles, and the ingenuity of the paddling pool and my favourite sculpture of them all is definitely Gustav Vigeland's Playing Bears (top pic) - btw, if you happen to be in Norway, by all means do not miss a visit to the amazing Vigeland Sculpture Park, part of the Frogner park in the outskirts of Oslo...

There's also a Marabou annex with different art exhibitions open all year. The Marabou park itself is open daily, but only May 1st - October 1st. The entrance is free. Do visit!

WCB # 107 - Catfluences

A very regal looking lionsculpture in Kungsträdgården (King's Garden), Stockholm. Very nicely chiseled, almost a bit scary in looks...

This weekend's catblogging is not going to be about my cats in particular, but about cats in general, making pawprints all over.

These past few years it's been sort of a very small hobby of mine to discover, document and now and then acknowledge these catfluence everywhere. In the public realm as well as the more private. Quite the fun thing to do, it really open your eyes for all the interesting an exquisitive details that can be found everywhere.

A small lion as a waterhose device, Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery), Stockholm.

A lioness showing off her good side in Bredäng, suburb to Stockholm.

A different kind of mousetrap can be found on a backstreet of Stockholm. Love the looks of those sculptures!

This cat part of the giant puzzle has adorned the subway station of Bredäng ever since I was a child. Cute!

Another cat and mouse play, Resarö Marina, some miles north of Stockholm.

In Stockholm we even have one of the oldest blocks of houses in the city being named after cats - like the Cat Alley, the Cat Tail Alley, the Catfoot Smaller, the Catback, the Grimalkin Bigger, etc etc. Quite a charming area with a very special ambiance to it. Of course.

Have you ever thought about how often different cat-beings appear and most often show great posture and even stand guard in townscapes all over the world? And how very different in looks and personality they seem to be?

This impressive lion having a bit of a laze at Strömbron in Stockholm, keeping an eye on the world passing by the Parliament building and the Royal Palace.

This fierce looking lion guards a lamp-post at the diplomat-block in Oslo, Norway.

This uppish looking one can be found in Copenhagen, Denmark. Beautiful!

Sometimes they act like waterpipes, like this one at Mälsåker Castle, Sweden.

Sometimes they've been guarding the city gates for centuries and gotten really dirty, Lübeck, Germany.

They keep us mere mortals safe from harm when killing deadly snakes, like outside Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark.

And they sure know how to make an everlasting impression! These sets of pawprints I found at the open air lapa in Schotia game reserve, ZA.

So why not have a look around for catfluences in the city/village-scape the next time you're out and about? I bet you'll find them where one might least expect them!

Of course it's pretty crucial to have comfy footwear while scouting for catfluences - like one of my favourite twin ones from Camper, Cats & Dogs. How appropriate!

This week's WCB is kindly hosted by Scamperdude - see you there!