height is the new size and other lessons learnt in budapest

Here follow some interesting things I learnt in Budapest;



1. That it's apparently important to (some) men to be a few centimetres taller, that one can become that in a "very discreet and natural way" (with special shoes) and that one in doing that can get the attention of a dumb looking posing, pouting model. Height is the new size.

I have to say that a) spending time with a dumb looking posing, pouting model sounds utterly boring and unsatisfactory imho, but I guess someone who would actually pay to get ridiculous heightening shoes like that doesn't have much in ways of a brilliant brain anyway.

b) as a tall woman I have to admit that yes height is rather important (shallow as it may seem), but that, as most always, a great mind, a lovely personality and brilliant conversations trumps pretty much everything.



2. Rosewater lemonade is surprisingly lovely, refreshing and somewhat enchanting to drink.



3. Too many (semi)naked humans can be overwhelming and scary for small sized woollies (also known as bobbaloos). To be honest, I'm very much inclined to concur with the bobbaloos on this. (That said it was a grand bath and wonderful architecture, got some great pictures of the outdoors baths and its guests in Budapest I will share later.)



4. To spell the name "Pia" is apparently super difficult for staff at Starbuck's, but to pronounce it is easy peasy. Also noticable is that to drink soy latte regularly (like once a day on holiday) can cause unwanted wind related issues.



5. Important messages to all men can be written in a very pleasant way.



6. The scariest of statues on the eeriest (but beautiful) of cemeteries is much less scary in the summertime. Though albeit doable still far from easy breezy and pleasant. (However this grand cemetery, of which I will write and show more later, is such an absolute must visit when in Budapest though!)



7. There's nothing quite like snatching a pretzel in the morning. At least not when you are very small and totally adorable.



8. Hungarian really offers a plethora of unfortunate brand names from a Swedish point of view. And with that a lot of giggles and laughs. (You have to google this one.)



9. When sore feet are in desperate need for blister relief you can always rely on Swedish plasters. And that aloe vera is THE thing for most everything. And that the number with three sixes can hold good things too.



10. Last but not least; icecream and sorbets should never be served in any other way than the rose way. Really.

her fearful symmetry

Yes I do have a pile of some 15-20 read books I really, really want to write a few words about. Most of these books have not been read that recently and I fear many of the thoughts I had about them while still fresh in mind have sadly fluttered away.

One of these days I will write about those books, though the might have to share one post alas.

This post will be about the book I have just finished though. "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger, the author of "The Time Traveler's Wife" (a book which I enjoyed, but for its annoying amount of spelling errors and sentence construction oddities, but for that I blame the translator/editor and not the writer).

"Her Fearful Symmetry" (a curious and alluring title I still haven't quite figured out) is a ghost story set in and around the Highgate Cemetery in London - which clearly is a most enchanting and haunting place that I now have on my must-see-list. Oh I love walking around cemeteries, with their many stories and lives told and untold. Beautiful, sad and eerie places that makes one think and ponder about the transiency of it all, walking in cemeteries somehow put things and life in perspective, if only for a while - a story about family secrets and family ties, twins, love, loss, death and resurrection.

It may not be a world-turning, obviously thought-provoking all-time-best read, but the story is different, the setting is, yes, captivating, one may not sympathize for all the characters (far from really) or understand their respective motives, but still the story catched me from the first few pages and I enjoyed the read very very much. An easy read, well-written (without being mind-blowingly so) and different.

Yes, I do recommend the book to be read.

random photos athens, IV

ancient agora, the stoa of attalos

acropolis seen from the ancient agora, ancient art meets...

... a modern running man, sculpture "dromeas" at evangelismos. amazing piece all made of glass sheets.

one lucky dog in the plaka district...

oh the joy to have an inspiring workplace looking like this.

these steps on the lycabettus hill may be nothing compared to the hellish staircase at möns klint in denmark. but if you're anything like the tin can woman it might as well have been...

the view from the top was breathtaking. once again, can you spot acropolis?

after the steep, long walk one ridiculously overpriced pistacchio icecream for two hit the spot.

eyes that haunt me still, the hard life as a stray cat in athens.

glimpses from one amazing sculpture park cemetery, 1st cemetery. grand, yet time-stained, serene, eerie, fascinating and so very different from a Swedish cemetery. If it hadn't been for the qualmingly strong flower fragrance everywhere (that I obviously in my state of the flu couldn't smell but made me cough and made my eyes hurt) I could have walked around there forever and ever.
.

.

one of the creepiest tombs i've ever seen, really, what were they thinking?

.

evil chucky turned tombstone.

last supper in athens. simple and reasonably nice greek salad. way too much olive oil though.
~

More on Athens in previous posts and other places;

random thought on athens

random photos athens, I

random photos athens, II

random photos athens, III

athens photos on pomp & serendipity

athens flickr photos

the woodland cemetery loaf

Meet the coffin loaf. If not by name, though certainly by looks. Its proper name is Skogskyrkslimpa - let's practise Swedish, skog = woods, kyrka = church, limpa = loaf, hence this is one piece of Wood church loaf - and it can only be found and bought at that charming little bakery-café Bakgården, nearby the always-worth-a-visit Woodland Cemetery.

It's sourdough bread with anise and cumin and to be honest I didn't find its flavour or texture all that appealing at closer inspection. The bakery have so many other great breads (like lingonberry bread, apricot bread and ciabattas) so this one coffin bread was just a one time thing for me. I can still appreciate the quirky idea of it (I most always appreciate quirky ideas, if you hadn't guessed that by now...), even if my taste buds didn't quite approve of this particular quirky flavour.

The Northern Cemetery

Certainly no Woodland Cemetery, but in parts absolutely beautiful and very impressive in its very own way - the Northern Cemetery. Situated, perhaps as an always present reminder of our mortality, just below one of Stockholm's major hospitals, Karolinska University Hospital.

The cemetery was inaugurated in the beginning of the 19th century, and there are quite a few wellknown Swedes been laid to the last rest there. To name but a few; lovely actress Ingrid Bergman, film director Victor Sjöström and Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prize.

The cemetery is also situated just beside one of Stockholm's major approaching highways as well as being seen from the c-train when approaching the city. Oh, I've been meaning to visit the place for many years, but as often is the case one has a tendency to postpone visiting, doing all sorts of things that are fairly easy accessible. Seeing, talking to people that will always be around. But of course there's no such thing as always in this frail existence called life...

But then, finally I did have the opportunity to wander around this vast stretching graveyard the other week. It was a crisp winter day with a faint sun, and yet it felt like spring with all the tiny birds happily chirping of a brighter season to come. It was such a lovely walk, with time for both memories, contemplating life and death. Discovering withered beauty everywhere, as well as *rather* distasteful signs of pompous and quite misplaced superiority feelings.

Exploring a place of unusal monuments, sculptures, tombs as well as more than eerie places of morning. And in midst of all this, suddenly four shy deers ran over the path just a few metres in front of us, disappearing just as fleetingly as they had appeared. Alas I was too slow with the camera, only got a very blurry capture of that magical encounter in what is actually somewhat in the middle of quite a busy city.

Dispiriting though, was the fact that some of the newer parts of the cemetery showed appalling signs of anything but the pleasingly aesthetic and special ambiance that most parts of the cemetery have. Such a pity, and where's the Beauty Council when Stockholm is in dire need of it...?

Other than that, it's a place well worth a visit for many reasons, and I've also heard of guided tours which I'm definitely going to take one of these days. Since there isn't such a thing as always, I'm planning for it in not such a far future...

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Nearly Wordless Friday

Today I'm just going to share some photos from one of my favourite places in Stockholm - some might remember the post and the pictures posted about a year ago - the Woodland cemetery (Skogskyrkogården). I must make a note of actually visit this extraordinary place when the weather and light conditions are better - I always seem to end up there late Autumn... More pictures to be found, as usual, in my Flickr Album

The Mansion of Milles

On the cliffs at Herserud, in the suburb of Lidingö - incidentally the neighbourhood where you can drop by Espresso deli & coffeeshop if you're looking for a place to eat or have a coffee - you'll find the wonderful mansion of world famous Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, Millesgården. With an amazing view overlooking one of Stockholm's inlets and the industrial area and port district of Värtahamnen (hamn = port).

You reach the place with subway to end station Ropsten, where you change to either the charming old tram Lidingöbanan - get of at the very first station, but be prepared to battle a very steep foot road that'll leave you more or less breathless, and not because of the pretty view... - or a bus. Which will either take you right to the main entrance of Millesgården or allow you to have a nice walk through a quiet, beautiful residential area with many grand and not so grand villas. Your choice.

Milles sculptures can be found all over the world, although most of them in Sweden and the States - he lived there for 20 years and became an American citizen in 1945. He bought the Herserud property 1904, the mansion and garden was finished in 1908 and he and his wife used the place as their summer residence until he died in 1955. But he had actually donated the property to the Swedish state as early as 1936. It was opened to the public in the late 1930ies. Both Carl Milles and his wife Olga are buried in a small chapel at Millesgården.

I don't visit Millesgården nearly as often as one should, it is indeed such a lovely place, inspirational as well as soothing. Not only the vast, splendid garden with all it's sculptures and art - and Milles' statues are actually not the kind that makes me shiver in fear... There's just a very friendly ambiance around them. And you seem to find new ones and hidden areas everytime you walk around there... - but also the museum building hosts different kinds of exhibitions all year around.

Two of the most memorable exhibitions I've been to, years ago, are one with paintings by Frida Kahlo and the either with sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Now there's an excellent photo exhibition with a Finnish socialrealism photographer, more than quite depressing in parts but also rather wonderful, and very suggestive.

I'm not too fond of the newish, modern building on the property that's now the main building, gift shop and entrance to the garden though. I so preferred the old, original house and home of Milles that used to host both exhibitions, art and gift shop. It had a very cosy, homely atmosphere to it, resembling the Thielska Gallery.

Mustn't forget to mention the excellent restaurant/café Bistro on the property either - more about that in another post - which you can visit without paying an entrance fee if you so wish. So worth a visit, both for the food - great vegetarian selection and yummy cakes, i e pretty much what one needs... - and the experience of enjoying that food in the cosy outdoor terrace area weather permitting.

Now, without further ado, here are some pictures from this place, one of Stockholm's many "places of wild strawberries" - and as usual more photos can be found in my Flickr album - it'll at least give you a glimpse of that lovely day I had there earlier this week.

Can you spot the UFO that magically appeared...?


Millesgården even inspires to the making of folk art just outside the entrance gates...