Moments 2: Old Town, Stockholm

This is a painting I bought during one of five trips to Stockholm around 2002-2005. I was involved in a project on women offenders and employment which included projects from Germany, France and Sweden. It meant that from time to time we got to travel to each project who hosted an event. I thus made trips to Marseilles in France, Berlin and Potsdam in Germany and Stockholm and Gothenberg in Sweden. Not having travelled a great deal becasue of the demands of being a single parent this was the start of trips abroad which opened up a new world to me.

I loved Stockholm, particularly the Old Town. I stayed in a hotel in the Old Twon called the Hotel Nelson who boasted they were the smallest hotel in Sweden. It was based on the model of a ship and everywhere was narrow corridors. I was then almost as portly as now so this was challenging. When I got into my bedroom I had to go past the bed sideways to get to the other end. Everything was a challenge becasue of the narrow spaces. We only stayed there once.

But we returned to Stockholm, five times in all. On my last visit I was determined to get a momento of my visits. I had a turtle and shot glass which became part of the collections I showed you last year but I wanted something to mark this time. I also got the wooden carved man I showed yesterday.

The Main Street In the old town was a lovely picturesque and fascinating street to wander down. On the night before I was due to leave I was walking down this road when I saw a painting in the window of a shop in this street. It drew me in and I was really impressed with it. I could not make my mind up that night as at that time it was quite expensive. So I decided to sleep on it.

When I got up next morning I had decided this was an opportunity not to miss. I returned to the shop and took another look in the window. There was no sign of the painting. I went into the shop to see if they had moved it to be told they had just sold it. She could see my crestfallen look and offered to contact the artist to see if there were any similar ones. I said I was leaving that day. Then she remembered she had another painting by this artist. Just up a side street there was a lovely little plaza with a monument in the middle and cafes around its edges and on one side the Nobel Prize Museum which I had already visited. I loved it immediately and decided not to ponder any further and thus purchased this painting.

I loved my trips to Stockholm. Swedish people were very friendly and made us all very welcome. With these work trips we got taken out to local restaurants and treated to all the meatballs and lingonberries we could manage and lots more. The Smogersbord we had on one night was sumptuous with tweny varieties of herring, a cheese board to die for and the most wonderful ham. Lots was eaten (and drunk) that night.

Hope you enjoyed my short trip down memory lane in lieu of a blip which I did not get any time to source today. it's been a busy and somewhat challenging week!