| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 235.1 | Drottningholm | TLE::SAVAGE | Neil, @Spit Brook | Fri Jul 01 1988 15:23 | 50 |
| Drottningholm Palace has been the official residence of King Carl XVI
Gustav and his family since 1981. The Baroque-style palace stands on
the banks of Lake M�laren, just outside Stockholm, the wedding gift to
Queen Louisa Ulrika from her father-in-law, upon her betrothal to Crown
Prince Adolph Frederick.
But the real draw of this estate is the miniature Court Theater. It
seems the move from Berlin to Stockholm resulted in culture shock for
the new queen. But, undaunted by the long, cold winters, and the
general lack of artistic sophistication at the Swedish court, Queen
Louisa promptly had the little theater built (first completed in 1754)
and brought in French theatrical and Italian opera troupes -- to teach
the Swedes a few things about REAL culture.
The original building burned to the ground in 1762, when a young
candle-bearer stumbed and fell. Four years later, the simple, classic,
pale yellow creation of court architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz stood
much as it does today.
The little theatre was a trumphal success until Louisa's son, King
Gustav III was assasinated in 1792. Shortly afterward the theater
closed, and for more than 100 years was used only for storage.
Then in 1921 a young art history student entered, looking for a
painting he was doing research on. He found not only the painting he
sought but the interior of the 18th-century theater almost perfectly
intact - stage sets, scenery, curtains, and even the marvelous
Italian-crafted machinery used to change scenes, and create realistic
sound effects.
The theater has been refurbished and open to visitors since 1922.
Entertainments include Mozart and Rossini operas, 18th-century theater,
Italian mime - whatever productions the tiny sets and stage can
accommodate.
Here's some of what John Edward Young wrote in the Christian Science
Monitor, May 13, 1988, about a production he attended:
"Torch-carrying guides in period costume usher the 400 quests to their
seats. Musicians in costume and powdered wigs, playing old instruments
pick up the overture. A curtain decorated with Minerva - goddess of the
arts - goes up and Drottningholm Theater rolls back the centuries,
bringing the audience the last word, and note, in 18th-century theater
anywhere."
Productions occur only in summer months, and tickets are as hard to get
as those for some of the most popular Broadway plays. You can take a
guided tour May through August, every half hour from 12 noon to 16:30
(that's 4:30 p.m. you North Americans). In September, from 13:00 to
15:00.
|
| 235.2 | A brief sketch | TLE::SAVAGE | Neil, @Spit Brook | Fri Jul 01 1988 17:05 | 58 |
| Stockholm is arguably the most beautiful capital in Scandinavia and
among the most attractive in the world. The city floats on 14 islands
scattered in Lake M�laren among a labyrinth of canals. It supports no
less than 50 museums, 150 other cultural attractions (churches,
theaters, opera, ballets), more than 700 restaurants, plus an
assortment of castles and palaces.
Getting around can take some planning -- the waterways keep getting in
the way. Taxis are expensive, consider the subway system; maybe rent a
bicycle.
From in front of the Grand Hotel, you can take a tour boat "Under the
Bridges of Stockholm." Of the many boat tours available, this one
covers the most area, and includes a brief entry into the Baltic.
Stockholm's "Gamla Stan" (Old Town) is exclusively a walking tour.
Start with the statue of Gustav III across from the Royal Palace. Go to
the Great Church, where Swedish royalty is christened, crowned, and
married. View the 500-year old wooden statue of St. George slaying the
dragon. Many buildings in Gamla Stan date from the 16th to the 18th
century and house the predictable touristy shops, and restaurants.
Riddarholm Church is where centuries of Swedish royalty are laid to
rest - except Christina, Sweden's only Roman Catholic monarch, who is
buried at the Vatican.
A short hike across the bridge from Gamla Stan, overlooking Lake
M�laren, is Stadhuset, Stockholm's City Hall - hailed as a magnificent
example of 20th-century architecture. Here, in the Golden Hall, the
Nobel Prizes are presented. Take the elevator up into the 348-foot
tower for a sky view of the city. Below ground is Stadhusk�lleren a
restaurant with medieval decor, open from 11:00 to 17:00.
Stockholms most famous and prestigious restaurant is Operak�lleren. You
take someone to dinner there when you REALLY want to make an
impression. I fondly remember being treated to an eight course dinner
there, with Swedish celebrities at nearby tables. That was long ago
when I could handle an eight course dinner :-)
Do not, I repeat DO NOT, leave Stockholm without seeing the Wasa. This
was the flagship of the Swedish navy when it sank in Stockholm harbor
just minutes after launching in 1628. After 333 years it was relocated
and raised from the bottom nearly intact in 1961. It has since been
restored, housed in its own museum at Djurg�rden, and serves as an
exhibit of 17th-century Swedish life.
Skansen, the worlds first theme park, features an ethnographic exhibit
of Swedish life in the mid-19th century. There is also a zoo, and
dancing in the evenings.
If you like your night life on the wild side, try the Hard Rock Caf� on
Sveav�gen.
At the Tourist Center, Sweden House, Kungstr�dgarden, you can (in
addition to the usual maps and guides) get a Stockholm Card that gives
you free public transportation, free parking, and admission to about 50
attractions, including sightseeing and museums. The cost of the card
depends on how long you purchase it for.
|
| 235.3 | Restaurants in Stockholm | BOLT::MINOW | It's not pseudo eclectic, it's real eclectic | Mon Jul 04 1988 12:05 | 122 |
| (I prepared this for some friends who are travelling to Sweden this month.
Others might find it useful.)
Here's a list of restaurants in and around Stockholm that I was given by
a Swedish friend. I've been to some: others are new. * marks special
recommendations.
La Casa Bianca Best pasta and Italian (50: -- 120:).
Ulriksdals W�rdshus * Sm�rg�sbord (expensive). On a beautiful park.
Very fancy: assume you'll spend a very long lunch there.
Martini Good pasta, nice atmosphere, downtown (on
Norrmalmstorg). (50: -- 100:)
Sturehof * Classical Swedish h�tel du ville restaurant (waiters
in black tie). Eat a classical Swedish meal: herring
(with aquavit and beer), deer, elk, or wildfowl main
course, and fried Camenbert with hjortron (cloudberry)
jam for dessert. Very expensive.
Glada Laxan Salmon (lax) and other Swedish food. In Gallerian (a
downtown shopping mall). Medium expensive.
Seikoien Japanese, good food.
Butler Good Swedish-French. (Butler started one of the first
of the "new-wave" restaurants about 10 years ago.)
Biffy French local bistro on �stermalm.
Escargot * Fine French.
Eric * Fish. Very good.
Vau-de-ville Bistro in Kungstr�dg�rden (downtown).
Clas p� Hornet Very good, exclusive. (In a building that has been
used as a restaurant for 400 years.)
Comics Swedish Home Cooking. (Not Lake Woebegon.)
Kungshallen Stockholm equivalent of Quincy Market food stalls.
Many different small stands: many with foreign
(non-Swedish) owners.
R�rstrandsgatan This is a street with 6-7 good restaurants. If my
notes are correct, Butler and La Casa Bianca are on
this street.
Here are a few of my own.
Zum Franciskaner On Skeppsbron at the South-East end of Gamla Stan
(Old Town). This is an old bistro that hasn't
changed its character. Eat a Swedish lunch (fried
herring or stew) and drink beer. One specialty is
their "caviar" first course. Not too fancy. Not
too expensive.
City Lejon Student place just North of H�torget (central
downtown). Their specialty is a j�tte snitzel,a
huge wienersnitzel. A decidedly non-fancy and
inexpensive place for lunch.
Annorlunda * Great place for lunch. Salads and simple warm
dishes. Located very central, but a bit tricky to
find. Go to the South-East corner of Sveav�gen and
Kungsgatan (dead center downtown). Walk South about
20 meters to a small alleyway. Turn right and go up
the stairway to the street (that passes on a bridge
over Kungsgatan). You'll pass H:son, one of the major
porno-film distributors (unless they've moved) and
Sk�nska Banken. Annorlunda is just across the street
next door to the bridge over Kungsgatan. (Annorlunda
means "different" -- this was the first semi-vegetarian
restaurant in Sweden). Not expensive. I can't
remember whether the street is Malmskillnadsgatan or
Regieringsgatan.
From the North-East corner of Sveav�gen and Kungsgatan,
walk North one block to Tunnelgatan. On the North-East
corner of Tunnelgatan and Sveav�gen, you'll see a
small pile of flowers on the ground. It marks the
spot where Olof Palme was killed.
Ceasar Nice French Bistro in �stermalm near Djurg�rden.
Minerva Student place about 1-2 km North of downtown. Sit at
long tables and eat entrec�t (horsemeat) or giant
prawns. Wonderful french fries, served on huge
platters to the entire table. On Surbrunnsgatan, I
think. A block or so from Sabbatsbergs Hospital.
NK cafeteria NK is the Jordan Marsh of Stockholm. There's a
cafeteria on their roof that has a nice view of
Kungstr�dgarden.
Vaxholms steamboat * Take the steamboat out to the archipelago. You can
get off at Vaxholm (nice small town) and walk around,
or continue into the islands (Grinda is a nice place
for a picnic). On the way back, eat "steamboat beef"
in the restaurant. Note: you have to make sure you
have the correct boat and make dinner reservations as
early as possible (in the morning when you sail out).
The boats leave from the pier in front of the Grand
hotel. There are also boats going out to the royal
summer residence at Drottningholm. (These leave from
a pier between the Central train station and City
Hall.) If possible, try to get tickets to the
Drottningholm opera. If you pull this off, you can
take a boat out (with dinner) and return on the same
boat. This is very well worth doing. I would be
happy to guide you.
Gourmet * One star in Michelin. You can't afford it either.
Conditori F�f�ngen * This is a place for coffee located on Fj�llgatan on
S�der (the South island). It has a phenomenal view of
the harbor. It's about a mile from the South end of
Old Town: you'll need a map or take a taxi. Fj�llgatan
-- assuming they haven't renovated it -- is one of the
nicer old streets in Stockholm. F�f�ngen translates
as "idle vanity."
Ikea * Take the suburban train to, I think, Tumba. Take
the bus to Ikea. This is the furniture store to end
all furniture stores. There's an inexpensive, but
quite good, restaurant/cafeteria on the top floor.
This is the furniture the Swedes have in their homes.
A few other notes: remember that alcohol is extremely expensive. The only
decent beer I've found is Spendrup's Old Gold. Wine is reasonable. There are
a couple of good pubs; one in Old Town has jazz (forgot it's name).
|
| 235.4 | Millesgarden | TLE::SAVAGE | Neil, @Spit Brook | Tue Jul 05 1988 13:43 | 22 |
| Carl Milles was a Swedish artist, internationally famous for his
whimsical sculptures of allegorical and mythological creatures and
spirits.
In 1906, after many years abroad, Milles and his Austrian wife, Olga,
purchased a site on the island of Liding�, high above Lake V�rtan,
overlooking Stockholm. It was to be their home, studio, and finally one
of the most spectacular and popular museums in Sweden. Here are found
bronze copies of Milles' major works that exist throughout Sweden and
in the United States.
Most photographed is a group of angels, with trumpets and flutes in
hand, perched on pillars, silhouetted against the sky.
Millesgarden is open to visitors year round, Tuesday through Sunday:
October - April, from 11:00 to 17:00
May & September, from 10:00 to 19:00
June & July, 7:00 to 21:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays
To get there from the center of Stockholm, you can take a bus, boat, or
the subway.
|
| 235.5 | Completing the list of restaurants. | STKAI1::HOGBERG | Thomas H�gberg ,Stockholm | Wed Jul 06 1988 11:56 | 32 |
| Re 235.3
Your list of restaurants is superb but not complete, think of all
those Americans coming over.I would like to add those adresses to
your list.
Kungsgatan 4
Sveav�gen 71
G�tgatan 91
S:t Eriksgatan 32
Norrlandsgatan 13
Hornsgatan 88
Folkungagatan 50
Sergelgatan 4
Thats all McDonalds restaurants we have here in Stockholm.
^P Thomas
|
| 235.6 | Restaurant reviews | BOLT::MINOW | It's not pseudo eclectic, it's real eclectic | Tue Aug 09 1988 16:12 | 104 |
| Back from a somewhat expensive, but enjoyable trip. Don't believe the
"official" exchange rate. If you assume that there are ten kroner to
the dollar, prices start looking understandable. (Unfortunately, there
are six...) Here's an updating of the places I ate at, and some I didn't
La Casa Bianca Best pasta and Italian (50: -- 120:).
** Excellent.
Sturehof * Classical Swedish h�tel du ville restaurant (waiters
in black tie). Eat a classical Swedish meal: herring
(with aquavit and beer), deer, elk, or wildfowl main
course, and fried Camenbert with hjortron (cloudberry)
jam for dessert. Very expensive.
** Closed for renovation until mid 1989.
Glada Laxan Salmon (lax) and other Swedish food. In Gallerian (a
downtown shopping mall). Medium expensive.
** Ate there for lunch. Not bad for a shopping mall restaurant. No
atmosphere (reminded me of Legal Seafoods). Had a salmon dish that was
ok, but not spectacular. Reasonable value for the money. (80-90 kr for
the main course.)
Butler Good Swedish-French. (Butler started one of the first
of the "new-wave" restaurants about 10 years ago.)
** Walked by one evening. Same old place. (A good friend used to live
around the corner.)
Eric * Fish. Very good.
** This is an understatement. Eric's is on a boat on the "Park Ave." of
Stockholm. I went there with one of the people for whom I prepared this
guide on her last evening in Stockholm. She had gravad lax (for the
first time) and turbot in champaigne sauce. I had the best lobster
bisque I'd ever eaten and a grilled salmon with morel sauce that was
equally fantastic. We shared a bottle of wine, but decided to skip
dessert. The waiter brought a plate of petits-fours with coffee. The
bill came to 990 Kr. Then we walked around and ended up at Prinsen for
dessert. (see below.)
Kungshallen Stockholm equivalent of Quincy Market food stalls.
Many different small stands: many with foreign
(non-Swedish) owners.
** Grabbed a quick-lunch gyro one afternoon. Ok, but the Swedes put garlic
in their food like New Yorkers put vermouth in their martinis.
Here are a few of my own.
Zum Franciskaner On Skeppsbron at the South-East end of Gamla Stan
(Old Town). This is an old bistro that hasn't
changed its character. Eat a Swedish lunch (fried
herring or stew) and drink beer. One specialty is
their "caviar" first course. Not too fancy. Not
too expensive.
** Lunch: still going strong. Gamla Stan has gotten too cutsey-touristy
for my taste. Stay away, especially, from �sterl�nggatan.
City Lejon Student place just North of H�torget (central
downtown). Their specialty is a j�tte snitzel,a
huge wienersnitzel. A decidedly non-fancy and
inexpensive place for lunch.
** Lunch: unchanged. Prices still reasonable.
Annorlunda * Great place for lunch. Salads and simple warm
dishes. Located very central, but a bit tricky to
find. Go to the South-East corner of Sveav�gen and
Kungsgatan (dead center downtown). Walk South about
20 meters to a small alleyway. Turn right and go up
the stairway to the street (that passes on a bridge
over Kungsgatan). You'll pass H:son, one of the major
porno-film distributors (unless they've moved) and
Sk�nska Banken. Annorlunda is just across the street
next door to the bridge over Kungsgatan. (Annorlunda
means "different" -- this was the first semi-vegetarian
restaurant in Sweden). Not expensive. I can't
remember whether the street is Malmskillnadsgatan or
Regieringsgatan.
** Lunch: unchanged.
Ikea * Take the suburban train to, I think, Tumba. Take
the bus to Ikea. This is the furniture store to end
all furniture stores. There's an inexpensive, but
quite good, restaurant/cafeteria on the top floor.
This is the furniture the Swedes have in their homes.
** Good lunch of gravad lax.
Also,
Prinsen Downtown on Master Samuelsgatan near Briger Jarlsgatan.
Old-fashioned place with good food and a happy crowd.
Reminds me of a good French bistro. Open late.
After our gold-pated meal at Eric's, we had a late
dessert here. Quite nice.
M�lerdrottning Went out for the evening with an old friend and his
lady love. We walked around Drottningholm, and he
said they had just gotten married. "Then I have to
treat you to a good meal." Ended up at M�lerdrottning,
a fish restaurant housed in a fantastic yacht moored
at the end of Lake M�ler downtown. My friend is
on a strict diet, so he convinced the chef to make
him a fish broth. Charlotte and I had -- hmm, can't
remember what -- but it was very good. Expensive,
though.
Martin.
|
| 235.7 | Some Stockholm discos | NEILS::SAVAGE | | Wed Jun 20 1990 11:45 | 84 |
| From: [email protected] (David Walden)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: some Stockholm discos
Date: 20 Jun 90 06:53:37 GMT
Organization: Information Sciences Institute, Univ. of So. California
ATLANTIC -> COMEDIA
I am sad to report that the Atlantic disco has bitten the dust. It was
the only disco that I had been able to find in Stockholm that had
decent disco music AND wasn't so loud that one could actually converse.
In its place is an attempt at an upscale club called Comedia. It's the
old Atlantic with pretension. Men are encouraged to wear neckwear, and
there is a budding Stockholm limousine service (complete with
blacked-out windows) that hurries off with the stuffier of Stockholm's
yuppies haughtily stuffed within. L.A. types will chuckle at the
length of these "chopped" limousines, but then, L.A. limos don't have
to negotiate Gamla Stan.
BERNS SALLONGER
The crowd that used to go to Atlantic seems to have moved to nearby
Berns Sallonger. It's in a restaurant just off the little park where
Hamngatan meets Strandv{gen. It turns into a disco at midnight and
runs until 3:00 a.m. on weekends. It has good dance music, there's no
cover charge and the clientele ranges primarily between 25 and 35.
KING CREOLE
For two years, now, I've wanted to check out King Creole, a disco on
Kungsgatan a block east of Sveav{gen. It has a decidedly American
motif: A two-story Statue of Liberty in one window and the faces of
Manny, Moe and Jack in the other. I hear that on one night of the week
they have swing dancing, but when I went on a Saturday night there was
a long line of just guys outside. Not wanting to dance with guys, I
decided to wait until THREE years had passed.
DOWNTOWN
A disco that has been around awhile, but which I just checked out, is
Downtown. It's on Norrlandsgatan, across the street from Cafe Gateau,
half a block north from Kungstr�dg�rden. It's downstairs, and there
are two dance floors quite well acoustically separated. I was very
impressed with a couple of the dancers there. They appear to have
spent some time in the U.S. (or took lessons from someone who did),
such that they displayed some of the most admirable points of U.S.
disco culture. One guy (who was always dancing alone) was obviously
one of the "dancers". These are people who dress for sweating -
sneakers, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt - but who are such good dancers
that they are allowed into the club for the "dancing aura" they imbue.
He danced on one floor as long as the songs were to his liking. If the
music changed or someone was watching him too closely for too long, he
would quickly stop and scoot over to the other dance floor (mustn't
give away all your material, you know). Another "dancer" was a girl
with a black pants outfit, straignt black hair and a white bandeau top.
She danced with good, sharp well-defined, quick and certain movements.
She knew what she was doing. Her friend wasn't as good or as
well-dressed, and she appeared to be The Prop. The Dancer decided when
they would dance and on what floor. The Prop just went along. The
Dancer also had all the proper Attitude. She danced at the edge of the
floor where she could be seen. And she had a nasty angry look about
her that said "No Dick Here Is Good Enough to Dance with Me. And If
You Think So, You Better Be from L.A." :)
And she knew the Quick Scoot. God, did she do it well. The point
about disco dancing, really GOOD disco dancing, is that you must
exhibit your dancing enough to properly impress, but not so much that
you give away all your best moves to your competition. So when you see
someone watching you, you give it your best. But if they watch too
intently, or if a small group gathers, it's time to move away. And with
vigah! So Miss Nasty first started doing all her good stuff when she
saw me watching her. I really enjoyed it. But when when realized I
was STUDYING her - BAM! Total stop and break with the music, turn and
do a very quick walk all the way to the other side of the dance floor
or to the other dance floor entirely. The un- written understanding is
that no one would so lack pride as to Quick Scoot right on after her to
continue watching. But she hadn't reckonned with the likes of me. I
followed the poor girl until she finally had to stop dancing. There's
just no way to deal with guys with no Attitude!
"Disco" Dave Walden
[email protected]
|
| 235.8 | More advice, including expense ratings of stores | CHARLT::SAVAGE | | Tue Sep 04 1990 17:07 | 47 |
| From: [email protected] (Lennart Boerjeson @ KTH/LNE,
The Royal Inst. of Tech.)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: Re: Recommendations?
Date: 30 Aug 90 15:41:47 GMT
Organization: KTH School of E.E.
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Steve Wolfson)
writes:
>During the first 2 weeks of October, I will be on a tour covering Stockholm,
>Helsinki, Oslo, and Copenhagen.
>
>Fortunatly the tour leaves time for self exploration.
>Any recommendations for places to visit/shop/eat etc are welcomed. Even
>possibly places to go on day trips outside of these cities.
>
In Stockholm:
To visit in the city: Townhall, Royal Treasury, Vasa museum
To shop in the city (moderately cheap): AAhle'ns (department store)
-"- (more expensive) : NK (department store)
-"- (even more so) : Sturegallerian (shopping mall)
To eat (cheap) : City Lejon, Olofsgatan
-"- (more expensive) : Rendezvous, Apelbergsgatan
-"- (very expensive) : Erik's, Strandvdgen
To visit outside the city: The archipelago (take a boat to Utoe, enjoy
the scenery), Drottningholm Castle & Park
>Any bargains to be had, or should I not get my hopes up on getting a cut
>rate B & O stereo system? :-)
No bargains... Sweden is expensive! But there is a posh hifi store in
Sturegallerian where you can look, hear and feel most of B&O's
equipment. I would expect to get better prices in Denmark, where they
are made.
!++
! Lennart Boerjeson, System Manager
! School of Electrical Engineering
! Royal Institute of Technology
! S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
! tel: int+46-8-7907814
! Internet: [email protected]
!--
|
| 235.9 | Re:.4: another Millesgarden recommendation | CHARLT::SAVAGE | | Thu Sep 13 1990 13:23 | 22 |
| From: [email protected] (Peter Herman x5495)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: Re: Recommendations?
Date: 31 Aug 90 21:35:49 GMT
Organization: NMSU Computer Science
In addition to Lennarts good Stockholm recommendations, I think a
really nice place to visit (if the weather is decent and who knows in
October) is the Millesg}rden (sp?) on Liding|. This museum and
sculpture garden has one of Stockholm's nicest views. The grounds are
large and you can take a quiet walk in a beautiful setting. While not
directly "on the beaten path", it is quite easy to get to by public
transport. Milles is (along with Zorn) one of the few Swedish artists
with a significant body of work available for viewing in the US.
However, nothing in the US can compare to the overall quality or
setting available in this museum.
[email protected]
Peter Herman
Dept. of Biology
New Mexico State University
|
| 235.10 | Opera | TLE::SAVAGE | | Fri Mar 08 1991 11:50 | 33 |
| From: [email protected] (Torkel Franzen)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: Re: Opera in Stockholm May or June?
Date: 7 Mar 91 16:06:24 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Kista
In article <[email protected]> [email protected]
writes:
>Does anybody know when the opera season ends in Stockholm? Are there any
>operas being performed late in May or in June?
The last performance of the season is given on the 19th of June, and
it's Mozart's _Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail_. Operas performed from
May 20th to June 19th include Carmen, Hoffmann, Cinderella, Electra
(these last two at Drottningsholmsteatern), _Die Entfuehrung_. Tickets
are sold four weeks in advance, and you should get them well before the
date of the performance.
I think it's generally conceded that the Stockholm Opera is in a bit of
a slump at present. The quality of performances varies considerably;
most of the big names in Swedish opera sing abroad rather than in
Stockholm, for various reasons. However, performances are never shabby,
and are sometimes very good. I haven't seen any of the productions
mentioned above, so I can't comment on them. Hoffman was one of the few
big new productions of the season.
I think you would be interested in "Folkoperan", a small independent
company in Stockholm which has presented some very fine productions in
the past few years - in particular, I would mention their _Turandot_,
which was wonderful. By an unhappy coincidence, their main opera this
season is also _Hoffman_. I don't know when their season ends.
|
| 235.11 | 60s renewal: progress or blight? | TLE::SAVAGE | | Wed May 06 1992 15:55 | 89 |
| From: [email protected] (Mats Winberg)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: Stockholm city planning of the '60s
Date: 5 May 92 08:23:13 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Ericsson
A TV-documentary called "Staden i mitt hjaerta" (The city of my heart)
shown here in Sweden has caused a discussion in the media about the
restructuring of Stockholm city during the 1960's (Some say
destruction). The TV-program used old photograps and films to show the
contrast between the old city and the concrete and glass-filled
nightmare of today. When they showed how Brunkebergstorg had once
looked like , one wanted to cry in anger. How could the city-planners
of the '60s be allowed to destroy so much of our heritage. I mean they
took down 17-th century houses in order to make room for 6-lane streets
(Sveavaegen south of Kungsgatan). There weren't much opposition to the
destruction of the city, until they wanted to take down the trees in
Kungstraedgaarden to make room for a subway entrance. This was
fortunately stopped in 1971, but by then the damage to the city was
already done.
There are now people saying that the best thing would be to destroy the
modern city and try to restore the old "If Warzaw and other WWII
destroyed cities could do it, we should also be able to do it" they
say. Even if this is not realistic, architects and city-planners of
today are thinking on how to improve the city.
Who is to blame for what happened ? Partly I think one has to blame the
ruling party of that time, the Social Democrats. They had in the
mid-fifties been in power for 20 odd years and were now fully in
control of the state. Sweden, unaffected of WWII destruction, was now
gearing up as an industrial nation and resources were plentiful. The
city with it's old buildings and palaces of the 17th century nobility
must have been a thorn in their side, reminding them that Sweden's
history didn't start with the foundation of the Social Democratic Party
in the late 19th century. Also, they wanted to change the society, and
like all rulers in all times had to leave their mark to history.
Unfortunately, the destruction of Stockholm city isn't an isolated
occurence, in many smaller cities throughout Sweden the often very old
city cores had to give way to ugly "boxes" which contained
supermarkets. All this had of course social impacts: The small cafe's,
shops, and craftsmen had to leave the city and go to the suburbs were
they soon died away.
As the TV-documentary pointed out, old houses could have been restored
in a pious manner as have been done in Gamla Brogatan just a few blocks
away from the modern city.
Today, there are still threats to be dealt with: For instance, the
so-called "third railway track" that is going to take a large chunk out
of Riddarholmen.
Mats Winberg
[email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [email protected] (Johan Widen)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: Re: Stockholm city planning of the '60s
Date: 5 May 92 15:31:09 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Johan Widen Data AB
Not everyone agrees with [Mats Winberg]. I think the renovation of
Stockholm has been an improvement. I like many of the new buildings. I
don't mean that one should tear down everything old, but there is
plenty of old stuff left as it is.
I do think that there is by far too much traffic in the city though.
Too much of Stockholm, and other Swedish towns, has been given over to
the car.
> Today, there are still threats to be dealt with: For instance, the
> so-called "third railway track" that is going to take a large
> chunk out of Riddarholmen.
I don't call this a threat, I call it progress.
One new railway track... And in the neighbourhood there are streets and
streets and streets. Why does not anybody complain about the streets?
--
Johan Widen Tel: +46 760 20 120
Johan Widen Data AB Fax: +46 760 27 761
Hugingatan 20, S-195 52 MARSTA, SWEDEN Internet: [email protected]
|
| 235.12 | Beautiful city; nice people | TLE::SAVAGE | | Tue Apr 06 1993 17:23 | 133 |
| Note: the opinions and subjective observations of the author of the
following piece are, of course, his own. He is not a participant of
this conference, so there's no point in flaming him here. To reach
him, try the internet address.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
From: [email protected] (Bonehead)
Subject: My vacation
Organization: Bonehead Central
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1993 18:28:33 GMT
This was just tossed together, so please excuse me for spelling and
grammar errors.
Well I just thought I would post a small letter about my trip to
Sweden, Norway and Denmark. An outsiders point of view.
Let me first say, I have been to just about every state in the U.S.
and I have seen most of all the large cities the US and Canada have to
offer, and never have I been in a place as Beautiful as Stockholm.
Entry into Sweden was no problem. The trip over was a little tiring,
but not as bad as I expected. After traveling all night I arrived in
Stockholm about 8:00am (swedish time) and started the trip.
My brother came along with me to visit some friends at the "Techniska
H�gskolan" (Royal Institute of Technology) who do surface science
research.
My first experience of Swedish food was the ever famous "Korv", pretty
good actually. I attempted to order a Grillard Korv w/Brod and mas
potatoes, but apparently my swedish leaves something to be desired.
The guy behind the counter looked me right in the eye, and said in
almost perfect english, with no accent. "What did you say?", I just
laughed and pointed at the board. Not a bad deal for 15 Kronar.
We spent most of the rest of the day checking out stores and stuff in
Stockholm. Later that evening we were taken to dinner by the
Institute at a really neat eatry. It's about a block from the Castle
downtown, in a Cellar, and it's called Diana's. Talk about fantastic
food! I had cavair, and the grilled salmon.
The jet lag finally started kicking and and we needed to get some
sleep.
Over the next few days I did a lot of exploring of the city. We were
staying with a friend. He lived on Arstervagan, so I took the
underground all over the place. I really love the mass transit system
you have in Sweden, it was wonderful. T-Centralen was really nice.
All the stops were clean, excepting the traditional grafitti (present
in all cultures).
The old town shopping district was very nice, it was exactly what I
would think of Europe. 5 to 6 story buildings on either side and very
narrow alleys. The Gamla Stan exit if I remember correctly.
One of the things that caught me off guard was the clean factor of the
city.
I won't go into a lot of detail about the areas I saw in Stockholm, I
don't want to bore you.
Next we went to Lund, to the university down there. Again it was just
beautiful, and there was a church built back hundreds and hundreds of
years ago. Legend has it, that it was built by some giant, it was
beautiful.
Down to Malm� and over to Copenhagen. Copenhagen sure has a lot of
banks. It was nice, but not as clean as Stockholm. Great place to shop
tho'.
Back to Lund, then up to Oslo.
Oslo was very nice, but again it was even dirtier than Copenhagen. A
lot more people seemed to drive there as well.
Back to Stockholm and four more days of seeing the city. Then my stay
in perhaps the most beautiful city I have ever seen was over.
Now a few observations...
1) I think Americans could really benefit from seeing other cultures.
We generally live in a very narrow band of thinking. I saw a city that
seemed more advanced than most of our cities, but still was centuries
older than out entire country.
2) Why in the hell doesn't the US have a real train system. Sure we
cover a lot more area, but after seeing the efficency of the Swedish
train and subway system, I don't even want to own a car anymore.
3) Obviously the schooling in Sweden is superior to ours in the US.
Just about every person I talked to, spoke english. I learned some
swedish while I was there and was amazed at how sharp everyone seemed
to be. We stayed with a friend in Lund whose daughter was in the 8th
grade. They were going back to the US in June, for good, but the
daughter had been speaking swedish for 5 years and passed for native.
She talked about the schools back in the states, and joked about how
easy it was compared to Lund.
4) The people I met over there, were some of the most polite and fun
people I have ever met. Everyone was attractive. Especially the
women. But I mean really, all the people seemed very attractive.
5) Dear Swedes, ease up on the smoking thing. It's not good for you.
6) The Fenix!!!! Anyone reading this who lives in Stockholm must go
here. They have the coolest roulette tables I have ever seen. The
girls running the wheels are named... Sara, Anika and Helen. The
numbers to bet on are 18, 0 and 35. Trust me. Get off in T-Centralen
and walk up the Vasagatan exit stairs.
Finally. I went to see the Vasa. Seeing this boat, which was approx
350 years old, made me wonder. The US has really only been around in a
truly organized fashion for 230 years. (this includes a lot of pre
independance stuff) But Sweden has been around for a LONG time. I
think we should not try to act at the world revolves around just us.
There are a lot of other places out there who may not have the same
economic clout, but sure as hell have the cultural clout, and they
deserve to be heard as well.
All in all it really opened my eyes to new thinking. I am sure there
are problems in Sweden, every country has them, but dang, You
guys/gals in Sweden/Denmark/Norway sure have your act together. I plan
to return in the fall.
I must say very loudly! TACK, TACK, TACK! What a neat place.
Ken Hovanes
[email protected]
(205)730-3781
|
| 235.13 | Youth hostels | TLE::SAVAGE | | Wed Nov 24 1993 15:12 | 49 |
| Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
From: tordm@vana (Tord G.M. Malmgren)
Subject: Re: Things to do in Stockholm?
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Department of Physics, University of Stockholm -- Sweden
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1993 22:00:33 GMT
Here are some of the youth hostels in stockholm (with phone numbers):
Brygghuset Norrtullsg. 12 312424
Columbus Tj�rhovsg. 11 441717
Gustaf af Klint Stadsg�rdskajen 17 404077, 404078
Hostel Frescati Professorslingan 13 159434
Klubbensborg H�gersten 6461255
STF Skeppsholmen 103715
STF L�ngholmen 6680510
STF Zinkens v. 20 6685786
They should be around 12 bucks or more a night.. (the last three are
prisons made to hostels, and one of them is an old ship.)
I recommend "China" on the crossing of Hagagatan and Odengatan -- very
good chinese place and it's cheap! good food, good cozy environment...
(plus a LOAD of food!)
---------------+--------------------------------+----------------------------
Tord Malmgren | InterNet: [email protected] | These opinions are my OWN,
| BITNet : TordM@SESUF51 | and NOT of this department!
---------------+--------------------------------+----------------------------
Department of Physics, University of Stockholm -- Sweden (Scandinavia)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
From: [email protected] (Ari Sadarjoen)
Subject: Re: Things to do in Stockholm?
Organization: Delft University of Technology
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1993 09:50:00 GMT
I wouldn't recommend the Gustaf af Klint ship. I'm not sure of all the
rooms, but the one I saw was very small, and not as nice and clean as
the rooms in Laangholmen which seem like paradise ;-)
ARIvederci!
--
Ari Sadarjoen Internet: [email protected]
Delft, Holland. Fidonet: 2:281/256.18
|
| 235.14 | Water Festival | TLE::SAVAGE | | Mon Aug 01 1994 17:28 | 28 |
| If you are going to be in Stockholm in early August, you may want to take
note of the following notes:
181.14
181.15
181.31
In correspondence on SWEDE-L <SWEDE-L%[email protected]>,
Torkel Franzen <[email protected]> says:
"A word of explanation about the fireworks. This is a very unofficial
fireworks 'world championship competition', with five or six countries
represented. Each night of the festival, one of the competing
countries sets off a gigantic display of fireworks, and the judges pick
a winner at the end of the week. They used to be fired off from
Riddarfj�rden, but for some reason they moved it to Str�mmen. These
fireworks are truly stupendous, filling the skies above Stockholm with
gigantic leaps and flares of color and sound, reflecting in the water,
echoing around the shores. Since the judges are connoisseurs with a
critical eye, the contestants don't just rely on big bangs and flares,
but conjure forth waves and rains and subtle flows of color, in a
rich profusion, to overwhelming effect, such as is rarely seen. I
didn't watch the displays last year, since I've moved to Haninge and
didn't feel like joining the vast throng of people returning to their
homes, but I stepped out on the balcony and saw the fireworks clearly
on the horizon, some twenty-five kilometers away."
|
| 235.15 | Gold room at Historiska Museet | TLE::SAVAGE | | Thu Oct 06 1994 14:19 | 26 |
| Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
From: [email protected] (Mats Winberg)
Subject: The Gold Room at Historiska opened
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: no
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 10:33:17 GMT
Yesterday the gold room at Historiska Museet in Stockholm was
opened. It has taken two years to build the large vault 8 meters
under ground. The gold treasures of Historiska have not been shown
for decades. It is one of finest collections in the world containing
two thousand pieces, among them gold coins from the Roman Empire
and treasures from the Viking Age. Many of the pieces are priceless
not because of the gold value but because of their art value. There are many
examples of the craftsmanship of the prehistoric smiths of Sweden.
The management of the museum expects the gold room to become as
popular as the Vasa museum. Beside all the modern safety measures
protecting the gold, there are also magic runes on the walls and the
dragon Fafne carved in the stonefloor, guarding the gold.
Mats Winberg
Stockholm,Sweden
|
| 235.16 | Stockholm on the World Wide Web | TLE::SAVAGE | | Tue Jun 13 1995 16:44 | 19 |
| To: International Swedish Interest discussion list
Roland Johansson <[email protected]>
Subj: Re: Going to Stockholm?
I have found a helpful little page for those who plan a trip to
Stockholm.
First open location http://www.sunet.se/IETF33/
Then choose information.html
/Roland
============================================================
Roland Johansson Mail: [email protected]
c/o Falkner Web: http://www.bahnhof.se/~floyd/
Saetra torg 12 Phone: +46-8-88 56 11
S-127 38 Skaerholmen
Sweden
============================================================
|
| 235.17 | Restaurants on the increase | TLE::SAVAGE | | Tue Feb 06 1996 11:54 | 46 |
| From: [email protected]
To: List for those interested in things Swedish
Subject: Eating out in Sweden
I just want to add my 2 Lire in the current discussion about eating
out in Sweden. First of all, I have not been a regular guest at
Swedish restaurants for a couple of years, but my old friends in
Stockholm do confirm that these my experiences still are more or less
valid.
Eating dinner out in Stockholm used to be extremely expensive due to
quite hard regulations from the city council on licenses to serve
alcohol. This kept of course the number of restaurants limited since
it was and still is impossible to run a successful business without
the possibility to serve a glass of wine or a pint of beer to the
dinner guests. Anyway, the restaurant owners complained to the
authority that regules the free competion in markets and won. The
city of Stockholm had to give away more serving licenses. The only
reason now to not get one is criminal background, such as not pay
the proper taxes.
This resulted of course in a huge expansion in the reataurant market.
Stockholm did finally get as many restaurants as it used to have
during the days of Carl Michael Bellman. Since competion rised,
prices dropped and suddenly you could find bears for below 30 SEK.
This situation has been more or less stable since the late 80's.
Stockholm is nowadays only the 40'th most expensive capitol in the
world for eating and accomadation.
Lunches out used to cost 45 SEK due to the maximum allowance the the
employers were allowed to give before taxation. This changed when the
big taxation reform happened a couple of years ago. 'Dagens r�tt'
(the dish of the day) is still normally a bargain. You get a hot
meal, bread, butter, beverage and coffe in a packet.
McDonalds had come to stay in Sweden. There have been tries from
conservative left wing and green politicians to stop them asking for
cutlery or demanding less waste. McDonalds have now committed to not
use the boxes of styrofoam. They still serve their hamburgers wrapped
in paper. I cannot see why McDonalds should not be in Sweden. We have
imported all fast food and I for one do prefer a hamburger to a 'Korv
med mos'. The Swedish hamburger equivalent, 'pannbiff', has by the
way always had a place in the cuisine.
Mats
<[email protected]>
|
| 235.18 | One day in the "Venice of the North" | TLE::SAVAGE | | Wed May 22 1996 15:34 | 63 |
| From: clind <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nordic
Subject: Re: Trip to Scandinavia
Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 22:06:43 +0200
Organization: Caravan Software AB
My suggestion for one day (Stockholm, Sweden):
* Book a room at the "Columbus" youth hostel, =
subway exit "Medborgarplatsen", or if you are rich,
the Royal Viking Hotel by the Central Station.
* Make sure the weather is fine. (if not, do a real
viking sacrifice to the gods, eg. have a large beer)
* Take a walk from the hotel 5 minutes uphill to "Mosebacke",
and have a coffee/beer/whatever. The view is breathtaking.
You will see a large part of the town, and it's location on
several islands. To the right you will also see the giant
finnish-operated boats to finland (you must go there later!),
and to the left the old town. Straight ahead you will see
our amusement park "Gr�na Lund".
=
* Continue downto "Gamla Stan" (Old Town). Just stroll around,
and have a pizza, beer again or whatever. If you don't have
a lot of money, buy food at a store and eat it at the west
waterfront (by "riddarfj�rden").
* Continue to "slussen" and have a ferry to "Fj�derholmarna",
(feather islands) OR (cheaper) a ferry to "Gr�na Lund", the
amusement park. Behind the park, you also have our most famous
museum, the "Wasa" ship, and the "Skansen" animal park (most
suitable for families though).
* Take the ferry back to "Nybroviken". By this time, it should be =
evening. Find the "Opera cafe" (there are usually a line), and
have a look at the "jet-set" of Stockholm. Be sure to change
clothes in order to get in, it's not formal, but sneakers
and dirty clothes will *not* do.
A more laidback alternative to the cafe, is to visit the swedish
cultural center right in middle of the city. They usually have
exhibits and other stuff, but I really don't know when they close.
Look at http://www.kulturhuset.stockholm.se/
This is just a suggestion, there are many more things you could do.
Look at http://www.stockholm.se/en-guide.html
I have to stress the fact that in Stockholm, the town itself is what
you have to see. I regard Stockholm to be one of the most beatiful =
cities in the world, with only SF and Sidney to compete =
(at least of what I have seen). I also think that Oslo, Bergen,
Helsinki, Tampere & �rhus are great for tourists.
=
Good Luck,
Christer.
|