Assignment#5

     Hello everyone! It's time to discuss our final trip to Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm is the capital and largest city in Sweden, as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is a collection of fourteen islands that have been settled since the Stone Age. The city was founded in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. Stockholm is the economic, cultural, political, and media center of Sweden. We spent a good deal of time at Stockholm's core, the present day Old Town. Old Town is one of Europe's largest and best preserved medieval city centers. Downtown Stockholm was very similar to Hamburg, Germany. The city was very easy to navigate on foot, and when need arose, public transportation was easy to find and available for use with our GoCity passes. In Stockholm, we visited a little more diverse of a collection of areas. These include the Nordic Museum, the Museum of Spirits, the Viking Museum, the ABBA Museum, the Paradox Museum, and the Swedish Royal Palace. The areas we visited were all within walking distance of our hotel in downtown Stockholm. As I've mentioned before in my other reviews of former cities, I believe easy access to these places is a valuable cultural asset. Many museums allow children to enter for free and offer discounts for students. Stockholm, like other cities in Europe, has a great collection of cultural areas that benefits the population.

    Our first museum, the Nordic Museum, is dedicated to the cultural and ethnographic history of Sweden, including the modern era. This museum had a collection of ceramics, textiles, graphic design works, and many other artworks. One of the interesting areas of this museum was the large collection of posters designed to promote tourism to Scandinavia throughout the 20th century. 

    Heikki Ahtiala, 1950.

    Ben Blessum, 1937.

    The following museum was the Museum of Spirits. Originally opened in 1967, this museum presents Sweden's wine and spirit history as well as the manufacture of alcohol. While we were there, there were also exhibits on experiencing drunkenness and hangovers. I found the large collection of art that focused on the Voda brand Absolut Vodka particularly interesting. 

    Absolut California, Charles Becker, 1991.

    Absolut Lorenzo, Lorenzo Quinn, 1992.

    Our next museum was just a short walk down the pier to the Viking Museum. I found it interesting that they offered free entry to refugees. This museum had a collection of artifacts from the Viking era, which ranged from 793 to 1066. The museum also had a ride that followed the life of a noble family during a specific period of time. This museum also had a neat section dedicated to the appearance of Vikings in modern culture and debunking popular myths regarding Viking culture and lifestyle. Something to note for anyone who doesn't know, "Viking" is an occupation, not an ethnicity. It often becomes overlapped in western depictions, but to be a Viking was a job.

    The next museum, and final one for that day, was the ABBA museum. I really enjoyed this one, though it was not on our pass and also not cheap to enter. This museum had an in depth collection of all things ABBA and even had some fan-made artworks displayed. I liked the numerous interactive exhibits, including the silent disco. You choose a headphone set and you have three channels to choose from with corresponding colors red, green, and blue. Anyone with that color is listening to the same song. It was a fun way for everyone to dance and have fun to some ABBA music without clashing different tempos. I was also interested to see the inner workings of the ABBA Voyage holograms. Motion capture technology was used to capture the ABBA member's every expression and mannerisms in order to replicate them in holographic form in the image of their younger years. I think motion capture is fascinating, and I really enjoyed watching the process as they brought ABBA from the seventies and eighties into 2023.

    The next day, we started with the Paradox Museum. This is an interactive, experienced based museum with over seventy exhibits designed to trick your brain. This museum had a collection of optical illusions as well as clever mirror placements to keep your brain guessing. 

    Next, we visited the Swedish Royal Palace. Our visit happened to co-align with the changing of the guard. It was cool to see the parade and fanfare and see how their changing of the guard differed from those in the United States. This was our third and final castle of the trip and the biggest, by far. The first building on the site was a building with a fortress constructed by Birger Jar in the 13th century. The modern palace was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. Due to war and other complications, the palace was not ready to use until 1754, and interior work proceeded until the 1770s. The interior of the palace contains 1,430 rooms. The royal guards have protected the palace and the royals since 1523. the palace, unsurprisingly, was opulent. I was most impressed by Charles XI gallery in the state apartments. This is a long corridor with Intricate murals painted along the ceilings and, at least, six chandeliers. 

    Although we did not visit another museum or historical building, the end of the trip did involve a boat tour on one of the many waterways in the city center. I think Stockholm was the perfect ending to this trip, and a satisfying culmination of all of the cities we had visited so far. Stockholm is walkable and diverse in its collection of art, history, and culture. Previously, Hamburg had been at the top of my list for my favorite location. However, Stockholm easily takes first place. It could be "final days" nostalgia, but I like to think Stockholm was truly the best city we visited. The city is beautiful, both in its location and in the colorful architecture of every building, old and new. Old Town also adds a fun, almost homey feel to the trip. Walking through Old Town reminded me a lot of New Orleans and a little bit of Joplin Missouri's Third Thursday events. I found I love the look of cobblestone, and so long as it isn't slippery outside, I also enjoyed walking on it. I loved Stockholm, Sweden and I am glad it was our final destination. 

Assignment #4

     Hello Everyone! It's time to talk about Gothenburg and Oslo, the second to last excursion on our trip! Gothenburg, Sweden is the second largest city in Sweden and fifth largest in the Nordic countries. The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch, Scots, and Germans. Gothenburg is also one of Chicago, Illinois's sister cities and the only one in the Nordic regions. Something interesting to note, was the amount of design styles and architecture that involved Art Nouveau motifs. Art Nouveau is an art movement spanning from 1883 to the first World War, and it is characterized by the movement of a long, sinuous, organic line. Gothenburg was a single day trip and it was a little difficult to get to know the city with so little time. We did get to visit Göteborgs Konstmuseum, which is a three story art gallery with historical and modern art. I selected another oil painting piece to discuss for this museum.

    This is Helmer Osslund's Autumn Evening, Nordingra, from 1924. Osslund had a propensity for landscape painting on greaseless paper, which is much easier to handle than canvas. 

    Our next museum was Röda Sten Konsthall, a smaller gallery underneath a large bridge. I have a film photo of some skateboarders outside the fabulously graffitied walls. The building is a four level renovated boiler plant, and the summer showcase held an artist for each floor. There were numerous video presentations and installation works. I think the building itself adds a very unique presence. 

    Our final museum in Gothenburg was the Gothenburg Natural History Museum. It had a vast collection of vertebrates and invertebrates. I personally enjoyed the Stegosaurus skeleton and some questionable taxidermy. 

    We spent two more days in Oslo, Norway. Oslo is the capital and the most populous city of Norway. Oslo is the economic and governmental center of Norway as well as the hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry, and shipping. The area had been claimed by Denmark until 1241, and was considered the capital since the rule of Haakon V of Norway, who reigned from 1299 to 1319. Although it is stated that Oslo was founded in 1049 by Harald Hardrada, anthropological sites have found Christian burials that date before 1000, indicating there were settlements before the "founding" of Oslo. We visited five official locations in Oslo including The Vigeland Park, The National Museum, the Akershus Castle and Fortress, the Munch Museum, and the Reptile Park.

    Vigeland Park, as mentioned before, was the culmination of Gustav Vigeland's sculptural works after he struck a deal with the city of Oslo. Vigeland lived from 1869 to 1943 and he has hundreds of sculptures both within museums and Vigeland Park. I found myself most attracted to the figures in the grand gateways into the park. These "seamonsters" or "snakes" are a reoccurring motif seen throughout the park. They reappear in a few larger scale sculptures as well as in the relief of this doorway. 

    Following the park is the National Museum of Oslo. This museum exhibits Norway's largest collection of art, architecture, and design. They have works from around the globe, ancient to modern. I have decided to present a large textile from the museum. 

    This is Märta Måås-Fjetterström's Unicorn in the Forest, from 1916. This is a wool and linen piece with the Goeblin technique. The Gobelin technique is a type of tent stitch where the length is twice the width. This museum, as far as I have seen, also had the largest collection of textiles and clothing from various eras. 

    The next location was Akershaus Castle. It is believed to be constructed in the late 1290's by King Haakon V. One of the most interesting facts of this Castle, in my opinion, was the connection to Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who had resided here after her after her marriage to King Haakon VI at ten years old. This castle was spacious and beautiful and the grounds had other museums that could be visited, though I spent my time in the castle itself. 

    We then visited the Munch Museum. The building we visited was opened in 2020, and housed mainly Edvard Munch's works, but it also had a few exhibitions from other artists. Edvard Munch is one of the most recognized artists of the west, his painting The Scream of 1893 has become a nearly universally recognizable image. The Scream is actually referring to the scream of nature that Munch had desired to capture, rather than some horrible event. Munch was known for reworking a piece multiple times with other mediums, so there is typically more than one version of his works. Munch suffered from BPD, or Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as alcoholism. Munch had a difficult childhood, both his mother and eldest sister died of tuberculosis and he himself had often been bedridden with illness. Munch's difficult relationship with death is often seen in many of his artworks. It is also notable that he often features the Femme Fatale, or the symbol of a beautiful but deadly woman, often characterized by long, flowing red hair. I've picked two artworks from this museum.

    The Sick Child, 1927 by Edvard Munch.

    The Third Eye, 2018 by Marianne Bratteli.

    I also enjoyed the relaxation room at the top of the museum with strange pillows and lights that simulated different times during the day and night. 

    The Final official stop was the Reptile Museum of Oslo. I saw a few cool animals, but I particularily liked Bob, the ball python.

    Gothenburg and Oslo, like many of the other cities we visited had a wide range of museums and places the people could visit to experience art, history, and culture. As I've stated before, the easy access to public transportation and walkable cities greatly improves foot traffic and the availability of these culture rich areas. There was not a place we visited that did not have a large volume of people present, and I believe such notable interactions improve the lives and knowledge of the citizens of these cities. Overall, I loved this trip to Gothenburg, Sweden and Oslo, Norway.

Assignment #3

     Hello everyone, it's time for me to write about our third excursion to Kalmar Castle. Our group visited Kalmar Castle June 10th. This trip was split between the castle and the glass factory Costa Boda, though I'm only going to address Kalmar Castle in this. Kalmar Castle started as a round defensive tower and a habor during the 12th century. It wasn't until King Magnus Ladulås had a fortress built around it at the end of the 13th century that it became the structure we recognize today. Kalmar Castle has played an important role in Swedish history since it's construction as a defensive tower. 

    One of the most signifigent events in Swedish history took place at Kalmar Castle in 1397. Queen Margaret I of Denmark (dubbed the Lady King) organized the union of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland known as the Kalmar Union. Kalmar Castle has a long history including many battles, sieges, and royal lineages. Another notable event took place in 1520, when Anna Eriksdotter (Bielke) took control of the fiefs after her husband's death and defended Kalmar against Denmark during the rebellion against Denmark. The castle also has an extensive history of remodeling and periods of disrepair. Though the Renaissance style seen in the castle was designed through the efforts of King Gustav I and his sons King Erik XIV and King John III. The silhouette we recognize today was designed between 1885 and 1891 by the architect Carl Möller. 

    I possess exactly one image of Kalmar Castle, as all of my other pictures were taken by film camera. My image is of the canopied Dolphin Well. 

    This well was designed in the Renaissance era. The Lion statues all have their noses knocked off, which could very likely be from the belief that the nose carries the soul, so to avoid curses or to desecrate symbols of power, the noses are knocked off.  

    Another part of Kalmar Castle's uniqueness is that exhibitions of art that are shown there. When we visited, there was a video and light show in one of the large halls that displayed impressionistic paintings to classical music and quotes from famous impressionists. The only furniture that is original to the castle is the bed in the Queen's room. You can also see the myriad of locks on the King's study, as King Erick XIV was a very paranoid man and worried about the line of succession, which he was right to be as he was deposed by his brother King John III. He suffered from insanity, and was likely killed by arsenic poisoning after he had been captured during his brother's rebellion. 

    I found Kalmar Castle to be fascinating. I especially enjoyed the extensive history and the locations on the coast, as the grounds were beautiful. My favorite part of this trip was getting to learn about Queen Margaret I of Denmark, as I think she is an incredible Queen. Kalmar is my favorite castle that we visited on this trip, and I am very glad to have spent my time there. 

Tuesday, Week Five

Hello everyone, today was my last day in Sweden! I started with a tasty breakfast. 

Our first museum today was the Paradox Museum! It was full of optical illusions and I found it very fun, but a little crowded. 

Our next visit was to the Swedish Royal Palace, and we got there just in time to see the changing of the guard! 

We stopped for lunch at an Irish Pub, and I was so hungry I blacked out a little bit and there is only one picture. 

We spent most of our time in Old Town, and decided to take a boat tour for our last day here, and we enjoyed some time on the water. 

We stopped at a local jazz bar before heading back to the hotel.

I enjoyed my final day in Sweden, and I'm going to rest up for our plane departure tomorrow! I hope everyone had a good day today, and that life treats you well! I'll send you off with some pictures of the city!

I'll see you soon!

Monday, Week Five

Hello everyone, I started my final leg of the trip today with a small breakfast! 

My friend and I had a few hours down time, so we ran down to a bakery for some tea.

Today had a lot of fun museums. We started at the Nordic Museum, then visited the Spirits Museum, the Viking Museum, and the ABBA Museum.

I had a lot of fun today, and I was super hungry during lunch and completely forgot to take a photo. I do have a picture of me heading to lunch, though. 

I got a little hot towards the end of the day, and I'm kind of worn out, but it was a very satisfying day! Dinner was at Mandarin City. 

I hope you all had a good day and that you get to dance and sing every once in a while.

I'll see you soon!