In the winter of 2015, I had a chance to tour Philadelphia.
The following are random pictures of the city…from artwork to icons to architecture to life.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The City in Pictures
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Exploring America’s Nationalism, One Monument at a Time
It’s hard to not wax poetic, or even nationalistic, when you visit the liberty bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Both exhibits are free, although there are some rooms to see at Independence Hall that seemed to cost money. But everything I saw definitely didn’t cost me anything.
Besides standing outside in the bitter winter cold that is the northeast, seeing the liberty bell is nothing more than that–a bell.
There are small placards and other tidbits of information to read, but as a museum, it’s quite limited. And still, there were always lines, even in the dead of winter.
Independence Hall allowed me to more freely meander, although there were always National Park Service personnel, and various other officials (e.g. police) wandering around. I felt safe and unsafe at the same time.
Still, it was fun to visit. Although I had just as much nostalgia over seeing other less crowded buildings and cemeteries in the nearby area.
A good patriotic walk!
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Seeing Rocky
Some know them as the Art Museum steps, but anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s, know them as Rocky’s steps, as he famously climbs up them at the end of his training montage.
After all, if you can conquer steps, you can conquer any opponent.
We, like many other people, didn’t even step inside the art gallery–which is quite sad actually.
But we did have a great walk to get to the Art Museum, where you see plenty of other art work and every nation’s flag along the journey to Rocky.
Seeing the Northern Lights; Eh
On the 21st of December 2015, I saw the elusive northern lights in Ovanåker, Sweden.
I say elusive, because we traveled up to Kiruna, Sweden (well above the arctic circle) in the dead of winter and darkness and found no traces of the aurora borealis.
Now, all I had to do was step out of the front door and look up.
I have to admit that the northern lights looked a lot more impressive in person, but nothing close to what professional pictures make it look like.
They lasted for about 10 full minutes, and you could see them transforming from white streaks into bright green horizons.
Back in Uppsala, my friends saw even less that I did, but a photographer posted on the Facebook page Beautiful Uppsala, some truly impressive sites.
I guess I need to learn how to use a non-phone camera….and photoshop.
Oh well, it still made my Christmas!
Losing My Phone in Lisbon
A few months ago I traveled with a couple of colleagues to explore southern Portugal. We landed in Faro and worked our way up to Lisbon.
Two days before leaving, we had met up with some surf camp friends, and headed out to explore Belem Tower and Jerónimos Monastery.
Having 6 people in our group, we decided to taxi it home, rather than take the rather expensive buses (€1.20 per person).
The day was great, and we were ready to have an even better night.
So we stepped out of the cab and ran up to our Airbnb apartment in the heart of the city. We cracked open a bottle of wine, and I went to take a picture of the amazing city we were living in.
Shit! Where’s my phone?
While running anxiously around the apartment, I knew in the back of my mind that it was in the taxi. My shorts have notoriously small pockets, and even though I routinely check them, I hadn’t this time.
In panic mode, I try to call some taxi companies. I quickly learn that although there are three main taxi companies in Lisbon, the one we took was an independent car, and I’m assured by two taxi drivers that my phone is long gone.
The night continued on, but always on my mind was my phone. I quickly changed all passwords–email Facebook, etc using my friends’ phones. And the next morning went to the police station to file a report.
I asked the Lisbon police if anyone had returned a lost phone. But he didn’t go looking. There was no checking. There was no thinking.
Laughter was the only thing I heard. Here I was without the item that stored lots of private information and had all of my vacation pictures, and all I could do was be laughed at by the Lisbon police officer who found it insane that I would even ask if a phone was returned to them.
So we quickly completed the paperwork, and while doing so, was mocked for living in Sweden.
“Oh Sweden, yes. That’s a country with problems. You just work all day. You never take the time to get out and enjoy life. That’s what makes Portugal so nice. We work a little, we go to the beach, we relax.”
I left, and the next day flew back home to Sweden, prepared to turn in the paperwork to my insurance company and try to get my hands on a new phone.
Then a message popped-up on my computer screen. Saying something to the effect of XXX-XXX-XXXX phone number is trying to access your phone.
I had thought for sure that my phone was long gone. That it was sold off into the black market. Or at least that the battery had died. But no, my Apple computer was somehow linked to my phone and warning me that someone was trying to get into my phone.
I immediately jumped on my computer to run the “find my iphone” program. Boom! There it was. Clear as day. And not moving—for hours. This must be where the taxi driver lived, I thought.
I quickly saved the number and texted a Portuguese friend. A friend that I had just made on the trip. A man who was more than accommodating at calling the number.
A woman answered.
“Do you have my phone,” my friend said.
“Um, yes,” a lady said hesitantly. “Someone was trying to sell me this phone, and I was trying to get my sim card to work.”
“Who is trying to sell you the phone?”
“Ummm, I’ll have to call you back.”
Then the Find My iphone program “dies”. He clearly had shut off my phone and I could no longer track him. Fuck! “Now my phone is gone forever,” I thought. “So close to getting it back”.
Surprisingly, she did call my friend back. Turns out the taxi driver was trying to sell the phone, but not to anyone–to his own sister. Yes, thanks to family (dis)loyalty, I was able to find my phone and get the phone number of the taxi driver.
My friend called him and arranged to pick it up. Being Portugal, this process was delayed for 48 hours, and I had my doubts that it would be returned. Even though the taxi driver confesses to have it, and is clearly a bit nervous, he still finds no reason to turn the phone in quickly.
The taxi driver decides it’s better to give it to the police and escape culpability. But that doesn’t work. Not because he’ll get in trouble. But rather because the Lisbon police are lazy.
“It’s better if you just return the phone to the owner, instead of to us,” the Police say. “Otherwise we’d have to fill out paperwork.”
So my friend meets the taxi driver the following day and picks up my phone. What an ordeal that’s finally ended. He promptly sends me my last picture I took.
Another friend traveling around Portugal picks it up and flies it back home to Sweden.
When I get it in my hands, I feel grateful; I feel relieved. But most importantly, I feel happy that I made new friends.
Post-script: the taxi driver changed the language and deleted my contacts and pictures. Luckily, he wasn’t so bright, and I could retrieve the pictures from the trash can and only had to add back people’s names, as their numbers were still saved.
Seeing Budapest, Hungary in Pictures
In the beginning of September 2012, I visited Budapest for the first time. It was my first time ever visiting a more eastern European country.
In some aspects the city definitely screamed eastern Europe to me, while in others, it was quite modern. For example, it’s still a country mainly run on cash, so when visiting, make sure to bring some. On the other hand, the city was so vibrant with life; with loads of light electrifying the city at night.
While I didn’t appreciate having to constantly pay for bottled water (since tap water isn’t available at restaurants), it was much worse to be flashed. In fact, not once, but twice were my co-workers and I flashed by random men–once on a train and once in a park. Not sure how common this is (or how unlucky we were), but that wasn’t the most enjoyable part of the trip.
The most enjoyable parts of the trips are seen in the pictures below; and it’s not tough to see why you can fall in love with this city.
Budapest can easily be seen as one of the top romantic cities, whether touring in the day or night, with its historical buildings and spectacular lighting. Definitely worth a visit.
Hiking around Växbo Lin
During the summer of 2014, I hiked around Växbo lin (an old linen factory). Their website is quite nice and really highlights what types of products they have. This place is a nice day out for the whole family.
There’s several wooded paths, as well as a multi-building complex complete with a children’s playground and lake.
Inside the buildings of this multi-building complex are the old tools and equipment that they used to use.
There are also places to eat and shop.
You may even see some hens.
Taking a one kilometer hike through the woods will allow you to see several old buildings that used to be used for the old linen factory.
On top seeing the beautiful nature, you can even stop and have a snack, as there are edible berries along the route.
The final destination however is the modern-day linen factory that’s still in operation (and you can drive to it too, if you prefer). There they sell all things linen–from dishtowels to bathing towels to clothings and hats. And several other products.
It’s worth taking a look around the shop, but the prices aren’t the cheapest; but they do have unique fun designs + you’d be supporting a local business, so perhaps you should buy something 🙂
Hälsingland Summer 2014
During the summer of 2014, I traveled a bit around Hälsingland. Hälsingland has a lot of natural beauty, with its hilly backdrop and numerous rivers and lakes.
Seeing red houses and ornate doorways are just a part of living in Hälsingland.
Sometimes it can be windy:
A small village called Ovanåker is where Nicolaus Magni Celsius came from: you may better know his descendant, Anders Celsius–that guy who invented temperature.
I started off my trip by seeing a new play (put on by Scensation) about the Swedish gods in Järvsö.
Järvsö is a little town, but is known for its outdoor zoo and its next door neighbor, the world famous downhill mountain biking course.
But when it’s finally in the 30s (or even 20s), you have to go to the beach.
A drive through the woods and backroads will lead you to some amazing beaches and camping areas (although this is Sweden and you can camp anywhere you want).
Any canoe trips are also quite popular….even for groups of 30.
While in Hälsingland, I also saw my first brännbollyran in Bollnäs. Brännboll = “burn ball” in Swedish, and is a bit similar to American baseball, except no one “gets out,” so everyone has a chance to run all of the bases. Another big difference is that there is no pitcher–the batter tosses up the ball and then swings for it (much like most American children do).
Although not required, many teams dress up while competing (oh, and drinking all day is a typical event….before they have a huge outdoor party in the evening).
See the youtube video to see more pictures from the games (not uploaded by me)
For Americans visiting Sweden, checking out the Migration House in Alfta is worth a trip. It’s a small museum that follows the life of a Swedish woman as she moves with a cult religion group to the US, eventually ending up in Illinois to enjoy religious freedom….for a while. Check out the Edsbyn-Alfta website to see what other things you can do while visiting.
In a town called Växbo there’s a wonderful little mill and park that you can walk around (maybe a kilometer from one end to the other).
There are several old buildings that you can tour at your own leisure (i.e. free) and end (or start) at the linen factor, where all sorts of objects are still being made today (so feel free to do some Swedish shopping). Check out Växbo Lin for more information.
Before ending my time in Hälsingland, I had plenty of time to nail down some creations.
Below you can see my creations–the top piece of artwork is a Christmas tree, direction arrows, or a little girl in a skirt while the bottom artwork is either a man, a woman, or a bodybuilder with an unknown gender.
Hälsingland is definitely worth a visit.
What’s Missing in Sweden?
Culturally, Sweden is a really cool country. But like all countries, it has its idiosyncrasies.
With this view in mind, let’s play a game called “What’s Missing”?
(Answers are found at the bottom of the post).
1) What’s missing in this picture?
2) What’s missing in this picture?
3) What’s missing in this picture?
4) What’s missing in this picture?
5) What’s missing in this picture?
What are some other juxtapositions, hypocrisies, or just weird things that you’ve noticed about Sweden?
Answers:
1) No street lights, even though this is a road about three blocks outside of the center of Uppsala. Uppsala has a few street lights, but by-and-large, Sweden’s fourth largest city lacks streets lights; allowing walkers, bikers, and cars to traverse at their own risk.
2) Again, no street lights, even though we’re in the heart of downtown Uppsala on one of the busiest streets. However, the main thing missing is any semblance of a sidewalk or security for people dining at a local restaurant. See, Uppsala believes that cars, bikers, walkers, and in this case diners, should all share the road.
3) Trick question: everything is happening the way it should–cars are stopped, bikers are biking, and they’re even thanking the car. Such a rare moment. Although biking is quite common, at intersections, there’s always a bit of chicken being played, where cars and bikers wonder who will yield to the other.
4) Although biking is immensely popular in Uppsala, helmets are rarely worn. In fact, you can almost always tell who is a parent and who isn’t–hint, parents want to be good role models for their children.
5) This is a very popular shopping center (representing many shopping centers also constructed this way). This one is popular since it contains a grocery story and a liquor store. However, despite its popularity and the massive road outside of it, there are no parking spaces. People who shop here walk or take a bike. And that’s not a road for cars, there are just that many bikers in Uppsala.
Migration House in Alfta
The Migration House in Alfta provides insight into how Swedes emigrated to the USA. Another good website for the Migration House and tracking genealogy is found here.
The house itself is both a place to come and conduct genealogy on the Gävleborg residents (or you can have the workers there do the research for you) and to travel through time following Brita Olsdotter’s life.
The museum is small, taking about 30 minutes to go through, but it still leaves a nice impact. It mainly follows the life of Brita Olsdotter, who was born in 1827 in Älvkarhed.
The museum the leads us through her expedition as she, along with a few hundred other people, follows Erik Jansson’s religious cult to Bishop Hill, Illinois. Today there’s a Bishop Hill museum devoted to the American side of this Swedish emigration.
The museum in Alfta starts with why she wanted to leave Sweden–religious persecution. And then describes how she traveled to Gävle to secure a boat passage to the USA; the hurdles she and others hand to overcome along the voyage, with many people dying along the way. Only to land in the USA and then have to travel across several states to reach the religious sects new land in Illinois (again a perilous journey) in the mid-1800s.
Life wasn’t easy after reaching Bishop Hill though. The town needed to be constructed, and Erik Jansson had several strict rules that needed to be obeyed, including abstinence (even if married). This was eventually reversed after some teenagers protested.
The texts were all written in Swedish next to the artifacts, but there was a good English version available to read as you progressed along in the museum.
For those interested in the Swedish emigration movement, this is a must-see.
Swedish Traveling, Culture & More Adventures 